Altavilla Milicia, in the province of Palermo, was founded in the XVII century by the maquis Sambuca Beccadelli, on a small pre-exhistent settlement; Altavilla Milicia then changed from him to Bologna family and remained for all the century. The place name of the town derives from the powerful Norman family of Altavilla.
Destination of pilgrimages is now the Cathedral Church, consecrated to Madonna of Loreto, inside the present museum of popular religiousness that keeps a great quantity of ex vows painted on glass, tin and wood. The church and the baronial palace Beccadelli are placed in an unusual position: they are side to side on a long panoramic with a large view of the coast.
In the city vicinity are the remnants of the Chiesa di Maria di Campogrosso or San Michele, with an adjacent Basilian convent, built at behest of Robert Guiscard to celebrate his victory over the Arabs in the 11th century.