Important cities of Sicily

Acicastello

An important seaside resort, Aci Castello boasts a rich production of citrus fruits, olives, grapes, almonds, and cereals. Cattle breeding is flourishing because of the numerous pasture areas.
The outstanding handicraft work includes wooden objects.

The name Aci Castello derives from the homonymous Castle situated on a nearby hill of lava rock, built by the Normans in 1076.

Acicastello The first suburb was founded around the castle and was bestowed to the Bishops of Catania by the Norman Count Ruggero.
Approximately in 1170, it was completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake, and was repopulated no sooner than 1530, as the nearby towns of Ficarazzi and Aci Trezza were annexed. In 1647, it belonged to the noble Massa family, who owned it until the abolition of the feudal regime.

Acireale

The name Aci derives from the Greek term Akus, that means penetrating and refers to the coldness of the homonymous river, subsequently covered by the lava flow. During the Roman period, the suburb was called Aquilia.

Destroyed by 1169’s earthquake, it was rebuilt and attributed the name of Aquilia Nuova.

In 1326, because of an incursion by will of King Roberto of Napoli, and the subsequent disastrous fire, the inhabitants found shelter on a nearby hill, where they founded the current inhabited center.
In 1642, the town was baptized as the “Citta’ Regia” (royal city) by King Filippo IV, thus the derivation of today’s name Acireale.

The town was destroyed once again by 1693’s earthquake, and nevertheless blossomed shortly after, and became bigger as numerous monuments and cultural centers were constructed.
The most architecturally interesting monuments include the Roman-Gothic Duomo, of the XIV century, that preserves the Chapel of S. Venera and a silver statue of the Saint, the Basilica dei SS. Pietro e Paolo dated 1600, and the XVII century Chiesa di S. Sebastiano, that has a typical baroque facade.

The most outstanding urban structures are the Palazzo comunale, 1659, preserving a rich portal, and the Palazzo Modò preserving beautiful illustrated brackets. Also singular are the Terme di S. Venera (thermal baths), an imposing thermal establishment with a neoclassic facade, dated 1873.

Acitrezza

The origin of Acitrezza, currently fraction of Acicastello, goes back iwhen in the 1672 Stefano of the Riggio prince of the house of Campo Fiorito acquired the territory.

In 1600 in fact, it was a zone nearly completely deserted where the inhabitants of the ancient Acireale worked linen and hemp to interlace them.
Perhaps from this fact derives the name “Trezza”, even if moltiple are the hypotheses on the origin of its name.

Today all know Acitrezza, not only for the beauty of its landscapes, but also because the catanese writer Giovanni Verga has made it protagonist of its novel, “the Malavoglia”, describing the life of the fishermen and their families.

Agrigento

The Valley of the Temples is the site of Akragas, an ancient city founded the year 581 BC by colonists from Gela and Rhodes.
Its history lasted for more than a thousand years and ended between the VII and the IX century AD, when its inhabitants moved to the Girgenti hill, that is on the most western end of the area where the ancient Greek city used to be built.
The ancient classical city which stretched between the Rupe Atenea hill and the Ridge of the Temples, shows the remains of its impressive buildings in what we call today the Valley of the Temples, a unique art heritage.

Not so long ago, the so called Valley of the Temples covered only the area between the Ridge of the Temples and the Rupe Atenea hill. Today it includes also the surrounding area where you find the necropolis and the extra-moenia sanctuaries (that is outside the ancient city walls), and where the rivers Akragas and Ipsas flow down to the sea by San Leone beach. The environmental and natural balances are strongly enhanced by the intervention of man.
They fuse admirably together with the archaeological monuments, solemn like the temples, discrete and suggestive like the necropolis and the complex hypogees.

Agrigento, Giunones’s temple However most of the ancient classical and roman city is still hidden under almond trees and hundred year old olive trees.
Even today the remains come to the surface of this secret reserve to show more of its own past.

In the middle of the 1900’s an aerial view showed one of the most interesting sides of the town: the Hippodamian street plan in the area between the southern ridge and the foot of the Rupe Atenea hill.
Six wide roads (plateiai) covered this area from the East to the West and were crossed by 30 narrow streets (stenopoi) according to a grid plan. All the buildings of the ancient city, including the temple of Zeus, the gymnasium and the buleuterion, were inserted in this regular layout.

Today clearly visible modern changes concern especially the San Nicola area.
There you can see the remains of ancient public buildings next to the different terraces connected one to the other by ramps and steps and on which the city was built.

Caltagirone

Caltagirone takes its name from an Arabic expression (qal’at-al-ganom) meaning castle of the genies (spirits believed to dwell in the surrounding caves).

The necropolises in the country areas of Montagna and degli Angeli, dating from the 2nd millennium BC, together with numerous findings from the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age, are evidence that the territory was inhabited in prehistoric times.

A Sicel settlement has been identified on Monte San Mauro, SW of the modern town.
The Arabs built a castle here which was attacked in 1030 by a group of Ligurians led by the Byzantine general George Maniakes. The local dialect still has some Ligurian traces.

The town flourished under the Normans and the Swabians and became a centre for the production of ceramics.
The earthquake in 1693 necessitated a reconstruction that was the work of a number of skilful baroque architects, including Gagliardi, Marvuglia and Bonajuto.

Caltanissetta

The town was probably founded on the spot of the ancient “Nissa”; the prefix “Kalat” was given by the Arabs in the 9th century AD, hence its modern name. It is located in the centre of the island at the foot of Mount San Giuliano and its population is of 61.000 inhabitants; it is an essentially modern town, once the main Sicilian centre for sulphur, potassium and magnesium extraction. It played an important role in the country’s economy during the last century especially because sulphur became the prime industry and Caltanissetta turned out to be the leading exporter.

Cathedral and its two campaniles, was built between 1550 and 1648. The interior with its three aisles and high dome has some fine decoration. The main nave is adorned with stuccoes and frescoes by the Flemish painter Borremans(1721).
The three major compositions in the vault, framed by Old Testament scenes, represent the Immaculate Conception, the Growing of the Virgin and the triumph of Saint Michel, all of which are still quite remarkable in spite of having needed restaurations.
In the choir you can see a large painting also by Borremans, near the main altar and the richly decorated 1601 organ case of gilded wood with painted panels.

Cathedral of Caltanissetta The church of Saint Sebastian is from the 17th century and is all painted dark red, in markes contrast with the natural stone colour of the other architecture.

The church of Saint Agata, is from the 17th century. In the interior there is an elaborate inlayed polychrome marble decoration and a beautiful marble altar-piece by Ignazio Marabitti.

