Experience Sicily

Tag: doric

  • Holding Court in Siracusa

    The Duomo of Siracusa represents layers of history. The foundation–both base and walls of the structure–is an ancient, Doric-style Temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BCE (Once inside, you can easily see the columns of the Greek temple!). During the Byzantine age in the 7th century CE, the temple was converted into a…

  • Night Vision

    One of my most memorable evenings in Sicily has been just after it rained and I was on my own, exploring Ortigia. The historic center glistened, and the duomo was lit up, accentuating its monumental glory.

  • Where Ancient Myths Linger

    The Cathedral of Syracuse was constructed in the 7th century C.E., engulfing the 5th century B.C.E. Greek Temple of Athena. The original Doric-style columns of the temple, pictured, are visible both inside and outside of the “Duomo” that houses the relics of the city’s patron saint, Santa Lucia. The statue in this photo is one…

  • Splurge in Agrigento

    This is the view from our hotel room tonight. On your trip, this is where you splurge on a 5-star hotel … in Agrigento!  Here’s what you are looking at: The Temple of Concordia is named for a Latin inscription that was found on a dedication marker unearthed in the vicinity of the archaeological site–i.e.,…

  • Selinunte’s Graceful Temple E

    Selinunte was a Greek city built on the southwestern coast of Sicily by colonists from the eastern Sicilian Greek outpost of Megara Hyblea. Founded around 651 BC, it displayed its power by building massive temples to dedicated to the gods, like this one pictured, Temple E, which scholars believe was dedicated to Hera. The Doric-style…

  • Today, Wear Comfortable Shoes

    On Day 4 of Savoring Sicily, you’ll start the morning by greeting the gods at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. First stop, the 5th century B.C. Temple of Juno (or Hera, if you are Greek!). This magnificent monument is just one of seven in the UNESCO World Heritage Site that spans 2 kilometers. So wear…

  • Our May 2016 Tour: Tall, Massive, and Handsome

    The Temple of Heracles (also known as the Temple of Hercules) of Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples possesses eight reconstructed, massive Doric-style columns. Built in the late 6th century BC, it is considered the first temple to have been built of the seven that we know of at the Valley of the Temples. Valley of…

  • Our May 2016 Tour, Day 7: If Walls Could Talk

    If walls could talk, the Duomo of Siracusa would have 2500 years of human history to tell. We know this because its walls are supported by Doric-style columns from an ancient Temple of Athena that was build in the 5th century BC (pictured on the left). During the in the 7th century, when the Byzantines…

  • Temple of Harmony

    The magnificent Temple of Concordia is named for a Latin inscription that was found on a dedication marker unearthed in the vicinity of the Valley of the Temples archaeological site–i.e., a marker not associated with the temple; however spirited archaeologists took the text on the marker that said something to the effect of “dedicated to…