Sicily
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Sicily - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Area Archeologica di Akrai
One of Sicily’s best-kept secrets, the archaeological park of Akrai is home to what is said to be Siracusa’s first inland settlement, built to defend its overland trading route from other Greek colonies. You can access the site by a steep but steady 20-minute walk or a five-minute drive. Today, the site contains mainly ruins, but it is well worth visiting simply to see the Teatro Greco, originally constructed in the 3rd century BC to seat 600. Around the site, you'll also find two old stone quarries used to build the settlement, then converted into burial chambers as well as a remarkably well-preserved portion of the stone road into the area. On a clear day, you can also see Mount Etna rising majestically in the distance.
Area Archeologica di Akrai, Palazzolo Arceide, Sicily, 96010, Italy0931-876602Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 -
2. Castello Normanno
In all of Sicily there may be no spot more scenic than atop Castello Normanno, reached by a set of steep staircases rising out of the town center. From here you can gaze upon two coastlines, smoking Mount Etna, and the town spilling down the mountainside. The area was fortified by the Byzantines in the 9th century and was later rebuilt by the Normans, but all that stands today are the remains of the 16th-century castle walls. Come during daylight hours to take full advantage of the vista.
Castello Normanno, Castelmola, Sicily, Italy -
3. Greek Temple Ruins
Selinunte was one of the most important colonies of ancient Greece, recently discovered to have been home to the largest industrial quarter found in any ancient European city. Founded in the 7th century BC, the city became the rich and prosperous rival of Segesta, making its money on trade and manufacturing ceramics. When in 409 BC Segesta turned to the Carthaginians for help in vanquishing their rival, the Carthaginians sent an army to destroy Selinunte. The temples were demolished, the city was razed, and 16,000 of Selinunte's inhabitants were slaughtered. Archaeologists recently discovered pots with the remains of food inside, proof that some were in the middle of eating when the attackers arrived. The remains of Selinunte are in many ways unchanged from the day of its sacking—burn marks still scar the Greek columns, and much of the site still lies in rubble at its exact position of collapse. The original complex held seven temples scattered over two sites separated by a harbor. Of the seven, only one—reconstructed in 1958—is whole. This is a large archaeological site, so you might make use of the private navetta (shuttle) to save a bit of walking. Alternatively, if you have a car, you can visit the first temples close to the ticket office on foot and then drive westward to the farther site. Be prepared to show your ticket at various stages.
SS115, Marinella Selinunte, Sicily, 91022, Italy0923-1990030Sight Details
Rate Includes: €8 -
4. Himera Archeological Area and Museum
Not far from Termini is the hamlet of Buonfornello, a precious archaeological site that includes the remains of the ancient city of Himera, founded by Greek settlers in 648 BC. Hannibal later destroyed ancient Himera in 409 BC, and the surviving population moved to the nearby thermal springs, which later became Termini Imerese. The outdoor archaeological area houses the ruins of many Roman temples and buildings. The more precious items recovered from the excavations are housed in the on-site museum. These include artifacts like bronze and ceramic vases and intricate artworks made with other precious metals.
Buonfornello, Palermo, Sicily, 90018, Italy091-8140128Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Closed Mon. -
5. Morgantina Archeological Site
A remote and atmospheric archaeological site, Morgantina is quite beautiful, especially in spring when carpeted with wildflowers. In addition, it attracts few tourists, despite the fact that it hit the international headlines in the 1980s when it was discovered that several priceless but illegally excavated finds from the site had ended up in the Getty Museum in California. These have now been returned to Sicily and are on permanent exhibition in the small museum in nearby Aidone. Here, Greeks and indigenous Sikels seem to have lived together in relative peace on a hill named Cittadella until 459 BC, when the Sikel leader Ducetius, determined to free Central Sicily of Greek influence, drove the Greeks out. By the following century, the Greeks had regained control of Sicily, and Syracuse, in the southeast, had become the most powerful city in the Mediterranean. Lying roughly halfway along the road that led from the east to the north coast of Sicily, Morgantina was rebuilt, this time on the hill now known as Serra Orlando. The ancient economy of Morgantina was founded on the cultivation of wheat, so it is little surprise that the dominant cults were those of Demeter, goddess of harvest and fertility, and her daughter Persephone. Even today, the site is surrounded by an ocean of wheat and cereal fields, and asphodels, the flower sacred to Persephone, are abundant. In 211 BCE, the city was sacked by the Romans and handed as a war prize to Spanish mercenaries, who seem to have paid it little attention; according to the geographer Strabo, by the end of the following century, the city was nowhere to be seen. Excavations began in 1955, led by Princeton University with funding from the King and Queen of Sweden (who became regular summer visitors to the site). Today you enter the site through what was once a well-to-do residential area where several fine mosaic floors, made with tiny tesserae, can be spotted in the foundations of large houses. Beyond, Plateia A, once the main shopping street, leads into the Agora, or official center of town, with a public fountain, several abandoned lava grain mills, an Archive office (where you can still see holes where documents were pegged to the wall), and a very ingenious system of interlocking terra-cotta water pipes, each with an inspection panel that could be easily lifted to clear blockages. Overlooking the Agora is a small but beautifully preserved theater (where performances are still held in summer), and the stepped benches of the Ekklesiaterion, the meeting place of the town rulers. On the far side of the Agora, you can walk up through ancient kilns to the foundations of what was once the public granary—under Siracusan rule, all citizens had to surrender a quota of the grain they grew as tax. Above are the remains of two elegant private houses, each with a courtyard and mosaic floors.