TheCivicMuseum houses artefacts recovered from around the town. Some of them belong to the Pre-hellenistic period ( 7th – 6th century BC); as for example two bronze statuettes with their arms outstretched or some helmets; many others testify to the flourishing Greek period such as beautiful Attic ware, for example a “crater” bearing a painting of the god Ephaestus, seated in his forge, hammering out hot iron (6th century BC).
On the outskirts you can visit the Abbey of “Santo Spirito”, founded by Roger I (11th century) and consacrated in 1153, is Romanesque in style.
It has three typically Norman apses ornamented by decorative blind arcading. Inside, it has a wonderful 15th century Crucifix and a deep early Romanesque baptismal font for the total immersion of infants, decorated with stylized palmettes.

Catania

Catania is Sicily’s second largest town, with a population of 400.000 people.
Known as the Milan of the South, Catania is the financial and economical centre of the island.
It was founded in 729BC by the Greeks, at the foot of the famous volcano Mount Etna. The fate of the city has always been linked to the presence of it. As a matter of fact, the history of Catania is marked by a long succession of disasters, most of them depending on the volcanic activity and eruptions of Mount Etna.

The earliest known destruction of Catania was in 476BC, when Hieron of Syracuse exiled its inhabitants. They returned 15 years later, but when their new reconstructed town began to thrive again, another jealous tyrant, Dyonisus sacked it furiously in 403 BC. In AD 121, Etna erupted and levelled the city.

On February 4th 1169, a terrible earthquake killed about 15.000 people. Catania rose from its ashes again only to be beaten down by the pyrate Barbarossa’s son.

The Angevins ransacked Catania during the rebellion of the “Sicilian Vespers”, 1282,and after that the town was ravaged by the plague, one in 1423 and the other in 1576. On march 11th 1669, when Etna erupted once more, the earth split open over an area of about 9.3 mi the Nicolosi district, where the “Rossi Mountains” stand today and a river of lava flowed into the city, covering the port and spreading into the sea for about 1.2 mi. The eruption continued until May of that year; because of the extent of the catastrophe, Charles II of Spain exempted the town from paying taxes for ten years.
On January 11th 1693, while 12.000 people were attending a service I the Duomo, another earthquake demolished the town, killing two thirds of the population. There was another damaging tremour in 1818 and in 1928, a nearby village was buried under lava. The most recent eruptions were in 1971,1983, 1990, 1992 and 2002.

The main monuments are: the Cathedral, the Badia of Saint Agatha, the Church of Collegiata, Palazzo Biscari, the Roman Theatre, the Roman Anphitheatre, the Ursino Castle, via Crociferi, Villa Bellini, “la Pescheria”

The Cathedral was built by the Norman Count Roger I in the 11th century and stands on one of the most beautiful squares of the city. It was rebuilt several times. After the earthquake in 1693 Vaccarini, undertook the construction work, which lasted 6 years.The only parts of the Norman church which survived after this disaster are the foundations and the apses at the back. The present façade is one of Vaccarini’s masterpieces: the Baroque decoration is enhanced by free-standing columns and the statue of Saint Agatha in the last niche on top.
Inside the Cathedral is rather naked, except the beautiful Baroque canvas put in the side chapels along the aisles. By the second pilaster on the right, is the tomb of Vincenzo Bellini, the most famous Sicilian composer, who died in Puteaux, near Paris in 1835.The last chapel to the right contains the sarcophagus of Costanza, wife of Frederick III of Aragon, who died in 1363. The southern chapel is dedicated to Saint Agatha: this although Renaissance in spirit, is encrusted with gilded stucco decoration. In the sacristy, there is a large painting of the volcanic eruption that occurred in 1669.

In front of the Cathedral, on the “Duomo” square, stands the symbol of Catania, the “Liotru”, the Elephant statue, sculpted by G.Battista Vaccarini in 1736. An elephant carved out of lava, trunk readied, stands on a stone pedestal and seems to watch to the town.The animal carries on his shoulders an ancient Egyptian obelisk with hieroglyphics dedicated to the goddess Isis.
On the right of the square is the “Palazzo Senatorio” or of the “elephants”,now the town hall, built by Vaccarini in the 18th C.
In the courtyards stand two Senatory carriages from th 18th C. The windows outside are topped with bas-reliefs of small elephants.
Catania, Palazzo Biscari On the southern corner of the square is the statue of the Amenano, a fine Baroque allegory of the ancient Amenano river.

The Badia of Saint Agatha is another beautiful example of rich Baroque architecture built by Vaccarini.
The façade shows an interesting elevation with, in the middle, a wrought-iron balcony where in the past the Dominican nuns used to show up and look out at the daily life.

The Collegiata Church is the first church on the main street, Via Etnea. It has an unusual concave façade by Stefano Ittar.
Inside can be seen frescoes by Giuseppe Sciuti.
The church belonged to the Jesuit order.

Biscari by Antonio Amato, is one of the most important and ornamented Baroque palaces of Catania.
It was built in the 17th century, next to the harbour.
Absolutely amazing are the marble decorations that cover the façade and the cornices around the windows: cupids, flowers and stylized animals enhance the beauty of the natural black and white stone of the building.

The Roman Theatre was built over the ruins of the former Greek one from the 5th century BC, in the 1st century BC.The diameter of the theatre is 97 m, that of the orchestra is 29m. The rows of seats could hold 7000 spectators and were divided into 9 sections cut by two circular corridors. This is the theatre were Alcibiades is believed to have harangued the inhabitants of Catania to side with Athens (415 BC).
The Odeon is beside the Theatre and belongs to the same period. It was used for philosophic speeches and music performances; it was part of an ancient acropolis and could hold 1300 spectators.
The Roman Anphitheatre measured no less than 125m, 105 in diameter and its arena was 71m by 51m.
It might have accommodate 15000 spectators. Most of the amphitheatre lies hidden below the piazza and the surrounding Baroque buildings.

The Ursino Castle was built by Frederick II of Swabia. This austere building was built on the sea-front in the 13th century; the reason why today it stands at a certain distance from the sea, is that in 1669 a great river of lava flowed down, pushing the water off shore.Tha castle is named after a Roman consul “Arsinius”or possibly after the roman Orsini family.
Its plan is square; it has four round towers at each corner and two half towers along the main facades.
It houses today a fine collection of paintings, principally by southern Italian artists, that arrange from the 15th century to the 19th century. Notable works include a polyptych with the Virgin enthroned with Saint Anthony and Saint Francis by Antonello Saliba (15th C), a pupil of Antonello da Messina.
You can also see “Saint Christopher” by Pietro Novelli.

Via Crociferi is an example of 18th century religious urban architecture, and it offers a succinct view of the development of the Baroque style in the city.During the 18th C, poverty was widespread, and there was no social welfare, so religious groups played an essential role in society by aiding and educating the destitute.
Convent churches were built on the street, often showing their wealth with elaborate facades. Along Via Crociferi you can admire “SanGiuliano” Church, built by Vaccarini in 1738; the “Gesuiti” Church, built by Father Angelo da Licata, with its beautiful twin columns on the façade; “San Benedetto” Church, built by Alonso di Benedetto and the doorway by Vaccarini; “San Francesco” Church, with its impressive façade, is by Angelo Italia.

