Lonely Planet Asia — April 2017

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Historic Sicily

History-lovers will be in their element in Sicily,

where Baroque beauty takes centre stage and

ancient civilisations have left their mark in

hilltop towns, craggy castles and plains filled

with ancient remains.

The Temple

of Concordia

in Agrigento

Classical crossroads

Byzantine to Baroque Norman strongholds

NOTO

Noto is a Baroque belle so

gorgeous you might mistake it

for a film set, with one of

Sicily’s most beautiful historic

centres. The pièce de résistance

is Corso Vittorio Emanuele, an

elegant walkway flanked by

palazzi and churches. Dashing

at any time of the day, it’s

especially hypnotic in the early

evening, when the red-gold

buildings seem to glow with a

soft inner light.

MODICA

With its steeply stacked medieval

centre and showpiece Baroque

cathedral, World Heritage-listed

Modica is one of Sicily’s most

atmospheric towns. An important

Greek and Roman city, Modica’s

heyday came in the 14th century

when, as the personal fiefdom of

the Chiaramonte family, it was

one of the most powerful cities

on the island. The high point of a

trip to Modica is the glitzy

Duomo di San Giorgio, which

stands in splendour at the top of

a majestic 250-step staircase.

CEFALÙ

Cefalù’s cathedral is one of the

jewels in Sicily’s Arab-Norman

crown. Filling the central apse,

a towering figure of Christ All

Powerful is the focal point of the

elaborate Byzantine mosaics.

Enjoy the view of the cathedral’s

soaring towers, which frame the

cliffs of La Rocca behind them,

over a morning coffee or evening

aperitif in the Piazza del Duomo

(cattedraledicefalu.com;

8am–6pm Apr–Oct, 8am–1pm

& 3.30pm–5pm Mon–Sat Nov–

Mar, 3.30pm–5pm Sun Nov–

Mar; free).

SYRACUSE

Syracuse encapsulates Sicily’s

timeless beauty: ancient Greek

ruins rise out of citrus orchards,

café tables spill onto Baroque

piazzas, and honey-hued

medieval lanes lead down to the

sparkling blue sea. The ruins of

the original metropolis, dating

to 734 BC, now constitute the

Parco Archeologico della

Neapolis (Viale Paradiso; 9am–

dusk Mon–Sat, 9am–1pm Sun;

US$10.50, incl museum US$14).

AGRIGENTO

The Valle dei Templi, splendidly

arrayed along Agrigento’s crags,

is the granddaddy of Sicilian

ancient sites. The park takes in

the temple ruins of what was

once the Greek city of Akragas,

and also includes a superb

museum. The enthralling Temple

of Concordia has survived

almost intact since it was built

in 430 BC (valleyofthetemples.

com; 8.30am–7pm year-round,

late-night hours mid-Jul–mid-Sep;

US$10.50, incl museum US$14).

Languishing in Sicily’s interior,

this villa was sumptuous even

by decadent Roman standards.

Following a landslide in the 12th

century, the villa lay buried until

its well-preserved mosaics were

discovered in the 1950s. They

are considered remarkable for

their natural, narrative style,

subject matter and variety of

colour (villaromanadelcasale.it;

9am–7pm, to 5pm Nov–Mar;

US$10.50).

PALERMO

The capital delivers a heady mix

of mosaics, Arabesque domes and

frescoed cupolas. The centerpiece

is the Palazzo dei Normanni, where

the sparkling mosaics of King

Roger II’s bedroom are only

a prelude to the Cappella Palatina

• one of the island’s most dazzling
  sights (federicosecondo.org; Piazza
  Indipendenza; 8.15am–5.40pm
  Mon–Sat, to 1pm Sun; Fri–Mon
  US$12.40, Tue–Thu US$10.50).

CACCAMO

Lorded over by its imposing

castle, Castello di Caccamo

(US$4; 9am–1pm & 3pm–7pm

Tue–Sun), this hilltop town is a

popular day trip from Palermo.

Though the area was settled in

ancient times, Caccamo was

officially founded in 1093, when

the Normans began building

their fortress on a rocky spur of

Monte San Calogero. The castle

was enlarged in the 14th century

and is now one of Italy’s largest

and most impressive.

Modica’s Duomo di San Giorgio is

typical of Sicilian Baroque style

The so-called ‘bikini girls’ mosaic

at the Villa Romana del Casale

Castello di Caccamo looks out

from a crag on the north coast

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MINI GUIDE

ERICE

This mesmerising walled

medieval town looks out from

a giddy 750m summit, and is

home to a famous pastry shop,

Maria Grammatico. Erice was a

centre for the cult of Venus, but

the Normans built over its

landmark temple in the 12th

and 13th centuries to create

the dramatically sited Castello

di Venere (fondazioneericearte.

org/castellodivenere.php;

10am–dusk daily Apr–Oct,

10am–4pm Sat & holidays

Nov–Mar; US$4).

VILLA ROMANA

DEL CASALE