Contrada Morgantina, Piazza Armerina, Sicily, 94010, Italy0935-87955Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 -
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6. Museo Whitaker and Mozia Archaeological Site
Joseph Whitaker's former home now holds the Museo Whitaker, displaying a good selection of the finds excavated from Mozia Island. As you enter you'll see useful aerial photographs and models showing the island now and as it might have looked under Carthaginian rule. Most of the exhibits consist of steles, pottery, painted vases, and a scattering of spearheads and jewelry, but the centerpiece is the so-called youth of Motya, an elegantly sinuous life-size statue of a poised young man, one hand resting on his hip, exuding a powerful air of self-assurance. The statue is also known as the "charioteer," though there is no evidence that this was his role. Outside the museum, walk in any direction to take in the dispersed archaeological site. You can't go wrong tracing the perimeter of the island, which will bring you to the Tophet (shrine and burial ground) on the northern shore, and the Cappiddazzu sanctuary, close to where the youth of Mozia was unearthed. There is little above thigh-height until you come to such imposing structures as the north gate, the city's main entrance that stood at the end of a causeway (now submerged) that formerly linked it to the Sicilian mainland; the eastern tower; and the remains of the sturdy Carthaginian city walls. There are panels and charts throughout, providing explanations and background on what you're seeing. Allow at least three hours for a thorough exploration of the museum and island, or longer if you want to bring a picnic lunch or pick up a snack at the café. Sunhats are strongly recommended.
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7. Parco Archeologico della Neapolis
Archaeological ZoneSiracusa is most famous for its dramatic set of Greek and Roman ruins, which are considered to be some of the best archaeological sites in all of Italy and should be combined with a stop at the Museo Archeologico. If the park is closed, go up Viale G. Rizzo from Viale Teracati to the belvedere overlooking the ruins, which are floodlit at night. Before the park's ticket booth is the gigantic Ara di Ierone (Altar of Hieron), which was once used by the Greeks for spectacular sacrifices involving hundreds of animals. The first attraction in the park is the Latomia del Paradiso (Quarry of Paradise), a lush tropical garden full of palm and citrus trees. This series of quarries served as prisons for the defeated Athenians, who were enslaved; the quarries once rang with the sound of their chisels and hammers. At one end is the famous Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius), with an ear-shape entrance and unusual acoustics inside, as you'll hear if you clap your hands. The legend is that Dionysius used to listen in at the top of the quarry to hear what the enslaved people were plotting below. The Teatro Greco is the chief monument in the Archaeological Park. Indeed it's one of Sicily's greatest classical sites and the most complete Greek theater surviving from antiquity. Climb to the top of the seating area (which could accommodate 15,000) for a fine view: all the seats converge upon a single point—the stage—which has the natural scenery and the sky as its backdrop. Hewn out of the hillside rock in the 5th century BC, the theater saw the premieres of the plays of Aeschylus, and Greek tragedies are still performed here every year in May and June. Above and behind the theater runs the Via dei Sepulcri, in which streams of running water flow through a series of Greek sepulchers. The well-preserved and striking Anfiteatro Romano (Roman Amphitheater) reveals much about the differences between the Greek and Roman personalities. Where drama in the Greek theater was a kind of religious ritual, the Roman amphitheater emphasized the spectacle of combative sports and the circus. This arena is one of the largest of its kind and was built around the 2nd century AD. The corridor where gladiators and beasts entered the ring is still intact, and the seats (some of which still bear the occupants' names) were hauled in and constructed on the site from huge slabs of limestone.
