Sicily. July 18, 2016
Landed in Catania where we rented a car for a tour of Sicily. Seven days to discover this legendary island.
First stop Taormina.
We checked in a very nice small hotel located at the top of the city: Villa Ducale. The rooms are small but the views are fantastic, the owners and staff very welcoming and the service is great including a private shuttle bus with frequent trips to the different parts of the city.
Visit of the Ancient Greek Theater located in the center of town:
Strolling along Corso Umberto I, admiring the many churches.
You need to look up to see the beautiful windows and balconies.
Afternoon at the beach: Lido La Caravella - La Dolce Vita.
Copious breakfast at Villa Ducale before hitting the road direction Cefalù.
A nice drive around the Etna
Cefalù is a small fisherman village located on the North shore of Sicily. This is where the movie Cinema Paradiso was filmed,
but this village is most remarkable from its Norman architecture dating from the 10th and 11th century.
Including a magnificent Cathedral built by Roger II, the French King of Sicily, in the 12th century.
Palermo is an overwhelming mix of stunning beauty and disturbing decay and poverty. We were not sure if it felt like "Voir Palerme et Mourrir" or "Oublier Palerme" but this is indeniably an incredible place not to be missed.
We stay at the Grand Hotel et des Palmes, a nice "Old World" hotel who had seen better days but offers a lobby full of charm, comfortable rooms, a great central location and the best breakfasts.
Sicily has been successively under the rule and influence of the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantine, the Normans, the Arabs and the Spaniards before joining Italy at time of its unification in 1861. As a result, Palermo is a rich patchwork of styles blending together into a unique city.
Among many architectural treasures, we were particularly impressed by the Quattro Canti, an octagonal place with 4 baroque facades which contain fountains and statues of the 4 seasons, the 4 Spanish kings of Sicily and the the 4 patronesses of Palermo, Christina, Ninfa, Olivia and Agata.
Il Palazzo dei Normanni and la Capella Palatina situated on the foundations of the old Carthaginian fortress are a must. The old royal palace is nowadays hosting the Sicilian Parlement (Assemblea Regionale Sicilian). The byzantine chapel is decorated with stunning mosaics.
and the Piazza Pretoria.
We left Palermo early morning allowing for a 3-hours stop in Agrigento on our way to Syracuse. The Agrigento Valley of Temples is one of the most outstanding examples of Ancient Greece art and architecture. This is probably the best greek archeological site we have visited after the Acropolis.
The Concordia Temple
The Juno Temple
The Hercules Temple
The Castor and Pollux Temple
The Garden of Kolymbetra, today a very fertile orchard, was originally a fishpond and water reserve and constituted an essential resource for this fortified site.
Concordia viewed from Juno
Syracuse - We spent the last two nights on the peninsula of Ortigia, the old center of Syracuse. It was a welcomed "cool down" period after running around Sicily. We stayed in a very nice hotel, the Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel. The perfect finale!
Enjoying walking around this quaint island of peace,
discovering beautiful scenes at every corners.
Ortigia has a gorgeous Duomo Piazza,
with surrounding streets full of exquisite architectural details.
The sunset fills the city with light as we say goodbye to Sicily!
Leaving Sicily behind and having witnessed such rare beauty, one cannot refrain asking himself: What in the world is running in the veins of the Mafia?
