Sicily Island has given the world much to adore. It is the heart of Italian culture since the Greek colonization to the present days. The island endowed with diverse cultural, artistic, and monumental features attracts millions and millions of people across the globe to come and witness this amazing varied nature. Sicily has been Island rocked by political upheavals, struggle for power, and exulted in great splendidness and liberties.
Its inhabitants, landscape, culture, and Sicily Art represent the impalpable spirit of Sicily Island
The Top Ten Artistical and monumental attractions in Sicily:
Greek Theater Syracuse
Its design and architect makes the tourists marvel. It is one of the monuments, which the Greeks and Romans built. The monument was exclusively used for classic dramas during the ancient times. The wild animals slaughtered criminals and slaves here and most gladiatorial fights contested here. Syracuse is the top man-made structure on the Sicily island and can hold up to 15,000 people together with a good number of Roman amphitheatre. Its location and the surrounding makes it not only one of the greatest historical sites but also the outstanding monument in Sicily.
Roman Art and monuments
Due to their little interest on Sicily, Roman arts are not as many as the Greek ones. During Diocletian reign, the Roman aristocracy acquired large pieces of land. The Romans with their magnificent art and architectural skills on how to use cement elected vaults, columns, and walls. This resulted to superb stone walls which are in fact one of the attractive sites in the island. The Roman villa such as Del Casale in Piazza Armerina remains an important place to view up to the present.
Valley of the temples (Valle dei Templi)
It is found on the southern parts of the Sicily near Agrigento town. It is located on a plateau near the Mediterranean Sea. Valley of temples is an extensive amalgamation of Greek ruins (valle dei Templi). The monuments and temples here are well-maintained and have extensive grounds, which are characterized by massive columns. The walking trail is the most fascinating feature. One can extensively tour the valley of temples on foot as long as you wear good shoes that are meant for walking. Visitors are however advised to come with a sun protection and a hat to protect them from the intense sunlight during the warmer periods due to limited shades in the area. With numerous temples in the area, one cannot get tired to experience the touch of extraordinary art combined with exclusive architectural skills to make this gorgeous temples. The main road that joins the temples act as the most convenient place one can walk on foot as he or she experiences the sight of valley of temples. Among the temples include; temple of Hercules (which makes the oldest temple). Temple of Hercules gives the sight of ruins, which were done during the ancient times and gets one wondering how life was during that time. Next is the temple of Hera (dates 450 BC), Temple of Concord, Temple of Jove, and Temple of Castor and Pollux.
Palace of the Normans
Palace of the Normans is heart and pinnacle of the Palermo city. Palace of the Normans is the top sights; the palace is a gigantic building built in the 11th century. The tourists who allowed in are restricted to some small sections. Palantine Chapel makes the Palace of Normans famous. The chapel was built by Roger II and represents the architectural skills of Normans, Byzantine, and Arabs. Though small, the chapel stands out as exceedingly beautiful. The royal apartments permit tourists/visitors to be guided in groups. The palace of Normans built on Phoenician settlements. Tourists with limited amount of time can take approximately one and a half hours to tour around the palace of the Normans. The palace is presently used as the seat of the Regional Assembly of the Sicilian. The Torre Gioaria (one of the two towers of the palace) is said to be the most exciting portion of the building. Dating back to 8th century, the Punic Foundations is recognized for being one of the ancient part of the structure. The feeling and experience of touring the Palace of the Normans is unimaginable and unexplainable and therefore one cannot accurately describe it accurately due to the gorgeous and memorable sites in this area.
Imperial Roman Villa (Roman imperial)
These Roman villas are endowed with attractive mosaic floors, making it exceedingly beautiful museum in the region. The spectacular mosaics are the most preserved and impressive in the world. Nobody can accurately describe the encounter one has to experience and therefore personal experience is the best. Make a tour to this place and you will discover the amazing adventures you have missed.
Monreale Cathedral (Cattedrale Monreale)
It makes one of the magnificent monuments in Palermo. The Monreale was built in 1172 by King William II. With Moorish-Norman art, the building is one to marvel at. Though the exterior part is attractive, the splendour within is unimaginable. The Romanesque bronze doors conspicuous and one can easily notice them while touring the area.
Mirto Palace (Palazzo Mirto)
It is located on Piazza Marina (Palermo). The style and architecture of the building provides one with breath-taking feeling. The lavish style around the area adds more splendour to the beautiful building. One can hardly avoid taking a snap while strolling around the area.
Taormina Amphitheatre
The Ancient Greeks built the
Taormina Amphitheatre
The atmosphere in Taormina gives one a memorable,dramatic and breathtaking experience. The breeze alone is enough to make one think of not leaving the place.
La cuba
The building was build on 1180 and originally used as a leper’s hospital.its actual intention as to why it was built is however not clearly known.
Parete dei Saraghi in Pantelletria
It's ideal for the newbies: they descend up to 24 meters deep and over in the company of bream and lobster admiring the thousand forms of sponges and the different types of nudibranchs.
Other important attractions are; Pirandello’s House, Regional Archaelogical Museum "A. Salinas" among others.