Viale Teocrito, Siracusa, Sicily, 96100, Italy0931-489511Sight Details
Rate Includes: €13, combined ticket with Museo Archeologico €18 -
8. Parco Archeologico di Segesta
Segesta's imposing temple was actually started in the 5th century BC by the Elymians, who may have been refugees from Troy—or at least non-Greeks, since it seems they often sided with Carthage. In any case, the style of the temple is in many ways Greek, but it was never finished; the walls and roof never materialized, and the columns were never fluted. Wear comfortable shoes, as you need to park your car in the lot at the bottom of the hill and walk about five minutes up to the temple. If you're up for a longer hike, a little more than 1 km (½ mile) away near the top of the hill are the remains of a fine theater with impressive views, especially at sunset, of the plains and the Bay of Castellammare (there's also a shuttle bus to the theater for €2 that leaves every 15–30 minutes). Concerts and plays are staged here in summer.
SR22, Calatafimi-Segesta, Sicily, 91013, Italy0924-952356Sight Details
Rate Includes: €6 -
9. Teatro Greco
The Greeks put a premium on finding impressive locations to stage their dramas, such as Taormina's hillside Teatro Greco. Beyond the columns, you can see the town's rooftops spilling down the hillside, the arc of the coastline, and Mount Etna in the distance. The theater was built during the 3rd century BC and rebuilt by the Romans during the 2nd century AD. Its acoustics are exceptional: even today a stage whisper can be heard in the last rows. In summer, many music and dance performances are held in the Teatro Greco after sunset, when the marvelous vistas of the sparkling Ionian Sea are shrouded in darkness, but the glow of Sicily's most famous volcano can sometimes be seen in the distance.
Via Teatro Greco, Taormina, Sicily, 98039, Italy0942-23220Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10 -
10. Valle dei Templi
The temples of Agrigento, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are considered to be some of the finest and best-preserved Greek temples in the world. Whether you first come upon the valley in the early morning light, bathed by golden floodlights after sunset, or in January and February when the valley is awash in the fragrant blossoms of thousands of almond trees, it's easy to see why Akragas (Agrigento's Greek name) was celebrated by the poet Pindar as "the most beautiful city built by mortals." The temples were originally erected as a showpiece to flaunt the Greek victory over Carthage, and they have since withstood a later sack by the Carthaginians, mishandling by the Romans, and neglect by Christians and Muslims. Although getting to, from, and around the dusty ruins of the Valle dei Templi is pretty easy, this important archaeological zone still deserves several hours. The temples are a bit spread out, but the valley is all completely walkable and usually toured on foot. However, since there's only one hotel (Villa Athena) that's close enough to walk to the ruins, you'll most likely have to drive to reach the site. The best place to park is at the entrance to the temple area. The site, which opens at 8:30 am, is divided into western and eastern sections, linked by a bridge. The best way to see them both is to park at the Temple of Juno entrance and walk downhill through the eastern zone, across the footbridge into the western zone, and then return back uphill, so that you see everything again but from a different angle and in a different light. The best time to go is a couple of hours before sunset, although if you are in Agrigento in high summer you might want to consider a night visit; the gates open a short while before sunset, with the temples floodlit as night falls. You'll want to spend time seeing the eight pillars of the Tempio di Ercole (Temple of Hercules) that make up Agrigento's oldest temple complex, dating from the 6th century BC. The Tempio di Giunone (Temple of Juno) at the top of the hill is perhaps the most beautiful of all the temples, partly in ruins and commanding an exquisite view of the valley (especially at sunset). The low wall of mighty stone blocks in front of it was an altar on which animals were sacrificed as an offering to the goddess. Next down the hill is the almost perfectly complete Tempio della Concordia (Temple of Concord), perhaps the best-preserved Greek temple currently in existence, thanks to having been converted into a Christian church in the 6th century, and restored back to being a temple in the 18th century. Below it is the valley’s oldest surviving temple, the Temple of Hercules, with nine of its original 38 columns standing, the rest tumbled around like a child’s upended bag of building bricks. Continuing over the pedestrian bridge, you reach the Tempio di Giove (Temple of Jupiter). Meant to be the largest temple in the complex, it was never completed, but it would have occupied approximately the site of a soccer field. It was an unusual temple, with half columns backing into a continuous wall, and 25-foot-high telamon, or male figures, inserted in the gaps in between. A couple of the telamon have been roughly reassembled horizontally on the ground near the temple. Beyond is the so-called Temple of Castor and Pollux, prettily picturesque, but actually a folly created in the 19th century from various columns and architectural fragments.
