Founded in 1572 by Baron Corbera, it stands where the ancient Arab hamlet of Manzil-Sindi once stood, which became Misilindino in the Norman period. Having become a fief of the Filangeri Princes, it was a centre of great interest for the noblemen of the time, so much so that in 1812 it hosted King Ferdinand of Bourbon with Queen Maria Carolina. It was Palazzo Filangeri di Cutò that inspired Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa to write some of the most beautiful pages of “The Leopard”, from which the film of the same name was based. The International Literary Prize, awarded
over the years to the most famous contemporary authors, the Literary Park and the Museum dedicated to the life and works of the famous writer. Deeply damaged by the 1968 earthquake that struck the entire Belìce Valley, Santa Margherita preserves the memory of its splendid past in the Museum of Memory. Significant is the cultivation of prickly pears and the original proliferation of the Belice sheep, a native sheep breed from which the traditional Vastedda is produced, the only Sicilian stretched curd cheese.