Villa Bellini is a peaceful public garden designed by the end of the 19th C.
It opens on “Via Etnea” and has been dedicated to the most famous Sicilian music composer.
From the top of the gardens, next to the “art Nouveau” kiosk, you can enjoy a beautiful view over the city and Mount Etna.

The “Pescheria” is one of the most picturesque corners of Catania. It is a very interesting and lively open-market, where every morning hundreds of fishmongers and fruit and vegetables sellers shout to any possible buyers.

Cefalu

It is the second summer reasort of Sicily and one of the most charming fishing towns on the island. It was founded by the Greeks in the 4th century BC and later on occupied by the Romans. But the apogee of the town dates from the Norman age, when the king Roger II decided to build in 1131 a very beautiful Cathedral and gave the town many privileges.

The Cathedral of Jesus Christ the Saviour is the most important monument in the town: it was planned as the burial place of Roger II and his family. It shows a very interesting combination of different styles: Arabic, Byzantine, Romanesque and Baroque. The façade is flanked by two massive bell-towers and preceeded by a portico from the 15 th century.
The interior walls are rather naked while the main apse is occupied by a wonderful mosaic in Byzantine style, representing the Almighty God surrounded by the Archangels, the Apostles, the Virgin Mary and the Saints of the Christian Church. This beautiful mosaics are considered among the purest Byzantine mosaics of Sicily. To the right of the choir, there is still the old bishop’s throne, and on the left the royal marble and mosaic throne.

The Arab-Norman “Lavatoio” is an old public wash-house, probably also known in the Roman era.
The basins are supplied with water by a fresh-water spring running undergroung and coming from the mountain at the back of the town.
The museum “Mandralisca, is housed in the palace once owned by the Baron Mandralisca, the first deputy of Cefalù in the newly created Italian Parliament of 1861. He was also an art lover who spent much of his time searching for rare objects.

The most interesting exhibits include coin collections, a “krater”, with an illustration of a fishmonger cutting up tuna fish on one side and on the other a picture of two young lovers (4th century BC); but the finest work of all is the Portrait of an Unknown Man, a masterpiece of 15th century Italian painting by Antonello da Messina.

Enna

Enna, from the Etruscan “mount“.
Or “Ennaien“, word of Greek derivation that means “living within”.
Or “Ennaon“, too, “the temple”.
Or perhaps “En-naan“, Punic expression indicating a “place of delights”, a “source of amenities”, an image which isn’t only poetical, but also true, motivated by the period of the big transhumances, when the herds moved with the shepherds from the plains to the pastures on the mountains. Last but not least, we could take into account the name of Ennio, the Syracusan who repopulated the city after it was razed to the ground by the Siculians, in the V century B.C.

Among the other names there are also “Henna”, “Ennair”, “Hennaion”, “Castrum Henna”, Kasr Jani”, “Kasr Janna”, “Qasr Jannih”, “Castro Janni”, “Castrogiovanni” and, finally, Enna again from 1926.

Various were the names that Enna received from the many populations that inhabited it, although conquering the city wasn’t easy at all. Thanks to its position in the middle of Sicily, Callimaco defined it “Umbilicus Siciliae”, while Tito Livio gave the city the name of “Urbs inexpugnabilis”, due to its strategic position inland.
The first settlements were created by the Sicani, a native Sicilian population who was then forced to abandon the eastern side of the island because of the invasion of the Siculians.

The siculians made Enna one of the main sacred centres for the cult of Ceres, the ctonian Harvest Goddess, who in honour they built a sacred fence and a sanctuary on the eastern slope of the mount. Traces, mostly imaginable, are in the Ceres Rock, at the foot of the Lombard Castle.

Forza d’agro

Anyone coming to Forza d’Agrò gets a surprise. And what surprises one first (and we know this from direct testimony) is the landscape: its panoramas are even more beautiful than those of Taormina.

Who can say more than that? But we do know from direct testimony that its panoramas are even more beautiful than those of Taormina, which is really saying something!
There are so many things to see, starting from the churches, like San Michele Arcangelo, San Sebastiano, Sant’Antonio and Maria Bambina of which only a few traces remain.

The Cathedral is an imposing one, dedicated to Maria Annunziata Assunta, built in the fifteenth century and rebuilt after the 1648 earthquake, and has works showing refined facture like the Santissimo Crocifisso wooden cross from the 12th century (celebrations on 14 September), and also a Baroque façade in which there is set a portal entirely done in sandstone.
Also from the 13th century is the Durazzesco Arch and the Santissima Trinità and San Francesco churches.

Isole eolie

Born from the fire and the wind, the Eolian islands: Stromboli, Panarea, Salina, Lipari, Vulcano, Alicudi and Filicudi, cups which emerge from the white sea foam to reveal the presence of all the primordial forces of nature.

Forge of civilisation, the history of the Arcipelago, from the Siculi to the Greeks, the Aragonesis to the Etrucs, to the Romans, the Normans, the Svevi, the Aragoniensis, is entwined with myths and legends which are everywhere keeping step with the centuries and calling back to it the restless visitors in search of impossible landscapes, magical and picturesque places, perhaps… unique in the world!

Messina

Messina (originally ZANKLE, or sickle, referring to the shape of the harbour) was settled from Cumae about 730 BC, then by Naxos and later by settlers from Euboia in Greece (the island north west of Athens).

It helped to found Rhegion across the straits of Messina (Rhegium to the Romans, Reggio di Calabria today) and the two towns were always closely connected. It was renamed Messana by a ruler of Rhegion in 493 BC, Anaxilas.Himilco, a Carthaginian, sacked the town in 397BC; Syracuse later rebuilt.
Then it was occupied by the Mamertines (sons of Mars) a group of mercenaries who controlled much of Sicily until they were conquered by Hieron II, from which point Messina became a Roman ally.
In 843 AD it was captured by the Saracens, and then in 1061 fell into Norman hands.
In 1190-91, the English king, the Lion-hearted, attacked the town and then rebuilt the castle of Matagrifone. By the end of the 15th century, Messina was a very prosperous port, famous for its monasteries. In the 17th century the town fell to the Spanish who decimated the local population. This marked the beginning of a long series of disasters: in 1743 the plague wiped out 40.000 people; In 1783, a terrible earthquake flattened the entire city; in 1848 the Bourbons quelled a Sicilian independence rebellion, with massive bombardaments from the sea.

A cholera epidemic broke out in 1854, and it was followed by another serious earthquake in 1894; then in December, the strongest earthquake experienced in the region struck in the early morning hours and left 80.000 people dead.
The city took protective measures against future quakes, by constructing wide avenues and low buildings, aided by international organizations. Allied bombs killed 4500 more people during World War II. After all these disasters, today’s Messina is the most modern town on the island.

