Cathedral of Palermo

The Cathedral of Palermo is an architectural complex in Palermo (Sicily, Italy). It is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century. The church was erected in 1185 by Walter Ophamil (or Walter of the Mill), the Anglo-norman archbishop of Palermo and King William II’s minister, on the area of an earlier Byzantine basilica. By all accounts this earlier church was founded by St. Gregory and was later turned into a mosque by the Saracens after their conquest of the city in the 9th century. Ophamil is buried in a sarcophagus in the church’s crypt. The medieval edifice had a basilica plan with three apses, of which only some minor architectural elements survive today.

La Cattedrale di Palermo

La cattedrale di Palermo, sin dalle sue origini assolveva la duplice funzione di luogo di culto e di santuario funerario per monarchi e i loro parenti e per gli arcivescovi palermitani. Nella chiesa eretta per volontà da Gualtiero Offamilio (Walter of the Mill) parente stretto di re Guglielmo II e arcivescovo palermita, a loro erano destinate due aeree, all’interno di cappelle separate dal coro, che accoglievano rispettivamente i sepolcri reali e arcivescovili. Con l’eliminazione di queste due aree, avvenuta a seguito delle modifiche apportate al tempio per opera di Ferdinando Fuga nel tardo-settecento si badò a trasferire nella prima cappella a destra dell’ingresso laterale (portico meridionale) i sepolcri reali, mentre quelli arcivescovili furono sistemati nella zona retro absidale, in un locale tutto amorfo ad una cattedrale.

* Sicily was once called Trinacria in the ancient world, because of its triangular shape
* In its 3000+ Year history, Sicily has been ruled by the Phonecians; Greeks, Arabs, French, Spaniards, Byzantines and Romans
* Sicily is 9,935 Square Miles and is divided into 7 provinces
* It is the largest Mediterranean island.
* Temperatures can rise to as high as 95F in the Summer

SICILY, the largest of the Mediterranean islands, is surrounded by three seas: the Mediterranean on the south and west, the Tyrrhenian on the north, and the Ionian on the east. A narrow channel (the three-kilometer-wide Strait of Messina separates it from the Calabria mainland. The coasts of the triangular-shaped island consist mainly of low, sandy beaches where the rare Sicilian flatland plains, the largest of which is Catania’s, have their origin. The rest of the territory is mountainous. There are four major ranges (Madonie, Nebridi, Peloritani, Iblei), as well as plateaus, isolated hills, and a still active vulcano, Mt. Etna, the tallest peak on the island (3323 m). The Simeto, Platani, and Salso are among the numerous Sicilian rivers which, on the whole, are mostly small-sized. Once heavily wooded, the Sicilian countryside is today rather barren, especially moving inland. Great citrus groves are, however, today flourishing where oak and beech forests once thrived. The island’s climate is renowned for its mildness. Summer months are hot, but always tempered by pleasant seabreezes, whereas in winter it gets cool but hardly ever really cold.

HISTORY - The name Sicilia (from the Siculo and Sicano peoples who first settled here) has been known since Antiquity. The island was also called Trinacria in reference to its triangular shape. In the 8th century B.C. numerous Greek cities started to colonize it. The Greek-founded cities (Nasso, Siracusa, Gela, Selinunte) then proceeded to find others, so that Sicily soon became an important chunk of what would later be designated Magna Grecia (Greater Greece). Thanks to intense Mediterranean traffic, the new colonies grew and prospered, and artistically they even rivaled their mother country. Siracusa won out in the fight for control of the new territories, even managing to defeat the Athenians and Etruscans who were attempting to counter her expansionist policies and put a halt to the Carthaginians’ dreams of adding new territories to the colonies they had already founded in western Sicily (Mozia, Panormo, and Solunto). The Sicilian cities relinquished their independence only when the Romans came to power in 212 B. C. Siracusa succumbed and the whole island became a Roman province. In the 5th century A.D. Sicily was invaded by the Vandals, later ruled by the Byzantines, and in the 9th century conquered by the Arabs. Under Arab rule, Sicily enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity, a time of flowering for all fields of human endeavor. The year 1061 when Roger I the Norman emperor was crowned King of the Two Sicilies in Palermo was the start of a less pacific era which, however, was flourishing from an artistic stand-point. The Swabians and Anjous followed the Normans. 1282 was the year of the Vespri Siciliani when the people of Sicily rose up against the Anjous who, however, were soon after replaced by the Aragonese. The Spanish dominion,which lasted well into the 18th century, meant that for over three hundred years Sicily was kept firmly under the heel of a feudal power,which impoverished it both economically and culturally. The Spaniards were succeeded by others. In1815 Ferdinando of Bourbon had himself crowned King of the Two Sicilies, a reign encompassing, besides Sicily, Naples and all of southern Italy. Anti-Bourbon uprisingswere common  occurrences throughout the early 19th century, but the Bourbons remained ensconced until Giuseppe Garibaldi and his army of a thousand patriots landed in Marsala in 1860 and succeeded in making the island part of the newborn Kingdom of Italy. Gradually, aspressing - mainly economic problems failed to be adequately dealt with, a separatist movement grew up and has not completely died out, even after the birth of the Italian republic. Today, however, Sicily maintains its own by laws and separate legislative bodies. Its main economic activities are, in agriculture, cereals, citrus fruit (for which the island is famous), as well as all kinds of produce, and, in industry, minerals (sulfur and rocksalt), and oil refining.

ART - Sicily has superb monuments dating from the Greek period, including the temples of Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta, the theatre of Siracusa, and exceptional pieces exhibited in archeological museums (Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa). The Roman period too is amply represented by the amphitheaters of Siracusa and Taormina and the superb Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina. During the Middle Ages under the Byzantines scores of churches were built and several Greek temples were transformed into Christian places of worship (Agrigento, Siracusa). When the Arabs came to power, the oriental tendencies already inherent in the Byzantine style became more marked. Today little remains of the grandiose Islamic buildings that were once widespread throughout the island, but the Arabic imprint has left its mark on all of Sicilian architecture,civic and religious. Many other styles and schools gradually came to be mixed with these early ones - the Normans, Swabians, and Anjous brought Northern influxes which are evident in the cathedrals of Cefalù, Monreale, and Palermo, to name the most important. The development of civic architecture reached its apex under the Aragonese who filled the island with magnificent villas, palaces, and castles. In the meantime Byzantine mosaicists arriving in steady streams from Constantinople were busy, decorating churches of different periods and styles. By the 15th century Sicily, Spain, and the Italian mainland were closely linked artistically, especially when the great Renaissance painter, Antonello da Messina, made his appearance on the art scene. Antonello was to leave a strong influence on his fellow Sicilians, and on the rest of European art as well. At the same time, the1400s, sculptors of great renown such as Francesco Laurana and Domenico and Antonello Gagini were active in the artistic capitals of their day, mainly Messina and Palermo. The Baroque period too was a time of great activity in Sicily, as can be seen by the elaborate buildings and monuments adorning Palermo, Catania, Siracusa, and Ragusa, all of which reveal the Baroque impact on their town plans and architecture. Later, in the early 1600s, Caravaggio and van Dyck spent brief periods in Sicily, and their presence had great influence on the local schools of painting. Sicily’s artistic production in all fields maintained its excellent quality throughout the 1700s and the neo Classical period during the 1800s.

