Sicilia is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the Italian peninsula by the strait of Messina. It has important mountain groups: Peloritani, Nebrodi, Madonie, Iblei. The plains are scanty, with the exception of the area around Catania. The coasts offer a landscape of fascinating beauty almost everywhere; groups of marvelous smaller islands are scattered round the coast (the Eolie or Lipari, Ustica, the Egadi. the isle of Pantelleria and the Pelagie). The Etna, rising in the center of a volcanic area of Sicily, is the highest active volcano in Europe (3,323 meters). The isles of Stromboli and Vulcano are also active volcanoes.
Palermo is the regional capital of Sicilia, which is ruled by a special statue. Other important cities are Messina, Catania, Agrigento, Syracuse, Trapani, Ragusa, Enna, Caltanissetta.
Sicily was a Greek colony during the Classic Age, the Hellenic heritage is remarkable (Syracuse, Gela, Agrigento, Selinunte and Eraclea). Important Roman remnants can be seen at Taormina, Syracuse, Tindari, Solunto, Eloro and Patti. The next artistic development took place during the Norman period, which left churches and palaces of Arab-Byzantine influence. The Gothic style can be seen in the imperial castles of Catania and Syracuse; the Catalonian influences produced elaborated architectural forms during the fifteenth century. The Baroque style, of exceptional wealth, thrived in Palermo, Catania, Ragusa, Noto and Comiso.
Agrigento's remarkable series of Doric temples from the 5th century B.C. are unrivaled except in Greece itself. All the modern encroachments, especially the hastily built and often illegal new buildings, have seriously dimmed the glory of Agrigento, but much is left to fill us with wonder.
Selinunte, in contrast, was never built over as Agrigento was, and holds extensive remains of the acropolis, though none quite equal the charm of Agrigento's Valley of the Temples. |
