t Palermo's stately Duomo seen from across the square
t Palermo's stately Duomo seen from across the square
Experience Sicily
On a crossroads in the Mediterranean, part of Europe and Africa, yet belonging to neither, Sicily was tramped across by half the ancient civilized world. As conquerors came and went, they left behind elements of their culture, resulting in the rich and varied mixture that typifies every aspect of Sicilian life, from language, customs and cooking to art and, most notably, architecture.
During the 6th and 5th centuries BC, there cannot have been much difference between Athens and the Greek cities of Sicily. Their ruins are among the most spectacular of the ancient Greek world. The Romans took over in the 3rd century BC, followed by the Vandals, Ostrogoths and Byzantines. Not much that is tangible has survived from the days of the Arabs, who ruled from the 9th to 11th centuries, though Palermo’s Vucciria is more souk than market. The Norman era, beginning in 1061, spawned achievements such as the cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù, while the eclecticism of that period’s architecture is best seen at Santi Pietro e Paolo by Taormina.
The Sicilian Baroque of the 17th and 18th centuries is just as individual. The palaces and churches of Palermo, reflecting the elaborate ritual of the Spanish Viceregal court, tend towards extravagant display. At Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Siracusa and Catania the buildings are a useful vehicle for the Sicilians’ love of ornamentation, itself a remnant from the island’s early fling with the Arab world. The style is an expression of the nature of Sicilians, whose sense of pomp and pageantry is both magnificent and extreme.
Sicily is a curiosity, and the legacy of the past is redolent everywhere. They say that today there is as much Phoenician, Greek, Arabic, Norman, Spanish or French blood in Sicilian veins as there is Italian. The resulting mixture – exotic and spicy – has created a distinct culture at the foot of Italy.