Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and sits right at the tip of Italy’s boot. Sicily may just be an island, but it’s an island that’s so rich in history that history buffs can’t put it on their bucket list.
The history of Sicily goes from the Greeks to the Catalan, passing through the Normans, the Romans, the Byzantines etc…. Sicily has always played an important role in the history of the Mediterranean, but not only historical but also in the history of cooking, moreover for those who are interested in this subject, soon you will be able to visit my website on cooking and its history.
There is so much to see in Sicily and you are a bit short on time you can always take a tour to visit Sicily.
There are must-see sites, such as Agrigento and its Hellenic temples and of course the Etna volcano, especially at sunset.
I personally visited other cities than those proposed in this blog but I did not want to overload on Sicily, because I wanted to make a blog on all my travels and not only on the Sicily. So I put those that seem to me likely to interest the most people, because not everyone is interested in the story.
Of course there are very beautiful beaches in Sicily but the main reason for my trip was historical, and not to laze around on the warm sandy beaches of Sicily, it is for this reason that you cannot will not see landscape with beautiful beaches, sorry.
Taormina
Taormina is a small town located in the east of the island, it was founded in 403 BC, Taormina offers breathtaking views of the sea and especially of the Etna volcano.
It is considered the jewel of Sicily, about 11,000 inhabitants live there peacefully. The city is built on the edges of Mount Tauro at an altitude of about 200 M.
During the Middle Ages Taormina was for a few years the capital of Byzantine Sicily, despite the hordes of tourists Taormina remains a very beautiful city to visit, especially its Greek theater and its public gardens.
The city center being practically reserved for pedestrians, if you drive it is not very easy to park, there is free parking at the exit of the city.
What to do in Taormina
First of all there is the Greco-Roman theater which is perhaps the most photographed in Sicily because it is the 2th largest theater in all of Sicily after that of Syracuse, it was built in the 3th century BC and is remarkably preserved. Even today it is used for operas or other musical performances, it was carved directly into the stone of Mount Tauro and has a capacity of 5000 spectators, we can see the influence of the Romans thanks to the use of brickwork during some renovations.
There is the beach of Isola Bella which is a small island located in the bay just below Taormina, to get there you have to take the cable car that arrives at the bottom there is a short 5 min walk to go to the beach, the beach is not sandy so you have to provide adequate shoes.
There is also the public garden with a panoramic view of the sea and the Etna volcano.
The volcano l’Etna
Etna is the most active volcano in Europe, it is also one of the oldest in the world and dates back just over 500,000 years, with its highest point at 3357 M and its lunar landscape yes I say lunar because when I reached the top I felt like I was on the moon.
I was very lucky because 2 days before the planned ascent, Etna erupted, so the ascent was quite compromised and finally everything was back to normal for my greatest happiness.
If you decide to climb be sure to bring warm clothes because even if the weather is sunny you are still at more than 3000 M altitude, in fact you climb up to 3350 m.< /p>
For the ascent see local companies it will cost you between 60.00€ and 140€ depending on the option you choose, at 140€ you go up to 3350 M. When I climbed Etna I was based in Taormina which is about 30 km away.
Syracuse
Syracuse is a large modern city despite a few interesting monuments, for me the most exciting place is the archaeological park of Neaoplis which you can visit for the modest sum of 10€, free on the first Sunday of each month, not recommended at this time because who says free says a lot so be sure to bring sunscreen and a hat, as like most sites in Sicily there is not much shade.
The main attraction is the enormous Roman amphitheater and the Greek theatre, the visit takes about two hours there is also the possibility of combining the visit with the archaeological museum which is approximately 500m from the site.< /p>
Villa Casale
Villa Casale is a large Roman villa about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, this site is the largest and richest in terms of mosaics, it contains a collection of mosaics in an incredible state, this site is a UNESCO heritage site, the earliest mosaics were first discovered in the 1800s.
The villa casa is about 130 km and 3 hours drive from the Etna volcano. By bus it is very affordable between 10 and 15€.
Agrigente
The city of Agrigento is about 200m km south-west of Taormina.
It is a hilltop village and is known for its ruins of the ancient city of AKRAGAS in the Valley of the Temples, which is a vast archaeological site of Greek temples,
To visit the Valley of the Temples count between 12€ without the museum and 15€ with the museum, for the visit of the site count between 2h30 and 3h.
The city was founded around the sixth century BC, Agrigento and its region was very rich thanks in particular to its olive plantations that its inhabitants sold to Carthage.
Selinonte
Selinunte is an ancient Greek city located in the province of Trapani in southwestern Sicily and it owes its name to the river Selinus.
The city was founded in the 7th century BC, thanks to its geographical location the city was very popular for its trade with the Phoenicians who were great merchants
The archaeological site has 10 temples and shrines and was built on a high plain adding to its grandeur, to visit the whole site count between 3 and 4 hours. Since the site is divided into 2 zones, and if you are short of time, you can choose to visit only one zone, the first will take about 1 hour and the second about 3 hours.
The archaeological site is about 2 hours drive from Agrigento and 1 hour from Trapani, if you drive the parking is free and the visit about 6€.
Monreale-Palerme
Monreale is located just 11km south of Palermo. The town of Monreale is famous for its abbey, its royal chapel and its cathedral, which was erected by King William II of Sicily in the 12th century.
It is an example of the architectural beauty of Roman and Byzantine art.
According to legend, King William II of Sicily would have fallen asleep at the foot of a tree during a hunt around Monréale, during his sleep he would have seen the Virgin Mary who would have suggested to him to build a church in this place. During the felling of this tree they would have found a treasure of gold coins and it is these same gold coins which would have been used for the construction of this cathedral. The visit of the church is free the opening hours are from 9am to 12.45pm and from 2.30am to 4.30pm, on Sunday from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
The cloister
