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With sweeping views to the Golfo di Castellammare and Erice, an obelisk commemorates Garibaldi’s defeat of Bourbon forces in May 1860 (see Giuseppe Garibaldi). The victory allowed him to take Palermo, then all of Sicily, and eventually led to the Unification of Italy.

The “City of Olives and Temples”, known for its olive oil production, can thank the Arabs for its urban plan and its central maze of piazzas. The bronze Ephebus (c.470 BC) is the pride of the Museo Civico.

This splendid 12th-century Christian chapel mixes European, Arab and Norman styles.

This village east of Palermo is now rather built up, but you can still see the elaborate Baroque villas built by Palermo’s nobility, when it was all citrus groves and orchards.

This natural quarry for Selinunte is located amid olive trees, with blocks of tufa and partially extracted columns. Slaves would have hauled columns 9 km (6 miles) to Selinunte.

This small village has a 14th-century castle of the Spanish Counts of Modica, who once ruled much of the region. It is best known for Bianco d’Alcamo, a white wine with DOC protection.

The fishing village at Selinunte has a great morning market and a historic centre of fishermen’s homes around the small port. The boardwalk is lined with bathing establishments, restaurants and bars.

The Greek village of Solus was built on a grid plan in the 4th century BC, high above the sea. Lacking natural springs, it had a highly developed water conservation method. Among the ruins find cisterns, channels and pools.

On this dramatic promontory on the northwestern tip of Sicily is a resort with a long sandy beach and a promenade action-packed in summer.

Exceptional sea salt is produced here using 16th-century windmills. The Museo del Sale explains production.