Inspector Montalbano Filming Locations

Vigàta is made up. Inspector Montalbano was filmed almost entirely in the province of Ragusa, and the locations are close enough together to see in two days.

The TV series based on Andrea Camilleri's novels ran from 1999 to 2021 over 15 seasons, with Luca Zingaretti as Salvo Montalbano. Camilleri modeled the town of Vigàta on his birthplace, Porto Empedocle, in the province of Agrigento. The cameras were set up about 60 miles farther east: in the town hall of Scicli, on the squares of Ragusa Ibla and Modica, on the beaches of Punta Secca, Donnalucata and Sampieri, and at the Castello di Donnafugata.

Scicli: the Vigàta police station

The town hall on Via Francesco Mormino Penna, built in 1906 on the site of a convent, is the police station in the series; a sign at the entrance reads "Commissariato di Vigata." The questore's office is really the mayor's room upstairs. To find out whether the rooms are open to visitors, ask the town of Scicli. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with other late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto.

Montalbano's house in Punta Secca

In the series the inspector lives in a small white house right on the beach, its terrace on the sand. It stands in Punta Secca, part of Santa Croce Camerina, on the square by the Torre Scalambri watchtower, and is now rented to guests.

Donnalucata and Sampieri

Scenes from several episodes were shot at the harbor and along the seafront of Donnalucata, part of Scicli. At the end of the beach at Sampieri stands the ruin of the Fornace Penna, a brick factory from 1912; in the episode "La forma dell'acqua" it is the Mànnara. You can see the ruin from the beach.

Ragusa Ibla

On Piazza del Duomo, in front of the Cathedral of San Giorgio, the characters of the series meet again and again. At the Circolo di Conversazione, Montalbano meets the coroner, Dr. Pasquano.

Modica

Modica has its own Cathedral of San Giorgio. In front of its facade Montalbano waits for Livia to arrive by bus, and in the series Dr. Pasquano's house is in the hanging garden next to the cathedral.

Castello di Donnafugata

In the series the castle near Ragusa is the villa of the Mafia boss Balduccio Sinagra; its terrace and park were used as sets. The city of Ragusa publishes the opening hours.

Pozzallo

Scenes were also shot in the harbor of Pozzallo.

The route in two days

Day one, the coast and Scicli: Sampieri in the morning, then the town hall in Scicli, Donnalucata at midday and Punta Secca at sunset. Day two, inland: the Castello di Donnafugata in the morning, then Ragusa Ibla, and Modica in the afternoon. Distances are short: Scicli is 4 miles from Donnalucata and 6 from Modica, and Ragusa Ibla is about 5 miles from Modica.

Where to stay

Holiday homes in Scicli sit right in the middle of this route; there are more in Pozzallo and in Santa Croce Camerina, 3 miles from Punta Secca.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Inspector Montalbano filmed?

Almost entirely in the province of Ragusa in southeastern Sicily: in Scicli, Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Punta Secca, Donnalucata, Sampieri and at the Castello di Donnafugata.