suggestions for italian taylors made itineraries
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| Sicily has witnessed waves of invasion by Greeks and Carthaginians and the Romans who turned the island into their granary. Byzantines, arabs, Normans, Angevins, Aragonense and Bourbons also all left their mark and contributed to the special quality of this extraordinary off-shore civilisation. Rich in art and history, sicily has also a strong sense of folklore and local tradition.The sea is naturally an essential element from the majestic beauty of Taormina, surveyed by the still active Mount Etna, to the large sandy beaches of the southern coast. Cefalů, near the capital Palermo, is a favourite seaside resort as are Mondello, Acireale. Many small islands surround Sicily, offering excellent facilities for underwater fishing and spectacular diving. Accomodation is generally simple although on some very famous areas there are excellent hotels. Sicily is also extremely rich in Greek remains including Agrigento and its temples, Syracuse with its theatre, Segesta, Selinunte and Trapani. The best roman relics are to be seen in the villa of Piazza Armerina which has exceptional mosaics. |
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 Agrigento |
Capital of the province incorporating the southern coast of Sicily, Agrigento is separated from the sea only by low hills. The view from the city, whose modern extensions threaten the beauty of the place, is dominated by the Valley of the Temples, a mesmeric scene of Doric columns, which both adorn and support sacred buildings of inestimable archaeological value. Agrigento’s ancient name was Akragas, and it was one of the last Greek colonies to be founded (580 bc). After the defeat of the Carthaginians at Imera (480 bc), the city was enhanced by temples which turned it into ‘the most beautiful of those cities inhabitated by mortals’, as the Greek poet Pindar described it. Destroyed by the Carthaginians and re-built by the Corinthian statesman Timoleon, it was conquered by the Romans in the 3rd c.bc. Byzantine and Moslem rule signalled the decline in prestige of Girgenti (its Arabic name), but it was re-established in the Norman era as a key commercial centre. |
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| Catania
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Taormina Situated on the crest of high ground jutting out into the Ionian Sea and with a view across to Etna, Taormina is famous throughout the world for the beauty of its panoramic sights and its much-prized ruins. As Tauromenion, it was founded early in the 4th c. bc by the Sicels on Monte Tauro. It then became a flourishing Greek city and, after that, a Roman dominion. Taormina’s renowned monuments of the Hellenistic and Roman eras include the theatre, which dates from the 3rd c. bc, the baths, and the so-called naumachiae, a powerfully built wall with niches which may have been part of a gymnasium. Also of interest are the surviving examples of medieval architecture, especially in the late Gothic style: these include the Palazzo Corvaja and the Palazzo dei Duchi di Santo Stefano, for which the builders used a combination of limestone and lava. The duomo is worth noting, too, a severe Gothic building wreathed in battlements. |
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| Messina |
Vulcano
Known in ancient times as Thermessa – which legend has it was the dwelling-place of Aeolus, the god of the winds – Vulcano has an unusual landscape of caves and undersea thermal springs, with fumarole hot vapour crevices in the area of Baia Levante and the Grotte di Allume. Separated from the island of Lipari by a narrow inlet, known as Le Bocche di Vulcano, Vulcano itself has three volcanic systems: Mount Vulcanello (123 m; 404 ft), which forms a promontory at the northernmost tip of the island, to which it is linked by a slender sandy isthmus; the Gran Cratere (386 m; 1,266 ft), which is still active (its most recent eruption was in 1890), and the southernmost volcanic system which culminates in Mount Aria (500 m; 1,640 ft). |
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| Palermo |
Ustica
Ustum, from the Latin word for ‘burnt’, is the name which the Romans gave to this place when they first saw the black colour of its lavas. Ustica is a volcanic island off the north-west coast of Sicily. It is mountainous (Monte Guardia dei Turchi is 238 m, or 781 ft, high) and has high, rugged coasts. In a wild landscape of scrub and rocks, the visitor will find terraces on which the locals grow grapes, melons and prickly pears. From the Bourbon Fortress there is a panoramic view across to the Sicilian coasts, while the Azzurra and Pastizza caves, which have to be reached by boat, are fascinating. In fact, the territory has a wealth of basaltic caves, with stalactites reflected in the crystal clear water. Since 1987, the sea here, for up to three miles out from the coast, has been recognised as a nature reserve and a Regional Marine Park has been established on the western side of the island |
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| Siracusa |
An attractive natural harbour, closed off to the east by the island of Ortigia – the most ancient urban centre – provides the setting for Syracuse, with the upland ledge of Epipoli in the background. An ancient Greek colony, called Syracusa by Archia of Corinth in 733 bc, it was one of the cities which, like Athens and Alexandria, enjoyed a period of great political and cultural prsoperity. Regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites in Magna Graecia, it still has traces of its glorious past in every corner of the city. The duomo, with its Baroque facade, stands on the peristyle of the Doric temple of Athena, which dates from the 5th c. bc; in the district of Neapolis, there are the remains of the Greek theatre, the Roman amphitheatre, and the grand altar of Hieron, and, in the same area, the Grotta dei Cordari, the most famous of the ‘latomias’ (pits). These are examples of the archaeological wealth of Syracuse, not to mention the splendour of the Baroque buildings here. |
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| Trapani |
Pantelleria
The Hotels Cossyra and Mursia, in mediterranean style, rise directly on the seashore in isolated and tranquil positions, in Mursia locality, the closest Italian geographical point to Africa. At the clients' disposition is a living room, bar, piano bar, solarium, parking, three swimming pool, one of which is for children, two tennis courts, restaurant with air conditioning, breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner with traditional table service, menu choice. The beach is of lava rocks and reefs with different passages to platforms that are equipped with deck chairs and umbrellas. During the summer periods, an equip of animators is at the clients' disposition with sportive activities and of recreation. The sub school "Green Divers", and the release of the licenses P.A.D.I., organize immersion of archeological interest, in caves and during the night; and the rental of sub equipment. Last but not least, excursions and trips are organized during the day around and inside the island, to the thermal springs, to the archeological sights and in the most interesting areas in the naturalistic point of view. Possibility to practice sailing, windsurf, canoe, horseback riding, all connected to the hotel. A free boat service puts in communication the hotels with the dwelling center of Pantelleria. All of the rooms have private bathrooms, telephone and balconies; on request are color TV, mini bar and air conditioning. |
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