The medieval Duomo or Cathedral was built in 1131, by Roger II.
It was almost all reconstructed according to the original style. It is still a Basilica with three aisles, three apses and a tall transept. The 12 side altars in the aisles and the statues of the Apostles are copies; only that of Saint John the Baptist, by Anonello Gagini, is original (1525). Of the façade, the lower part is the oldest, and the three wonderful portals date from the 15-16th century. The three side doors are also noteworthy; one dates from the Renaissance and the other is a pointed 15th century entrance with decorative mosaic strips.
The interior is in the piazza in front of the Duomo is a high clock tower or Campanile (213ft) with the largest astronomical clock in the world, built by a Strasbourg firm in 1933.
At noon there is a twenty minute action as the bells chime: to the sound of Schubert’s Ave Maria, the lion roars, the cock crows, a dove representing the Holy Spirit, flutters as the church rises, representing the resurrection of Christ and the founding of the Church, and Mary is encircled by apostles and angels.

Next to the Duomo is the marble Fountain of “Orion” by G. Angelo Montorsoli, a very elegant representation of Messina mythological founder, surrounded by the allegories of the four main rivers.
Another beautiful Church is “Annunziata dei Catalani”, a particular fine 12th century Norman construction. In the 13th century it was badly damaged by an earthquake.
The façade and three portals date from this period, while the transept, the charming cupola and the apse, all with beautiful blind arcading, are original 12th century.
Neptune Fountain, also built by Montorsoli (1557) is another fine work of art in white marble, along the Messina “promenade”, in front of the port.

The Regional Museum of Messina was founded to house works saved from the last earthquake. The archeological department is still being reorganized, but exhibitions of medieval and modern art give you a good idea of the town’s artistic heritage. Of a note among the works displayed at present are: Madonna degli Storpi, 1330 by Goro di Gregorio, a Senese sculptor; The Polypthyc of Saint Gregory by Antonello da Messina (1473); the Circumcision by Girolamo Alibrandi (1519) and two paintings by Caravaggio, Adoration of the Shepherds and Rising of Lazarus, which he painted during his stay in Messina in 1608-09.
There are interesting collections of minor works, such as the nine gilt paintings dating from the beginning of the 19th century, that illustrate the legend of the “Sacred Letter”.

The National Archaeological Museum, in the town of Reggio di Calabria.
It contains an important collection of Greek and Roman artefacts. The most famous are the fine Greek bronze statues dating from 460 BC and 430 BC. They have become known as the Riace Bronzes.
They may have been in shipwreck in ancient times, while they were being transported, or abandoned by looters of an ancient wreck, in this area, shortly before they were brought to public attention.

Very few original bronze statues survive from Greek times, because the metal was melted down and re-used in later times.
The best art work was in bronze rather than marble, and the surviving Roman copies of pieces that were famous in Roman days are in marble. The effect is always different from the original. The statues originally had shields on their left arm, with their left hands grasping the shield grip, and holding javelins in their right hands. Probably one of the two had a wreath on his head, while the other wore a helmet.
The warriors may represent heroes of the past. There have been many ideas about their identity, but so far no theory has had enough evidence to be convincing. The added copper on the lips and nipples, and the infill for teeth and eyes have been lost in most statues that survive from the Classical period.
You can see the veins on the hands, the casually relaxed pose and the power of athletically toned bodies reflecting the ideal beauty of the Greek (male) body. The statues were hollow cast, using wax for the model, which was melted out in the process.

Modica

Modica, like the other towns in the Val di Noto, was badly damaged in the 1693 earthquake and largely rebuilt in Sicilian Baroque style.

It is divided into two parts, “higher” Modica and “lower” Modica, which are connected by numerous flights of steps.

Palazzi and houses rise from the bottom of the gorge seemingly stacked one on top of the other.
Magnificent churches, with their inspiring domes, bell towers and intricate facades, punctuate the red-tiled roofs and one is struck by the uniform beauty of the whole.

Noto

The largest centre in the province of Syracuse, is relatively a recent town. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 when ancient Neai or netum was reduces to aheap of ruins.
The inhabitants decided to rebuild their city on a hillside facing the sea. Not only was their choice of the site a good one, but G. Battista Landolina, a patrician and great patron of the arts, called upon the architect Rosario Gagliardi to design the new town. A Noto man, himself, Gagliardi devoted all his talent to rebuild his native town, with the result that it is one of the most beautiful.

Baroque towns in the world and recently recognized a UNESCO spot.
Landolina designed the town plan around three main parallel axes which run horizontally east- west across the hillside. Three squares were introduced to break the monotony of the urban lay-out and on each of them a church was placed as a backdrop. Three different social categories were catered for: the highest part was reserved for the nobility, the centre for the clergy, while the ordinary people were left to fill the rest of the town.
To reinforce the architectural unity of the town only one type of material was used: a beautifully soft yellow limestone.
The final effect is of a great monumentality.

Many Sicilian artists were involved in the reconstruction of Noto, under the supervision of the Duke of Camastra, the acting representative of the Spanish viceroy: these included Paolo Labisi, Vincenzo Sinatra and Rosario Gagliardi, who being a closer follower of Frances Borromini. Although Noto was entirely rebuilt by local craftmen, it fits into a much larger picture as Italian hands modelled, fashioned and released expressions of the Baroque movement all over Europe and beyond, the new Russian capital, San Petersburg.

Porta Nazionale is a powerful triumphal arch with stands at the beginning of the main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It was built in 1838 for the first visit of the king Ferdinand II, who so loved Noto that he returned to the town twice. Along the “Corso” you will see the Church of Saint Francis, built by Vincenzo Sinatra, a local architect. It rises above a theatrical staircase divided into three sections. Across from the church is the Monastery of “San Salvatore”, an impressively austere building flanked by a massive keep and adorned with windows protected by finely worked wrought-iron bars. A little farther you will see “Palazzo Ducezio”, another building of Sinatra, inaugurated in 1746.
The original design was comprised of only a ground floor with 11 arches upheld by pilasters and half columns. The three central arches curve out from the rest of the building and are reached by a semicircular flight of steps.
The palace was converted into the town hall, and a first floor was added in 1951, somewhat spoiling the balance of the whole. Dominating the next piazza is the Cathedral of San Conrad, with its impressive façade.

The Cathedral was completed in 1776. The genius of the architects is reflected in the theatrical appearance of the building and the immense tripartite outside staircase. The long façade is a masterpiece of proportion. Above you can see four statues of the Evangelists crowning the vertical sweep begun by the four columns which frame the side portals. The dome was built in 1872 to replace the original, which was damaged in a minor earthquake. It collapsed once again in 1993 and it is still under reconstruction. Next church on the left of the main street is Saint Charles, with its beautiful convex facade in three different style. It was designed by Rosario Gagliardi between 1736 and 1746.