View Tours and ActivitiesVia dei Templi, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy0922-1839996Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, €14 with museum (free 1st Sun. of month) -
11. Area Archeologica di Eraclea Minoa
Splendidly set on a promontory above a long stretch of cliff-backed sandy beach that runs right down to Scala Dei Turchi, Eraclea Minoa was once an ancient Greek city. Today, it's worth a visit to follow the path along the mostly buried circuit of its walls to get a sense of its strategic position above a fertile river valley that so appealed to the west coast Greeks. Located approximately halfway between Selinunte and Agrigento, it was founded by the former but fought over by both for most of the 5th century BC. Its fortune barely improved over the following centuries: Eraclea’s position on the west coast made it a desirable target for the armies of Carthage. Warfare, landslides, and a propensity to use ancient sites as quarries for ready-cut stone mean that little is left of the city today, and mistakes have been made in attempts to preserve what does remain. The perspex roof added to the theater in the 1960s created warm, damp conditions perfect for the growth of abundant weeds that further damaged the stone, and a "temporary" roof erected in the early 2000s is still in place, but severely damaged. That said, the site is atmospheric, especially in spring when covered with wildflowers. There is also a small museum, with lots of finds relating to everyday life and death in the town, including a broken pot with the fragment of someone’s name written on the side, several votive statuettes, and some beautifully decorated lidded pots (pyxis) for jewels or cosmetics found in graves.
Contrada Minoa, Agrigento, Sicily, 92011, Italy0922-846005Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4 -
12. Castello Medievale Collesano
Once a vital part of the city's defenses, today Collesano's medieval castle is a small but lovely part of the town's landscape. The castle's ruins can be seen rising above the northern side of the town in front of its original parish church. It was built during the 12th century by King Roger II of Sicily after he decided to move his administration to a more strategic place to head off invasions from North Africa and the Middle East. What remains of this original project are castle ruins and some imposing defensive buildings in a small medieval neighborhood, which is a fascinating place to visit.
Via Ospedale 17, Collesano, Sicily, 90016, ItalyNo phoneSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
13. Catacomba di San Giovanni
TycheNot far from the Archaeological Park, off Viale Teocrito, the catacombs below the church of San Giovanni are one of the earliest known Christian sites in the city. Inside the crypt of San Marciano is an altar where St. Paul preached on his way through Sicily to Rome. The frescoes in this small chapel are mostly bright and fresh, though some dating from the 4th century AD show their age. To visit the catacombs, you must take a 45-minute guided tour (included with the admission price), which leaves about every half hour and is conducted in Italian and English.
Piazza San Giovanni, Siracusa, Sicily, 96016, Italy0931-64694Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Closed Mon. and Jan. -
14. Cava di Cusa
The sandy limestone from this quarry was much prized by ancient Greek builders. Lacking the fossilized shells abundant in much local stone, it was a stronger and more resistant construction material, and consequently a natural choice for the temples of Selinunte. Nevertheless, quarrying the stone in the huge discs required for temple columns was clearly no easy task, and as you wander through and above the gorge, you come across several broken discs, including one that was abandoned, split, before it had been fully removed from the bare rock. Even without the historical interest, this is a lovely place for a quiet stroll through olives, asphodel, and wildflowers, although in low season the site is unmanned and used by goatherds, so keep an eye out for untethered dogs.
Marinella Selinunte, Sicily, ItalySight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
15. La Villa Romana
This late Roman villa was accidentally unearthed during construction work for the nearby Autostrada in the early 1980s, and the archaeological area has since recovered a complete Roman aristocratic home. The villa is filled with fascinating details, including mosaic tiled floors, walls, and doors.
Via Papa Giovanni XXIII 3, Sicily, 98066, Italy0941-361593Sight Details
Rate Includes: €4, Closed Mon. -
16. Mistretta Castle
Located high above Mistretta are the ruins of this Arab-Norman castle. At over 3,000 feet above sea level, the location offers some spectacular views out to the coast and the highest peaks of the mountains from Santa Croce down to Santo Stefano di Camastra. The remaining structure of the castle gives you an idea of its original dimensions, which were built to defend the city and look out all along the coast. The castle was also connected to an extended walled perimeter that encircled the original town.
Castello di Mistrette, Sicily, 98073, ItalySight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
17. Tempio di Apollo
OrtigiaScattered through the piazza just across the bridge to Ortigia are the ruins of a temple dedicated to Apollo, which dates back to the 6th century BC. A model of this is in the Museo Archeologico. In fact, little of this noble Doric temple remains except for some crumbled walls and shattered columns; the window in the south wall belongs to a Norman church that was built much later on the same spot.
Largo XXV Luglio, Siracusa, Sicily, 96100, ItalySight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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