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EXCURSIONS
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SICILY |
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Taormina
 Taormina
is the main tourist Sicilian destination.
The old town centre of Sicily is situated at about 200 meters above
sea level enjoying a wonderful view over the Ionic coast and the
Mount Etna, which makes it one of the most beautiful terraces in the
world.
Over the centuries this resort have charmed tourists and visitors
coming from everywhere. They have decided to give themselves up
completely to its unique atmosphere, full of natural and cultural
attractions and a warm climate during all the year making it the
place of the eternal spring.
The Graeco-Roman theatre (important location for international
conventions), the Corvaja Palace, the Naumachie, the Duchi di Santo
Stefano Palace and other attractions make Taormina city an excursion
not to be missed. The wonderful Taormina sea, The Isolabella and the
Mazzeo beach, Spisone and Mazzarò are easy to reach from downtown by
the new cableway working up to late in the night.
Etna Volcano - Rifugio
Sapienza
-
 Mount
Etna is highest active volcano in Europe, with an area of about
600 cubic km and an height of 3.348 meters above sea level. The
slopes of Etna hosting over 250 cones that were once active
craters opened at various altitudes. Certainly among the most
famous craters we have "Red Mountains", that opened in 1669 at
an altitude of 800 m. above sea level and "Silvestri", that
opened in 1892 to about 2000 m. above sea level.
In the top of Etna we can see four craters open pipe, called:
Bocca Nuova Voragine, Southeast Crater, Northeast Crater, having
each of them an average diameter of 250 meters. The eastern part
of the volcano hosts the Valle del Bove, a caldera formed about
10,000 years ago, whose size is about 10 km to 7 km, 900 meters
deep. The Valle del Bove was born after an impressive caldera
collapse. Even today you can see clearly that the geological
structure strongly dominates the landscape of the eastern slopes
of Etna.
Siracusa
 Syracuse
is lying on a smooth bay that stretches into the sea with the island
of Ortigia. Immediately
behind Ortigia the Acradina extends, so was called in antiquity the
flat area adjacent to Ortigia. And
then the Neau polis, the "new" area where is situated the theater,
the Ear of Dionysius and the latomia of Paradise, one of the most
beautiful. To the east, the neighborhood of Tyche, which recalls the
presence of a temple dedicated to Fortuna goddess (Tyche from the
greek, the case). Dominates the Epipoli, guarded and defended by the
castle Euryalus, in an elevated and strategic position. Syracuse,
the city of art, dominated by the baroque architecture, it is the
residence of an archaeological museum of extraordinary importance. The
National Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in its
way, keep fundamental material for the knowledge of the prehistory
and for the early history of Sicily. City
historically linked to the culture and the arts, country of Greek
poets and writers and destination for pilgrimage: Plato, Cicero,
Caravaggio, Von Platen, Maupassant, Gide, Wilde. Fascinated
by the history and myths. Today
we can relive the splendor of its beautiful Greek theater thanks to
classic performances organized every year from INDIA Institute of
Ancient Drama, while the recent OrtigiaFestival event collects the
modern names and plays. One
of the oldest cities of the Mediterranean, rich in history and
monuments, Syracuse express
thoroughly the variety and complexity that characterized the
cultural life of Sicily from the beginning to the present.
Palermo
 The
city of Palermo (Palermu in
Sicilian) is the capital of the Sicilian Region and it is the host
of Sicilian Regional Assembly and of the province. Fifth
largest city by population is the thirtieth in Europe, after Rome,
Milan, Naples and Turin and it is the main cultural, historical and
economic-administrative centre of Sicily. His
remarkable artistic and architectural heritage is represented by the
remains of Punic walls, country seat in art nouveau style,
residences in Arab-Norman style, baroque churches and neoclassic
theaters. It
is one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and the major
tourist destinations of Sicily, of Italy and Europe. Palermo has the
highest number of monuments in the town center, but many are
distributed in throughout the territory of Palermo, as the many
historic villas, clock towers, traps, ancient graffiti or simply old
churches and noble palaces. Its
historic center, which is one of the largest in Europe, is
undergoing considerable refurbishment and restoration in order to be
insert with the Botanical Gardens and the Cathedral of Monreale
among the possible sites of UNESCO. The
historic center of Palermo is divided into four districts (Loggia-Castellammare,
Tribunali-Kalsa, Palazzo Reale e Monte di Pietà-Capo)
related with the two main historical streets: the Cassaro and
Maqueda street, perpendicular to the first road and that, in the
junction with this, create the Quattro Canti di Città Square.
Cefalù
 Located
in an exceptional position, visible from the road that leads with
Palermo, Cefalù is a fishing village, located between the sea and a
limestone promontory, proud of its Romanesque cathedral that emerges
from a tangle of narrow streets. City
of Greek origin, from which it takes its name, Kephaloidion.
