Montalbano locations in Sicily: Porto Empedocle, the real Vigata of the novels

Porto Empedocle is the seaside town east of Scala dei Turchi, about 5 km away by road: it is Andrea Camilleri's home town and the Vigata of his Inspector Montalbano novels. If you are looking for the Montalbano film locations, though, they are elsewhere: the TV series was filmed mainly around Ragusa, in south-eastern Sicily. Here you find the Montalbano statue on Via Roma, the Tower of Charles V on the harbour and the ferries to Lampedusa and Linosa; a few kilometres towards Agrigento is Luigi Pirandello's birthplace.

Is Porto Empedocle the real Vigata?

Yes: Vigata, the imaginary town of the Montalbano novels, is identified with Porto Empedocle, where Camilleri was born (in 1925, according to Wikipedia). The link was even made official: in 2003 the town added "Vigata" to its own name, with the writer's permission, and according to Wikipedia the double name was withdrawn in 2009. The story of the document Camilleri signed, which went missing and was found again in 2023, and the works in which Scala dei Turchi appears are in our guide to Scala dei Turchi in Montalbano, Camilleri and Pirandello.

Where was the Montalbano series filmed?

Not here. Inspector Montalbano (Il commissario Montalbano) was filmed mainly in Ragusa Ibla and south-eastern Sicily, and the inspector's seaside house is at Punta Secca, in the province of Ragusa. Porto Empedocle is the town of the books, not the set of the series: worth knowing before you come looking for the places you saw on television.

What is there to see in Porto Empedocle?

The Montalbano statue. On Via Roma, unveiled in 2009: according to articles from 2013 and 2019 it shows the inspector as Camilleri describes him, with a moustache and thick hair, not with the face of the actor in the series. A short way along Via Roma there is also a statue of Pirandello.

The Tower of Charles V. It guarded the grain store of Girgenti, the old name of Agrigento. According to Wikipedia it has medieval origins and was restored between 1549 and 1554 on the orders of the viceroy Juan de Vega; it was then a prison for a long time, and in 1848, 114 inmates died there, a massacre Camilleri told in his book La strage dimenticata ("the forgotten massacre"). Whether you can visit it today is unclear: Wikipedia says it is closed because of structural problems, and we found no notice from the municipality. The coastal towers and the pirates of local tradition are covered in our guide to the history of Scala dei Turchi.

The harbour. According to Wikipedia the town grew up as the landing place of Girgenti, became a municipality in its own right in 1853 as Molo di Girgenti and took its present name in 1863; in the 19th century the harbour shipped sulphur and salt from the interior. Today the ferries to Lampedusa and Linosa leave from here, sold by Caronte & Tourist Isole Minori under the Siremar brand: timetables and frequencies are on the company's website.

Camilleri's centenary. According to the Quotidiano di Sicilia, in 2025 the town celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the writer's birth with exhibitions set up in the wagons of the old goods yard at the station.

Punta Piccola. On the road between Porto Empedocle and Realmonte, about 3 km west-north-west of the town, is one of the two world reference points for dating the Pliocene linked to this coast. Our guide to the geology of Scala dei Turchi explains it.

Where is Pirandello's birthplace?

At Caos, a rural district between Porto Empedocle and Agrigento: 7 km from Scala dei Turchi as the crow flies, about 8.8 km by road, and about 2.3 km from the Tower of Charles V as the crow flies. It is a house museum run by the Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park; nearby is the rock that holds the writer's ashes. It is open every day from 09:00 to 19:30, with last entry at 19:00; a ticket costs €6 full price and €3 reduced. Where to buy: online on CoopCulture or at the ticket office. The visit to the writer's funerary monument is included in the ticket and is possible until one hour before sunset. Everything else is in our guide to Camilleri, Montalbano and Pirandello.

What is the sea like at Porto Empedocle?

According to the Portale Acque, the Italian Ministry of Health's bathing water portal, all the bathing waters of Porto Empedocle are rated excellent in 2026: Punta Piccola, Lido Azzurro, Lido Ancora, Lido Ficodindia, Lido Marinella, Cannelle, Caos and the mouth of the Re stream. In the novels Montalbano's house stands on the beach at Marinella; according to Balarm a Marinella beach really exists near Porto Empedocle, reached from the SS 115 main road with a short walk.

Some boat trips that pass in front of Scala dei Turchi also leave from the harbour: you will find them in our guide to Scala dei Turchi boat tours.

How do you get there?

From Scala dei Turchi. About 5.2 km by road along the SP 68, around ten minutes without traffic according to the OSRM routing service. We have no verified information on parking in town.

By bus. In the warmer months, line B of Agrigento's Temple Tour Bus stops at the Tower of Charles V and at the harbour, as well as at Pirandello's house and at Scala dei Turchi; it does not run on Mondays. Lumia buses link Realmonte with the harbour of Porto Empedocle. Runs and caveats are in our guide from Agrigento to Scala dei Turchi.

How do you see Porto Empedocle in half a day?

With half a day you can follow a small literary route: Scala dei Turchi, then Via Roma in Porto Empedocle with the statues of Montalbano and Pirandello and the Tower of Charles V seen from outside, then Pirandello's birthplace at Caos, on the road to Agrigento. The house museum closes at 19:30, with last entry at 19:00: if you leave the Scala in the afternoon, put it before the stroll through town. If you have time left, the Valley of the Temples is about 6 km from the Tower as the crow flies; in the opposite direction lies Punta Grande.