Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

A16 FEATURE
Tuesday 11 July 2017
A road trip through Sicily is a trip across centuries

By SIOBHAN STARRS
Associated Press
PALERMO, Italy (AP) — Sic-
ily sits at the toe of Italy’s
boot, just 2 miles (3.2 kilo-
meters) from the mainland,
at its closest point, and a
short ferry ride from the
town of Messina. But our
gateway to Sicily was on
the other side of the island,
flying into the capital Pal-
ermo.
We have holidayed in Italy
before, but now with my
partner and our 6-year-old
daughter Kitty in tow, and
two weeks at our disposal,
we were ready for a road
trip. Sicily’s size, culture,
food and weather make it
an enticing destination.
Located in the Mediter-
ranean, Sicily has been of
strategic importance from
ancient times. The Greeks,
Carthaginians, Romans,
Saracens and Normans
are just a few of the civili-
zations that invaded, each
leaving their mark.
A rainy day led us to Pal- Snow-covered Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano, spews lava during an eruption seen from the Sicilian village of Pozzillo,
ermo’s Royal Palace. Con- Italy. Mount Etna is a very active volcano, where eruptions of smoke and sometimes lava is a sight for visitors to Sicily and locals
struction began in the ninth alike.
century during the Arab (AP Photo/Salvatore Allegra)
era, and it was later ex- hotel in Taormina, on the is- which can still be seen,
panded by the Normans, land’s northeast coast, en- were incorporated into a
invaders from northern joying the sunshine, when church in the seventh cen-
France, who assimilated Mount Etna, Europe’s tallest tury. A massive earthquake
designs of the Islamic and active volcano, emerged in 1693 devastated much
Byzantine courts that pre- from behind clouds and of the region and many
ceded them. Sicily’s Arab- appeared to float, emitting towns were rebuilt in a late
Norman architecture is on two white plumes from its baroque style, which be-
UNESCO’s World Heritage snow-covered summit. came known as Sicilian Ba-
List. The jewel of the Roy- Taormina is Sicily’s plush- roque. Syracuse’s Duomo
al Palace is the Palatine est resort, more Capri than is a good example and
Chapel built in Byzantine Naples, with an ambiance we also visited the nearby
style with lavish golden that recalls “La Dolce town of Noto, also famous
mosaics of saints, Arabic Vita.” Audrey Hepburn, for baroque buildings. Even
patterns and a wooden Ingrid Bergman, Richard if you’re not a fan of the
muqarnas-style ceiling — a Burton and Elizabeth Taylor opulent style, it’s fascinat-
type of ornamented vault- are just a few of the famous ing how Sicily’s history can
ing often associated with names who have stayed be explored through its ar-
Islamic domes. Sicily’s Op- here. The resort’s main at- chitecture.
era dei Pupi, which dates tractions are the ancient In the middle of the island’s
to the 19th century, fea- Greek theater and a cable southern coast, a road
tures wooden puppets in car that takes you down to leads to the Valley of the
tales of medieval chivalry a rocky promontory called Temples near Agrigento,
and battles. Some of the Isola Bella. an ancient Greek and
opera’s puppets, and oth- Our quest to circumnavi- UNESCO World Heritage
ers from around the world, gate the island led us next site with seven temples
are on display at the Inter- to Syracuse on Sicily’s south dating to the sixth cen-
national Museum of Mari- eastern corner. We stayed tury B.C. We visited two,
onettes. An in-house show in Orytiga (Ortigia), a small the Temple of Juno (also
stars Orlando, a medieval This photo shows the Temple of Concordia in the Valley of the island which was once the known as Temple of Hera)
knight who must rescue Temples, in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy. It’s one of seven Greek tem- historic center of the city, and the Temple of Concor-
his beloved Angelica from ples in the area that date to ancient times and have been de- connected to the main- dia. Concordia, which was
a legion of Saracens. Par- clared a UNESCO World Heritage site. land by two bridges. eventually turned into a
ents, be warned: It is a (AP Photo/Siobhan Starrs) Syracuse’s main cathedral, church, is considered one
rather violent plot (though ens of marionettes, which heads, one lost its face. il Duomo, is built on the site of the world’s finest surviv-
our daughter loved it), ended up in heap on the A few days later we were of a Greek temple. The ing examples of a Greek
with the hero slaying doz- tiny stage. Some lost their sitting on the terrace of our original Greek columns, temple.q