Sicily region

Sicily is the biggest Italian Island, divided from the continent by the Strait of Messina and lapped by the Ionian, the Tyrrhenian and the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the pearls of Southern Italy and can be discovered, known and experienced through a series of itineraries for all tastes that range from nature to history and tradition. Nature seems to have endowed all of its wonders to this land: mountains, hills and above all the Mediterranean Sea, with its incredible colors, its crystal-clear water and the beauty of its sea beds, in no way inferior to those of other seas.


Many are the islands around Sicily and they are all very charming, but the Aeolian Islands, inscribed on the World Heritage List (WHL) in 2000 by Unesco, deserve to be mentioned. The archipelago is made up of 7 islands - Lipari, Vulcano, Stromboli, Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea – and of a series of islets and rocks of different sizes. The history of the Aeolian Islands is indissolubly bound to the Volcanoes, the “artists” that created these splendid natural masterpieces.


Cities:
Palermo is the regional capital. Other important cities are Agrigento, Siracusa, Trapani, Noto and Taormina.

exploring Sicily villas

places of the 'Magna Grecia'

The artistic-cultural inheritance which affirms records of classical Greek culture in Sicily is enormous, above all in the south westerly part of the island. Sicily is still today a necessary starting point for those wishing to understand Hellenic culture.
Siracusa is an extraordinarily important archaeological centre and the most illustrious and famous of the Sicilian cities with Greek origins. There are numerous historical monuments which bear witness to the splendour of Siracusa.  The Greek theatre, one of the most powerful architectural examples in the Greek world, is absolutely huge (about 150 metres). It was made entirely out of the rocks from the adjacent hill and was altered several times by the Romans. L'ara di Gerone (the altar of Gerone) is the largest sacrificial altar which still remains nowadays. It stretches over about 5000sqm and was probably a sacrificial altar for Zeus Liberatore.  A Roman amphitheatre, made completely out of rock is also worthy of note. The Duomo (cathedral) is positioned on the remains of an ancient Doric temple dedicated to Athena and was built in the 5th century by tyrant Gelone.  Of the antique temple's 14 lateral columns and 6 frontal columns, some of the columns of the peristyle and of the stylobate are still visible. 

Latomia del Paradiso is an ancient cave, about 30 metres deep which includes 'Dionysus' ear' and the 'Cordari' grotto.  'Dionysus' ear' is an artificial, funnel-shaped grotto sculpted out of limestone in a form, vaguely similar to the outer ear.  The grotto also has exceptional acoustic qualities (sounds are amplified by 16 times).
Taormina - One of the most beautiful places in Italy stands on a terrace facing towards the sea and the snow-white mass of Etna. The city was first Greek (4th century) and then Roman and holds many remains dating back to the classical periods. There are also the remains of walls, temple foundations and a large Greek theatre (the second largest Greek theatre in Sicily after that of Siracusa).

Agrigento - This ancient and grand city included what is today the centre of a hill, the top of which was, perhaps, the Acropolis and the so-called Valle dei Templi (Valley of temples). The Valle dei Templi is one of the most representative archaeological sites of classical Greek civility and since 1998 has been a UNESCO world heritage site. On the rocky ridge, which draws the border on the south side of the site and where there is an ancient inhabitation site, there are the rest of the Doric temples, positioned from east to west, such as Hera Lacinia, Concordia, Eracle, Zeus Olimpico, Castore and Polluce and Hephaistos.
Selinunte - Noted as one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the world and one of the most illustrative of classic culture, Selinunte is, in addition, one of the largest parks in the world. The town planning of this site is astonishing - it is among the most complex and well linked of ancient Sicily and dates back to 580AD. Its image is that of a Sicilian city with ruined monuments, huge, isolated temples which dominate the hillside, an advanced road system and houses crowding the Acropolis sliced by the two valleys.