The 17th-century Chiesa Madre of the town of Palma di Montechiaro holds court at the top of a long flight of stairs. Palma di Montechiaro was founded by the Prince of Lampedusa, ancestor of the novelist Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, in 1637.The famers of the area cultivate grapes for wine and the table, almonds, melons, and cherry tomatoes.