7-day itinerary to visit Sicily, with useful information including geographical and historical information, which are the smaller islands and the main cities to see on the island.
Tourist information
Region of southern Italy, Sicily is separated from Calabria by the Strait of Messina, its territory includes the homonymous island, which represents the largest island of the Mediterranean Sea, the Aeolian, Egadi, Pelagie and islands archipelagos Pantelleria and Ustica.
Its provinces are Palermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Ragusa, Siracusa and Trapani.
The territory of Sicily, the largest island in Italy and the Mediterranean, is mainly hilly and mountainous, there are also some flat areas, but not particularly extensive, apart from the Plain of Catania, which represents the largest flat area of Sicily.
On the eastern side of the island, between the plain of Catania, the valleys of Alcantara and Simeto, and the Sicilian Apennine rises Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe (3343 m. Above sea level).
To the north of Etna, close to the north-east coast of the island, there is the mountain range of the Sicilian Apennines, which is the continuation of the Calabrian Apennines, and is divided into the Peloritani, Nebrodi and Madonie mountains.
Among the other reliefs of Sicily we find the Erei Mountains in the center, the Iblei Mountains in the south-eastern part, and the Sicani Mountains in the central-southern area.
As for the coast, the northern Tyrrhenian coast is generally high and rocky, interrupted by large inlets, such as the gulfs of Castellammare, Palermo, Termini Imerese, Patti, Milazzo.
The southern coast is low and the eastern one on the Ionian Sea is low in the south, while in the north of Catania it develops in high cliffs and beautiful inlets, up to Messina.
To the splendid coasts of the island must be added those equally beautiful of the smaller islands, which form the great archipelago of Sicily, corresponding to the groups of the Aeolian, Egadi, Pelagie, and to the islands of Ustica and Pantelleria.
Sicily was inhabited since prehistoric times as evidenced by the graffiti in the caves of Monte Pellegrino and Levanzo attributable to the late Paleolithic.
Recommended readings- Mazara del Vallo (Sicily): what to see
- Trapani (Sicily): what to see
- Randazzo (Sicily): what to see
- Milazzo (Sicily): what to see
- Sicily: Sunday day trips
The Phoenicians settled there first, in the western part, followed by the Greeks who in 734 BC. about occupied the eastern part of the island.
The Greeks founded commercial emporiums, agricultural colonies, achieving considerable prosperity. With the first Punic war (264-241 BC) Sicily became the first Roman colony.
In 339 AD Sicily was occupied by the Vandals and then by the Visigoths. In 535 AD the island was joined to the Eastern Empire through the rapid conquest of General Belisario.
Starting from 827 AD Sicily was conquered by the Arabs whose civilization has left numerous testimonies.
In 1060 the Normans arrived on the island, whose reign passed to the Swabian family in 1194, which reached its peak with Federico II.
In 1270 on the death of Frederick II, after a period in which the kingdom passed to the English prince Edmund of Lancaster, the crown was assigned by the Pope to Charles of Anjou.
Its short dominion was reversed through the revolt of the Sicilian Vespers and replaced with the Aragonese one in 1282, which ended in 1516 with the death of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and the passage of Sicily to the crown of Spain with the ascent to the throne of Carlo V.
In 1713 the Ultrecht treaty sanctioned the passage of the island to the Savoys, but in 1718 the Spaniards began a campaign of reconquest blocked by the Austrians, and Charles VI of Austria was the new king of Sicily. In 1734 Sicily returned to the Spanish orbit.
With the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and the reunification of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies (the Kingdom of Naples was lost in 1806), the Bourbon era began which ended in 1860 when Sicily was united to the Kingdom of Italy.
After the Second World War, the Sicily Region was endowed with a special statute.
Itinerary 7 days
Sicily has a great artistic and cultural heritage, many peoples have alternated over the centuries in this land, thanks to its geographical position of connection between Europe and Africa, the richness of its sea and the variety of its territory .
The art of sailing and offshore fishing began before the settled life on the island, which came to us through numerous prehistoric traces.
Of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese, Spanish and Bourbon Sicily, there are many valuable architectural and artistic testimonies.
Sicily offers visitors a splendid nature, magnificent monuments, ancient traditions that have come down to us through the various civilizations that have met on this earth.
