Sights in Sicily
-
Scicli
Scicli is full of wonderful baroque architecture - in particular Palazzo Beneventano and Palazzo Fava - and framed by rocky cliffs. It is well off the beaten track and there is seldom another tourist in sight. From here you can head down to Modica Marina (around €2.20, six buses daily) and Sampieri (around €2.50, three buses daily) on the southern coast for long sandy beaches, as well as rocky coves.
Both are popular with the town's youth, with bars and loungers (bed & umbrella for two around €10) on the sand, though there are vast unpopulated areas if you walk along the beaches, where you can be undisturbed by the crowds.
reviewed
-
A
Fontana Pretoria
At the civic heart of Palermo, a crowd of imposing churches and buildings surrounds the ornate Fontana Pretoria. This huge fountain fills the piazza with its tiered basins, supporting the sculptures, rippling in concentric circles. The city bought the fountain in 1573; however, the flagrant nudity of the provocative nymphs proved too much for Sicilian church-goers attending Mass at the grandly formal San Giuseppe dei Teatini, and they prudishly dubbed it the Fountain of Shame.
reviewed
-
B
Chiesa di San Domenico
The Chiesa di San Domenico lies Off Via Roma. It was built in 1640 following the design of architect Andrea Cirincione; the façade was added in 1726 after the buildings that once occupied the square were demolished to give the church some space.
The church has been the place where Italian VIPs have been buried since the Middle Ages; among the tombs and cenotaphs of notable Sicilians, you'll find the names of parliamentarian Ruggero Settimo, painter Pietro Novelli, and the former Italian prime minister Francesco Crispi.
reviewed
-
C
Cathedral
The Cathedral is an extraordinary (and enormous) feast of geometric patterns, ziggurat crenulations, majolica cupolas and blind arches. The interior, although impressive in scale, is a marble shell, a sadly un-exotic resting place for the royal Norman tombs. The crypt and treasury contain various jewels belonging to Queen Costanza of Aragón, a bejewelled Norman crown and, most bizarrely, a tooth extracted from Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s patron saint.
reviewed
-
D
Orto Botanico
Laid out by Léon Dufourny and Venanzio Marvuglia, the gorgeous Orto Botanico is a tropical paradise, with massive fig trees, tall palms and dazzling hibiscus bushes. There is an avenue of the bizarre-looking bottle, soap and cinnamon trees, as well as coffee trees, papaya plants and sycamores. It's a real haven of silence and fascinating botany, with a large herb garden that focuses on Mediterranean plants. Beware the mosquitos at dusk though.
reviewed
-
E
Quattro Canti
The busy intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda marks the Quattro Canti, the centre of the oldest part of town, neatly dividing the historic nucleus into four manageable sectors.
reviewed
-
F
Teatro Massimo
The grand neoclassical Teatro Massimo took more than 20 years to complete. Nowadays the theatre is an iconic Palermo landmark and has become a symbol of the triumph and tragedy of the city. Appropriately, the closing scene of The Godfather: Part III, with its visually stunning juxtaposition of high culture, low crime, drama and death, was filmed here.
reviewed
-
G
Giardino Garibaldi
Surrounded on all sides by elegant palazzi, gentrified Piazza Marina (M0154) is Palermo's quietest piazza, and its small Giardino Garibaldi encloses Palermo's oldest tree, a venerable 25m-high, 150-year-old ficus benjamin. Dedicated to Garibaldi, the square has witnessed its fair share of bloody executions.
reviewed
-
H
Teatro Politeama Garibaldi
Teatro Politeama Garibaldi is Palermo’s second theatre. Designed by architect Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda between 1867 and 1874, it has the same imposing circular layout as the Teatro Massimo and features a striking facade resembling a triumphal arch topped by a huge bronze chariot.
reviewed
-
I
Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Scale
If you have the time, the old town is best accessed via the salita commendatore, a winding pass made up of stairs and narrow archways taking you past the remains of the 15th-century Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Scale, from where there's a good viewing point.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
J
Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini
In the southwestern corner of the Quattro Canti is the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini, topped by a soaring cupola. The monumental interior is baroque at its brashest, and has been lovingly restored after it suffered substantial damage during WWII.
reviewed
-
K
Villa Giulia
Villa Giulia in La Kalsa is a welcome relief from the claustrophobic streets, although the formal planting scheme of the park is severely challenged by the rampant fecundity of the island.
reviewed
-
Fossa di Vulcano
Climbing Fossa di Vulcano (391m) is one of the island's main attractions. The walk up to the crater is self-evident. Follow the intermittent signs for 'Al Cratere' (or ask for directions), which take you south out of the port area along Via Provinciale. About 500m further, a track slopes off to the left (not well signposted; look out for a gravel track) which leads up to the crater.
reviewed
-
Acropolis
The Acropolis, the heart of Selinunte's political and social life, occupies a slanted plateau overlooking the now-silted-up Gorgo di Cottone. It is crossed by two thoroughfares - one running north-south, the other east-west, dividing the acropolis into four separate sections.
Huddled in the southeastern part are five temples (A, B, C, D and O). The northernmost is Temple D, built towards the end of the 6th century BC and dedicated to either Neptune or Venus. Virtually the symbol of Selinunte, Temple C is the oldest temple on the site, built in the middle of the 6th century BC. The stunning metopes found by Harris and Angell were once a part of this formidable structure, a…
reviewed
-
L
Basilica di San Giovanni
According to Roman law, Christians were not allowed to bury their dead within the city limits (which during the Roman occupation did not extend beyond Ortygia). Forced to go elsewhere, Christians conducted their burials in the outlying district of Tyche and its underground aqueducts, unused since Greek times. New tunnels were carved out and the result was a labyrinthine network of burial chambers, most of which are inaccessible except the ones underneath the Basilica di San Giovanni.