At the end of the main street opens the “Piazza XVI maggio” planted with fine trees, beneath which is a statue of Hercules, from the ruins of the ancient Noto; Hercules is triumphantly holding up the town’s coat-of arms. In the background the walls of a Domenican Convent frame the sumptuous façade of “San Domenico” Church, designed by R. Gagliardi between 1703 and 1727. The influences of Roman architecture and Spanish Baroque are integrated here with those of the Sicilian school. It is more a rococò palace rather than a Church.
On Via Nicolaci, a side street connecting Via Vitt. Emanuele to Via Cavour, you can admire one of the most spectacular baroque facades of Noto, Palazzo Villadorata. It was designed by Gagliardi in about 1731.
The rectangular facade is noteworthy, firstly for its wide doorway which opens into a slot courtyard designed for carriages and secondly for its two rows of impressive windows.
Those on top are adorned with “pot-bellied” balconies of wrought-iron shaped like “the breast of a goose” that bulge out over an unusual assortment of supporting sculptures. They include monsters, griffons, centaurs, cherubs and old men.

Palermo

Capital of Sicily, it is situated on the Thyrrenian Sea, north west of Sicily. The town stretches in a large plain the “Conca d’ Oro”, surrounded by several mountains. It was founded in the 8th century BC by the Phoenicians, then it was conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Angevins, Spanish and it became part of the united kingdom of Italy under the Savoy House only in 1860 The present name derives from the Greek words Pan Ormos, which stands for “all Harbour”.

The most splendid periods of its history are under the Arabs and Normans, when the town turned out to be one of the most vigorous and flourishing of Europe. Most of the “Highlights” of Palermo date from these periods ( from the 9th to the 12th century). Unfortunately the city suffered very heavy bombings during World War II and still today shows many “ruined” buildings from this period, (1943). The city is the seat of the Sicilian Parliament and Governement.

Quattro Canti is the main intersection in the old town. The square was opened under the Viceroy of Vigliena in the 17th century and it is adorned with marble statues of the four seasons, Kings of Spain and patron Saints of Palermo. A few steps along the main Spanish street of Palermo, Via Maqueda there is the splendid Pretoria Fountain designed by the Florentine Fr. Camilliani in 1554 and decorated with various statues of mythological characters and allegorical figures.
In front of the fountain stands the Town-hall, originally from the 1300s at the back, the marvellous church of “Martorana” and San Cataldo. The first, also called Saint Mary of the Admiral, was built in 1143 by George of Antioch and is one of the most beautiful examples of Arab- Norman architecture. In the interior it is covered of Byzantine gilded mosaics representing some scenes from the Virgin Mary’s life. In the central dome the representation of the “Almighty God” surrounded by the four Archangels.
The neighbouring Church of San Cataldo, is topped with three little red cupolas in a pure Arabic style. It was built in 1160 by the Norman Chancellor Maione da Bari. Along the other main street in the historic centre of Palermo, “Corso Vittorio Emanuele II”, you can see the wonderful Cathedral, from the Norman period, built in 1182 by the Archibishop Walter of the Mill and dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption.
In the outside of the building you can see many different styles; nevertheless it is a striking edifice with its golden stone called “tufa”. The present Cathedral stands on the site of an older basilica and a mosque. The interior could be rather disappointing, for it underwent several transformations and refurbishing in Neo-Classical style during the 19th century.

The most important chapel is the Paron Saint’s, Rosalia whose relics are kept in a silver coffer carried every year in the month of July in a very impressive procession along the streets of the old city.
On the large “piazza Indipendenza” stands the most important and ancient palace of the town the “Palace of the Normans“, built by the Phoenicians on top of the hill and completely rebuilt by the Arabs in the 9th century AD. The Palace houses the famous Royal Apartments, especially from the Norman and Bourbon period, but the most precious monument inside, the Palatine Chapel is one of the highlights of Palermo. Built in 1131 by Roger II is a jewel covered of Byzantine mosaics depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament and Saint Peter’s and Paul’s lives.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti Church is another very fine Arab-Norman monument from 1132 AD, built by the king Roger II. The nave is surmounted by two red domes and the apses zone by three. It was built over a former structure, perhaps a mosque. The Church is surrounded by a charming garden with lush vegetation and in a corner stands the little Cloister with twin columns and Moorish arches.
La Zisa is one of a group of peasure-palaces built by the Norman kings in their private park on the outskirts of Palermo. This massive building with its flanking towers was begun by William I (c.1160) and finished by his son William II. It houses the “Muslim Art Museum”.

The main Fountain Hall on the ground floor, is decorated with a beautiful friese of mosaics inspired from the Persian School and stalactite vaults in three recesses along the sides.

The Catacombs of Cappuccini, you can see the biggest monumental Cemetery in the world as far as mummified bodies are concerned. In fact throughout three centuries the Capuchin monks of Palermo were allowed to embalm wealthy people belonging to several categories: citizens, priests, friars, children…About 8000 bodies can be still seen in the underground corridors, almost all dressed up.

The Archeological Museum displays very fine collections of Greek, Phoenician and Roman, artefacts from the west of Sicily, but also nice Etruscan and Egyptian collections. One of the most famous room is the “Metopes of Selinunte” room, with the best Greek Sculptures coming from the friezes of several temples situated in this very flourishing Greek town from the antiquity.
The so called “Ram of Castello Maniace” is another highlight of the museum. It is an incredibly beautiful bronze ram from the 3rd century BC. The Regional Medieval Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis, is the other important museum to be visited. It is housed in a splendid building from the 15th century, in Gothic- Catalan style.
You can see the best examples of Sicilian sculpture from the Renaissance and a very nice collection of canvas, paintings from various schools, Umbrian, Tuscanian, Catalan and Flemish, all from the 13th to the 17th century. The two most beautiful works are the “Bust of Eleonora of Aragon”, an incredible feminine marble bust by Francis Laurana and the “Annunciation”by Antonello da Messina, a charming painting of the Virgin, of true Sicilian type.

Piazza armerina

The history of the town of Piazza (Armerina was added in 1862) began in Norman times, but the area was already inhabited in prehistoric times, as it is demonstrated by the archaeological finds on Monte Navone and, above all, on Montagna di Marzo. The area must have flourished in the Roman era: this can be seen from the splendid Roman Villa Casale, dating from the early 4th century AD, with its world famous mosaics floors. During the centuries it experienced mixed fortunes, but it has often played leading political roles and its cultural and economic life has always been particularly active, so much so that it was described by Emperor Charles V as an “extremely” wealthy town”.

