Advice for your Sicily tour.
Territory: It is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the Italian peninsula by the strait of Messina. It has important mountain groups: Peloritani, Nebrodi, Madonie, Iblei. The plains are scanty, with the exception of the area around Catania. The coasts offer a landscape of fascinating beauty almost everywhere; groups of marvelous smaller islands are scattered round the coast (the Eolie or Lipari, Ustica, the Egadi. the isle of Pantelleria and the Pelagie). The Etna, rising in the center of a volcanic area of Sicily, is the highest active volcano in Europe (3,323 meters). The isles of Stromboli and Vulcano are also active volcanoes.
Cities: Palermo is the regional capital of Sicily, which is ruled by a special statue. Other important cities are Messina, Catania, Agrigento, Syracuse, Trapani, Ragusa, Enna, Caltanissetta.
Art: Sicily was a Greek colony during the Classic Age, the Hellenic heritage is remarkable (Syracuse, Gela, Agrigento, Selinunte and Eraclea). Important Roman remnants can be seen at Taormina, Syracuse, Tindari, Solunto, Eloro and Patti. The next artistic development took place during the Norman period, which left churches and palaces of Arab-Byzantine influence. The Gothic style can be seen in the imperial castles of Catania and Syracuse; the Catalonian influences produced elaborated architectural forms during the fifteenth century. The Baroque style, of exceptional wealth, thrived in Palermo, Catania, Ragusa, Noto and Comiso.
Museums: In Palermo the Archaeologic Museum, which displays a noteworthy Etruscan collection, sculptures and metopes of the temples of Selinunte; the Regional Gallery of Sicily, with the most important artistic collection of the island. The Civic Museum of Catania houses archaeology, ancient and modern art, relics of local history. In Syracuse, tourists can visit the Regional Museum and the Regional Gallery, with very rich archaeologic and pictorial collections. In Agrigento, there is the Regional Archaeologic Museum.
To be visited: Taormina, the Etna and the majestic monuments in the Valle dei Templi of Agrigento. The Archaeological Area of Agrigento Founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century BC, Agrigento became one of the leading cities of the Mediterranean world. Its supremacy and pride are demonstrated by the remains of the magnificent Doric temples that dominate the ancient town, much of which remains intact under latter-day fields and orchards. Selected excavated areas throw light on the later Hellenic and Roman town and on the burial practices of its palaeochristian inhabitants.
Villa Romana del Casale. Roman exploitation of the countryside is symbolized by the villa, the centre of the large estate upon which the rural economy of the Western Empire was based. In its 4th century AD form the Villa Romana del Casale is one of the most luxurious examples of this type of monument. It is especially noteworthy for the wealth and quality of the mosaics which decorate almost every room, and which are the finest still in situ anywhere in the Roman world.
Source: Italian Government Tourist Board - North America - www.italiantourism.com
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