Holiday Homes in Sicily

EXPLORING SICILY

Sicily is a land that welcomes everyone to see and discover its treasures. Palermo is one of the great art cities of Italy and the capital of Sicily. A large and lively city abounding in architectural wealth, captivating markets and wonderful streets. Despite its frenetic traffic, and heady markets, those who want to uncover the hidden treasures, will find much to appreciate here. You will need at least 3 days to catch some of the top highlights of Palermo and our holiday homes in Mondello provide an excellent base for sightseeing and sunbathing.

The Palazzo dei Normanni is Palermo's greatest architectural attraction. Located at the center of the old city, this treasure of architecture presents a rich variety of decorative art created from the mix of western and Islamic elements. The splendid Cappella Palatina inside the palace combines a variety of styles: the Norman architecture, the Arab arches and scripts with Byzantine mosaics. The gold, colored mosaics on the ceiling tell biblical stories along scenes from daily life and exotic animals. Book our holiday homes in Cefalu to visit interesting sites in the province Palermo and to spend some unforgettable days in this beach side village with unspoilt medieval streets.

The heart of the historic Palermo is marked by the Quattro Canti, 4 baroque palaces splitting the city into 4 quarters. Nearby, on the Piazza Pretoria you will discover a beautiful fountain with white nude figures. The statues were built in the center of the fountain and shocked the population of Palermo when unveiled. If you'd love to have a taste of the frenetic and colorful Sicilian atmosphere a visit at Vucciria market should be on your list. The narrow streets leading down to the harbor are lined with fish stalls, tiny restaurants. Shoppers and card players are surrounded by mountains of food. Fresh swordfish, giant octopus, all kinds of meat and recently harvested products show the richness of the Sicilian countryside.

Museo Archeologico is Palermo's regional archeological museum and one of the largest in Italy filled with a collection of rare finds. The main attraction is the Palermo Stone with a hieroglyphic inscription recording the delivery of Sicilian lumber to an Egyptian pharaoh. The museum is particularly rich in Greek and Roman artifacts.

If you reach Sicily from the mainland Italy, Messina will be your first picture about Sicily. Founded by Greek colonists this attractive town has grown around the harbor stretching along the seafront and looking back to the hills of Calabria. The fantastic view of the mountains is available from our holiday homes in Santa Tecla di Acireale. The Dome is Messina's most important historical monument. It has an impressive interior with marble floor and beautifully painted wooden ceiling. Outside in the square there's a huge bell tower with an astronomical clock. The best time to be here is at noon when a bronze lion comes out and roars the exact time, a cock flaps its wings and crows, Diana and Clarenza the heroines of Messina ring the bells in turns and Jesus pops out of the tomb for instant resurrection.

Seaport and capital of the same province, Catania is the second largest city of Sicily. Catania is just a few minutes away from our holiday homes in Aci Catena. The most important monuments are grouped around the Piazza Duomo with the Elephant Fountain, made of black lava, the Roman theater, the Castle Ursino and the open-air food market La Pescheria. Catania is a great starting point to visit Mount Etna. There are several types of excursions from trekking and mountain bike tours to trips on the Circumetnea train.

The southeastern corner of Sicily is a popular choice of the travelers and is considerably different from the rest of the island. Our holiday home in Brucoli is located in a fantastic rural area with direct views on the Ionian Sea and a private beach to enjoy the sun. Filled with glorious ruins, Syracuse is the old center of ancient Western civilization. Here you can see the remains of the Temple of Apollo and The Greek Theater are two great examples of Greek architecture. Located in a scenery of particular beauty, the theater is home to various cultural events during the summer. You will never miss these events renting our holiday homes in Fontane Bianche and Noto.

Just outside the entrance to the Greek theater, there's a remarkable cavern called the Ears of Dionysius with a large opening resembling a human ear. Legend says it was built by King Dionysius who forced his enemies into the “ear” at night so that he could hear every word they said. The cavern still has a great sound-enhancing effect. Feel free to try it out. The Roman Amphitheater stuns the visitor with its impressive size. It is one of the top five amphitheaters left by the Romans in Italy. This was to place where gladiators faced each other for a deathly battle or slaves were ripped in parts by hungry beasts to the public's delight. The centuries old ruins are very close to our holiday home at Lido di Noto.

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