SICILIAN FLAG -  was first adopted in 1282, after the Sicilian Vespers of Palermo. It is characterized by the presence of the triskelion (trinacria) in its middle, the (winged) head of Medusa and three wheat ears. The colours, instead, respectively represent the cities of Palermo and Corleone, at those times an agricultural city of renown. Palermo and Corleone were the first two cities to find a confederation against the Angevin rule. It finally became the official public flag of the Autonomous Region of Sicily in January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented. The flag looks very similar to the flag of the Isle of Man, especially for the use of the triskelion in both of these; today, the triskelion (or trisceli) is also widely considered the actual symbol of Sicily. The symbol is also known as the trinacria, which is also an ancient name of Sicily.

FLORA AND FAUNA - Along the coastal zones, and up to a height of 300 metres, there are above all citrus fruits, olives and vines. Almost all these plants, which today are found all over the island, were actually imported by the successive conquerors of the island: for example, the Greeks and Phoenicians brought the vine, the olive, the fig and the pomegranate; the Arabs - among other things - the lemon and the almond. The orange was only grown starting from the fifteenth century, like the tomato and the prickly pear, imported to Sicily after the discovery of America. Lastly, the mandarin orange was introduced at the start of the nineteenth century. The great forests that covered the whole island having disappeared, woods are found only on the summits of the main mountain chains - the Nebrodi, the Madonie, the Peloritans - and on Etna. Cork and other oaks, chestnut trees and beeches are the trees making up these woods, and there are now only rare clumps of pines and Sicilian fir. The local flora also includes the oleander and the plane tree, as well as plants introduced by man in more or less recent times: in addition to the previously mentioned prikly pear, vine and fruit trees, we find agaves, palms, ficus, cedars, mulberries, eucalyptuses and all sorts of flowers. Changes in climate and environment, together with indiscriminate destructive action by man, have considerably reduced the presence of wild animals on the island. The big mammals have mostly disappeared, as have most of the birds of prey, the only significant presences being those of the wild cat, the marten, the dormouse (rare) the hedgehog, the wild rabbit, the hare and the weasel. Among birds there are the falcon, the pilgrim hawk, the windhover, the kite and the eagle, the rock partridge, the imperial crow. Some migratory birds also stop off in Sicily, such as common species of waders, the pink seagull, the grater sea swallow, the spoonbill. There are a great number of insects and invertebrates: among snakes, special mention must be made of the very beautiful spotted grass snake.

LANGUAGE – the official language is Italian, which is spoken by everyone except a minority of the interior.  Most Sicilians also speak Sicilian dialect, a rich patois comprising words of Arabic, Greek, French, Italian and Spanish origin – basically a linguistic amalgam of 3500 years of history. When speaking to outsiders, Italian is used, but when speaking among themselves, Sicilians largely revert to dialect. 

SICILIAN CART or Carretto Siciliano in Italian and Carrettu Sicilianu in Sicilian or Carretti (plural) is an ornate, colorful style of horse or donkey-drawn cart native to the island of Sicily.  The carts were introduced to the island by the ancient greeks. Carts reached the height of their popularity in the 1920s, when thousands were on the island. Miniature carts are often sold in Sicily as souvenirs. The Museo del Carretto Siciliano, in Terrasini, in the province of Palermo, is a museum dedicated to the carts.

CUISINE - The successive foreign dominations in Sicily greatly influenced local cuisine, varying and altering its characteristics, without, however, completely eradicating the traditional Sicilian cooking style. As a result, echoes of Greek, Arab, Norman, and Spanish cuisine are very much part of it today. Sicilian cuisine tends to be elaborate, full of herbs and spices that give it a distinctly exotic flavor. Among the best-known in the huge array of local specialties are pasta cu Ii sardi (pasta with a sauce of sardines, pinenuts, dried grapes, and wild fennel), pasta with eggplant sauce and cuttlefish, vegetable dishes including peppers, onions, and eggplant (the main ingredients of the capotina), and fish (which abounds in the island’s seas) such as tuna, swordfish, and cod, roast meats and stuffed bracciolettina. There is a vast assortment of desserts such as cassata (ice cream cake), torrone (a hard candy), pasta reale (almond paste), cannoli (pastry), ice cream, and granite (crushed ice flavored with coffee, lemon, and mulberries). Sicilian wines are strong and full-bodied (Corvo Zucco, and wines of Etna), and for this reason are often exported for blending with other varieties. There are also renowned sweet dessert wines such as Moscato Passito from Pantelleria and Marsala.

CRAFTS - In Sicily craftsmen work with  iron, wood, stone, papier maiche, plaster, hides and clay, glass is cut and mounted, silver and gold is fashioned and set with gems.  Stone was carved during the centuries of the Greek colonization, as it had been before in prehistoric times when Bronze-Age man sculpted the stone lids for the rock-cut tombs in Castelluccio. The VIII c. Greek and Sicilian stone masons decorated the churches in black volcanic tuff and yellow sandstone, as in the splendid masterpiece of the Monreale cathedral apse Precious stone is also quarried in Sicily: jet (obsidian) in Lipari, and alabaster in Marettimo.  Pottery was made from clay in the 11th century.  Sicily produced the shiny majolica ware which, having undergone the influences of the renaissance, was revived in the artistic pottery of Caltagirone, Palermo, Sciacca, Burgio, Trapani, and later, in Collesano and Santa Stefano di Camastra; towns where the majolica still encounters favour and a market. A particular aspect of the ceramic production is in the Sicilian crib figurines, where the clay head is set on a body, is made from papier maché or starched cloth.  Wrought iron and wood carvings are produced in modern workshops where old style iron furniture such as bedsteads and railings, or wooden toys such as spinning tops and rocking horses are again produced.  Leather work has antique origins in the island, when sumac, which grows spontaneously on the island, was used extensively in tanning. The Sicilian leather industry is still active in the production of fine, soft leathers for handbags and travel bags. There is also a long tradition in glasswork on the island which goes back to the Norman-Age mosaics.

PALERMO - Founded by the Phoenicians, it was later settled by the Carthaginians. In 254 B.C. Palermo was conquered by the Romans who, however, were compelled to defend it several times from the Carthaginians’ attempts to win it back. The city fell to the Arabs in 831.  Palermo soon ranked as the island’s main center and one of the most important in the whole Mediterranean. The advent of the Normans and Swabians enhanced its prestige. The court of Frederick II of Swabia was one of the most splendid of the Middle Ages as an intellectual center and in terms of economic well-being. The domination of the Anjous and Aragonese put ahalt to the growth and development of the city and indeed of the whole island, negatively affecting its artistic-cultural output as well. The Spaniards were succeeded by the Savoys for a brief period and then by the Bourbons, soon ousted by Garibaldi’s troops who entered Palermo on May 27, 1860.

