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10 archaeological sites you must visit in Sicily

In Sicily there are important finds of the Magna Grecia as well as of the Ancient Rome, and there is no shortage of prehistoric sites. As a matter of fact, all the main Mediterranean civilisations have landed in Sicily since the dawn of time.


SEGESTA, TRAPANI

With its Doric temple, practically intact, and the beautiful theatre overlooking the valley behind the Gulf of Castellammare, this is one of the most suggestive Sicilian archaeological areas.


SELINUNTE, TRAPANI

The largest archaeological basin in the Mediterranean contains the remains of one of the most flourishing and ambitious cities of Magna Grecia, founded in the seventh century B.C. The temples of the Acropolis and those on the eastern hill are noteworthy.


VALLE DEI TEMPLI, AGRIGENTO

The row of temples on the hill in the center of the valley is one of the most beautiful shows to be seen in Sicily. Also noteworthy are the garden of the Kolymbetra, the temples of Jupiter and the Dioscuri and the archaeological museum.


TINDARI, MESSINA

In a beautiful position on a promontory overlooking the sea, it was one of the most beautiful Sicilian cities. It was founded in the 4th century B.C. Not far away, the revered sanctuary of the black Madonna. The view is spectacular.


NEAOPOLIS - TEATRO GRECO, SIRACUSA

Archaeological area that preserves the Greek and Roman memory of Syracuse. To see: the Ara di Ierone, the Latomie (stone quarries), the Roman amphitheater and the fantastic 5th century B.C. Greek theatre, one of the largest in the world. It is one of the most important testimonies of ancient theatrical architecture in the world. Its structure, once much more complex, lacks parts: the stone blocks, for example, were removed to be used in the construction of the walls of Ortigia.


TEATRO ANTICO DI TAORMINA

The most important and best preserved ancient monument in Taormina is the theatre. It was built in a wonderful panoramic point, from which you can admire the bulk of Etna and the Ionian Sea. On some steps is engraved the name of Philistide, the wife of Hieron II, the tyrant of Syracuse who most likely in the third century BC. he had the Taormina theater built. The building was rebuilt in Roman times and more precisely in the 2nd century A.C.


PANTALICA, SIRACUSA

The Siculi necropolis - prehistoric inhabitants of Sicily - counts the beauty of 5000 tombs excavated in the rocky wall. A visit not to be missed for a dip in the most remote history of the island and in one of the most picturesque landscapes of the south east.


VILLA CASALE, PIAZZA ARMERINA

The floor mosaics of this Roman imperial villa are among the most beautiful and precious in the world. After the restoration work completed in May 2012, the monument is offered to the public in all its wonder and with a modernised tour route.


CAVA D'ISPICA, RAGUSA

An authentic city carved out of the rock: this is what this place was, inhabited from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. Thousands of people lived among caves, tunnels and ladders. Noteworthy are the Byzantine church of S. Pancrati and the Forza Park.


MORGANTINA, ENNA

A very ancient settlement, it became an important commercial center on the north-south link road through Sicily. This archaeological area has a charm of its own. The theatre is remarkable.



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