Parco Archeologico della Neapolis
Syracuse
For the classicist, Syracuse's real attraction is this archaeological park, home to the pearly Teatro Greco. Constructed in the 5th century BC and rebuilt…
Must-see attractions in Southeastern Sicily
Ragusa
Ragusa Ibla is a joy to wander, its labyrinthine lanes weaving through rock-grey palazzi to open onto beautiful, sun-drenched piazzas. It's easy to get…
Syracuse
Built on the skeleton of a 5th-century BC Greek temple to Athena (note the Doric columns still visible inside and out), Syracuse's 7th-century cathedral…
Syracuse
The highlight of the Neapolis archaeological area is the Teatro Greco, a masterpiece of classical architecture that could accommodate up to 16,000 people…
Syracuse
Syracuse's showpiece square is a masterpiece of baroque town planning. A long, rectangular piazza flanked by flamboyant palazzi, it sits on what was once…
Southeastern Sicily
Never judge a book by its cover, or a palazzo by its facade. Take the 19th-century Palazzo Bonelli Patanè, its demure neoclassical facade tight-lipped…
Noto
Abandoned for decades, this 18th-century palazzo found its saviour in French journalist and documentary filmmaker Jean-Louis Remilleux, who purchased the…
Syracuse
Located about 500m east of the archaeological park, Syracuse's archaeological museum claims one of Sicily's largest and most interesting collections of…
Basilica Cattedrale di San Nicolò
Noto
Pride of place in Noto goes to San Nicolò Cathedral, a baroque beauty that had to undergo extensive renovation after its dome collapsed during a 1996…
Ragusa
Located 18km southwest of Ragusa, this sumptuous neo-Gothic palace houses the Collezione Gabriele Arezzo di Trifiletti, an extraordinary fashion and…
Southeastern Sicily
The town of Ispica, about 12km southeast of Modica, is located at the head of the 13km-long gorge known as Cava d'Ispica. Long used as a neolithic burial…
Basilica Santuario di Santa Lucia al Sepolcro
Syracuse
This 17th-century basilica occupies the site where Syracuse's patron saint, Lucia, an aristocratic girl who devoted herself to saintliness after being…
Southeastern Sicily
The heart of Palazzolo Acreide is Piazza del Popolo, a striking square dominated by the ornate bulk of the 18th-century Chiesa di San Sebastiano and the…
Modica
The high point of a trip to Modica – quite literally as it's up in Modica Alta – is the Duomo di San Giorgio, one of Sicily's most extraordinary baroque…
Modica
In Modica, the Duomo di San Pietro plays second fiddle only to the Cattedrale di San Giorgio. The original 14th-century church was damaged in the…
Southeastern Sicily
Accessed via a 20-minute uphill walk from Piazza del Popolo (or an easy drive up Via Teatro Greco), the archaeological park of Akrai is one of the area's…
Southeastern Sicily
Sporting a relatively restrained neoclassical facade, this church took shape in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among its numerous notable artworks is 18th…
Southeastern Sicily
The 18th-century Chiesa di Santa Teresa has numerous points of interest, among them a striking geometric floor made of white Cosimo limestone and black…
Ragusa
One of the best reasons for heading up to Ragusa's modern and less-attractive half is to walk down again. It takes about half an hour to descend the…
Basilica & Catacombe di San Giovanni
Syracuse
The city's most extensive catacombs lie beneath the Basilica di San Giovanni, itself a pretty, truncated church that served as the city's cathedral in the…
Southeastern Sicily
It's in this church that a warrior-like Madonna delle Milizie (Madonna of the Militias) crushes two hapless Saracens on her white horse. Made of wood and…
Southeastern Sicily
The convex balcony railings of this 18th-century aristocratic pad were cleverly designed to accommodate the era's hooped gowns. One can imagine the gentry…
Noto
About halfway along Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the graceful Piazza Municipio, flanked by Noto's most dramatic buildings. To the north, sitting in stately…
Southeastern Sicily
To fans of the popular TV series Commissario Montelbano (Inspector Montalbano), Scicli's Town Hall – completed in 1906 – is better known as police…
Ragusa
Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…
Southeastern Sicily
On a huge plateau above the Valle dell'Anapo is the site of Sicily's most important Iron and Bronze Age necropolis, the Necropoli di Pantalica, with more…
Noto
Inspired by French palace architecture of the 17th century, graceful, porticoed Palazzo Ducezio is one of architect Vincenzo Sinatra's finest works. The…
Southeastern Sicily
Although its origins lie in the 15th century, the luminous church standing today was built between the mid-18th and late-19th centuries. Like many of…
Southeastern Sicily
Butting onto the ruins of Eloro is a wonderful stretch of wild coastline encompassing three separate marshes and a number of sandy beaches. The most…
Southeastern Sicily
This is the most beautiful of the beaches in the Riserva Naturale di Vendicari, a protected stretch of coastline around 11km south of Noto. Located at the…
Syracuse
Buried 20m beneath the Alla Giudecca hotel in Ortygia's old Jewish ghetto (known as the Giudecca) is an extraordinary ancient Jewish miqwe (ritual bath),…
Southeastern Sicily
Completed in 1772, the pared-back, late-baroque Chiesa di San Giuseppe claims beautiful stuccowork and a valuable marble statue of Santa Agrippina,…
Ragusa
If you fancy snooping around the private digs of an aristocratic family, Domenico Arezzo offers guided tours of his family's palazzo, built between the…
Southeastern Sicily
Completed in 1769, this Carmelite church dominates the southwest corner of handsome Piazza Busacca. Its pure white interior harbours stuccowork by master…
Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo
Syracuse
Housed in a 13th-century Catalan-Gothic palace, this art museum's eclectic collection ranges from early Byzantine and Norman stonework to 19th-century…
Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio
Ragusa
Consecrated in 1658, the Chiesa del Purgatorio miraculously survived the earthquake of 1693 before being tweaked and expanded the following century. These…
Noto
A swirl of boxes and stuccowork, this petite 19th-century theatre is named in honour of Italian stage and silent-film actress Tina Di Lorenzo (1872–1930),…
Basilica del Santissimo Salvatore
Noto
Situated towards the grand Porta Reale is the Basilica del Santissimo Salvatore. Its recently restored interior is the most impressive in Noto, crowned by…
Chiesa Rupestre di San Nicolò Inferiore
Modica
Carved into the rock and discovered by accident in 1987, this 12th-century church is Modica's oldest. It's worth a visit for its Byzantine frescoes, whose…
Ragusa
Built in the bassi (working-class abodes) of a noble family's palazzo, this jewel-box theatre looks like a grand Italian opera house in miniature form…
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