Sicily |
For a long time Sicily was ignored as a holiday destination, largely because of the Mafia stranglehold and because of the poverty of the people. Today, however, the island is experiencing a tourism boom and a surge in development as the destructive influences of the Mafia wane. Visitors discover that the Sicilian people are gracious, noble and welcoming and that the island itself offers natural and historic attractions of great beauty and enormous interest.
The main cities of Palermo and Catania feature some of the most exquisite architecture in the world, a legacy of the many great civilisations that have vied for control of this strategically situated island over the centuries, from the Greeks and Romans, Arabs and Normans to more recently the French, Spanish and Italians. There are massive Romanesque cathedrals, the best-preserved Greek temples in the world, Roman amphitheatres and magnificent Baroque palaces. The continuous blue skies and temperate climate, lush vegetation and rich marine life all add to the island's appeal. Nature has given Sicily Mount Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano, a dramatic coastline and a fertile soil that gives forth much of the bounty on which the island's unique and delicious cuisine is based.
Resorts
See our separate guides to the following Sicily holiday resorts: Palermo, Syracuse, Lipari and Taormina
Attractions
Capuchin Catacombs
The subterranean catacombs that contain the mummified remains of about 8,000 ancient inhabitants of Palermo may be macabre, but are fascinating to visit. The Capuchin friars began mummifying and embalming the bodies of the city's nobles back in 1533, and the tradition continued for centuries with the last body (a seven-year-old girl named Rosalia) being embalmed in 1920. After embalming, the corpses were hung along the walls of the catacombs, dressed in their best, which they still wear proudly, like the military officer in an 18th-century uniform complete with tricorn.
Address: Piazza Cappuccini 1; Telephone: (091) 212 117; Opening time: Daily 9am to 12pm and 3pm to 5pm (until 7pm in summer); Admission: €1.50
Galleria Regionale
Palermo's largest art museum, devoted to medieval works, is housed in the Gothic Palazzo Abbatellis, built in 1488. The collection includes several particularly interesting works. The Bust of Eleanor of Aragon by Francesco Laurana, for example, dates from 1471 and is considered to be the epitome of Renaissance Sicilian sculpture, while the beautiful masterpiece painting Our Lady of the Annunciation is considered Antonello da Messina's greatest work. Also renowned is the chilling Triumph of Death fresco by an unknown 15th-century artist that covers an entire wall.
Address: Via Alloro 4; Telephone: (091) 623 0011; Opening time: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 9am to 1.30pm; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 1.30pm and 3pm to 7.30pm; and Sunday 9am to 12.30pm; Admission: €4.50
Marionette Museum
One of Palermo’s most unique attractions is the engaging Museo delle Marionette, a museum dedicated to the art of puppetry, which is an age-old traditional Sicilian entertainment. Free shows are often put on in summer, but the museum collection itself, the greatest of its kind in the world, is entertainment enough. Most of the antique puppets on display evoke Norman Sicily, representing chivalrous heroes and Saracen pirates, knights, ladies and troubadours. The collection includes puppets from the Far East and even some English ‘Punch and Judy’ dolls.
Address: Via Butera 1 (around the corner from the Palazzo Chiaramonte); Telephone: (091) 328 060; E-mail: mimap@museomarionettepalermo.it; Opening time: Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Admission: €5 (adults), concessions available
Monreale Cathedral
Of all the many architecturally beautiful and fascinating places of worship in Palermo, probably the most renowned is the 12th-century cathedral in the suburb of Monreale, high on the mountain slope about five miles (eight km) from the city centre. The dazzling cathedral is a mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Norman artistic styles, a blend of medieval Christian and Muslim architecture. The magnificent mosaics that cover 68,243 square feet (6,340 sq metres) of the cathedral’s dome and all of the walls on the interior are unsurpassed. The adjacent Benedictine abbey features a cloister with 228 carved stone columns, many inlaid with mosaics, depicting scenes from Sicily’s Norman history.
Transport: Monreale can be reached on bus 389 from the Piazza Indipendenza in Palermo, taking about 20 minutes to reach the cathedral; Opening time: Daily 8am to 12pm and 3.30pm to 6pm
Ortygia
The Ponte Nuova ('New Bridge') connects the mainland city of Syracuse to the island of Ortygia, where most of the worthy sights are located. The remains of the Temple of Apollo are sited in the Piazza Pancali; this is the oldest Greek temple in Sicily, built in the Doric style in around 565 BC. The cathedral in the nearby Piazza Duomo is uniquely made up of the original walls of a 5th-century BC Greek temple known as the Athenaion and near the sea, reached along Via Capodieci, which is the mythical Spring of Arethusa. There are medieval relics on the island too, including Maniaces Castle dating from the 11th century. Apart from the many historic sights, the island of Ortygia also offers numerous boutiques and craft shops, as well as restaurants and cafes galore. Several hours are required to explore the island fully.
Palazzo Mirto
The excessive opulence of Baroque is nowhere better demonstrated than in the magnificent Palazzo Mirto, one of the few aristocratic homes of Palermo that is open to the public, offering visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of Sicily's noble 19th-century families. The Palace was the residence of the Lanza Filangeri family whose last heir left the estate to the Ministry of Cultural Assets in 1982. Most of the princely rooms and salons are furnished with original items that belonged to the family.
Address: Via Merlo 2, off the Piazza Marina; Telephone: (091) 616 4751; Opening time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9am to 1.30pm; Tuesday, Thursday 9am to 1.30pm and 3pm to 6pm; Admission: €2
Paolo Orsi Regional Archaeological Museum
Syracuse's archaeological museum is one of the most extensive in all of Italy, preserving relics and remains from the Greek, Roman and early Christian eras of Sicily's history. The museum building itself is ultra-modern, consisting of glass and steel exhibition halls connected in a hexagonal shape. The exhibits cover a vast range, from the skeletons of prehistoric animals to the renowned Landolina Venus statue.
Address: Viale Teocrito 66; Telephone: (0931) 464 022; Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 1pm; Monday and Wednesday 3.30pm to 6.30pm; Admission: €4.50
Parco Archeologico della Neapolis
The archaeological park on the western edge of the city of Syracuse contains the celebrated rock-hewn Greek amphitheatre, capable of holding about 15,000 people, where Euripides and Aeschylus' works were performed in antiquity. Today Greek dramas are still played here on occasion. Inside a leafy quarry at the site near the theatre is the ear-shaped cavern, the Orecchio di Dionigi, reputedly used by Dionysius as a prison. Nearby is the Roman Amphitheatre, built in the time of Augustus, where gladiators fought each other and wild animals in gory contests.
Address: Via Del Teatro; Telephone: (0931) 66206; Opening time: Daily 9am to 6pm (April to October), 9am to 3pm (November to March); Admission: €4.50
Regional Archaeological Museum
Some of Europe's greatest archaeological treasures are tucked away in Palermo's somewhat musty museum, which is well worth visiting even though it is rather shabby. The collection is housed in several old convent buildings, dating back to the 13th century, and includes artefacts from the Phoenician, Punic, Greek, Roman and Saracen periods found on the island. Highlights include two Phoenician sarcophagi dating from 5 BC, and the Pietra di Palermo, a black slab discovered in Egypt containing hieroglyphics that is known as the 'Rosetta Stone' of Sicily. One room is devoted to the marvellous finds unearthed at the temples of Selinunte. There is also an interesting section devoted to underwater archaeology.
Address: Piazza Olivella 24; Telephone: (091) 611 6805; Opening time: Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am to 6.15pm, Sundays 9am to 1pm; Admission: €4.50 (adults), €2 (children)
Excursions