The true face of Sicily can still be seen in the small villages although many locals would say their way of life has changed immensely from what it once was. The locals in the town of Sant’ Ambrogio are resolved to do something to preserve their way of life while offering an authentic experience to tourists looking for the real Sicily. Sicily’s first “eco-village” is being created by locals that immigrated to the area.

Sant ‘Ambrogio is located in a little nook behind the city of Cefalù on the north coast of Sicily. Cefalù is an ancient fishing port with a great Romanesque cathedral at its center. Cefalu has largely succumbed to tourism, with much of its Sicilian character hidden during the summer tourist months. In Sant ‘Ambrogio, however, life continues much as it has for the past 500 years. Old men still sit in rows on the benches in the little piazza, while their wives gossip on the whitewashed doorsteps.

Recently, some local owners of villa type properties in Sant ‘Ambrogio have been renting to tourists, offering what they call the “Sicilian experience”: a glimpse of a way of life that is fast disappearing. Many of these properties are rural houses set amid the pines, olives and fruit trees that cover the hillside above the bay. Others are townhouses or apartments in the town itself. Most are elegant buildings with delicately frescoed ceilings, but some are  more rustic places with heavy wood beams and whitewashed walls.

They are managed in the most environment-friendly way, with low-energy light bulbs and eco-cleaning products imported from the mainland. There are recycling containers available at each property. Many owners sell jars of jam and limoncello liqueur they made themselves. The charming town square holds discreetly placed recycle bins, and pots of colorful flowers are planted throughout the village. A museum of village life is now in place and it has organized communal clean-ups. All of this has been adopted by the locals in order to save their community and way of life for future generations.

Two great places to stay are Apartment Mare and Casa Santorum. From Casa Santorum one can see medieval hilltop towns such as Castelbuono and Pollina. You can rent these homes from a company called the Sicilian Experience . Our apartment at Casa Santorum had a private terrace where we could see across to the Aeolian Islands. There is a terraced garden below the house with cobbled streets leading  to the apartment where, in the evening, you can join the locals and sit out enjoying the sea breeze. The people of  Sant’ Ambrogio are warm and will invite you in for Ricotta, bread and homemade wine. They believe that hospitality should be freely given and they frequently can be heard to say, “Benvenuti nella mia home .”

Now would be the best time to visit the area because the world’s largest suspension bridge, that will link Sicily with the mainland, will be built (by 2012)  and many more tourists are expected to converge upon the area. Although it will cut travel time to Sicily, most of the locals are opposed to the bridge and fear that even more tourists will mean a further loss of the traditional way of life. The town of Sant ‘Ambrogio, however, continues to cling to that traditional way and won’t give it up without a fight.

Written by Carla Scott for EuropeUpClose.com