Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for sicily
An Island Between Two Worlds
By Linda Tancs
Sandwiched between Tunisia and Sicily, Lampedusa is an island between two worlds. The last trace of Italian terrain before the African coast, it forms part of the Pelagie Islands, an island group that includes Linosa and Lampione. One of its most popular spots is Rabbit Island (Isola dei Conigli), a few hundred feet off the coast. Contrary to its name, there are no rabbits, but you will find a protected loggerhead sea turtle population and a beach considered by some to be the best in the world. Gastronomically, the island offers a mix of Sicilian and African dishes, particularly along Roma Street (Via Roma), where the majority of shops and restaurants are located. Lampedusa is served by air from many of Italy’s principal cities. You can also take a ferry or hydrofoil from Sicily.
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Sicily’s First Nature Reserve
By Linda Tancs
All roads may lead to Rome, as the saying suggests, but no roads make their way into Zingaro Reserve in Sicily. The locals made sure of that in 1980 when they blocked the construction of a coastal road, the result of which was the establishment of a nature reserve in 1981. It stretches for a little over four miles along the northwestern coastline of the Gulf of Castellammare between San Vito Lo Capo and Scopello. Three walking paths traverse the park from end to end, ranging from a two-hour walk to over seven hours of hiking. In addition to blue bays, tiny beaches and panoramic views, you’ll be amongst a large variety of rare and endemic plants and almost 40 species of birds of prey that nest there. The site also boasts La Grotta dell’Uzzo, one of the most important prehistoric settlements in Sicily, where 10,000-year-old human remains and tools have been found.
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Volcanic Splendor in Sicily
By Linda Tancs
Stromboli is more than an Italian-style turnover. It’s also one of a string of UNESCO-designated islands north of Sicily known as the Aeolian Islands. Shaped over the millenia by volcanic activity, the islands are named Lipari, Vulcano, Panarea, Salina, Alicudi, Filicudi and Stromboli. Charming and idyllic, each island has its own flair, from the street-free, donkey-fueled transport of Alicudi to the drama of a night cruise in Stromboli to witness its volcano’s fiery emissions, one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. From the largest of the islands (Lipari) to the smallest (Panarea), enjoy some local treats, like a sulfurous bath in Vulcano, sweet Malvasia wine and seasoned bread. Milazzo, Sicily, offers the most reliable ferry services to the islands.
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The Door to Sicily
By Linda Tancs
The Greeks founded the Sicilian city of Messina and named it “Zancle,” a reference to its sickle-shaped natural harbor that provides a main point of entry for visitors. Just three miles across the Strait of Messina, its most famous attraction is likely the astronomical clock. Be there at noon for the movement that lasts about 12 minutes. The clock’s figures include a roaring lion and crowing rooster. Afterwards you can visit the tower for amazing views of the city.
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Valley of the Temples
By Linda Tancs
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valley of the Temples is a testament to Magna Graecia (Great Greece) in Agrigento, Sicily. It boasts remarkable temple ruins dedicated to the gods and built by the rulers of Akragas (now Agrigento), one of the largest Greek cities on the Mediterranean in the sixth century B.C. Now in ruins, the colossal Temple to Zeus was one of the biggest Greek temples in antiquity. The oldest temple is Hercules, but the best preserved is Concordia. Most city buses leave from Piazzale Rosselli and ride by the site.
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Sicily’s White Elephant
By Linda Tancs
The Grande Hotel San Calogero in Sicily has been waiting for guests for over 60 years. Dubbed the ghost hotel, it stands vacant for decades now thanks to governmental gaffes and design flaws. The 300-bed, five-story hotel was intended to showcase southern Sicily’s Sciacca, a pretty seaside town built on rocky heights that overlook the Mediterranean. Sicily’s white elephant stands atop a rocky outcrop on Monte Kronio, within walking distance of the thermal springs and basilica.
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Palace of the Normans
By Linda Tancs
A stronghold of Palermo, Sicily, the Palace of the Normans is a testament to the cultural, historical and religious influence of the region’s invaders over the centuries. The palace was begun in the 9th century when Sicily was under Islamic rule and still retains Arabian vaults in the basement. When the Normans conquered Sicily in 1072, the building was transformed into an administrative and residential compound marked by arcades and exquisitely designed gardens, an appropriate dwelling for the Sicilian kingdom established under Norman rule. King Roger II added the stunning Cappella Palatina, a chapel boasting Byzantine, Islamic and Norman styles that is highly prized for its elegant mosaics. Following additional reconstruction by the Spanish and Bourbons, the palace ultimately became, and remains, the seat of Sicily’s regional parliament.
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