2 Best Sights in Scicli, Sicily

The fabulously voluptuous facade makes a stunning contrast with the limestone cliffs soaring above the edge of the town's historic center. A dizzying fusion of the Baroque and rococo lies behind the lace grate doors of this single-nave church; your eyes eventually lead to the central altarpiece painting, Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew (1779) by Francesco Pasucci. Most enchanting is the Neapolitan wooden nativity scene conceived in the 16th century and remodeled by Pietro Padula (1773–76).

Founded in the 17th century by the Jesuits, Scicli's "mother church" was rebuilt following the 1693 earthquake. Housing the remains of the town's patron saint, Guglielmo the Hermit, a side chapel also hosts the life-size papier-mâché statue of the Madonna su cavallo (on a horse), also known as the Madonna delle Milizie. She is paraded through the streets on the last Saturday in May to celebrate her feast day.