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Tourism in Sicily - The Island in the Sun

With a coastline of some thousand kilometres, Sicily offers the visitor the greatest imaginable variety of marine environments: wide sandy beaches, sheer cliffs, remote tiny beaches, world famous resorts, an interior enriched by the remains of ancient civilizations and the survival of centuries-old traditions.

A brief description of those most interesting sights and settings not already mentioned in the chapter on `Tourist Itineraries', must begin with resorts on the south-east coast. Beyond Merzanemi on the Gulf of Noto, lie Portopalo di Capo Passero and the beginning of a sandy littoral that stretches glistening in the distance, swept by Mediterranean winds. The most interesting centres include Pozzallo, Donnalucata, the ruins of ancient Camarina (6th century BC.), Gela (with a visit to Capo Soprano and the archaeological area), Falconara, Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento (for the archaeological area, see the description of the city), the remains of Eraclea Minoa, Sciacca (also a spa), the exceptional archaeological complex of Selinunte, with splendid Doric temples, and the famous fishing town of Mazara del Vallo.

Beyond picturesque Marsala, famous for its wine, the ancient Phoenician city of Mozia (on a small island) and the Trapani littoral, the visitor reaches the north coast of Sicily, where it immediately forms the Gulf of Castellammare, where some of the tonnare are still in use (tunny fishing is a traditional activity here), then Terrasini, Isola delle Femmine, Mondello (the Palermo beach), S. Flavia, Termini Imerese, amidst luxuriant vegetation, and Cefalù, known for its great Norman cathedral (12th century).

Farther along lie S. Agata di Militello, Capo d'Orlando, the re mains of Tyndaris, with the Greek theatre (3rd century BC.) and Milazzo, on a narrow peninsula. One must not ignore the beauty of the smaller islands, ideal for those seeking a holiday in contact with unspoilt Nature and far from the stress of everyday life: the Aeolian islands, solitary Ustica, the Egadi, Pantelleria and the Pelagie, close to Africa.

The interior of the region too has much to offer the tourist: in the east stands Randazzo with the handsome cathedral of S. Maria (13th century), Adrano, in the shadow of its Norman castle (11th century, archaeological museum), Paternò in a panoramic setting, amongst flourishing citrus groves, Lentini, and its nearby archaeological area, the remains of the Greek colony of Megara Hyblaea; the great rupestrian necropolis of Pantalica, Palazzolo Acreide, with a 17th century appearance, Noto with a fine Baroque Duomo, and Modica, with the Baroque church of S. Giorgio. In the middle of the island lies the Casale Roman villa, near Piazza Armerina, Calascibetta, and its 13th century church, Petralia Sottana, with the church of the SS. Trinità, Castelbuono with the 12th century Castello dei Ventimiglia, and Monreale, with its famous Duomo (12th century).

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