Custonaci stands on a hilly area 217 meters above sea level, in a beautiful area between the sea and Mount Cofano, whose summit is an Oriented Nature Reserve. Mount Cofano forms the backdrop to the gulf of the same name, where Cornino, a seaside hamlet of Custonaci and fishing village. It is an agricultural and commercial center, famous above all for being the hub of a large and rich marble basin: the quarries of Custonaci extract Perlato di Sicilia, a valuable and renowned ivory-colored marble with beige veins. History – The first inhabitants were the Sicans: traces of them remain in the caves in the area around the city. Its history then largely coincides with that of Erice, to which it was linked until the first half of the last century. Under Norman rule, following a process of occupation of uncultivated lands, the small Elymian settlement was transformed into a state-owned town. The settlement developed according to an orthogonal layout around the Shrine of Our Lady, already then an important place of worship and pilgrimage destination. After 1948 it became an autonomous municipality. During the Christmas season, a Living Nativity is held in Custonaci.