Archaeological Sites

Marsala

The site show a gate and two towers. See also a house with rooms and mosaics dated at III BC.

-Segesta
The most magnificent find is the Doric temple immersed in a green landscape
The ancient people of Segesta asked to Annibale to destroy their main enemy Selinunte
But the distruction reache also Segesta by Agatocle in IV BC. Under Roman dominance this village revived.

See also the theatre dated at III BC. Today it is active for the shows of ancient drama.

-Erice
Another amazing site where you can admire the old walls, medieval fortress called "Venere castle" and the ruins of an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Venere Ericina dated at V-IV BC.


-Gela
In Capo Soprano there are defensive walls preserved in the Archaeological Park.
They are 350 metres, but once were probably more than 3 Km
In the Park there are ruins of some buildings of VII BCMegara Hyblaea
Other to see are the thermal bath.


-Megara Hyblaea ruins dated at VIII BC. (Syracuse)
Here it is possible to see the ruins of the old walls of the village.
Inside the walls there are the ruins of two temples.
In the Agorà are visible the ruins of the ancient civilization


-Solunto (Palermo)
An ancient punic village founded in the IV BC.
The town plane is the classic Greek one of Ippodamo da Mileto

What to see
Here it is possbile to see the base of that once could be a termal bath.
Other thing is the Way that bring to Agorà, the main square of a Greek city
Ginnasio, an ancient patrician roman house
Casa di Leda is another patrician roman house
Agorà, the main Greek square
Old Greek Theatre
The ruins of the Odeon, a small theatre for music shows.
The ruins of a Roman Villa


-Cava d'ispica (in the Ragusa province).
Here you can enjoy a splendid natural landscape consisting in a mediterranean vegetation.
The pit consists in two parts:
-The north part between Modica and Ispica is called Larderia and it is the site of catacombs of IV-V BC. An interesting thing is the inscription of the Cavallino acefaleo.
Here it is possible seeing the traces of ancient habitations, but you can't miss the amazing archaeological scenario of necropolis, the S.Maria church, two old habitation such as "Grotte Cadute" and "Castello", S Nicola church of byzantine epoch that contains old frescos such as "San Nicola" and "Madonna col Bambino". See also the ruins of the byzantine church of San Pancrati.

"Parco Forza" is the name of the second part of the pit.
The wonderful historical panorama will accompany you also in this site, where you can admire the Annunziata church that today preserves
sepulchre caves, and Scuderia Grotto. See also the rests of Marchionale palace.
Another interesting attraction is the visit of the Centoscale site, under river level, where many galleries are useful for water buildup.


-Syracuse

Syracuse is the most representative Greek colony.

What to see:
-Eurialo castle, built by Dionisio il Vecchio between the 402 and 397 BC. Ages ago this was a defensive building against carthaginian threat. The many other rulers brought about transformation to the castle.
-Greek Theatre, placed in the Temenite hill, a scenic historical demonstration of Greek civilization.
We have attestation of its existence before than V BC.
During roman epoch this wonderful attraction undergoed some transformation for typical roman shows.
-"La latomia del Paradiso" is a cave famous for its "Orecchio di Dionisio" grotto: a legend tells us that Dionisio locked his prisoners in, and from a hole in a high point of the cave he heard waht they said.
-Apollo temple. Attestation of the grandeur of Greek culture, during its long life undergoed the modification of the rules come in Sicily.
In fact this temple was modified in a byzantine church, arab mosque, and norman church.

Pantalica

-Pantalica

Pantalica is an archaeological site (424 m sl) on Iblei mounts in the province of Syracuse included on UNESCO World heritage list togheter with the city of Syracuse.

Amazing is the view of the Necropolis dated at Bronze Age, where you can see over than 5,000 tombs cut into the rock.

This place is one of the most important attestation of the ancient civilization of the island.

What to see:
-Filiporto Necropolis dated around IX-VIII BC

-North-West Necropolis dated around XII-XI BC

-Cavetta Necropolis dated around IX-VIII BC

-North Necropolis dateed around XII-XI BC

Another thing to see is Anaktoron palace, the remains of an ancient palace dated around XII-XI BC.

From this height you can admire an amazing panorama: Anapo river, classic vegetation of the place and valleys of Iblei mounts. But don't lose the view of wood with plane tree, willow tree and poplar.

Morgantina

-Morgantina


This archeological site is near Aidone, in Enna province.
The ruins are the attestation of an old important city under Greek and Roman dominances.
The archaeological finds are of XIII century BC

What to see:

-Agorà placed up two levels joined by a stair. Here are visible the ruins that attest the old life of this site, in fact you can admire the old walls of the roman workshops, a sanctuary, a public granary, and the rests of an ancient market.
If you want to complete your knowledge of this finds, you can't miss to pay a visit to the Aidone Museum, where many other of these are preserved.

Caltagirone

*Caltagirone
Once the location of a Saracen fortress, this high mountain town was rebuilt following the earthquake of 1693. As happened for Catania and Noto, also the caltagirone architecture is made of a baroque style.
It is famous for its ceramic art. In fact, Sicilians refer to the "Caltagirone style" in ceramic pottery, characterized by ornate traditional motifs using a limited palette.

Piazza Armerina

*Piazza Armerina

Founded during the Norman era, its historical quarter has some beautiful churches, including a Baroque cathedral, and a preserved fortress (Spinelli Castle), but most visitors come here to see the Roman Villa, with its magnificent mosaics. Depicting scenes from daily life, such as hunting, the mosaics are as remarkable for their sociological value as for their artistic value.
The "Villa del Casale" was built between 330 and 360 AD.

The remains of another village, Sofiana, ancient Proedium Philosophianum, have been discovered about 6 kilometers south of the villa. This includes baths, as well as Roman and Byzantine cemeteries and the vestiges of a Paleo Christian church.

-Villa Romana del Casale, dated at III-IV centuries during Costantino's emperor.
Inwards many mosaics represent chase scenes and characters of mythology.
The most interesting rooms inside: that one that contains a decoration of Orfeo playing the zither, and the room that contains mosaics that represents "La Grande Caccia" (The Great Chase).

Selinunte

-Selinunte
The ancient Greek name Sèlinon meant a smelling wild parsley that grew in that territory.
Founded in VII BC, Selinunte knew a short life.
Storic enemy of the neighboring Segesta, was destroyed by Annibale in V BC: more than fithy thousand of people were killed.
Annibale destroyed also temples and walls of the village.
Selinunte lived until the second punic war, when it was completely destroyed

Archaeological Ruins

An amazing landscape is joined to the view of a splendid coast.

The site is divided in three zones

-The first include three temples, dated at V BC.
"E" temple is the first, dedicated ot Hera, it is dated at V BC.
"F" temple probably dedicated to Athena
"G" temple was the bigger, dedicated probably to Apollo. Today only some ruins are preserved.


-The second is the Acropolis. Here is the place where once was the ancient village of Selinunte, with buildings and streets surrounded by city walls.

-The third include other temples. Here are the ruins of the more ancient Selinunte temple dedicated to Apollo or Eracle, dated at VI BC.
Here are visible the ruins of "A" temple and "C" temple. This one was dedicated to Apollo or Eracle and it is the oldest temple of the site.