Sicily?

We're thinking of 2 weeks in Sicily around September.
Mainly for archaeology sites and Etna.
But starting at pretty zero knowledge pro tem!
Any tips for base and sights?
Many thanks.

Surreyman

On Thu, 14 Feb 2008, a.spencer3 wrote:

> We're thinking of 2 weeks in Sicily around September.
> Mainly for archaeology sites and Etna.

Being there only long ago, and with a tour, plus occasional work visits,
and a more recent tour to Lipari. Some of the places I quote I've never
been but wished to go. One fact is that moving by train is quite
difficult there, and I'm not a driver. Locals use buses or cars.

If you are interested in greek archeology a must is the Temple Valley in
Agrigento. Other known sites with several temples in Selinunte and
Segesta. Actually Segesta has just one temple and a theater, but in a
rather nice isolated location (and the temple is peculiar, some say it
was built by the Elimi, a local pre-greek population ... I knew a Lincei
academician who used to say that the verb "eliminate" derives from the
name of the Elimi because they were eliminated )

Other interesting greek and roman ruins in Siracusa. I've seen the Arena
and the Latomie area. I've never been to the Castello Eurialo (a greek
fortress, I've been told rather impressive), nor to the new
Archeological Museum, which also has good fame.

There are greek-roman ruins also in places like Taormina and Tindari,
but these places are more renowned for the scenery.

There is also an interesting roman villa near Piazza Armerina with lots
of mosaic (including the curiosity of the first portraits in bikini !
some 1800 years ago). Not sure of current preservation state.

There should be also interesting punic (phoenician) sites on the Egadi
islands off Trapani, but I've never been there. I've seen a museum in
Trapani, but not that impressive, while I'd recommend a visit to Erice,
an ancient town on a peak overhanging Trapani. Beware that accomodation
there might be limited, because almost alwyas fully booked for
scientific conferences at the Majorana Centre.

From Siracusa I heard one can take boat trips on river Ciane, among
papyrus vegetation. Never done that but wished to. If you just want to
see papyrus the Aretusa source on the island of Ortigia (the very centre
of Siracusa) should suffice. A sweet water source at a few meters from
the sea.

Palermo has nice monuments (Cathedral, Cappella Palatina, a couple of
moresque churches) in sort of a difficult urban environment. If you go
there a must is the nearby Norman Cathedral in Monreale with its
mosaics.

Another very nice Norman Cathedral is in Cefalu'.

Catania is essentially baroque, because it was destroyed by an eruption
of Etna. Another renowned baroque centre I've heard of but never visited
is Noto (this one was damaged by an earthquake). In the same area I've
heard also of the pre-greek necropolis of Pantalica.

I've never been to Ragusa (but it should be quite scenical, according to
what one sees in the Montalbano TV series ) or Modica. If you go to
Modica you must try the local chocolate, which is absolutely unlike
anything else, manual "cold" production according to old Maya recipes,
cocoa paste and sugar cane without cocoa butter. Worth every bit of it.

I've been up Etna and at the Observatory, but never did the complete
tour around the mountain with the local railway. I also never visited
the Alcantara gorges which are somewhere between Catania and Taormina,
and are said to be very nice.

If you are interested in volcanoes, you should try the Lipari islands
(also known as Eolie). Hydrofoils from Milazzo, if sea is not rough.
Usually they go to Vulcano first (which has a semi-quiescent volcano and
some hydrothermal sites) and then cross to the main island of Lipari.
You can bo back later for visits, the ferry ride is about 15 min.

The old town in Lipari is nice, and the archeological museum in the
castle quite interesting. The island is an old volcano, and touring it
you can find "pietra pomice" (a very light rock made of volcanic ashes,
density less than water) and "ossidiana" (a black vitreous lava).

There are boat tours around the islands, like Panarea (very small, with
a prehistoric site) and surrounding rocks, and Stromboli (active
volcano). These two could be done in a day from Lipari.

Farther islands, where I've not been, are Salina, Alicudi and Filicudi.

I believe I've given you enough names to do further research of your
own. I suppose either you do a tour around the island, or concentrate on
the eastern part of it.

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