The Rabato is Agrigento's old Arab-founded quarter, a dense knot of narrow lanes and hidden courtyards (cortili) built into the hillside south of Via Garibaldi. For centuries these courtyards were simply part of daily life, private and half-forgotten, tucked behind unmarked doorways.
The city has recently begun formally cataloguing and restoring them, folding them into a permanent cultural walking route. The first to be officially recognised and restored is Cortile Tornabene, previously known as Cortile Pipitone, right on Via Garibaldi.
