Promotio
n
Sicily’s archaeological heritage is quite
unique. Selinunte, Segesta and the Valley
of the Temples inAgrigento arewithout
doubt themost impressive remains from
MagnaGraecia or Great Greece. Selinunte
is an expansive site, bearing the remnants
of grandiose temples fromAntiquity
(eighth and seventh centuries BC) and
edgedby olive andpalm trees. Segesta, its
long-time rival, has amajestic temple and
a small theatre.Walk through the stunning
Valley of the Temples, aUNESCOWorld
Heritage Site since 1997, and you are
transportedback to the 5th century BC,
when the area playedhost tooneof the
most fearedpowers in thewhole of the
Mediterranean.
Siracusa iswortha specialmention;
thisGreek settlement has awonderfully
preserved theatre–aparticularly apt
location to take inaclassical Greekplay. Its
truegem, however, is theDuomo: amelange
of various architectural styles andhistorical
layers. TheGreek templeof Athenawas
convertedfirst intoaChristianbasilicaand
lateron intoaBaroquecathedral. It’snot
only Siracusa’s ancient past that hasearned
it recognition fromUNESCO, however.
In fact, thecity’s architecture shows the
influenceof the lavishandflamboyant
Baroqueera, particularly its townhouses
and thechurchesof theVal di Noto.
The townofNotohas thebest examples
of this architecture, inspiredbyboth
mythological icons and thepompof the
CatholicChurch: balconies are supported
bymonsters and fauns, townhouses
adornedwithallegorical figures, churches
withcolumns, carvings andbalustrades, all
flauntingunbridledaesthetic splendour.
Otherplaces suchasModica (known
aswell for itschocolate),Cataniaand
Caltagironewith itsmonumental staircase
arealsomarkedwith theostentatious
decorationassociatedwithBaroque times,
whilePalazzoloAcreideandMilitelloVal di
Cataniaare sites thatwereadded to the
WorldHeritageList byUNESCO in2001.
Beautiful houses andcathedralsbuilt in
theuniqueArab-Norman stylepervade
Palermo,MonrealeandCefalù,with their
characteristicallyhugewalls, crossed
arches,mosaics and reddomes.Norman
kings alteredandadapted these symbolsof
thearea’sArabculture, indoing so fusing
the twocultures andcreatingMedieval
masterpieces; thesewereadded to the
UNESCOHeritageList in2015.
Choosing just ahandful of theplentitude
of places Sicily has tooffer is adifficult
task; it’s not somuch an island as a
continent:multifaceted, overflowing and
stunning to all who visit. In theend, the
choiceofwhere to visit is up to you– just
stay clear of the lava.
visitsicily.info
“In the townofNoto, balconies are
supportedbymonsters and fauns and town
houses adornedwithallegorical figures, all
flauntingunbridledaesthetic splendour”
T
Imagesby MarcoLiuzzo, PhotographicAssociation,DomenicoPiccione,GianfrancoGuccione, Antonio Ilardo
Clockwise frommain:
Mount Etnaduring
a small eruption;
Columns of the Temple
of Hera, Selinunte;
SantaMariaMaggiore
Church; the Sicilian
countryside
