Culture, History & Heritage
A Guide to the Locations of the Montalbano TV Series
"Montalbano sugnu!" So the famous fictional Sicilian detective announces his presence as he calls at the homes of suspects, witnesses and friends. In his perennial quest for whodunit, Inspector Montalbano's manner and his glorious sun-soaked baroque environs couldn't be more different from the dark and damp Danish crime dramas that compete for TV audiences. Adapted from the best-selling books by Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri, the TV series of Inspector Montalbano is set in and around the fictional town of Vigata, which was originally based on the Camilleri's home town of Porto Empedocle a few kilometres west of Agrigento. However, when RAI, Italy's state broadcaster, decided to transform the books into a hugely successful TV series, the great Inspector was seconded to the more picturesque area of Ragusa in southeast Sicily.