PALAZZO DEl NORMANNI -This imposing building was begun by the Arabs in the 9th century and then in the 12th enlarged by the Normans who turned it into a splendid royal palace. A striking example of a mixed Norman-Arab-Byzantine style is to be found in the Cappella Palatina, the chapel on the second floor of the palace. Commissioned by the Norman king Roger II, it was built in 1132. Arab influence dominates in the gilded carved wooden ceiling, whereas the gold ground mosaics on the walls are Byzantine in style. Among the most remarkable of the mosaics, are those of the Creation, the Flood, and Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem. On the third floor are the Royal Chambers. The most interesting of these is the Sala di ReRuggero embellished with mosaics of stylized hunting scenes, heraldic animals, and flora.

SAN GIOVANNI DEGLI EREMITI – The church dates back to the time of King Roger ll.  This important monument is well-recognized for its Arab architecture, which contains three domes and cubic forms that are representative of an Oriental influence.

CATHEDRAL - Huge and sprawling, the Cathedral of Palermo is a complex structure that in the course of its long history has undergone numerous alterations. It originated as a Christian basilica in the Early Middle Ages, only to be turned into a mosque by the Arabs. Later the Normans made their own changes when they turned it back into a church. Further modifications were wrought in the 1700s when the dome was added (architect: Ferdinando Fuga). The right side of the building, revealing a striking composite style, vaunts a fine early 15th century portal. The apse zone, is an elegant combination of intertwining archways, and rounded crenelation. The highlights of the interior include Royal Tombs, a Virgin and Child, carved by Francesco Laurana in 1469, a 13th century Bishop’s Throne and the Cappella di Santa Rosalia.

LA MARTORANA - Begun by the Normans in 1143, the church was completed in the 17th century. Of the mosaics that decorated the portico once joining the tower to the church proper, only two are existant: the Coronation of King Roger and George of Antioch at the Virgin’s Feet, which are displayed inside the building. Other superb mosaics adorn the interior.

CEFALU’ (Palermo)  -  This city’s name comes from the cliff, shaped like a cranium (in Greek, kephalos), rising above it. First a Greek colony, it thereafter succumbed in turn to the Siracusans, Carthaginians, and Romans. Its most splendid period was under the Normans (12th century). Today, this popular searesort on Sicily’s north coast, is divided into two districts, one modern and the other historic. Among the most noteworthy monuments are the Cathedral and the Museo Mandralisca. The museum’s renown derives mainly from one of its paintings, Antonello da Messina’s Portrait of an Unknown Man, and a well-stocked Archeological Section.The Cathedral, commissioned in 1131 by the Norman King Roger ll, is one of the most beautiful churches in Sicily. Work on the building went on for many years - for example, the façade (by Giovanni Panettera) was not erected until 1240.

PARCO DELLA FAVORITA (Palermo)  - This huge park which spreads out for acres at the foot of Mt. Pellegrino, was commissioned by Ferdinando III of the Bourbon dynasty in the late 1700s. Inside is a curious building, the Palazzina Cinese, an example of neo-Classical exotica. Ferdinando and his family took up residence here having been forced to leave Naples when Napoleon’s troops took over the city. There is also a fascinating museum on the premises, the Museo Etnografico Pure, one of the finest collection of mementos and artifacts relating to Sicily’s folkloric heritage. Examples of everything from decorated wagons, crèches, and marionette theaters are displayed.

MONREALE - The town overlooks Palermo and the lush plain known as Conca d’Oro from atop a hill. Its main claim to fame, however, is its Duomo, one of the great masterpieces of medieval architecture.

Duomo - Commissioned by the Norman king, Guglielmo II, and erected in 1174, this remarkable building has managed to preserve virtually all of its original structures intact over eight centuries. The main facade features a superb portal, the work of Bonanno Pisano (1186), which consists of 42 bronze panels with Biblical scenes.

MONDELLO – Today one of the most popular beaches in Sicily.  Mondello was once a small village of tuna fishermen, centered around a 15th century square tower, but in the last 70 years it has become a residential area immersed in greenery.  Mondello’s golden age was at the turn of the 19th century, when a kind of garden city was founded and well-to-do Palermitans had  lovely Art Nouveau villas built there.  The Kursaal bathouse, built on piles in the sea and a few yards from the beach, also dates from this period. Designed by Rudolph Stualket in the Art Nouveau style, it is decorated with mythological figures and sea monsters.

THE TEATRO POLITEAMA GARIBALDI - This historic theatre is in the heart of modern-day Palermo.  The neo-classical building was designed in 1867-74 by Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda.  The façade is a triumphal arch whose attic level is decorated with sculpture crowned by a chariot.  For years, until the reopening of the Teatro Massimo, the Politeama was the centre of Palermo’s cultural life, playing host to the opera and theatre seasons.

ISOLA DELLE FEMMINE (Sicilian: Isula or Isula di Fìmmini) is in North-Western Sicily, administratively part of the province of Palermo.  Despite its name, which can be translated in English as Females’ Island, the town is located in mainland Sicily; the “island” the name refers to lies in front of the town territory, but it is not inhabited anymore. The etymology of the name is uncertain: a story claims the origins of the name from a females’ only prison supposedly located in the island in the 1500s.

Catacombs of the Capuchins (Catacombe dei Cappuccini),?Palermo
This web of spooky subterranean passages where 8,000 of Palermo’s mummified dead will greet you; some dating back over 500 years and still dressed in their absolute best.

FOUNTAIN PRETORIA -  once called “the fountain of shame” because of its statues of nude figures located in the middle of Palermo’s most intriguing square, this fountain is on a slightly higher level than Via Maqueda.  It was designed in 1552 – 55 by Tuscan sculptor Francesco Camilliani for the garden of a Florentine villa and was later installed in Piazza Pretoria.  The concentric basins are arranged on three levels with statues of mythological creatures monsters, tritons, sirens and the four rivers of Palermo (Oreto, Papireto, Gabriele and  Maredolce).

La Zisa - This 12th-century palace features elaborate arches along the front façade and the “Fountain Room,” which is the castle’s main reception area that reaches two-stories in height.

QUATTRO CANTI - This is the heart of the old city center of Palermo and corresponds to Piazza Vigliena, which has been known as Quattro Canti for centuries, but also as “Teatro del Sole” as one can always see the sun from this spot, from dawn to dusk.

The Kalsa Quarter - This is Palermo’s old Arabic quarter, built close to the sea in an era of people’s riots, in order to allow the Emir to escape in the event of revolt. In ancient times it was home to the Arabs’ entire military contingent when they ruled the city, their administrative and political offices, and also their prisons. It was named “al-halisah” that means “the elected one” in Arabic.  Today it is a working-class area of the city, extremely picturesque, where it is still possible to capture a feel of the ancient Arabic-Sicilian culture and often smell the strong aromas of the food that is prepared in the several kiosks along the streets.

