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Above the harbour, Lipari’s castle rock has been fortified for six millennia. The 12th-century Norman gate offers a passage through walls fortified with massive stones by the Greeks in the 4th century BC and again by the Spanish in 1556.

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).

The only original part of the exterior of this 1143 Norman masterpiece is its splendid bell tower, now minus its red dome. The original façade prompted an Arab traveller of 1184 to proclaim it the most magnificent building ever seen, so much so he hoped it would become a mosque. It never did (see La Martorana and San Cataldo).

The monastery and Church of the Assumption were founded by William II in 1174. His tomb, along with the tombs of his family members including his father and mother, King William I and Queen Margaret, are located in the transept (see Monreale).

Given its long history of invasion (see Vestiges of Invading Powers), Sicily has always been a cosmopolitan island, and nowhere more so than in its capital. Palermo is home to places of worship for a number for faiths, including a mosque – a clear remnant of its former Arab inhabitants.

Dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo, the church of San Carlo is on the Corso and forms part of Noto’s dramatic Baroque skyline. It is currently acting as the town’s cathedral while the latter’s dome is under repair (see San Carlo al Corso).

The “Pantheon” of Palermo is so-called because Sicily’s most illustrious citizens are buried here. Among them are the physicist Stanislao Cannizzaro, the parliamentarian Ruggero Settimo, the painter Pietro Novelli, and other members of the nobility (see San Domenico Church and Oratory of San Domenico and the Vucciria).

Ragusa’s cathedral is built on a rise in a wide tree-lined piazza in the heart of the old town. The convex and undulating façade is typical of the architect Gagliardi, supporting a soaring central tower, bulging columns and swirly volutes.

The Catholic Church often chose sites sacred to other cults on which to construct their places of worship, but this one is unique for being set within a previous site. Behind the Baroque façade, the structure of a Greek Temple to Athena has been adapted for use as a church.