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The largest and most populated island in the Mediterranean is also one of the most beautiful and one with the most history and cultural heritage. In Sicily the ancient Greeks built impressive temples that can be visited today in fairly good condition; The Romans bequeathed one of the remains of their most splendid villas; and the Normans, castles and medieval churches.
Arabs, Byzantines, the Crown of Aragon and the Spanish King Charles III succeeded one another in the dominion of the island, which also offers the traveler Renaissance palaces, cities that are a masterpiece of the most classic baroque and small towns in the mountains from where they left for New York the emigrants who became the bosses most legendary of the mafia. Beaches bathed by crystal-clear waters and exquisite cuisine add to an offer “that cannot be refused”, as Vito Corleone would say.
Palermo
The chaotic Sicilian capital is a very pleasant city, with a historic center suitable for exploring on foot and where, among dozens of ancient palaces with facades that could do with a hand, there are monuments that should not be missed: the Fontana Pretoria , in the square of the same name, was acquired in the 16th century and the nudity of its nymphs scandalized the clergy and the Palermitan bourgeoisie; The cathedral, erected in 1185, shows a unique fusion of Arabic style – it was a mosque during Saracen domination – and Norman style with Renaissance elements added in later centuries. Next to the crypt, the treasury houses jewels that belonged to Catherine of Aragon and another Norman queen. He Norman Palacea medieval castle, is the current seat of the Parliament of Sicily and the Persian mosaics that form palm trees, leopards and peacocks in the room where King Roger II slept are of extraordinary beauty — several days a week the palace can be visited —.
And movie buffs must visit the splendid Massimo Theaterbuilt in a neoclassical style at the end of the 19th century and home to the Opera, on whose stairs the daughter of the boss played by Al Pacino is murdered in one of the final scenes of The Godfather III.
Pizza and bath in Mondello
![The huge Mondello beach.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/7DXJ73Z6JFDDFA7Q64OC5BVRRI.jpg?auth=fe55eb3a68889da9e1b81958e570c752700b52b26c8c6fd3324c3b12ba78f766&width=414)
About 12 kilometers north of the center of Palermo – easily reached by city bus – Mondello beach is ideal for a swim in a sea that maintains a good temperature well into autumn. And also to have a well-made pizza for lunch at one of the numerous pizzerias located on the seafront, such as Sebastian.
Monreale Cathedral
![Interior of Monreale Cathedral.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/ZQGPTFGRTFAEHGHV6PMBAZV5RY.jpg?auth=f3cc69ae4da645bded50ed404b6ffb137efecf7b44ba7c1b77e3d0d8ad533678&width=414)
Just eight kilometers southwest of the island’s capital, Monreale Cathedral It is considered the best example of architecture incorporating Norman, Arabic, Byzantine and classical elements, as successive invaders took over Sicily. Its oldest parts date back to the 12th century and its interior is decorated with Byzantine mosaics that occupy more than 6,000 square meters on the walls, arcades and even columns of its famous Romanesque cloister of Santa Maria la Nuova.
The Valley of the Temples
Just outside the charming small town of Agrigento, on the island’s southern coast, the Hellenic colony of Akragas was one of the most important in Magna Graecia and, around the 5th century BC, several temples were erected Doric style of which five have withstood the passage of time in different states of conservation. Of the most impressive, the Temple of Concord, it can be said that it has remained almost intact until today and its west façade, in which six columns support the architrave and the tympanum, is the symbol of the list of world heritage sites. the UNESCO –the archaeological zone of Agrigento It has been protected by this organization since 1997. The Valley of the Temples, which are actually built on a cliff, is the greatest attraction for a traveler in Sicily.
![The 'Fallen Icarus', a work by artist Igor Mitoraj, is displayed in front of the Temple of Concord in the Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento, Italy. The Valley of the Temples includes the ruins of seven temples, the city walls, the agora, the Roman forum, the necropolis and the rock sanctuaries.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HPKNQXAQEJF7FPUOHVNHLXZB2Q.jpg?auth=a0bf7c31e9c3baa59c040ba2c42d04f6045deb6f653d2cf2ca68f76763060464&width=414)
A good idea is to relieve yourself from the heat that can be a bit overwhelming during your visit with a relaxing dip in the nearby Lido Maddalusa beach. The same bus that takes you to the temples from Agrigento also stops at this sandy area on the way back to the city.