It enjoy its
greatest splendor under the Normans and in particular with Roger II
in 1131 that decided to start the construction of the cathedral. The
territory of Cefalù, in addition to the Madonie Park’s hills and
mountains, offers beautiful walks and unspoiled nature offering, in
addition to many scenic and natural beauty, orchids and
some
gastropods such
as Helix
Mazzullo, the
Vermiculite and the cephaleditana. The
beauties of the area are added to the wealth of monumental heritage
of the city. Significant
medieval buildings are present in the city: the Palazzo
Maria(Cathedral
Square) and the Osterio
Magno (Corso
Ruggero). These
two developments have been wrongly identified as the Domus
Regia of Ruggero that,
instead, was incorporated into the Bishop's Palace, in the part
adjacent to the Canonica.
Agrigento
 The
city of Agrigento (Girgenti in
Sicilian) throughout its history has had four names: κράγας for
the Greeks, Agrigentum for
the Romans, Kerkent for
the Arabs and Girgenti
to the Normans. Girgenti
was also the official name of the city until 1929, than it changed
its name in Agrigento. Its province represents a famed Sicilian
tourist destination of great importance thanks to its important
archaeological site with the historical, natural and folkloristic
Valley of the Temples. Each
year in Agrigento takes place the cultural event "Mandorlo
in Fiore" which
occurs in February and held in the mythical Valley of the Temples;
in recent years associated with the International Folklore Festival.
The Valley of the Temples, considered one of the main tourist
destinations in Sicily dates back to the Magna Grecia. Since
1997 it has been inserted in the list of humanity world heritage
sites by the UNESCO. It
is characterized by the remains of seven temples in Doric style:
their names and their identifications, except that of Olympeion, are
presumed to be humanistic speculation too, which, however, remained
in common use.
Ragusa
 The
city of Ragusa (Rausa in
Sicilian), capital of the province of Sicily, is situated in the
southern part of Iblei mount and it is the seventh town of the
region for its population. It
is the richest municipality of the island and among the wealthier of
southern Italy. It
is called the "City
of Bridges" for
the presence of three structures, very picturesque, but it was also
defined by writers, artists and economists as the
"island within an island" or "the
other Sicily”, thanks to its history
and a socio-economic context that is very different from the rest of
Sicily island. After
the earthquake which destroyed the city almost completely in 1693,
it was divided into two parts: the superior part of Ragusa, lying
upland and the other Ragusa Ibla, risen from the ruins of the city
and rebuilt according to the ancient medieval structure. The
architectural masterpieces built after the earthquake, together with
all those in Val di Noto, gave birth to one of the largest sites of
UNESCO in the world. Ragusa
has many baroque buildings included in the list of humanity world
heritage of UNESCO
Piazza Armerina
 The
monuments, churches and ancient buildings, the Sicilian baroque
style make of Piazza Armerina a splendid city of art. Piazza
Armerina is the center of a vast, archaeological and classical area
(Montagna di Marzo, Monte Naone, Rossomanno, Monte Manganello,
etc..), its territory of great interest for the archaeological
excavations, especially those of the Villa Romana del Casale, was
inhabited since prehistoric times, at least from the seventh
century. BC
onwards. The
Villa Romana is located in the Casale near Piazza Armerina, dating
from the late third century AD. Beautifully decorated with mosaics,
was discovered in the late 1800 before being fully brought to light
in the middle of 900. Probably we are talking about a luxurious,
private residence belonging to a powerful roman family. Unique of
its kind especially for the type of mosaic whose pieces are very
small. The effect obtained is certainly impressive, the images are
detailed, colorful and nuances. With
the spectacular Palio, Piazza Armerina each year (from 12 to 14 of
August) relives sounds and atmosphere of the medieval period. In
the beautiful setting of the old town ladies, knights, army and
militia create an attractive "return to the past."
Caltagirone
 Caltagirone
dominates the plain of Catania and Gela amphitheater between the
mountains Iblei and the mountains Erei. It
is known worldwide for its handmade pottery that still committed
hundreds of artisans. The art of majolica has ancient origins: the
first furnace date back to the Muslim and Norman Age testimonies of
an activity that has never been extinguished over the centuries;
besides it is also the residence of the Regional Museum of Ceramics
since 1965. Among ocher-colored buildings rising churches, baroque
bell towers and the beautiful Town Park, the most elegant public
gardens of Italy, built in ‘800 by Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile. Of
particular architectural interest are the Norman Cathedral dedicated
to St. Julian
who keeps beautiful paintings works of Francesco Vaccaro, the Church
of the College built by the Jesuit in 1593 and the Church of St.
James rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693.The Via Roma is the main
street that bisects the city and stretch itself till the famous St. Maria
del Monte Steps. Along
the way overlook some of the most interesting buildings, with
numerous examples of majolica decorations. |