Piazza Armerina (721 mt. asl – population 22,000 ca.) is the ideal place for a relaxing holiday with a touch of culture thrown in. It is a town in which there is a happy compromise between the natural and manmade environment. During the hot summer the climate is made cooler by the 20,000 hectares of luxuriant woodland surrounding the town, making it an ideal holiday location. It is also a historic town and, thanks to its numerous monuments, it is a centre of culture and art with a heritage worth discovering.

The Roman Villa was built by the Romans during the 3rd and 4th century A.C., on a previous rustic construction of the 2nd century A.C. Professor V. Gentile, that performed the archeological excavations in 1950, attributed the construction of the Villa to the Roman emperor Maximianus Herculius an this is still the most accredited theory. The Villa was certainly inhabited until the 13th century when it was destroyed by Guglielmo il Malo, together with a village that is still buried in the surroundings. Afterwards the Villa was covered by debris from Monte Mangone and all traces of it were lost until 17th cenury, when an eminent inhabitant of Piazza Armerina, Chiarandà, wrote:”In the Casale district there are walls and ruins on unknown origin”. During excavations in 19th century, the Triclinium was bought to light. But the actual excavations were performed by Prof. V. Gentili in 1950 and lasted 7 years. About 60 rooms and 350 square meters of mosaics of inestimable value were bought to light.

The villa, due to the sloping nature of the site, is built on 4 levels. The Roman Thermae, on the first level, were provided with water by a complex supply system, composed of two aqueducts: before being delivered to the Frigidarium and the Calidaria, the water was heated in special ovens. The Massage Hall and Gym are also on this level.

On the second level, we find the main entrance composed of 3 arches and a large courtyard, surrounded by Corinthian columns, has a fountain in the middle. On the left side of the Peristilium, there is a group of small rooms, some of which are worthy of mention, the Little Hunt Room (with mosaics depicting hunting scenes), that of the Fishing Cupids and that of the Dancers. On the right side there is, instead, a group of 3 rooms, one of which, known all over the world, has become the symbol of this exceptional monument: the room with girls in bikinis. Along the east side of the Peristilium, we find the grandiose corridor of the Great Hunt, whose mosaics depict scenes of great game hunting: the chase, capture and transport of the beast towards Rome. The scenes depicting Asia and Africa at the two opposite ends of the room, in two apses, are of extreme value.

On the fourth level we find the Triclinium, the family’s private rooms, with the marvellous mosaics of Ulysses and Polyphemus and the Cubicle with the famous erotic scene, and the grandiose Basilica. In the Triclinium, the Dominus (Master), dined with special guests. Here are located the mosaics depicting the twelve Toils of Hercules and in the central apse there is the Gigantomachia, in which are shown five giants that strive to pull out of their bodies the arrows shot by Hercules.

Ragusa

It is the higher section of the town. It was rebuilt after the 17th century earthquake, according to a grid plan at right angles to the main streets.
The elegant “Via Roma”, bisects the town on a parallel axis to the side of the hill; the perpendicular “Corso Italia”, meanwhile, runs down toward Ibla between wonderful buildings. The main square, built on two levels, is occupied by the Baroque façade of the Cathedral of Saint John.
It dates from the early 18th century. Its huge front elevation is flanked by its campanile. The interior consists of three vast aisles separated by monolithic columns with capitals. The decoration includes fine stuccoes and 19th – century paintings. Along “Corso Italia”, stands the Palace Lupis”. It is decorated with nice balconies and brackets.

Palazzo Zacco is another renowed private dwelling in the town.

Note the beautiful coat-of arms of the ancient family and the amazing balconies brackets, projecting from the lateral façade, carved with figures and grotesques.

Palazzo Bertini was built at the end of the 18th century.
Three large masks peer down from the carved window keystones, as if watching the pedestrian traffic.
According to tradition, these personify a beggar-ugly, angry and toothless; a nobleman–decisive, serene in the assurance of his social rank, and a merchant–wearing a turban and a self-satisfied expression assured by the weight of the money in his pocket.

Savoca

Although no one knows why the Penterfur settled right here, instead it is known that Savoca owes its name to the presence of elder trees, in Greek Sabuka, hence the dialect term, still used today, Sauche. “Modern” Savoca developed, starting from about 1134, around the Pentefur Rock, named after its ancient inhabitants, whose existence is still alluded to in the quarter of the little town which continues to be called Pentifurri.

For a long time Savoca was a castle town with walls round it with two gates in them, one of which is extant.
It has a great many churches, but unfortunately, due to the 1880 landslide, it lost the monumental one dedicated to St. Lucy. However, there are still a great many major architectonic works like the cathedral church, Santa Maria in Cielo Assunta, San Michele, with sixteenth-century portals in sandstone, and San Nicolò, more similar to a fortress than a church; there are also the ruins of the Pentefur and many other things.

Scicli

Scicli is a most lovely city in the province of Ragusa, lying on a vast valley amidst rocky mountains, where the San Bartolomeo, the Santa Maria La Nuova and the Fiumara di Modica rivers join.

Its 18th century look most resulted from the reconstruction that followed the terrible earthquake of 1693.
Thanks to its elegant palazzi and churches, and its picturesque shape, it is famously known as the “Baroque Jewel”.

Syracuse

Founded in 733 BC by colonists from Corinth on the island of Ortygia (now Ortigia), which means the place of quails in Greek, the Syracusans found the mainland a rich land to farm, and they linked the island to it with a causeway.

Gelon became tyrant in 485 BC when he took advantage of an appeal for help from opponents in the city to the nobles who were ruling at the time. He remained in power until 478 BC, making an alliance with Akragas, defeating the Carthaginians in 480 BC, increasing the navy and building (a new agora, improvements to the temple of Apollo, building the temple of Athene which is incorporated into the Cathedral today) which the spoils of war. Aeschylus probably put on some of his tragedies at the festivals in the theatre. Gelon, like Theron of Akragas, was celebrated in Pindar’s verse for his victory in the chariot races of the pan-Hellenic games. After Gelon’s death, his brother Hieron held power until 466 BC, defeating the Etruscans in a naval battle off Cumae in south Italy. After Hieron the city adopted democracy.

Syracuse was by now the most powerful city of all Sicily and a force to be reckoned with in south Italy.
In the Peloponnesian War, she sided with Sparta and Corinth, her mother city, against the naval superpower of the Greek world, Athens. When Athens sent a fleet under Nikias and Demosthenes in 415 BC, the Syracusan commander extended the fortifications to the newer parts of the city. Gylippos eventually blockaded the Athenian fleet in the bay of Syracuse and defeated it in a desperate last sea battle.
After that, the Athenian survivors tried to escape by land but were killed or captured. Those who survived were forced to work in the terrible conditions of the stone quarries.
The Athenian historian of the time, THUCYDIDES describes the events of the campaign in moving detail, in Book 7 of his History. Carthage soon moved against the Sicilian cities, and the new tyrant, Dionysius, who ruled 405 – 367 BC, strengthened the defences on the heights over the city (epipolai). He did not drive the Carthaginians from the island, but managed to keep them at bay. For PLATO’s visit.

