Porto Empedocle – The Place of Montalbano by Andrea Camilleri

I love the TV-series of Montalbano. Luca Zingaretti, the actor, is so great to impersonate this famous personality created by Andrea Camilleri. And all takes place in southern Sicily. Better in Vigata… which doesn’t exist and is the actually Porto Empedocle. And I was there!

Andrea Camilleri is one of the most known today writers and already 90 years old and a heavy smoker. He was born here, in the port of Girgenti, known as Agrigento in modern times. He was (is) screenwriter, film director and novelist. He wrote plays of Beckett and Pirandello, directed movies and TV-series. But the 1994 born Montalbano made him famous in the whole world.

Montalbano is an homage to the Spanish writer Manuel Vàzquez Montalbàn. The Spanish writer also had a series of detective stories, Pepe Carvalho, who Montalbano is very similar to. The Italian character is very true to himself, honest, open minded, loyal and decent. He has his own ways to arrive at the truth, balances always between the bad and the good ones and is faithful to his woman, living in Milan. All episodes are located in Sicily meanwhile the filming is not always at the same place.

Luca Zingaretti, an Italian actor from Rome, was already a good actor but stardom arrived with Montalbano. The series started in 1999, is still going on and had produced until now 26 films.

Porto Empedocle – named after the eponymous Greek philosopher born in Agrigento around 490 BC – was originally ‘nothing else’ than the port of Agrigento, the antique Girgenti. The ‘Torre del Caricatore di Girgenti’ is a kind of watchtower against pirates. In 1853 the little village got autonomic and ten years later changed its name in the today known one.

There is a second name since 2003: Vigàta. This is because of the Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri as many know this name and are looking for it. From this port you leave for the Pelagie Islands Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione.

Me and my friends visited the Valley of the Temples and were now looking for a nice place for lunch. We found it in Porto Empedocle. Great fish, fresh and super delicious. After that we had a short walk in the tiny fisher and port village. I loved the idea of the tiles stairs, the sun light beaming just right that moment at the harbor and of course could not miss to take a photo of ‘Vigàta’. The man standing at the lantern gave us at least a five minute discussion if he would be real or of bronze. In a not so cozy cafeteria we had an espresso before leaving for the hotel.

In summer this place must be marvelous, packed with tourists, chairs in the piazza, the smell of fresh prepared fish and sun everywhere. I have to return… and read the newest book of Camilleri and Montalbano.

---

Porto Empedocle, Sicily/Italy:

For further information:
Website about Sicily
Porto Empedocle
Andrea Camilleri on The Guardian

---