Experience Sicily

Tag: UNESCO world heritage site

  • San Cataldo: Keeping it Simple

    Palermo’s San Cataldo church in Piazza Bellini possesses three remarkable red domes on the outside, yet on the inside, those domes illuminate an elegant, simply designed stone chapel. In contrast to its sister church La Martorana, San Cataldo, which was built around 1160, has never possessed mosaics or other such decoration.

  • Elegant Monument

    The Cathedral of Cefalù was commissioned in 1131 by Sicilian King Roger II in homage to the Holy Savior, also known as Santissimo Salvatore, after the king found refuge from a storm on the shores of the town. The Duomo was built over subsequent years and centuries. Inside, its Byzantine-style mosaic of Christ Pantocrator is…

  • A Lady in the Rough

    A pearl set in the midst of an ancient gorge, San Bartolomeo Church in Scicli is a sublime example of Sicilian late Baroque. The church’s dome sits proudly like an elegantly dressed woman donned for the ball in the midst of rugged cliffs and antique homes carved out of caves. Realized by Syracusean architect Salvatore…

  • Modica’s Duomo di San Giorgio

    The Cathedral of San Giorgio in Modica is a magnificent example of the late Baroque architecture that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, “Late Baroque Towns of Val di Noto.” The construction of the original church in this form started in 1643, however, After the devastating 1693 earthquake, during which the roof…

  • Horses Abound in Noto

    Extravagant balconies such as this one were created by Baroque artisans when Noto was rebuilt in the 17th century after a devastating earthquake in 1693. Particular attention was given to creating beautiful architectural details such as this one on via Nicolaci. We’ll be visiting Noto, part of “The Late Baroque Towns of Val di Noto”…

  • Ancient Evidence of the Bikini: Enchanting Sicily, Day 5

    The expansive ancient Roman estate of the Villa del Casale outside of Piazza Armerina was constructed between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. This scene of women athletes in the estate’s gymnasium is evidence that bikinis have existed for, well, a very long time! Known affectionately as “The Bikini Girls,” they, along with hundreds of…

  • Temple on the Ridge: Enchanting Sicily, Day 4

    Agrigento’s archaeological site Valley of the Temples is 13 square kilometers. It contains eight different archaeological finds–five of which are temples. Pictured on this ridge is the outstanding Tempio della Concordia. Come tour this UNESCO World Heritage site with me this September on Day 4 of Experience Sicily’s Enchanting Sicily tour. Contact me at experience_sicily@yahoo.com…

  • The Magnificent Temple of Concord at Agrigento

    The Temple of Concord in Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples is one of the best preserved Doric temples in the world. Built in c. 430 B.C. by Greek colonists, it has 34 enormous columns. It owes its relatively excellent state to a 4th century A.D. conversion to a Christian basilica. It’s unclear to whom the…

  • Uptown Ragusa

    Ragusa Ibla photographed with the Piazza del Duomo and the Baroque facade of the Basilica di San Giorgio in the distance. Ragusa Ibla is the high-town of Ragusa, a city that after the earthquake of 1693 was rebuilt into two parts–Ragusa, the lower town with a more modern layout and Ragusa Ibla, the smaller, quieter…