Dionysius II who ruled 367 -343 BC, was hated by the Syracusans for his oppressive rule and appealed for help to Corinth, which sent Timoleon. Amazingly, he rid the island of its tyrants and liberated the cities in a few years, dying at Syracuse in 336 BC. Then there was civil war for years, with different groups struggling for power. Agathocles, a successful commander, gained control in 317 BC and made himself King. The Carthaginians attacked again in 278 BC, so the city appealed to Pyrrhus of Epirus for help. He drove the enemy back, but when he left the island, the Carthaginian threat returned. Hieron, a Syracusan general who defeated the city of Messana (Messina today) was made king by the people of Syracuse, and he ruled well from 265 to 215 BC, as Hieron II.
When Messana appealed to help to the growing power of Rome, and the First Punic War started, Hieron at first resisted them with kept Syracuse independent under his rule, as allied of Rome. Rome took control of the rest seating area, naming Zeus Olympios, King Hieron, his wife Philistis, Nereis the wife of Heron’s son Gelon. As his son married Nereis in 238, this helps to date Hieron’s work on the theatre.

At the top of the theatre there are niches where votive offerings were found commemorating heroes of the area (the Greeks worshipped powerful warriors of the past, who were thought to help in times of danger, or respond to an individual appeal, especially near their tombs).
The theatre was altered again in Roman times, making it more like a semicircle than the usual Greek shape with a large dance floor (orchestra) for the chorus of the plays. Plays are put on here in alternate years, in summer.
Hieron II built the great altar of Zeus where public offerings of 400 bulls could be made at a time. When the Second Punic War started, Hieron offered the support of Syracuse to Rome, but after is death at the age of 90 he was followed as king by his grandson Hieronymous, who reversed his policy and made an alliance with Carthage, so the Roman consul Marcellus besieged the city.

After a long siege, in which Archimedes devised ingenious methods of destroying the enemy ships, the Romans took the town. Under Roman occupation Syracuse was governed by such varied officials as Verres, who further despoiled it, and Cicero, the accuser of Verres. Saint Paul stayed three days at Syracuse on his way from Malta to Rhegium.

Its later history is a tale of a rapid decline, though the Emperor Constance 7th resided in Syracuse in 662-68.
It was destroyed by the Saracens in 878, and though freed for a time by George Maniakes 1038-40, the General of Basil II of Byzantium, who drove the Saracens out of the island, it was never again of much account.
The temporary importance Syracuse regained from 1361 to 1536 as the quasi- independent seat of the “Camera Regionale”, was not maintained and in 1837, having rebelled unsuccessfully against the Bourbons, it even ceded for a time to Noto, its rights as a provincial capital.

During II World War was a target first for the Allied Air Forces and, after the capture on 10th July 1943, for German aircrafts, havoc was caused in the docks, but the slight damage done to important monuments is today scarcely traceable.

The Greek Theatre

Archeological evidence confirms the existence on this spot of a wooden theatre as early as the 6th century BC and here it was that Epicharmus, (about 540-450BC), worked as a comic poet.
The theatre probably dates from the 5th century BC and was designed by the architect Democopos. Hieron Ist constructed a small stone theatre with trapezoidal orchestra.

It was enlarged under Timoleon by excavating deeper into the hillside; it was again enlarged under Hieron II (230BC), by extending the cavea upward.
Under the Romans the scene was adapted to baser uses and in the late Imperial period the orchestra was flooded for the production of naval battles. It is one of the largest Greek theatres, 453 ft in diameter; the Athens theatre is 328 ft and the theatre at Delphi is only 164 ft. The theatre played an important role in the life of the ancient Syracuse.

Aeschylus staged a number of his plays there (among the Persians in 472BC).
It was also the site of the people assembly. The cavea, with its 66 rows of seats, could hold 15000 spectators. It is divided horizontally into two parts by a “diazoma”, or ambulatory, and vertically into nine sections. These bear the name of divinities and members of the ruling family.

The Ear of Dionysius (In Latomia del Paradiso)

The Ear of Dionysius The Latomie were Quarries from which the Ancients extracted the stone needed for building their monuments. Syracuse has five such quarries of which the best known are the Latomie del Paradiso, ( which includes the “Ear of Dionysius” and the Grotto of “Cordari”) and the Latomie dei Cappuccini. Unlike conventional open quarries, the Latomie are a series of caverns. When parts of them collapsed in the 1693 earthquake, they developed into luxuriantly overgrown garden. The Ear of Dionysius is an artificial cave that narrows toward the top to a shape resembling the upper part of the outer ear. It is 213 ft long, 75 ft high and between 16 to 36 ft wide. The name Caravaggio gave to the cave in 1588 alludes to a legend that, by placing his ear next to a hole in the roof, the tyrant Dionysius could listen to the conversations of this prisoners without his movement being heard by them.The cavern’s strange acoustic properties still exist today and simple cumpling of a paper at the entrance develops into an amplified echo at the back.

Altar of Hieron II

The altar was built in the 3rd century for sacrifices by Hieron II. Its immense size, 653 ft long by 75ft wide, testifies to the importance the city placed on the sacrifices, during which priests would offer up animals as thanks to the gods for a military victory. When democracy was proclaimed, the Syracusans slaughtered 450 oxen, cutting their throats so that the blood spurted up on to the altar. The foundations are all that remain today.

The Roman Anphitheatre

Like the Greek theatre and the altar of Hieron II the sheer size of the Anphitheatre (459 per 390 ft) is impressive and despite its state of ruin, it reflects the importance of public life during the Roman era.It has an elliptical shape that (apart from the southern section) was hewn out of the rock in the 3rd or 4th century AD. Below the cavea you can see the access corridor or “vomitorium” and the tunnel through which wild beasts came into the arena. The “podium”, or Royal box, can still be seen in the centre of the cavea.

The National Archeological Museum “Paolo Orsi”

It displays the development of art in Sicily from Prehistoric time through the Greek and Roman eras and up to the Palaeo –Christian.The works are classified according to the place of origin. The most remarkable include: Bronze finds from Adrano, (8th century BC);a Paros marble funerary statue of “kouros” dating from the end of the 6th century BC. It was found in a necropolis of Megara Iblea; a collection of vases from Camarina and Gela and part of a marble cornice, with a winged Gorgon from the temple of Athena in Syracuse. The Museum major piece is the headless Venus Anadyomene,(meaning “rising from the Water”) also known as “Venus Landolina”, named after the archaeologist in 1804.