TRAPANI - The city’s name derives from the Greek drepàne or drèpanon (sickle), recalling the curved shape of the peninsula extending from Sicily’s west coast to the Mediterranean on which Trapani rises. Today the city is also spreading in the other direction, that is inland, toward Mt. Erice, which is where the first settlers of the city originally came from (3rd century B.C.). Trapani was a stopover for the Carthaginians, then a Roman colony, and thereafter under Byzantine, Arab, Norman, and Aragonese domination. During the Middle Ages, it reached relative prosperity, at which time the city was embellished with many of its finest buildings. The old section, however, was severely damaged by bombs in World War II, and today its overall appearance is more modern than medieval. The city’s economy revolves around the port: ferries to and from the Egadi Islands, Tunisi, and Pantelleria and fishing, primarily tuna. (and, as a result, canning and food-processing are important economic activities.) Another major industry is wine-making - the renowned Marsala wine is grown and bottled in this region. Perhaps the quaintest of the local festivals is the Processione del Misteri which takes place the night of Good Friday. Wooden sculptures representing episodes of the Passion Week (called misteri = mysteries) are paraded through the city steets. In the heart of the old section, the major sights include Corso Vittorlo Emanuele, an elegant thoroughfare flanked by imposing Baroque buildings, the 17th century Cathedral, the church of Santa Maria del Gesù, Palazzo della Giudecca, and the gardens of Villa Margherita where the concerts of the Trapani Music Festival are held. The Santuano deIl’Annunziata and the Museo Nazionale Pepoli are instead located in the modern section.  In AD 440 Trapani was invaded by the Vandals, in 477 it fell to the Byzantines, and in about 830 it was taken by the Muslims, who made it one of the richest and most prosperous cities in Sicily, developing its maritime activities and its gold and coral handicraft.

SANTA MARIA DEL GESU’ (Trapani) - This early 16th century church has a Renaissance-style facade in which traces of Gothic (e.g. the pointed arch of the portal) are still evident.  Inside, the Cappella Staiti, is a glazed terracotta by Andrea Della Robbia known as the Madonna degli Angeli (early 16th century).

PALAZZO DELLA GIUDECCA (Trapani) - The name of this building comes from its location in what was once the Jewish ghetto.  Quite unusual looking, it was built in the 16th century in Catalan style.

SANTUARIO DELL’ANNUNZIATA (Trapani) - Even though this lovely 14th century church has been remodeled several times over the centuries, it still has its original facade with a fine rose window and Gothic portal.  At the far end of the left side of the church’s main body is the Cappella dei Marinai (16th century) adorned with elegant turrets.  The belltower dates from the 1600’s.

ERICE - known as “the city of science, is a wonderfully preserved Mediaeval town offering the most breathtaking views and an almost palpable sense of history. Originally an Elymian city (the Elymians were around before the Greeks ever set foot on Sicily) along with Segesta, Erice, or Eryx as it was first called, was of no little importance and renown and is said to have attracted the likes Hercules and Aeneas. The name changed from Eryx, to Erice to Gebel Hamed and Monte San Giuliano but its essential character remained, obstinately repelling any attempt to change its real identity. Amongst the most visited sites are the two castles, Pepoli Castle and Venus Castle. The former was built by the Arabs while the latter was a Norman construction with imposing towers that derived its name from the fact that it was built on the site of the ancient Temple of  Venus, allegedly founded by Aeneas. Other attractions include the sixty churches including the Gothic Chiesa Madre (1314) and the Mediaeval Church of Saint John the Baptist. On a cloudless day, the Egadi Islands off the coast of Trapani are vividly visible, rising from the sea like giant, motionless whales while to the west the panorama takes in vast swathes of eastern Sicily, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the coastline towards San Vito Lo Capo, Monte Cofano and the Gulf of Castellammare. Erice today plays host to a series of renowned international scientific conferences and, in particular, an annual congress dedicated to Astronomy.

CUSTONACI (“the city of marble”) ? - It is one of the most famous Italian center of marble industry, which overlooks the valley from its beautiful Santuario della Madonna. Locally, there are around 200 marble quarries. This town is also known for its Christmas Nativity Scenes (utilizing live characters to portray the birth of Christ) which are held in the Mangiapane Grotto.

ISOLE EGADI - Ferries run between Trapani and the lsole Egadi, the archipelago composed of the islands of Favignana, Levanzo, and Marettimo. Here in 241 B.C. the Romans and Carthiginians fought a famous battle in the waters the Romans once called Aegates. Starting in the 16th century up to recently, the islands were private property of aristocratic Genoese and Palermitan families. Today, inhabited mostly by fishermen, they are a popular summer resort. The Grotta del Genovese, a grotto whose walls are covered with graffiti and paintings dating from the Paleolithic period is located on Levanzo.

Favignana – In ancient times Favignana was called Aegusa, meaning “goats’ island”. The present name is derived from Favonio, an Italian name for the Föhn wind. It was colonized by the Phoenicians, who used it as a stopping point on their trans-Mediterranean trading routes.  It has always been linked to tuna fishing as can be seen by the splendid tuna processing plant built by Palermo architect Damiani Almeyda using tufa extracted from the same island and famous throughout the Mediterranean.  The island is famous for its caves of volcanic rock and the ancient fishing technique of tonnara, originally of Arab origin, with the trapping and mattanza of bluefin tuna. Favignana is one of the few places in Italy where this is still done.

PANTELLERIA – (its name derives from the Arabic “Bent-el-Rhia” - Daughter of the Wind ) - is one of Sicily’s most characteristic minor islands. Not part of an archipelago like the Egadis or the Aeolians, Pantelleria is considerably closer to North Africa than to Europe. Its rocky coastline, sometimes dramatic, sometimes gentle, extends for just over 31 miles but encapsulates a great deal. The wine produced from the island vineyards is renowned (Moscato Passito). Clusters of tiny white Mediterranean-type dwellings are scattered throughout. The main center however is the town of Pantelleria. Vestiges of primitive settlements and later colonizations are visible in several places. The strong winds that blow here all year round have force the inhabitants to protect their plants and kitchen gardens with enclosures and walls, and to prune the olive trees so that they grow almost horizontally, close to the ground.  Wind is also responsible for a typical style of building called dammuso, a square, whitewashed peasant’s house with walls almost 6 feet thick and tiny windows in order to provide the best insulation.  Water is scarce on the island, so roofs of these homes are shaped to collect rainwater.  Pantelleria is famous for their capers which are harvested from plants that produce exquisitely delicate flowers.

LAMPEDUSA – The largest island in the Pelagie (the archipelago that includes Linosa and the small island of Lampione). The Greek name Pelaghiè reflects their chief characteristic – isolation in the middle of the sea. Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean. The beach and the neighbouring island are part of a nature reserve. Other species living along the island’s coast include mantas and dolphins. The movie Respiro (2002), written and directed by Emanuele Crialese and starring Valeria Golino, was filmed entirely on Lampedusa.

