At first glance it might appear that Sicily, being an island, can be visited in a brief holiday of only a few days. However, those that know the island a little better will confirm that this is not exactly the case. In fact Sicily is not only a large island whose coastline stretches for more than 1,000 kilometres but is above all an island rich in natural, historic and cultural treasures which often lie hidden away and therefore remain inaccessible to the casual traveller. To discover the island in depth it is necessary to prepare your journey well, read up in advance, obtain good guide books, have sufficient time at your disposal (at least a couple of weeks) and be capable of disentangling yourself from the various difficulties that you will encounter during your journey such as the language, road signs that are sometimes neither complete nor exact and the scarcity of services at your disposal. Alternatively one can choose to enjoy in peace the sea and sunshine which normally accompany your journey here and decide from time to time to visit the places that you consider to be unmissable. For more demanding visitors, we try to provide an indication of the most important things to see. We commence by saying that there are really only four cities that merit a visit.
Palermo which has the second largest historic centre in Italy and where many of the architectural masterpieces of Sicily are hidden away, bequethed to the Sicilians by the powers that have dominated them in the past such as the Moslems, Arabs and Normans. In addition to the imposing cathedral of
Monreale which is located nearby, there is no shortage of houses and buildings constructed in Liberty style such as the beautiful aristocratic villas that you will find in the magnificent gulf of
Mondello which is also famous for its beautiful white, sandy beach.
Catania, a city with fewer treasures but certainly more multifaceted and exuberant, which also has many places of interest to visit in its immediate surroundings.
Syracuse, which apart from its unmissable archeological park, offers the opportunity to admire its small historic centre on the island of Ortigia which was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005.
Trapani, frontier city, in the extreme western edge of the island; a classical city of the sea which has been restored to its former splendour after its 'make-over' for the qualification series for the last America's Cup. A few kilometres away you can find
Marsala, a city of wine par excellence and visit its various historic wineries. There are also several small villages and towns that are worthy of a visit but which often are difficult to find, including magnificent Erice, medieval town perched on the top of the mountain of the same name at an altitude of approximately 750 metres;
Cefalù, the most beautiful seaside resort in Sicily which is now very popular with tourists but still maintains its fascination with the past;
Taormina, a long-time favourite of many international VIPs with its magnificent Greek theatre and spectacular view of Etna and the less well-known medieval towns of the Madonie Nature Reserve which include
Castelbuono,
Gratteri,
Polizzi Generosa and
Ganci; the cities of Baroque, a UNESCO world heritage site, which include
Modica,
Noto,
Ispica,
Ragusa Ibla,
Scicli and
Palazzolo Acreide; for the purchase of exquisite handicrafts there's
Caltagirone, city of the finest Sicilian majolica which also has a beautiful small, historic centre and, if you still have time, the small and secluded seaside towns of
Acitrezza with its view of the Nature Reserve of the
Ciclopi Islands,
Acicastello,
Santa Maria la Scala,
Alì Terme,
Sampieri,
Marzamemi,
Sant'Elia,
Portopalo di Capopassero and the mountain villages of
San Marco d'Alunzio,
Tusa,
Sperlinga,
Novara di Sicilia,
Castiglione di Sicilia,
Adrano and
Militello in Val di Catania (UNESCO world heritage site). There are numerous archeological sites to visit which include the archeological parks of
Selinunte and Syracuse, the
Valley of the Temples, the temple of
Segesta, the ruins of
Solunto, the archeological areas at
Gela,
Imera,
Megara Iblea,
Morgantina and
Mozia, the grottoes at
Gurfa,
Tindari,
Eloro,
Kaukana,
Pantalica and
Eraclea Minoa. Not to be missed are two Roman villas,
Villa del Tellaro at
Noto and
Villa del Casale at
Piazza Armerina. Sicily also has a considerable wealth of castles and fortifications some of which are now in complete ruin; those worthy of mention are the
Castello di Donnafugata, the
Castello di Mussomeli, the
Castello di Sperlinga, the
Castello di Ventimiglia, the
Castello di Santa Lucia del Mela, the
Castello di Ursino, the
Castello di Caronia, the
Castello di Brucoli, the
Castello di Lombardia, the
Castello di Caccamo, the
Castello di Carini, the
Castello di Naro and the
Castello di Venere. Traces of the past can also be found in the tuna fisheries which numbered around twenty at the beginning of the 19th century; only one still functions today as a tourist attraction, located on the island of Favignana, and the others are now in ruins or have either been converted into 4 star resorts or are used for cultural activities. Two former tuna fisheries where you can still sample some of the atmosphere of the past are located at
Scopello and the small island of
Formica. Then there are the
National Parks and Nature Reserves; undoubtedly the most important and attractive is the
Etna National Park which contains numerous natural attractions including the volcano which can be visited by Jeep, off-road bus or helicopter and the Gorges of the
Alcantara river where you can swim in its cool and clear waters. The
Madonie National Park which, as already indicated, includes several of the best-preserved medieval towns in Sicily and some areas of countryside of great importance where you can go walking as you can in the nearby
Nebrodi National Park which is more wooded and impervious and whose slopes run down to the north coast of Sicily. Finally there are the natural oases, the most important of which are: the oases of
Vendicari, Pantalica and
Zingaro, the Reserve of Cavagrande del
Cassibile and the oases of the rivers
Anapo,
Belice,
Irminio,
Simeto and
Ciane. For those who decide to visit the small
surrounding islands, difficult to combine with visits to other destinations, we recommend the Aeolian islands not only because they are the most accessible but also because the archipelago consists of seven islands located close to one another (each with its own, very different morphology) which provides you with an opportunity to visit at least 3 or 4; we recommend
Lipari,
Salina,
Stromboli and
Filicudi and, to complete the list,
Alicudi, Panarea and
Vulcano. The other islands, apart from the Marine Reserve of
Ustica, located around 30 miles north of Palermo, are the
Egadi islands off the west coast of Sicily (an archipelago formed by the islands of
Levanso,
Favignana and
Marettimo) and then, far to the south of Sicily, the impervious but splendid island of
Pantelleria and the
Pelagie Islands of
Lampedusa and
Linosa which are located nearer to Africa!
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