– Messina, gateway to Sicily, is the city of the strait, where it is possible to admire the Cathedral dedicated to Maria Assunta, dating back to the Norman period. The building was consecrated in 1197 and despite repeated destruction it represents the most interesting monument and art collection in the city. Taormina and Giardini Naxos belong to the province of Messina, two splendid seaside towns rich in history. In Giardini Naxos, the first Greek colony in Sicily, in addition to the extraordinary beauty of the landscape, it is possible to admire a large archaeological area and its museum.
– Taormina was founded in 358 BC by some Greeks from Giardini Naxos. It stands on a natural terrace at about 200 meters above sea level. and enjoys an extraordinary panorama. The symbol of the city is the Greek Theater, of great archaeological value, its location offers a beautiful panorama that ranges from the sea to citrus groves, from Etna to the bay of Naxos.
– Catania it is located on the east coast of Sicily, halfway between Messina and Syracuse, at the foot of the Etna volcano. The city is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After the destruction of the 1693 earthquake, a process of cultural and social rebirth began which, thanks to the genius of architects and master carvers, produced true Baroque masterpieces. After the catastrophic earthquake, the extraordinary reconstruction took place also in other cities of eastern Sicily, in the territory of the Val di Noto, (Val indica Vallo, administrative unit in the Arab-Norman era), as well as Catania, the municipalities of Militello in Val di Catania , Caltagirone, Modica, Palazzolo Acreide, Noto, Ragusa and Scicli, have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, because they represent an exceptional testimony of late Baroque art and architecture.
– Syracuse it is located on the south east coast. The city was founded by Greek colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. Cicero said it was "the largest and most beautiful of all Greek cities. today ancient Syracuse is a precious testimony "of the development of the Mediterranean civilization of over 3 millennia", this is one of the reasons why it has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city stretches partly on the mainland and partly on the promontory-island of Ortigia. The heart of the city is the island of Ortigia, where you can admire important architectural testimonies of ancient civilizations. Some of the main monuments are the Castle of Maniace, one of the main monuments of the Swabian period, the Temple of Apollo, the oldest example of a Doric temple in Sicily, the Duomo, which stands on the remains of the ancient Doric temple dedicated to Athena, erected in the 5th century B.C. by the tyrant Gelone.
In the seventh century AD the temple was transformed into a church. Damaged by the earthquake of 1693, the façade was rebuilt in Baroque forms based on designs by Andrea Palma. The Fonte Aretusa, considered the symbol of the city. Arethusa is a mythological figure linked to the origins of the city by a legend. The Palazzo del Vermexio, or Palazzo del Senato, the Church of Santa Lucia alla Badia, Palazzo Beneventano. In the part on the mainland there is the Greek Theater, an extraordinary example of Greek theater architecture and the grandiose Roman Amphitheater. Near Syracuse is the Pantalica Necropolis which contains more than 5,000 tombs, many of which date back to the centuries from the thirteenth to the seventh BC. In addition, there are finds from the Byzantine era and finds from the Anaktoron (Prince's Palace).
– Ragusa it is located on a limestone rock formation between two valleys, the Santa Domenica quarry and the San Leonardo quarry. It has ancient origins and like the other cities of eastern and south-eastern Sicily it was rebuilt after the disastrous earthquake of 1693. The rebuilding took place in the typical baroque style, in two areas: lower Ragusa or Ibla, it is the rebuilt part where it was the ancient destroyed city and upper Ragusa, the new part built in the Patro district. The two nuclei are connected by suggestive descents, the most beautiful is the staircase (340 steps) called "Le Scale", starts from the Church of Santa Maria delle Scale and was built in the early eighteenth century.
In the first half of the nineteenth century the construction of the first connection was completed, "the Ponte Vecchio or Ponte dei Cappuccini", which allowed the expansion of the city to the south, passing the Santa Domenica valley and connecting the San Giovanni Polo with the neighborhood of the Capuchins. Eighteen churches and palaces in the city are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Ragusa Superiore is characterized by majestic facades of late Baroque palaces that overlook long parallel streets. Among the most beautiful palaces in Ragusa there are Palazzo Zacco, Palazzo Bertini, Palazzo Cosentini and Palazzo La Rocca. In the heart of upper Ragusa in a dominant position with respect to the city is the majestic Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista rebuilt in Baroque style after the earthquake.Going down towards Ibla we meet the Church of Santa Maria delle Scale, also rebuilt after the earthquake, it retains parts of the previous Norman construction.