SELINUNTE - The majestic ruins of Selinunte rise on two hills on the south coast of Sicily. The city was settled by the Greeks in the 7th century B.C. (It was named after a kind of parsley that grows wild in the area, called selinon in Greek.)Twice destroyed by the Carthaginians (in the 5th and 3rd centuriesB.C.), it was totally abandoned in the wake of an earthquake which followed. The archeological finds dug up in this area, including remarkable carved metopes, are exhibited in the Museo Archeologicoin Palermo. The north hill was the Acropolis of the city. Remains of dwellings, roads, fortifications, and temples are still visible.

SEGESTA - Scenically located at the bottom of an isolated mountain, Mt. Barbaro, Segesta was settled by the Elimi, a people whose origins are lost in time. It ranks as one of the great archeological sights in Italy. The impressive Temple is one of the best preserved in the Greek Doric style. Built in the 5th century BC, it is remarkably elegant in its simplicity, with 36 unadorned columns sustaining the double tympanum of the peristyle. Not faraway is the Theater (3rd centuryB.C.), which consists of a vast semi-circular pit carved into the rock.

THE SALT MARSHES - The Stagno and Trapani salt marshes were exploited in antiquity and reached the height of their importance in the 19th century, when salt was exported as far away as Norway. The long periods of sunshine (five or six months a year) and the impermeable nature of the land made these marshes very productive, although activity has declined in the last 20 years. At one time, windmills supplied energy for the Archimedes screws used to take water from basin to basin; some of them have now been restored. At Nubia the Museo delle Saline (Salt Marsh Museum) is now open, and the Stagnone area will soon become a fully- fledged nature reserve. The seawater will be protected from pollution, and the age-old tradition of salt extraction will survive.

AGRIGENTO - which rises on a rocky plateau running along the southern coast of Sicily, was founded in the 6th century B.C. by the Greeks who had previously settled nearby Gela. It was not long before the city, then known as Akragas, became one of the most important of Magna Grecia. Girthed by immense fortifications (remains of which are still extant) and adorned with stupendous Doric temples, it was the birthplace of philosophers, artists, and scientists. Allied with Siracusa, Akragas defeated the Carthaginians at Imera in 480 B.C., but 74 years afterward, having been betrayed by her own mercenary troops, succumbed to Carthage and was looted and overrun. In 210 B.C., it fell to the Romans, at which time it lost its Greek name and became Agrigentum. Is also shared the fate of the rest of the island - it was conquered by a succession of Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, and Spaniards. Then, during the Middle Ages, a bit of peace and pro- sperity returned to the city: this was the period when many of its great monuments were built. It also was rechristened Girgenti, an Arab name that it kept until 1927 when its Roman name, albeit Italianized, was restored. Agrigento is the birthplace of Italy’s Nobel prize-winning playwright, Luigi Pirandello, who was born here in 1867. (His Nobel was awarded in 1934). Badly damaged in World War I, the city was rebuilt and subsequently expanded so that its present-day appearance is very different from only a few decades ago. Today, the Greek remains are clustered in the area of the Valle dei Templi. Agrigento is graced by an extremely mild climate  with almond trees blooming in January.

SAN NICOLA - This Cistercian Gothic church rises in the midst of Greek sanctuaries in the Valle deiTempli. Originally,a Greek sanctuary itself, then a Roman one, the building was transformed into a church in the 1200s and successively remodeled several times over the centuries. The facade is clearly divided into two zones by protruding trabeation. Fine reliefs of St.George and Peter and Paul adorn either side. Inside is one of the masterpieces of Classical sculpture: the Sarcophagus of Phaedra.

TEMPLE OF THE CONCORDIA -This beautifully preserved building is one of the finest achievements of Doric-style architecture. Datable around the mid-5th century B.C., it was most likely dedicated to (Castorand Pollux). In the 6th century, the Bishop of Agrigento, St. Gregory,had it turned into a church, at which time many of its sculpted metopes were destroyed.

TEMPLE OF JUNO - This temple rising so majestically on a hill is dated 5th century B. C. Pliny narrates that when the Agrigentini commissioned the renowned painter Zeusi to decorate the temple with an image of the goddess Juno, he picked fifty young girls, had them disrobe in the temple, and chose the five prettiest to serve as his models. Depicting the most attractive part of each girl’s body in a composite figure, he was able to achieve an, “unbelievable beauty”.

SICULIANA – was built on the site of an Arab fort destroyed by the Normans in the late 11th century.  The new lords – the Chiaramonte family of Agrigento, rebuilt the fortress in the 1300s and it was altered several times afterwards.  Despite all the changes, Siculiana has retained some Arab features.  Siculiana is set amidst a lovely hilly landscape and has fine religious and secular buildings. The baroque Mother Church, dedicated to Saint Leonardo Abata, contains the fine Chapel of the Holy Crucifix, the patron saint of the town. The 1600’s Santuario del Crocifisso has a baroque style with a latin-cross design. It contains numerous paintings and frescoes from the 19th century and a dark-colored wooden Crucifix. Inside is a charming Baptistery Chapel containing a baptismal font with Jewish engravings, royal coat-of-arms and shallow-reliefs depicting events from the Old Testament. The Torre Salsa district, one of the Regional Nature Reserves, offers a naturalistic environment with uncontaminated beaches and cliffs and a richest vegetation.

PIAZZA ARMERINA - This picturesque inland village is medieval in appearance, but also rich in Baroque churches.  Its fame derives from the stupendous Roman villa of Casale located nearby.

TEMPLE OF HERCULES - This temple is the oldest in Agrigento, dating from 520 B.C. In his writings Cicero mentions the temple decorations which were probably very elaborate. Originally there were 38 columns around the temple, although only eight are existant today. Of the eight survivors, four still preserve their simple archaic Doric capitals. 

MESSINA - Until the Roman conquest of 264 B.C., Messina’s history is rather complicated. Originally a settlement named Zancle, it was in turn taken over by the Cumans, Greeks, Siracusans, Carthaginians, as well as Romans (and renamed Messana). Under the Romans first and then the Byzantines, Messina expanded and flourished. Throughout the Middle Ages, the city, thanks so its unique location on the strait separating Sicily from the Italian mainland, was always an important port and commercial center and, in addition, was successful in preserving a fair amount of autonomy as Sicily succumbed to wave after wave of foreign invaders. Nevertheless, despite the fact that Messina was able to repel the Anjous in 1282, she was not so successful against the Spaniards and the Bourbons, whose domination lasted until 1860. The city was also a flourishing center of art and the birthplace of one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists, Antonello da Messina. Unfortunately, epidemics and earthquakes too have always played an important role in Messina’s history. The last great earthquake was a recent one - in 1908 - which wholly destroyed the city and caused the death of over 60,000 people. Reconstruction was undertaken soon after, but bombings during World War II also took their terrible toll. Messina today is a modern town whose economy depends for the most part on a bustling harbor and fishing-related industries. The fishing boats are specially designed for the main catch, swordfish.  Among the most popular festivals is the Parade of Giants (two huge wooden statues) which is celebrated on August 14 and which has to do with a local legend. The surviving monuments are small in number, but great in interest. The most important are the Cathedral, the church of SS. Annunziata, and the Museo Nazionale.The university is in Piazza Carducci.  It was founded in 1548, closed by the Spanish in 1679 and reconstructed at last in 1927. 

