The town
Salemi — the home of Ancora
A Norman-Arab hilltop town in western Sicily, and the entire reason Ancora exists.
Salemi sits inland from Trapani, about 50 minutes from Palermo, with a population of around 10,000 and a skyline of pale stone, a castle, and terracotta rooftops. You won't find English menus here, and that's the point.
A short history
Three thousand years on the same hill.
Settled by the Elymians, fortified by the Arabs in the 9th century, taken by the Normans in the 11th, Salemi has been a defensive hilltop for roughly three thousand years. The Arabic-rooted street plan still survives: narrow alleys spiraling up to the castle, designed so cool air moves and outsiders get lost.
In 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi declared Salemi the first capital of a unified Italy, for a single day, before moving on. The plaque is still there. A 1968 earthquake leveled part of the old town; what stands today has been carefully restored, stone by stone.
Today it is quiet, lived-in, and almost entirely Italian-speaking. The cafés are for locals. The market on Thursday is for cooks, not tourists. There are no cruise ships and no tour buses. The nearest are an hour away.
più belli
d'Italia
Official recognition
One of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Salemi is a member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia , the national association that certifies Italy's most beautiful small historic towns. Fewer than 400 villages across the country hold the designation, awarded for architectural integrity, living heritage, and quality of place.
Included in your week
A walking tour and the castle, on us.
Every Ancora week includes a guided walking tour of Salemi's historic center and a visit to the Norman-Arab Castello Normanno-Svevo.
Guided walking tour
An afternoon walking the old town with a local guide: the Arab quarter, the Mother Church ruins left by the 1968 earthquake, Garibaldi's plaque, and the views over the Belice valley.
Norman-Arab castle
A visit to Salemi's 13th-century castle, built on Arab foundations and rebuilt by Frederick II. The terrace gives the best view in western Sicily: three valleys, two sea coasts, and Mount Etna on a clear day.
Around town
What you'll actually do between lessons.
- The piazza. Piazza Alicia, in front of the castle, is where the town gathers at dusk. Pull up a chair, order a Spritz, and try to follow three conversations at once.
- The market. Thursdays. Bring small bills and a phrasebook for produce, cheese, olives, and at least one stallholder who will adopt you by week's end.
- Wine country. Salemi sits inside one of Sicily's quietest wine regions. Catarratto, Grillo, Nero d'Avola. The producers are small and the cellars are walking distance from town.
- Easy day trips. The Greek temple at Segesta is 20 minutes away. The salt pans of Trapani, the hilltop town of Erice, and the beaches of San Vito Lo Capo are all under an hour.
Ready?
Spend a week here.
Eight spots per week. Two weeks in October 2026.