Sciacca

Sciacca (Italian and Sicilian: [ˈʃakka]; Ancient Greek: Θέρμαι, romanized: Thérmai; Latin: Thermae Selinuntinae, Thermae Selinuntiae, Thermae, Aquae Labrodes or Aquae Labodes) is a town and comune (municipality) in the province of Agrigento on the south-western coast of Sicily, Southern Italy. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

The town was founded by the Sicani, an indigenous people of Sicily, in the 7th century BC. It has been known since ancient times for its thermal, sulfurous, and sodium-chloride waters. Throughout its history it has been dominated by different cultures and each period has left its mark on the city, enriching its historical heritage.

Ancient Greeks legends attributed the discovery of the thermal baths to mythical figures, Hercules or Daedalus depending on the version. Later, the Christians attributed the discovery of the baths to Calogerus the Anchorite.

The town reached its period of greatest splendor during the Norman rule, between the 11th and 12th centuries, when it became the centre of a rich county.

In the late Middle Ages, the clash between two powerful noble families gave rise to the so-called Sciacca Cases. The second case ended the dispute in 1530.

During the Spanish and Austrian rule Sciacca lost much of its maritime and commercial prosperity. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, naval trade routes were severely hampered by the constant presence of Barbary corsairs in the Mediterranean Sea, which profoundly damaged the city's economy. The recovery in trade was facilitated by the peace treaty signed between Charles VI and the North African cities of Tripoli and Tunis in 1726, which put an end to the emergence of pirates on those sea routes.

Under the Bourbon monarchy, between the second half of the 18th and 19th centuries, Sciacca became the seat of a sea consulate, responsible for the control and surveillance of the local maritime sector.

Today, Sciacca is the most populous town in the province after Agrigento. It is known for its historic carnival and its ceramics. Spa activities, despite being one of the town's main attractions, were suspended in 2015.