The remainder of the city's artistic heritage is located in the Ibla district. The Duomo or Church of San Giorgio is a splendid example of sacred Baroque architecture designed by the architect Rosario Gagliardi, who also designed the Church of San Giuseppe, another beautiful expression of Baroque art and architecture. Over fifty churches are located in Ibla, the majority in late Baroque style, the most interesting are: Church of Santa Maria dell'Itria, Church of San Filippo Neri, Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Church of the Most Holy Souls of Purgatory, Convent and Church of Santa Maria del Gesù, Convent and Church of San Francesco dell'Immacolata, Church of San Vincenzo Ferreri.
– Agrigento was founded by Greek colonists in the 6th century. BC, (the ancient Akragas). The city is very important from an artistic point of view, as in its vicinity is the famous "Valley of the Temples", a vast archaeological complex of striking beauty, declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The aesthetic beauty, the arrangement of the various archaeological finds on the ground, the wide panoramas, make one imagine the ancient Akragas, a thriving cultural center of classical Greek civilization. Among the ancient vestiges of this place stand the remains of seven temples, the Temple of Juno or Hera Lacinia, the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Olympian Zeus (Jupiter), the Temple of the Dioscuri, the Temple of Vulcano , the Temple of Aesculapius.
The nearby archaeological museum is very interesting, full of objects ranging from the prehistoric age to the late Roman and Byzantine period. The city of Agrigento is located on a hill and is characterized by narrow streets and stairways. The Abbey of Santo Spirito, of the century deserve a visit XIII, the Church of Santa Maria dei Greci, (it was a cathedral of Greek-Byzantine rite) and the Cathedral of San Gerlando Vescovo,
patron of the city, (dates back to the 11th century but over the centuries it underwent various changes). Among the illustrious citizens of Agrigento we must remember the novelist and playwright Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) and the philosopher Empedocles (5th century BC) who lived in the 5th century BC.
– Palermo it overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea following the coastline of the homonymous gulf. It extends into the plain of the Conca d’oro, a flat area bordered by the mountains that take their name from the city. Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians in 734 BC. and has known numerous civilizations, like all of Sicily. Today we can admire the testimonies of these historical periods, in particular of the Norman and Baroque ones, through monuments of inestimable value. The cathedral dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumption in Heaven is a beautiful and grandiose architectural complex (erected in 1185) where the different construction periods led to the mixing of various styles. Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, an excellent example of Norman art, Piazza Vigliena overlooked by the Church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini, one of the most sumptuous and valuable monuments of the seventeenth century in Sicily, the other dedicated church is incorporated in its subterranean to Our Lady of Providence. Martorana Church or Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, a true jewel of Norman art.
Church of Santo Spirito or Vespro, of Norman art, is located inside the cemetery of Sant’Orsola. A popular insurrection arose in front of this Church, later called Sicilian Vespers. Church of Santa Maria del Gesù, is located on the slopes of Monte Grifone and was built in 1429 at the behest of Blessed Matthew of Agrigento. Chiesa della Magione, its construction dates back to 1550 by Matteo d'Aiello. Church of San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi, one of the oldest monuments of the Norman period. Convent and Catacombs of the Capuchins, it is a cemetery that extends in the subterranean of the convent where about 8,000 mummified corpses are exposed. Palazzo dei Normanni, now the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, is a sumptuous building built by the Arabs on pre-existing structures in the 9th century, composed of various bodies of different ages and with a facade from the 17th-18th centuries. Massimo Theater in neoclassical style was designed by G.B. Basile in 1875. The Chinese building, built by King Ferdinand III of Bourbon within the magnificent gardens of the Favorita park.
– Monreale is a beautiful city that is located about 5 kilometers from Palermo on the slopes of Monte Caputo. His visit is very interesting because his Cathedral and the adjacent Cloister are one of the highest examples of Norman art.
