Tag: sicily tour planning
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #29. Ancient Surprises
After being sacked by Arab conquerors in 878 and its Norman-era steeple and stone roof collapsing with the historically powerful earthquake of 1693, the current baroque-style cathedral, dedicated to the Navtività di Maria Santissima, was constructed at the beginning of the 18th century. Still today, though caked with layers of architectural history, Siracusans will point…
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #27. Island Hopping
Sicily in ancient times was Magna Grecia (Greater Greece), and today at first glance, you might have thought this photo was Greece, but in fact, it’s Levanzo, an island off of western Sicily. Yes, it’s this gorgeous, and so are the other Egadi Islands (Marettimo and Favignana), the Eolian Islands (There are seven of them!),…
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #26. Haute Cuisine … No, Bread
This post was supposed to be about how in Sicily you can find outstanding modern, gourmet cuisine. And you can. I have eaten at some of Sicily’s best haute cuisine restaurants like I Pupi in Bagheria, Bye Bye Blues in Mondello, Ristorante Cortile Arabo in Marzamemi, and others. And yes, these are excellent restaurants with eye-popping…
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #25. East Meets West in Sicily
Sicily is a bridge where east meets west, especially in Palermo where north African and middle-eastern sensibilities blend with European ones, as illustrated by the Arab-Norman heritage of Palermo. The Arabs were in power in Sicily from roughly 827 to 1061, and many Sicilians will tell you they are proud of the cultural and technological…
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #24. The Mother Goddess’ Presence is Everywhere
Demeter, the goddess of the grain, female fertilization, and the harvest, who is the mother of Persephone, represents the great matriarch in ancient Greek mythology. Her power to cultivate the bounties on the Earth’s surface for us are illustrated significantly during the myth of Demeter and Kore/Persephone. Before the Christian era, the Eleusinian Mysteries (as…
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #23. Beaches and Swimming
There are more than 150 beaches to explore in Sicily… This just scratches the surface. I haven’t even mentioned the islands of Favignana, Lampedusa, Ustica, and Linosa, for example, which offer even more enchantment and wild beauty.
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52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #22. Strolls Through Public Gardens
Strolls through public gardens offer a different kind of exploring. Villa Giulia, an oasis of greenery in Palermo that was commissioned in 1777, presents you with a geometric layout accentuated with neoclassical band shells and allegorical statues. In the midst of the park, is the Villa Giulia version of the Genius of Palermo, or the…