DUOMO - First built in the 12th century, it was remodeled over the centuries. Three superb Gothic portals (15th-16th century) set off the facade adorned with sculpture, columns, and reliefs, while secondary ones are placed on either side. The clock (1923) in the belltower is embellished with mechanized figurines that appear at set hours.

TAORMINA (“The Pearl”) -  is situated in a splendid position at the foot of Mt. Tauro looking out on a sparkling blue sea. Its winding shore line is full of spectacular beaches, and wherever the eye turns there are unforgettable views. Its monuments range from Greek to Baroque. Taormina is one of the prime tourist attractions in Sicily. The city originated as a Greek colony called Tauromenion. Extensive remains of its antique splendor may be seen today, the most notable of which are the Cathedral, Palazzo Corvala, and the Greek Theater. Taormina is Sicily’s most famous tourist resort. It was a favourite summer residence for aristocrats and bankers, from Wilhelm l l of Germany to the Rothschilds.  It was one of Winston Chruchill’s favorite vacation spots.  D.H. Lawrence was inspired to write “Lady Chatterly’s Lover” in Taormina.

GIARDINI-NAXOS (Messina)  – is a seaside resort near what was once the first Greek colony in Sicily. It is known for it’s beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters of the Ionian Sea. It has a small, but prosperous fishing port.

AEOLIAN ISLANDS (“The Seven Daughters”) - is among the most scenic and popular Italian resorts, form an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, only a few nautical miles north of the Sicilian coast. (The seven major islands are: Lipari, Vulcano, Sauna, Stromboli, Panarea, Alicudi, and Filicudi.) The Aeolian Island are a true paradise of limpid waters, luxuriant vegetation and natural monuments. The islands were at the centre of ancient Mediterranean civilization because of their abundance of obsidian, a natural glass produced during the final stages of the volcanic eruption.  The glass was used to make tools, knives, blades and small axes.  The islands were important in the pre-Greek and Greek periods, which is when the legend regarding Eolo, mythical king of the archipelago and the winds, famous for having given shelter to Ulysses, arose. Lipari, a Greek colony, fought at the side of Siracusa in the struggle to oust the Carthaginians. During the Roman era, the Aeolian Islands were a popular summer resort and naval base for the Roman warships.  The Aeolian are volcanic islands. (Vulcano and Stromboli are still active volcanos.) Activity and thermal phenomena are, however, present throughout the archipelago. The countryside is rocky, the jagged coastline often consisting of cliffs overhanging a clear blue sea. Vegetation is sparse - mostly vineyards where an excellent wine, Malvasia, is produced - as is drinking water. The economy of the islands is principally based on tourism, wine producing, extraction of pomice (Lipari), and fishing (mainly tuna and swordfish).

LINOSA (“The Painted Island”) - is a wonderful vulcanic island.  Even the walls that line the roads and paths are made of lava.  The island lie in the Mediterranean Sea between Malta and Tunis, The island is very colourful  from the green of the Mediterranean bushes, to the deep blue of the sea, to the heavenly clean sky. In summer, it’s awash with oleander, bougainville and geranium.

SIRACUSA (The White City)  - Siracusa’s complicated history begins in 734 B.C. when Archia, leading a group of Corinthian settlers, decided to occupy the Isle of Ortigia off the east Sicilian coast. It was not long before the settlement, extended to the mainland. In 485, the city succumbed to the tyrant of Gela, Gelone. Under the leadership of Gelone’s brother and successor, Ierone, it embarked on a period of great prosperity, even defeating the Etruscans at Cuma in 474 B.C. A few years later, the Siracusans were able to drive out the dictators and set up a democratic form of government. In a short time their territorial expansions posed a threat to the whole of Sicily, and conflict with the Greeks, the power then dominating the island, loomed inevitable. The war proved a clamorous victory for Siracusa. Soon after, Siracusa found itself once more in the hands of a tyrant, Dionisio the Elder, who nevertheless successfully defended the city from the onslaught of the Erthaginians and lavishly adorned it with monuments. In the late 4th century B.C., under Agatocles, Siracusa reached the height of its political, power, only to fall to the Romans in 212. The city’s valient resistance was made possible by the ingenious defense mechanisms devised by Archimedes, inventor and discoverer of numerous principles of physics, who was killed by a Roman soldier unaware that the slain enemy was one of the greatest minds of the times.

ROMAN AMPHITHEATER -Erected in the 3rd Century B.C., this huge elliptical structure was partially dug out of bare rock and partially built of stone blocks. In the center ofthe arena, the site of gladiator and animal combats, is a rectangular basin.

LATOMIA DEL PARADISO -This is the most celebrated of the latomie. Originally a kind of gigantic grotto, it was transformed (when a section of the ceiling collapsed) into a huge hole in the ground with limestone rock formations and luxuriant vegetation.

ORECCHIO DI DIONISIO-This 51-meter-long man made grotto was originally part of an underground cave. Inside, any noise, even the slightest, is amplified many times. It received its unusual name (literally Dionysius’ Ear) from Caravaggio, the great Lombard painter, when he visited it in 1586. The name was born from the legend according to which the Siracusan tyrant, Dionisio, had a habit of eavesdropping, through a crevice in the rock, on the conversations of the prisoners he kept locked up in the dungeon grotto.

SANTA LUCIA - The church was built in the 4th century over the spot where St. Lucy was martyred in 303A.D. Although its present day appearance is Baroque, it still vaunts a13th century portal and 14th century nose window. The base of the bell-tower dates from the 13th century. Inside the building is a splendid painting by Caravaggio depicting the Burial of St. Lucy (1609).

DUOMO - The present day Cathedral rises on the site of one of the most important buildings of Greek Siracusa: the Temple of Athena, a 5th century B.C. Doric structure. The spectacular Baroque facade was erected around the mid-1700s. Several of the columns once belonging to the temple are still visible incorporated into the walls of the single-aisle church. Among the highlights of the interior are: an 18th century silver altar piece dedicated to St. Lucy with a late 16th century statue of the saint by Pietro Rizzo, the Chapel of the Crucifixion containing a fine altar piece with St. Zosimo attributed to Antonello da Messina, and the Virgin of the Snow, by Antonello Gagini.

PAPYRUS - One of the most popular craft products in Siracusa is papyrus paper: the area around the Ciane River is the only one in Italy where this rare, valuable plant grows.

