Sicily is one of the regions of Italy with the largest number of sites named UNESCO World Heritage. The seven “precious gems” that give it eternal beauty are:
- the archaeological area of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, which testifies to the greatness of a city that ranked among the most important in antiquity, with Doric temples in an exemplary state of conservation;
- Syracuse, the largest and most beautiful Greek city according to Cicero, and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica, a site of great naturalistic, archaeological and ethnoanthropological importance, characterised by the presence of tombs dating all the way back to the twelfth century BCE;
- the Villa Romana del Casale on Piazza Armerina, with its priceless mosaics that tell surprising stories of society at that time;
- Mount Etna, one of the most important active volcanoes on the planet, which guarantees history and mythology the spectacle of continuous eruptions and is home to incomparable ecosystems between the lava and the snow;
- the Baroque buildings of Val di Noto, a simply stunning example of architectural and artistic heritage that connects the palaces and churches of eight cities of the southeast;
- the Arab-Norman route from Palermo to Monreale and Cefalù that unfurls over nine stages and, shifting between civil and religious buildings, testifies to the intermingling and perfect stylistic encounter between Islamic, Western and Byzantine civilizations;
- the Aeolian Islands are truly unique in terms of volcanology and world geology, and form a rich archipelago that revels in its complexity.
The Palatine Chapel
The Palatine Chapel is a site that alone makes a visit to Palermo worthwhile. Begun in 1130, the year of [...]
The Cave Necropolis of Pantalica
The Cave Necropolis of Pantalica, not far from Syracuse (together with which it comprises a UNESCO World Heritage Site), this [...]
Syracuse and the Necropolis of Pantalica
The site “Syracuse and the Necropolis of Pantalica” is one of the most extraordinary cultural and natural complexes in Sicily [...]
Aeolian Islands
Once you have visited them all, you'll understand why the Aeolian Islands are in the Unesco World Heritage list. The seven islands, [...]
Arabic-Norman Palermo and the Cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale
In 2015 the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale have been designated toghether as a UNESCO [...]
Villa Romana del Casale
What has always amazed visitors to the Villa del Casale, from the earliest excavations in the 19th century to the [...]
The Baroque Cities of the Val di Noto
Since 2002, the Val di Noto has been one of the Italian sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List for [...]
The Bush Trained Vines of Pantelleria
The Bush Trained Vines of Pantelleria represent one of the island’s most authentic symbols: an ancient agricultural practice that combines [...]
The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
The rediscovery of Akragas began towards the end of the 18th century, when the first European travellers arrived and ventured [...]