Cefalu
![Views in Cefalú.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/SO6U2P7SFVBVDD6YGKWJVQ6D7E.jpg?auth=1f593325be8f1bf982e03d33c44f456c3b3cb04cf4dfb66735f89a02db36766c&width=414)
This small town on the northern Sicilian coast is one of the main tourist centers of the island, especially in summer, due to its good beach, the beauty of its medieval historic center — with an attractive Piazza del Duomo, the Norman Cathedral, the ancient Lavadero or the Palazzo Maria—, the baroque church of Purgatorio and the Rocca, that hill that overlooks the city where the walls of the Arab citadel remain with its Norman additions and a Roman temple of the goddess Diana from the 4th century.
Once again, moviegoers will have the opportunity to identify the esplanade – if they look from the beach towards where the row of coastal houses ends – where the summer cinema was installed, whose projections were sometimes interrupted by rain, in the film cinema Paradiso (1989). In the restaurants of Cefalù you can try some of the best dishes of Cefalù. spaghetti frutti di mare of Italy (and the world).
Syracuse
![The Teatro Greco, in the center of Syracuse.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/SEUDWS3D55BG3NICSKJ377RQMQ.jpg?auth=cc2a848fa4e11c1badc0ef4475645d7600b9572e7c9555c23ff1814c8251c181&width=414)
Syracuse is one of the first Greek colonies established in Sicily; The founding of this city on the eastern coast of the island dates back to the 7th century BC and was consecrated to the goddess Artemis. The historic neighborhood of Ortigia preserves gems such as the baroque cathedral, built on a Greek temple whose Doric columns from the 5th century BC can still be admired inside the church and on the façade itself, or the Fontana Aretusa, a spring in whose waters the nymph returned to earth when she escaped from Arcadia and which were already the main water resource of the Hellenic city. The remains of Greek Theater and others from the Roman era appear everywhere in the center of Syracuse.
There are several beaches on the outskirts, but in the city itself there are great rock platforms for taking a dip. And just 30 kilometers south of Syracuse, you should not miss the best example of Sicilian baroque in the lavish palaces and churches of the town of Noto, UNESCO world heritage sitewhich is not saying much in Sicily.
Roman Villa del Casale
![An ingenious mosaic in the Villa Romana del Casale.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/BXKRYRYMKZABDGFV2NTCP6NBUQ.jpg?auth=161dff92816ee33cf385cfa26abfb7f4ad55134ce07d1415d6235fe26d5bceee&width=414)
In the heart of the island, very close to the town Piazza Armerina, awaits the Roman Villa del Casale. This 3rd century mansion is the main monument from the Roman era that can be admired—a lot!—in Sicily. Having remained buried until the 1950s, when it was discovered, its condition is excellent and the traveler will be amazed by the beauty of the mosaics that adorn practically the entire floor of the building, an area of about 3,500 square meters.
Taormina
![One of the squares that we can find in Taormina.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/O7LNRABCAFGFTEJCAHEFXBVVIE.jpg?auth=65f034d487910286ba983ecabe73b0720ece5b3ecfd6e54afeff238285cfda97&width=414)
This is another ancient Greek colony founded seven centuries before our era. The beaches of beautiful Taormina, on the eastern coast of Sicily and bathed by the Ionian Sea, have been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Among the monuments that have survived its rich past are the Saracen castle, on a hill outside; the ancient Greek Theater, in very good condition and with breathtaking views of the sea and the Etna volcano; the Palazzo Corvaja, in a medieval Norman fortress; and several baroque palaces and fountains and Gothic churches scattered throughout the historic center. Without forgetting an interesting necropolis that dates back to Arab domination. The attraction of Taormina to tourists chic has been reflected in the hilarious second season of the series White Lotus.
Corleone
![A corner of Corleone, 60 kilometers south of Palermo.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/ZX7C43TTWFECHKFO2BKHEM25IQ.jpg?auth=8a99966bc03f2c841e4261bd04cddf031c9e479f7ee1e609f3ce3c0768763db1&width=414)
Mythomaniacs and scholars of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra will not miss a visit to this town, 60 kilometers south of Palermo, located in a valley at 500 meters above sea level. In Corleone were born the heads of the cruelest mafia families such as Totò Riina, Il capo dei capi, or Bernardo Provenzano. And it is also the town where the novelist Mario Puzo and the director Francis Ford Coppola located the origin of Vito Corleone, the Godfather.
Before returning home, on the edge of the A29 highway that leads to Falcone-Borsellino airport, a simple column commemorates the judge and anti-mafia hero Giovanni Falcone, his wife and two bodyguards at the place where they were killed by the explosion of a bomb in 1992. Six months later, his colleague and friend Paolo Borsellino would also be murdered by the mafia.
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