Castello Incantato

Castello Incantato is an open-air art museum on Via Filippo Bentivegna, a few kilometres outside Sciacca. Its garden is filled with heads carved by self-taught artist Filippo Bentivegna into limestone and tree trunks, the result of decades of work. Wander among the olive and almond trees to see the sculptures at close range, and use the free audio guide for biographical context. The grounds also include caves and a small labyrinth. Come when it is quiet if you want time to take in the unusual setting.

A garden shaped by Bentivegna

Castello Incantato is not a fortress. It is the outdoor collection created by Filippo Bentivegna, a self-taught artist from Sciacca. After an unhappy period as an emigrant in America, he returned to his hometown and spent decades making a world of his own on this land.

Bentivegna carved thousands of heads into limestone and the trunks of trees. Some faces are roughly shaped, while others have distinct expressions. A few were painted red. The sculptures appear across the grounds, among olive and almond trees, so the visit is a walk through the garden as much as a look at individual works.

What to look for on the grounds

Take your time among the carvings: the faces may seem similar at first, but each has its own features and expression. Look for works cut into tree bark as well as stone, and for the caves and small labyrinth within the grounds.

Biographical information about Bentivegna is available through a free audio guide. His home also contains paintings that visitors can see. Some of his sculptures have been shown at the Musée de l’Art Brut in Lausanne.