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For touring the island can be roughly divided into the north-shore and south-shore areas. Self catering accommodation Messina The north shore has reefs, olive groves, secluded coves and countless seaside resorts including Cefalu, a gorgeous Arab-Norman city with good beaches. Booking Hotels Cefalu. West of center of the north coast is Palermo the ancient capital and the island’s largest city. Be sure to visit the central market and 12th-century Monreale Cathedral which is 6 mi/8 km west of town (it has impressive biblical mosaics). Lampedusa Tours and Excursions About 50 mi/80 km west of Palermo lies the ancient village of Erice atop a mountain: It still has remains of a temple dedicated to Venus. Booking Hotels Cefalu. The southern coast has an even milder climate so there’s swimming most of the year (although it can get cold there between November and March). Last minute accommodation Panarea

Begin your Sicilian odyssey in its capital city - Palermo. Booking Hotels Cefalu Spectacularly situated along a wide sweep of bay at the foot of Monte Pellegrino, Palermo was the wealthiest and most magnificent city in Europe in the 12th century. Campo Bello di Mazara Bed and Breakfast Today Palermo has an air of faded grandeur and an unrivalled display of Norman art and architecture and Baroque churches. Booking Hotels Cefalu. Stroll along the Via Roma and Via Maqueda in the heart of the old town and get a sense of what Palermo is all about. Sciacca Map Don’t miss the magnificent 12th century Norman cathedral at Monreale, 8 kilometres southwest of the city. Cheap flats in Cefalu The inside of the cathedral is covered in breathtakingly glittering mosaics.

As elsewhere in the Roman Empire, the Romans were replaced by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths, who demolished far more than they built (one rare example is the villa of Piazza Armerina) and were swept away by the Byzantines. Last minute accommodation Pozzallo The Arabs who followed them moved the capitol from Siracusa to Palermo, renamed most of the existing towns, and planted the first carobs, date-palms, citrus trees, jasmines and melons. Booking Hotels Cefalu. The Normans took over in 1061. Booking Hotels Cefalu They tore down almost all signs of Arab culture. Segesta villas They brought the island to a new level of prosperity and planted a different kind of seed, still visible today in the blonde and red tresses of many Sicilians. Booking Hotels Cefalu. It is to the Normans that we owe the most spectacular of Sicily's architectural treasures. Camping and Caravan sites in Sicily From the cathedrals of Cefalù, Messina and Monreale to Palermo's Zisa and Cuba, the churches of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, San Cataldo and the Martorana. Under the realm of Frederick II, the Swabian king, Sicily became one of the centers of the Western world, and perhaps it is not surprising that the principal architectural endeavors of this era. These lasted only from 1220 to 1250, were of a military nature, such as the castles in Siracusa, Catania and Salemi. Booking Hotels Cefalu. When Frederick died in 1250, his successor Manfred was murdered by the ruthless Charles of Anjou, whose French allies streamed into the island and established a new aristocracy so despised that it led to the popular uprising called the Sicilian Vespers. Siracusa Syracuse Hotels Eventually, in 1302, the French gave way to the Aragonese (part of the same dynasty which sponsored Christopher Columbus), who dominated until 1734. Booking Hotels Cefalu. The aristocracy created during this realm left their magnificent homes, such as Palermo's Palazzo Sclafani and Palazzo Chiaramonte, scattered all over the island. Cefalu Hotels The Aragonese clergy, while wielding the heavy arm of the Inquisition, effectively conspired to keep almost all artistic traces of the Renaissance out of the island.

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