Ortygia Island

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Columns

The Cathedral of St Mary of the Columns is built round the ancient Temple of Athena built by Gelon after BC (6×14 peristyle) .The temple doors were decorated with ivory and gold and on the roof, instead of an acroterion, was a statue of Athena with a gilded shield that acted as a beacon to guide sailors into the harbour. Verres stripped the temples of these treasures. The temple was converted into a church early in the period of Christian dominance, and became the cathedral church in 640 AD. The Normans adapted the building further, and after an earthquake in 1963 which destroyed the west front.The present front of the Cathedral, a graceful Baroque composition, erected in 1728- 54, was designed by Andrea Palma. The marble statue of Saint Peter and Paul along the outer steps are the earliest known works of Ignazio Marabitti. He also sculpted the statues on the façade. The interior was stripped of its Baroque additions in 1909-27, reducing the nave arcades to the plain massive piers formed by opening 8 arches in the side wall of the “cella”. The inscription above the nave, making an unwarrantable claim, dates from a bull of Leo X ( 1517). One of the most beautiful chapels is “Saint’s Lucy” entirely decorated in Baroque style (17th century), where the Syracusans keep the silver urn of the Saint and a small relic of her arm.

The Temple of Apollo

This is the most archaic of Sicilian Greek temples.
It was built at the beginning of the 6th century BC and dedicated to Apollon and Artemis.
It belongs to the first step of the Greek temple architecture. The columns are massive and set close together; they were 17 along the sides and 6 on the façade. Today you can only see a few of them and all monolithic.

The “cella” was very long and narrow. The temple was transformed throughout the centuries into several buildings such as a Byzantine Church, an Arab mosque and under the Spaniards into a barracks.

The Fountain of Arethusa

It is a fresh water spring next to the Ionian sea.
It looks like a pond full of papyrus plants, the same species than in Egypt.

The fountain is related to the love-story of the Nymph Arethusa and the river-god Alpheus. The myth tells that Arethusa was a beautiful nymph who used to bathe in the waters of the river Alpheus. The river fell in love with her and began to pursue her.She was on the poit of succumbing his advances, when she implored Artemis protectress of virgins, to safe her. Artemis then ordered the earth to open at the feet of the Nimph who disappeared, crossed the sea, and reappeared in the guise of a fresh water spring on the island of Ortygia.

We are told that Alpheus dug an underground passage beneath the Ionian Sea and pursued her all the way to Sicily, where their two waters intermingled.

Taormina

Taormina, with its corners, its atmospheres and its colours, has always bewitched anyone who comes to visit it. The charm of “the pearl of the Ionian sea” has remained unchanged through times.

The birth of the city was due to the settlement of some Greek sailors coming from the near Naxos. With this first domination, Tauromenion (this is its first name) took the typical form of the Greek colonies, from the buildings of Agorà and Bouleterion, necessary centre of the city council. The construction of what is rightly regarded as the civic symbol, the famous Ancient Theatre, goes back to this period. It was built in the 3rd century Before Christ, using the morphology of the hill; it is surrounded by a breathtaking view, including two geographical extremes: the Bay of Schisò and volcano Etna. After Greek people, the Romans were spellbound by this patch of heaven; their main undertaking was the renovation of countless inherited pieces of architectural work. For instance, the Romans changed the famous Theatre into an Amphitheatre.

Taormina also knew times of decadence, such as the unfortunate choice of forming an alliance with Sesto Pompeo against Octavian. When the latter won, Taormina was downgraded to a simple colony. On the other hand, Byzantine domination brought about a prosperous period. After the fall of Constantinople and the consequent decline of Syracuse, Taormina became the new capital of eastern Sicily.

Byzantine people too left clear signs of their own passing such as the construction of the second defensive bailey. The history of this tourist centre which was subjected to several dominations continued with the coming of the Arabs, that occupied most of the Sicily from the 9th to the 11th century. 1079 was the year of the arrival of the Normans. As a result of this last domination, Taormina witnessed the rebirth of Christianity in that area, and consequently several monasteries were founded and urban fabric was strengthened. A further domination, that marked a decidedly less prosperous civic period than the previous one, was the Spanish occupation. In fact, with the Spanish all the area suffered heavy losses, such as the selling of several statesowned and numerous and important farmhouses. Nowadays Taormina is a centre of attraction among Sicilian tourist resorts. The city has a long, noble tradition of cultured and sophisticated tourism and preserves undimmed all its glamour.

Trapani

A very busy provincial town on the northwest coast of the island, facing the Egadi islands.
Heavy port traffic especially due to a flourishing industry and trade.

Founded by a very archaic population called Sicans, the town was for a longtime a Carthaginian colony.
After the battle of the “Egadi islands” between Romans and Carthaginians, the town became a Roman possession.
It was a leading trding centre under the Arabs and Normans. Its importance grew under the Spanish Aragonese and it became the formost centre in Western Sicily.

In the 16th century Charles V granted it many privileges and had the city walls strengthened (almost completely demolished in 1860).
The sickle-shaped city (in Greek language: Drepane) consist of an old town, stretching along a little low peninsula.

The most famous monument in town is the Shrine of the “Annunziata”. It was erected by Carmelitan monks in the 14th century.
Giovanni Biagio Amico reconstructed it in 1760. On the original building the gothic façade, rose window and a doorway still remain. The single naved interior is sumptuously decorated in Baroque style. The greatest interest though is due to the Virgin’s Chapel behind the high altar. This chapel with fine marble decoration, houses under a precious canopy, a venerated marble statue of the Madonna and Child, the work of one of the most famous Tuscanian sculptors.
Nino Pisano born in Pisa (14th century). Close to the Shrine there is the beautiful Pepoli National Museum housed in the former Carmelitan Monastery. The two ground floor rooms display sculpures and stone pieces from various periods, including the notable St. James by Antonello Gagini, one of the most important sculptors from the Sicilian Renaissance. On the first floor interesting collections of paintings from the Tuscanian and Neapolitan school including the refined Pietà by Roberto d’Oderisio and St Francis receiving the stigmata by Titian. Other rooms display very fine collections of altar frontals, religious objects, majolicas, precious coral jewels.

Other interesting monuments are the Baroque Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, the Purgatory Church and the Jewish Quarter with the so called “Giudecca Palace” once the former Synagogue of the town.

Valley of alcantara river

The Reserve, nowadays replaced by the newset up Alcantara Regional Park, includes a part of the territori of the Alcantara River and its wonderful morphologies, shaped by its waters over the centuries.

This is particularly verifiable in the spot where the river crashes into an imposing lava flow, carving unique and suggesting overhanging gorges.
Together with an impressive group of lakes, springs, and falls, it is also possible to observe the marvellous columnar-structured lava flows with a prismatic base, decorating the splitted rock-faces of the basaltic rock.

The study of these lava flows, carried out by geologists in their inner section thanks to the fluvial erosions, revealed several and important secrets about the history of Mount Etna and the sequence and dislocation of its eruptions over the years.