Caltagirone is famous for its ceramic and if you are going to buy original Sicilian ceramic, it has to be signed Caltagirone. Filled with Sicilian baroque, but has arabian origins with town name qal at-ghiran, meaning “The pot castle”.
Highlight is of course Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte. Filled with ceramic stories from all eras passing this area. 142 steps takes you to a wonderful view. Main reason I stopped here was to visit my favourite Ragu restaurant, but it was closed for vacation. So I get a new chance to pass by again!
The highlight in Monreale is the main church, Cappella del Duomo di Monreale. Built as a political statement and artistic show off, and is the most important Norman architectual monument in Sicily as it represent the whole Norman kingdom. 6340 m2 of mosaics to follow stories from the old and new testament. Built by William II.
Selinunte archaeological park is largest in Europe. 270 hectares, 10 km walking track, seven temples, baths, necropolis ecc. An area to walk through the birth of the Greek empire to its fall.
Marinella di Selinunte is the small village just by with 1000 inhabitants. One of the few real rural Sicilian areas left with slow living, fish and amazing beaches.
If in Palermo do not miss the Palermos botanical Garden. Founded 1789, 10 hectares large, and one of the most important Italian academic institutions with over 5000 plants for studies. Plants were organized along the Linneian system of classification, a system created by Swedish Carl Linnaeus aka Carl von Linné.
It also holds a so called urban vineyard from 2018 where most important Italian wine grapes are preserved.
This tour takes us to one of the most important places for us Normans, the Norman Palace with Cappella Palatina. After that random strolling in Palermo excluding the old markets as honestly they are not like before, but found a very nice food market close to the courthouse where I eat the classical Sicilian Anellini pasta on Sunday.
This walking tour goes: Porta Nuova – Palazzo Dei Normanni with Cappella Palatina and Giardini Reali – Porta Felice – Market – Courthouse – Market
The day in Palermo was sun, clouds, rain and colors shifting like the rest of Sicily. Due to own Norman DNA I followed most in the Norman footsteps, but also many other important sites to see. Walking as follows:Politeama, Teatro Massimo, Quattro Canti, Fontana Pretoria and Palermo Cathedral.
Palermo city central is closed to traffic or has very limited traffic, so it has become a delight to just stroll around different sites to see with wine and food paus spots in every corner and street. Part two coming soon!
Palazzolo Acreide is a small town just one hour south of Catania, 670 m.a.s.l with 8700 inhabitants. Learned recently it is not just any town, it actually has the longest balcony in Europe, perhaps longest in the world. 30 meters long with 27 masks called “Cognoli” in Sicilian, meaning “shameful boys” laughing at you passing by.
This small town is up hills and down hills with small baroque filled alleys one should not miss to walk around when visiting Sicily.
Caccamo is located quite close to Palermo. A small town with a very famous Medieval castle built 12th century and the main attraction. The castle is one of the largest and most well preserved Norman castles in Italy and was bought by the Region of Sicily 1963. By that time it was in ruins and restoration works started 1974. Caccamo offers stunning views and a perfect location to arrive before sunset for a nice dinner.
Svenska
Caccamo ligger ganska nära Palermo. En liten stad med ett mycket känt medeltida slott byggt på 1100-talet som är huvudattraktionen. Slottet är ett av de största och mest välbevarade normandiska slotten i Italien och köptes av Sicilianska regionen 1963. Vid den tiden låg det i ruiner och restaureringsarbeten påbörjades 1974. Caccamo erbjuder fantastisk utsikt och ett perfekt läge att anlända före solnedgången för en trevlig middag.
Mafia, it is a sensitive topic, but belongs to the Sicilian history and actually also the present. Whatever one says is always wrong, but decided to visit Corleone and the Mafia museum to see and hold the original documents of the Maxi Trial in my hands.
Corleone is a small town south of Palermo with stunning scenery driving there. 600 m.a.s.l. with approximately 10000 inhabitants. Most Sicilian mafia bosses comes from Corleone and still have over 70 “men of honor” alive, whereof most of them are jailed. The town is still run by a mafia boss. It is one of the kindest places I have visited in Sicily because people work hard to show another side of this area.
A place supposed to visit quickly, but stayed almost three hours. I just could not leave. A place that breathes between the earth and sky. Somehow lucky being completely alone. When I decided to leave people showed up.
The story of founder Lorenzo: My father wanted me to be a shepherd. One night I went out to breathe under the stars. The idea of the theater was conceived by “the Spirit, like the wind, blows where it wishes”. At the end of the nineteenth century it blew here on this hill, where I used to take the sheep at sunset to ruminate in peace. So I decided to build a stone theater here.
Many years later, I learned that the Andromeda Constellation Galaxy M31 will merge with our Galaxy in about four and a half billion years and I began to raise a sacred fence to the 108 visible stars of the Andromeda Constellation.
Now listen to the silence, sit on a star and look to the Earth. This is not a theater … but a spaceship that is traveling slowly towards the Andromeda Galaxy.
Interesting events to attend are summer and winter solstice Not recommended for visitors who can’t stay silent Self-sufficient with own produce, Sangiovese natural wine produce
More information and tickets: www.teatroandromeda.it