The church itself is pretty, with its skeletal rose window open to the sun. In the 17th century it served as the city's cathedral and is dedicated to the city's first bishop, St Marcian, who …
reviewed
-
M
Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena
Directly opposite Chiesa di San Giuliano is the tiny Via Gesuiti, which leads west to Piazza Dante and Sicily's largest church, the Chiesa di San Nicolò all'Arena. Commissioned in 1687, work on the building was interrupted by the earthquake of 1693 and then by problems with its size - it is 105m long, 48m wide and its cupola is 62m high. The church was never completed. It has a terribly ugly façade, a stark contrast to the rich embellishments that adorn the city's other baroque structures. Directly behind the church and part of the same complex is the massive Benedictine Monastero di San Nicolò all'Arena, built in 1703 and now part of the city's university. It is the seco…
reviewed
-
Stromboli crater
The Stromboli crater was formed only 40,000 years ago and, like a champagne bottle, it is full of gases, which is why it almost constantly launches showers of incandescent lava into the air. The most recent eruptions took place on 27 February 2007, opening two new craters on the summit.
Recent crater activity has made it illegal to attempt to climb the volcano without a guide, and local authorities have limited the number of people allowed to go up in a day. You must book in advance (a day before is usually fine, but allowing a couple is advisable in August), and the limit is 20 people per guide.
You'll meet your guide between 4.30 and 17:30, and start your trek up, reachi…
reviewed
-
N
Museo Diocesiano
The Museo Diocesiano houses an important and rather extensive collection of artworks from the cathedral and churches destroyed during WWII; these include paintings, and marble, fresco and mosaic fragments. There's a friendly guide who will explain the significance of each piece (they are largely unmarked), though she speaks Italian and French only.
The ground floor holds 15th-century frescoes, along with Byzantine paintings and icons, among which the most beautiful is the 1171 Madonna della Perla, rescued from the now-no-more church of San Nicoló Reale.
Seek out the room dedicated to the 17th-century Sicilian painter Pietro Novelli (1603-47), who was one of the region's f…
reviewed
-
O
Via Roma Cathedral
The Via Roma Cathedral has a composite style that's the result of the waves of invaders who sought to possess the mountain eyrie. In 1446 a fire destroyed the church, which was slowly rebuilt in early baroque style over the next 200 years. The curious façade (complete with 17th-century bell tower) covers its Gothic predecessor, while the rich interior is almost entirely baroque in design. The dark grey basalt columns are worth looking at for their highly ornamented bases, which are carved with a series of grotesques such as snakes with human heads.
Other points of interest are the Graeco-Roman remains (the base of the pulpit and stoup) from the Temple of Demeter; the med…
reviewed
-
Piano Provenzano
Before the 2001-03 eruptions, Piano Provenzano was Etna's main ski resort. The eruptions changed all that - the refuge, five ski lifts, ski runs and hotels were all swept away in a huge lava flow. On your way up you can see how the lava flattened the trees that line its edges at peculiar angles.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
P
Cappella Palatina
On the middle level of the three-tiered loggia is Palermo’s premier tourist attraction, the Cappella Palatina, designed by Roger II in 1130. Restoration work completed in July 2008 (after a small earthquake in 2002 damaged the structure) has returned the chapel to its original splendour, and the walls once again swarm with figures in glittering, dreamy gold. These exquisite mosaics recount tales of the Old and New Testaments, capturing expression, detail and movement with extraordinary grace. The harmony of the chapel’s decoration is further enhanced by the inlaid marble floors and the wooden muqarnas ceiling, a masterpiece of honeycomb carving in Arabic style that re…
reviewed
-
Q
Latomia del Paradiso
Enter the Latomia del Paradiso, a limestone quarry full of huge hollows and caves, planted with orange and olive trees, via the northern site. In Greek times the quarry was vaulted by a 'roof' of earth that collapsed in the 1693 earthquake, leaving it open to the sunlight. It was only after this that the gardens were planted.
reviewed
-
R
Santuario della Madonna del Terzito
The Santuario della Madonna del Terzito (Sanctuary of the Madonna of Terzito) is in the valley separating the two volcanoes. It is a place of pilgrimage, particularly around the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August. From the church you can follow the track (signposted) all the way to the peak (about two hours).
reviewed
-
S
Archaeological Park
The archaeological park is divided into two main sections. East of Via dei Templi are the most spectacular temples, the first of which is the Tempio di Ercole (Temple of Hercules), built towards the end of the 6th century BC and believed to be the oldest of the temples. Eight of its 38 columns were raised in 1924 to reveal a structure that was roughly the same size as the Parthenon. The magnificent Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concord) is the only temple to survive relatively intact. Built around 440 BC, it was transformed into a Christian church in the 6th century. The Tempio di Giunone (Temple of Juno) stands high on the edge of the ridge, a five-minute walk to the…
reviewed
-
Castelbuono Castle
In 1316, Francesco I Ventimiglia built the absolutely enormous Castelbuono Castle that gave the town its name (from castrum boni), and which soars above the golden patchwork of houses. The castle is divided into areas that cover archaeology, and the castle's and Castelbuono's history (with religious artefacts and jewellery), and several rooms are dedicated to modern and contemporary art exhibitions; sadly, none of the paintings are marked or explained.
The castle is supposed to be haunted by Queen Constance Chiaramonte, who it is said runs along the corridors, regular as clockwork, every first Tuesday of the month. Right in the heart of the castle is the extraordinary Cap…
reviewed