Noto - is a city in the Province of Syracuse, at the feet of the Iblei Mountains. The city gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

The Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime - One morning, on 29 August 1953, a small plaster image of the Virgin Mary in the house of Angelo Iannuso and Antonina Giusto suddenly began to shed tears. The following days, on 30 and 31 August and on 1 September, tears were seen again on the Virgin’s face. This extraordinary phenomenon turned the house of two simple worker in a sort of sanctuary, attracting an increasing multitude of people anxious to see and touch the tears coming out from the Virgin’s clear eyes. A commission appointed by the archiepiscopal Curia ascertained the tears to be human; on 19 May 1954, Cardinal Ruffini, the Archbishop of Palermo, laid the foundation-stone of the present Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime (Our Lady of the tears), built by two French architects, Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat. On 29 August 1968, the sacred image of the Virgin was displayed in the Crypt, which was opened on 1 September. Now it is exhibited in the higher part of the building, completed in 1990.

The Sanctuary is an extraordinarily immense building and imposing in its massiccia reinforced concrete structure (22,000 quintals). The surface total is of mq. 4.700, with one capienza of approximately 11.000 persons. It has been planned, for the architectonic part, from M Audrault and P. Parat of Paris, and, for the structural part, from R. Morandi of Rome.

CATANIA (the coast of the Cyclops) -  is situated at the foot of Mt. Etna on Sicily’s east coast. It was settled by the Greeks in the 8th century B.C., conquered by Siracusa in the 5th century, and subjugated by the Romans in the 3rd century. Although it underwent destruction from earthquakes and eruptions of Etna many times over, it nevertheless managed to achieve and maintain a position of notable prestige both in the Roman and medieval periods (especially under the Aragonese, who in 1434 founded an important university in Catania). After one of the terrible earthquakes had taken its toll in 1693, a town planner from Palermo, Giovan Battista Vaccarini, was commissioned to draw up a design. His work, a true 18th century creation, resulted in a highly successful arrangement of elegant buildings and avenues. In the 19th century two outstanding Italians were born in Catania: Vincenzo Bellini, the composer, and Giovanni Verga, the writer. Catania’s cuisine is renowned throughout the island. The first Sicilian university was founded here in 1434. The city is the home of Amatori Catania rugby union team, and Calcio Catania football team.

CATHEDRAL (Catania) – The building we see today was designed by Vaccarini following the 1693 earthquake, although the Cathedral was actually founded in the 11th century.  Some remains of the original Moorish-style building are visible by the apse and transcepts. The interior, richly decorated with Baroque sculpture and paintings, contains the Tomb of Vincenzo Bellini.  From the apse chapel known as the Cappella di Sant’Agata, with its elaborate reliefs by Antonello Ferri (16th century), you enter the Treasury.

PIAZZA DEL DUOMO (Catania) – all around the centrally-located square are elegant 18th century palaces and buildings, including City Hall.  In the middle of the fountain, the Fontana dell’Elefante (Fountain of the Elephant),  which was designed by Vaccarini, the architect responsible for Catania’s townplan.  It consists of a base adorned with allegorical sculptures and an Egyptian obelisk   resting on an antique granite elephant.

ACI TREZZA – This very picturesque fishing village was the setting the Giovanni Verga’s novel “I Malavoglia” and for Luchino Visconti’s “Trema”.  The small  harbour faces a pile of basalt rocks, the Isole dei Ciclopi, now a nature reserve. On the largest island there is a biology and oceanography station. According to Homer, Polyphemus hurled the rocks at the sea in an attempt to strike the fleeing Ulysses who had blinded him. 

TEATRO MASSIMO BELLINI - is an opera house in Catania, Sicily which was named after the local-born composer, Vincenzo Bellini. It was inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer’s masterwork, Norma. It seats 1,200.

BRONTE – is located slightly northwest of Mount Etna, on the side of the valley of the Simeto river. It is about 30 kilometers west of the coast. The  name derives from that of one of the First Cyclops and it means “The Thunderer”. Legend has it that the Cyclops lived under Mount Etna, where they crafted weaponry for Zeus and other Gods.
In 1799, King Ferdinand III, created Bronte as a Duchy, and rewarded admiral Horatio Nelson with the title of Duke for the help he had provided him in bloodily repressing the revolution in Naples and so in recovering his throne. As well as being made a Duke, Nelson was given Castello Nelson, which at the time was the remains of a Benedictine Monastery. Today, it is a local tourist attraction in Bronte.

SAN CONO -  is a small village in the province of Catania. It is an agricultural community, and is known particularly for its production of prickly pears. A major festival in San Cono is the Sagra del Ficodindia (which translates to the Festival of the Prickly Pears), held on the first Sunday in October each year.  San Cono is the “Prickly-Pear Cultivation Capital” of Sicily. The town was named San Cono in 1785 by its founder, the Duke Trigonia, in honor of the homonymous saint who lived from 1139 to 1236. In 1883, the territory was divided into several parts and rented to the town’s inhabitants. The town belonged to the Trigonia family until the abolition of feudal rights.

Fiumefreddo di Sicilia (Catania) - is on the coast of the Ionian Sea.  It gets its name from the Fiumefreddo River which runs alongside the territory of the comune. The word fiumefreddo means literally “cold river”, a reference to the fact that the river is fed by snow melts from Mount Etna. Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is near the major Etna tourist centres.? The Castle of the Slaves has been the setting for many cinematography works. It was discovered by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1968. He filmed some scenes of “Orgia” but the castle became famous with “Il Padrino” (The Godfather). Francis Ford Coppola filmed some immortal scenes both from the first part (1971) and the second part (1974).

RAGUSA – (a double dose of Baroque) consists of two cities in one: one area was built in the 18th century, while the ancient quarter of Ibla dates back several thousand years. One of the most fascinating towns in Sicily, Ragusa has caused many a visitor’s jaw to drop as they first set eyes on the lower part of the town. Essentially Baroque, the Ragusa you will see today dates almost entirely from 1693. Ragusa, along with its neighbours, Noto, Modica, Scicli and Catania, was razed to the ground by a terrible earthquake that hit most of the eastern side of Sicily.  Public opinion on where to rebuild the town was divided, and so a compromise was made. The wealthier, more aristocratic citizens built a new town in a different site, now Ragusa “Superiore”, while the other half of the population decided to rebuild on the original site, on a ridge at the bottom of a gorge, now Ragusa Ibla. The two towns remained separated until 1926 when they were merged to become the chief town of the province, taking the place of Modica. In June 2002, UNESCO inscribed eight old towns of the Val di Noto on the World Heritage List as “representing the culmination and final flowering of Baroque art in Europe”. The towns inscribed are Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, and Scicli. The Hyblean Gardens (“Giardino lbleo)” offer some fantastic views of the town.

RAGUSA IBLA - the Cathedral of San Giorgio was built starting in 1738 by architect Rosario Gagliardi, in substitution of the temple destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, and of which only a Catalan-Gothyic style portal can still be seen. The façade is characterized by a flight of 250 steps and by massive ornate columns, as well as by statues of saints and decorated portals. The interior has a Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles ending in half-circular apses. It is topped by a large Neoclassical dome built in 1820. The Hyblean Garden offers a panorama on the three churches of the Cappuccini Vecchi, St. James (14th century) and San Domenico.

