The patron of Isola delle Femmine is Our Lady of Grace, celebrated on 2 July, in the church dedicated to her.
The town takes its name from the islet facing it, crowned by a largely ruined tower that has given rise to several legends: the best known, though unfounded, claims it was once used as a prison reserved for women only. Both the tower on the islet, called Torre di fuori, and the one on the mainland, called Torre di dentro, were part of Sicily's ancient coastal watchtower warning system: the latter, circular in shape, is thought to have been built in the 15th century, in the time of the Aragonese king Martin the Younger, on the model of contemporary towers such as those of Capo Mongerbino and Capo Rama. The municipal coat of arms still depicts today a silver, Guelph-crenellated tower on a blue field.
