Sciacca is a working port and spa town on Sicily's south coast, roughly between Agrigento and Selinunte. It does not have the polished museum-piece feel of some Sicilian hill towns; it tumbles down toward the harbour in layers, with ceramics shops, churches, fishing boats, and traffic all mixed together.
The town is known for three things: thermal springs around Monte Kronio, bright handmade ceramics, and one of Sicily's loudest carnivals. Its old centre still keeps a medieval pattern, with the Basilica of Maria Santissima del Soccorso, Palazzo Steripinto, and the remains of Castello dei Luna giving shape to a good half-day walk.
Sciacca also makes a useful base for inland trips. Caltabellotta is close enough for a dramatic bus or car ride into the hills, while the coast west and east of town has beaches that are better than the urban first impression suggests. It is a town with rough edges, but those edges are part of the appeal.