DK Travel : Sicily : Places of interest

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Fonte Aretusa

The mythical Arethusa was turned into a spring and bubbles up on the shores of lower Ortygia. Along the Lungomare Alfeo a little terrace looks down on the spring that now feeds into a pond, with ducks and tall papyrus.
Galleria Regionale del Palazzo Bellomo

The 13th-century Palazzo Bellomo houses the fine arts museum. The star features are Caravaggio’s Burial of St Lucy and Antonello da Messina’s Annunciation .
Giardini-Naxos

According to ancient historians Naxos was founded in 734 BC after a ship was blown off course as it sailed to southern Italy, and it became the first Greek settlement in Sicily. Naxos never became a powerhouse but was mother city to successive colonies and the setting off point for messengers carrying news back to Greece. The ruins, defensive walls and parts of a temple are enclosed within a nicely kept park. A small museum houses finds from the Greek site, as well as finds recovered from shipwrecks.
Grammichele

Built by the Principe di Butera after the 1693 earthquake to house the farmers of the destroyed village of Occhiolà, this lovely place preserves an authentic peasant-farmer feel, even though it was built on a grand plan inspired by Renaissance mathematical ideals. The concentric hexagonal plan radiates from around the central Piazza Umberto I, home to private residences, palazzi , the Chiesa Madre and the town hall.
Grotesques

Baroque architecture made good use of hideous monsters, goofy Turks (the long-standing Sicilian enemy), animals and chubby flying angels on horseback as supports for balconies or general decoration on the exteriors of buildings. Usually located under balconies, they also lurk above windows and doors, on corners, along the cornices and even on city gates.
Il Corleonese

The central zone around the village of Corleone (see Corleone) is referred to as il Corleonese and has long been known for its generous water supplies and fertile soil – driving through the countryside, the richness of the land is evident. Small, remote villages are sprinkled throughout, all worth a quick visit to witness a way of life that is slow to change. Among them, visit Prizzi, Bisacquino, Palazzo Adriano, Cammarata, Mussomeli and Corleone itself, a successful modern town with a lovely historic centre.
La Cala & Piazza Marina

Yachts bobbing in the small port can be seen from the 15th-century church of Santa Maria della Catena, while palaces of Palermo’s aristocracy line the Piazza Marina. In the centre of the lovely gardens is a statue of Garibaldi (see Giuseppe Garibaldi). The 1582 Porta Felice leads out to the Foro Italico and the seafront, for good waterside walks.
La Kalsa

The Arabs established their government in this area and its narrow, winding streets later became a densely populated residential district. Sadly, it was heavily bombed during World War II and few of the buildings have been restored, yet their crumbling state seems to add to the atmosphere in this bustling part of the city. Highlights include the Baroque Santa Teresa, the Santa Maria dello Spasimo dating from 1506, the restored 1151 Norman church of La Magione, later headquarters of the Teutonic knights, and the Catalan-Gothic Palazzo Aiutamicristo. Sicilians are ever resourceful and today many of the ruined buildings are being used inventively as restaurants and galleries. Stay alert if you’re wandering this area at night.
La Martorana and San Cataldo

In Piazza Bellini are two splendid churches. The little, mid-12th-century San Cataldo has three Arabic bulbous red domes all in a row, latticed windows and an elegantly bare interior. But it is the Santa Maria dell’ Ammiraglio next door that is the real gem. It was later renamed La Martorana after the Spanish patron who established a convent nearby. Notice the Norman bell tower (c.1140), now missing its red dome, which is just as dramatic as the Baroque façade added in the 16th century. Inside, ignore the later paintings in favour of the original mosaic decoration by skilled Byzantine craftsmen. Just inside the door, an image of King Roger, feet firmly on the ground, is shown being crowned by Christ, hovering in his ethereal realm (see La Martorana, Palermo).
Lo Zingaro

Sicily’s first nature reserve was instituted in 1980 to protect 7 km (4 miles) of rocky coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Scopello and San Vito lo Capo. Marked trails of various levels of difficulty traverse the steep interior, or creep along the cliff above the sea, occasionally forking down to small coves with pebble beaches. The reserve protects flora and fauna such as wild orchids, limonium, wild carnations, dwarf palms, iris, remains of once widespread ilex and cork-oak forests, lichens and ferns, Bonelli’s eagles, Peregrine falcons, Sicilian warblers, owls, porcupines and foxes.