Sicily (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

V e n t a

r

THE GUIDES THAT SHOW YOU WHAT OTHERS ONLY TELL YOU

C a p p o n i

SICILY

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

SICILY

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL

SICILY

CONTENTS HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 6 Produced by Fabio Ratti Editoria Libraria e Multimediale, Milan, Italy PROJECT EDITOR Giovanni Francesio EDITOR Elena Marzorati SECRETARY Emanuela Damiani DESIGNERS STUDIO Matra–Silvia Tomasone, Lucia Tirabassi MAPS Oriana Bianchetti Dorling Kindersley Ltd PROJECT EDITOR Fiona Wild DTP DESIGNERS Maite Lantaron, Lee Redmond PRODUCTION David Proffit MANAGING EDITORS Fay Franklin, Louise Bostock Lang MANAGING ART EDITOR Annette Jacobs EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Vivien Crump ART DIRECTOR Gillian Allan PUBLISHER Douglas Amrine CONTRIBUTORS

Fabrizio Ardito, Cristina Gambaro Additional tourist information by Marco Scapagnini ILLUSTRATORS

Giorgia Boli, Silvana Ghioni, Alberto Ipsilanti, Nadia Viganò ENGLISH TRANSLATION Richard Pierce Reproduced by Colourscan (Singapore) Printed in Malaysia by Vivar Printing Sdn. Bhd First American Edition, 2000 11 12 13 14 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 Reprinted with revisions 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011

Copyright 2000, 2011 © Dorling Kindersley Limited, London ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. WITHOUT LIMITING THE RIGHTS UNDER COPYRIGHT RESERVED ABOVE, NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED, STORED IN OR INTRODUCED INTO A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED, IN ANY FORM, OR BY ANY MEANS (ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR OTHERWISE), WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF BOTH THE COPYRIGHT OWNER AND THE ABOVE PUBLISHER OF THIS BOOK.

Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A CATALOG RECORD FOR THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

ISSN 1542-1554 ISBN 978-0-75667-023-8 THROUGHOUT THIS BOOK, FLOORS ARE REFERRED TO IN ACCORDANCE WITH EUROPEAN USAGE, I.E., THE “FIRST FLOOR” IS THE FLOOR ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.

Front cover main image: View of Giardini-Naxos from the Greek Theatre, Taormina

Female bust sculpted in the 5th century BC (see pp30–31)

INTRODUCING SICILY DISCOVERING SICILY 10 PUTTING SICILY ON THE MAP 12 A PORTRAIT OF SICILY 14 THE HISTORY OF SICILY 26 SICILY THROUGH THE YEAR 38

PALERMO AREA BY AREA PALERMO AT A GLANCE 44

The information in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is checked regularly.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The Publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email: [email protected]. The Temple of Hera in the Valle dei Templi at Agrigento

Backcloth, Museo delle Marionette in Palermo (see pp50–51)

Castellammare del Golfo (see p96), one of many fishing villages on the Sicilian coast

EAST PALERMO 46

TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS

SHOPS AND MARKETS 222

WEST PALERMO 58

ENTERTAINMENT 226

FURTHER AFIELD 70

SPECIALIST HOLIDAYS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES 230

SICILY AREA BY AREA

SURVIVAL GUIDE PRACTICAL INFORMATION 236

SICILY AT A GLANCE 82 NORTHWESTERN SICILY 84 SOUTHWESTERN SICILY 110

TRAVEL INFORMATION 240 A cheese vendor at Catania’s open-air market (see pp222–3)

WHERE TO STAY 194

GENERAL INDEX 244 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 254

WHERE TO EAT 208 PHRASE BOOK 255

Ancient theatre mask, Museo Eoliano (see p190)

SOUTHERN SICILY 132 NORTHEASTERN SICILY 158

The medieval castle at Erice, in Northwestern Sicily (see p33 & p100)

6

H O W

T O

U S E

T H I S

G U I D E

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

T

his guide will help you to get the most out of your visit to Sicily. It provides detailed practical information and expert recommendations. Introducing Sicily maps the island and sets Sicily in its historic, artistic, geographical and cultural context. Palermo Area by Area and the four

     
   
 
   

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lists the chapter’s sights by category: Churches and Cathedrals, Historic Buildings, Museums, Streets and Squares, Parks and Gardens.

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PALERMO AREA BY AREA The historic centre of the city has been divided into two areas, East and West, each with its own chapter. Further Afield covers peripheral sights. All sights are numbered and plotted on the Area Map. The detailed information for each sight is easy to locate as it follows the numerical order on the map.

regional sections describe the most important sights, with maps, floor plans, photographs and detailed illustrations. Restaurant and hotel recommendations are described in Travellers’ Needs and the Survival Guide has tips on everything from transport to hiring a surfboard.

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