DK Travel : Sicily

The island of Sicily is Italy’s largest region and is also its most varied. In terms of geography, there are offshore islands, endless coastline, rugged mountains, rolling wheatfields and volcanos, but its history and architecture are also of note. Sicily formed a significant portion of the Greek empire, was strategically vital to Rome, and was invaded in succession by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons, before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark, to create a palimpsest of cultures on the island.

Castles

All of Sicily’s invaders needed to defend their position, so they built fortified castles along the coastline and on high points inland to guard the roads and towns. Sicily’s countless castles are rich in history and offer plenty of good romping around the ramparts, searching for secret passageways, dungeons, trapdoors, tiny spy windows and hidden places from which the occupants would pour boiling oil down onto the enemy (see Castles).
Catanese School

Puppets of the Catania tradition are almost 1.5 m (5 ft) tall. Puppeteers manoeuvre the heavy puppets via a metal pole attached to the heads, moving their limbs with strings. The puppets’ joints are fixed and the swords of the paladins are constantly drawn. They inhabit a narrow stage with a long horizontal backdrop and are sometimes accompanied in the action by live actors.
Catania

Catania’s market is famous for the variety of fish and the rowdy vendors.
Catania

Sicily’s second largest city has had its unhappy share of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and although Catania is rich in monuments dating back to its Greek foundations, the city seen today was built mostly after the massive 1693 earthquake. The rebuilding was largely carried out in the elaborate Baroque style, utilizing the workable local black lava stone. The most important monuments are grouped around the Piazza Duomo with the 1736 Elephant Fountain, the Duomo itself, dedicated to Sant’ Agata and retaining its original Norman apses, the Fish Market in via Garibaldi (see Catania), the Roman theatre, the castle (see Castello di Donnafugata), via Cruciferi with its Baroque palaces, and via Etnea with its shops and cafés.
Catarratto

A white grape all over the island, changing character depending on the micro-climate. Grown from Marsala to Alcamo, Salina and Etna.
Cathedral, Cefalù

In 1131, after several days on a stormy sea, Norman King Roger II landed safely at Cefalù and, giving thanks to God, endowed a bishopric and commissioned the cathedral now famous for its Byzantine mosaic decoration. In a piazza surrounded by tall palms, the church with its two typically Norman square bell towers is backed by Cefalù’s dramatic rocky crag (see Cefalù).
Cave d’Ispica

An ancient river carved out this gorge, which is now an open-air park with good walks and climbs. The cliff sides are hollowed out to form ancient tombs of religious hermits; in one cave is a Byzantine fresco of the Madonna.
Cefalù

This small fishing village, now a resort thanks to its good sandy beaches, lies on a strip of land between the sea and a huge promontory looming above. Cefalù was founded in the 4th century BC, but destroyed by the Norman Count Roger in 1063. It only regained prominence thanks to his son Roger II, who endowed the village with a bishopric and a church decorated with exceptional Byzantine mosaics. The modern holiday resorts lie to either side of the town because the village itself has closed its doors to the sea, fortified itself against storms with tall protective stone walls, and focuses its attentions inwards (see p101).
Cefalù

The ancient village was given new life in 1131 when Count Roger founded the cathedral here – its architecture and mosaic decoration make it one of Sicily’s must-sees (see Cathedral, Cefalù). Although a constant tourist draw, the village has managed to keep some of its medieval character (see Cefalù).
Cento Giorni a Palermo

Giuseppe Ferrara’s 1983 film documents the story of policeman Carlo Alberto Della Chiesa, murdered by the Mafia after just 100 days on the job.