CALTANISSETTA – (“The Queen of Ceramics”) is from the Saracen name of Qalat al Nissa (“Fort of the Women”), which has since been Italianized to Caltanissetta.  One of the earliest traces of a settlement in this area is the Badia di Santo Spirito, a Norman abbey commissioned by Roger I and his wife Adelasia in the late 11th century and consecrated in 1153. It is still one of the most interesting sights in Caltanissetta and its immediate vicinity. In common with other hill towns in the interior, Caltanissetta was surrounded by medieval walls and then expanded towards the monasteries, built around the city from the 15th century on. The centre of a thriving mineral-rich area, it became prosperous after the unification of Italy thanks to the sulphur and rock salt mines. It was during this period that the look of the town changed with the construction of buildings and public works. It is also home to the Museo Archeologico, which holds displays from mostly prehistoric times and include finds from digs conducted in the 1950s, including vases and tools from the Bronze Age and early Sicilian ceramics. Caltanissetta is the hub of public transport in the area. It is also the site of a longwave transmitter (shutdown in 2002) and shortwave transmitter. The mast used for the longwave transmitter may be the tallest structure in Italy.  The city was heavily damaged during World War II.

HOLY WEEK OF MYSTERIES -  One of the most spectacular processions held in Caltanissetta during Holy Week is the Real Maestranza, featuring about 400 members of the old trade guilds. It is led by a “captain” in the traditional 18th-century dress – tailcoat, cocked hat with a black feather, tricolour cockade and a sword belt – who bears the grief and sorrow of all. On the following day, the Thursday before Easter, the Vare or Misteri are the protagonists. These are majestic floats carrying groups of figures sculpted in wood, papier maché and plaster, usually portraying scenes from the Way of the Cross or famous religious paintings. On Good Friday the celebrations continue with the Black Christ, when a crucifix of black wood, found in a cave in 1625, is carried on the shoulders of the fogliamari (vegetable gatherers) singing funeral dirges. The Holy Week celebrations are the same as they were over two centuries ago, with ancient pagan rites and rituals, creeds and beliefs that create an atmosphere of great poignancy.

GELA - The people who founded the city of Agrigento originally came from Gela, today a modern city whose economy is based on several oil refineries and related industries. It is the home to medieval, neo-classical and baroque expressions. Gela was once the magnificent archaic Emporio, which was an important destination to traders coming from Greece. Remains of Gela’s past include the Acropolis (streets, dwellings and sanctuaries) and important finds displayed in the Museo Nazionale Archeologico (temple decorations, coins, pottery, sarcophagi, etc).  The Capo Soprano fortifications, are the remarkable remains of the walls of the Greek city (5th century).

ENNA - Enna, the ancient Haenna, is a city located in the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned a few nicknames, such as “belvedere” (panoramic viewpoint) or the “ombelico” (navel) of Sicily.  It is here that the Arab conqurerors decided to divide Sicily into three political territories: the valley of Maraza, the valley of Demone, and the valley of Noto.  Until 1927 the city was called Castrogiovanni, the Italian corruption of the Arab name Qasr Yannah which, in turn, was how the Saracens transcribed the Latin name of Castrum Hennae.

In antiquity Enna was first Greek, then Carthaginian and finally Roman. It remained a Byzantine stronghold even after the Arab conquest of Palermo, and was then conquered by general Al- Abbas Ibn Fadhl in 859 and was wrested from the Muslims only in 1087. From that time it was repeatedly fortified around the strongholds of Castello di Lombardia and Castello Vecchio (present-day Torre di Federico). The defensive walls, no longer visible, were the basis of the city’s plan, while all the principal sites of religious and civic power were constructed on what is now Via Roma. Because of its altitude, Enna has a climate unique in the interior of Sicily and even during summer the temperature is pleasant.  The town’s exceptional position means splendid views. Piazza Vittoria Emanuele, a site of San Francesco d’Assisi, the only original part of which is the fine 15th century bell tower.  In 1307  Eleonora, wife of Frederick ll of Aragon, founded the Cathedral of Enna. The building was destroyed by fire in the mid 1400s and was rebuilt. Enna has two fortresses.  The Castello di Lombardia, built by the Hohenstaufens and altered in the Aragonese era, is one of the most important in Sicily. In the public gardens is the octagonal Torre di Federico ll, the only remaining part of the original defences. Enna is now an important centre in archeological and educational studies. The University Kore of Enna, which already became a great protagonist among Italian universities, in quality, boom of students and international relationship, was officially founded in 2004.

CASTLE OF LOMBARDIA, perhaps the most important example of military architecture in Sicily. It was created in very old times by Sicanians, rebuilt by Frederick II of Sicily and restructured under Frederick II of Aragon. The castle, which bears this name because of the garrison of Lombard troops that defended it in Norman times, has an irregular layout which once comprised 20 towers: of the six remaining, the Torre Pisana is the best preserved one.

THE DUOMO (Cathedral), a noteworthy example of religious architecture in Sicily, built in the 14th century by queen Eleonora, Frederick III’s wife, but largely renovated after the fire of 1446. The great Baroque façade, in yellow tufa-stone, is surmounted by a massive campanile with finely shaped decorative elements.

LAKE PERGUSA -  is set between a group of mountains in the chain of Erei, and it is located 5 km from Enna. It is a vital place in the migratory current of lots of birds. In addition to birds, which are certainly the protagonists of the Pergusa nature reserve, there are also interesing species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Around the lake, there is the most important racing track of Southern Italy, the Autodromo di Pergusa, that hosted international competitions and events, such as Formula 1, Formula 3000 and a Ferrari Festival with Michael Schumacher. Created in 1951, the Pergusa track is 4,950m long, has an average width of 14m and can seat more than 8,000 spectators.

MORGANTINA - one of the most important archaeological sites of Europe.  Discovered in 1955 by a team from the American University of Princeton, during excavation compaigns, still on going today, which uncovered a series of treasures belonging to civilizations which succeeded one another in Sicily. The first settlement belongs to an Italic tribe, the Morgeti, which settled here in prehistoric times, giving the town its name. The town became Greek in the 6th century BC and reached its maximum splendour between the 4th and the 3rd centuries BC, as can be seen from the monuments uncovered.

Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (December 23, 1896 - July 23, 1957), was an Italian writer. He is most famous for his only novel, Il Gattopardo (first published posthumously in 1958, translated as The Leopard) which is set in Sicily during the Risorgimento. A taciturn and solitary man, he passed a great deal of his time reading and meditating, and used to say of himself, “I was a boy who liked solitude, who preferred the company of things to that of people.”

Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicilian life and society during the Risorgimento. Published posthumously in 1958, it became the top-selling novel in Italian history and is considered one of the most important novels in Italian literature.
The novel was also made into an award-winning 1963 film of the same name, directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon

Mount Etna (also known as Mongibeddu in Sicilian and Mongibello in Italian, a combination of Latin mont- and Arabic jebel, both meaning mountain) is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the largest active volcano in Europe, currently standing about 3,326 m (10,910 ft) high, though it should be noted that this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21.6 m (71 ft) lower now than it was in 1865.