Sicily - attractions

Sicily is most often associated with the mafia clans of Italy, and when going there, many tourists do not even suspect how many interesting things they will see on this wonderful island.

From the article you will find out what sights are worth seeing on the Mediterranean island of Sicily.

The Etna Volcano

The most famous natural landmark in Sicily is the active volcano Etna, located near Catania. There are special tours to "conquer" this peak, but because of the small craters erupting on its slopes constantly, it is better to go on a journey accompanied by local guides.

Parks of Sicily

There are a lot of gardens, natural parks and reserves around the island:

1. Madoni Park is located between the towns of Cefal и and Palermo . Visiting it, you will see villages, castles and small towns built in the Middle Ages, as well as you can learn the geological history of the island, as it is here that you can find the most ancient rocks. In winter, you can go skiing in Piano Battaglia, and in the summer - take a fascinating walk.
2. Zingaro Reserve is a territory where relic plants can be found: dwarf palms, wild olive trees, capers thickets, mastic and carob trees. Here you can even find trees with traces of the activities of an ancient man: ash from which the juice was harvested, sumac for the extraction of tannin used for dressing the skin. Do not leave indifferent and beauty of the coastal part of the reserve: clear water and beautiful corals, decorated with colorful actinia and sea roses.
3. Botanical Garden in Palermo - founded in 1779 as an apothecary garden, now you can see here a rich herbarium (over 250 thousand samples), systematic collections and beautiful greenhouses with plants of damp and arid zones of the tropics. A special feature of the garden is a huge pool with various aquatic plants and wild parrots living in pristine thickets of trees.

You can also visit the nature reserves "Lake Preola and the pools of Tondi" and "Fiumedinis and Monte Scuderi", the gorge of Alcantara, the reserves of "Dzingaro", "Cavagrande del Cassibile", "Pizzo Cane, Pizzo Trinya and Grotta Mazzamuto."

Temples of Sicily

The history of the island is very rich, there lived a huge number of people of different faiths, and therefore in Sicily there are a lot of religious attractions.

Valley of the Temples in Sicily

It is an open-air museum at the foot of Agrigento, consisting of 2 parts, one of which works even at night. Here you can see even the necropolises of Christians, but mostly there are buildings and monuments of antiquity (Ancient Greece).

The most impressive is the temple of Zeus the Olympian (length 112 m, width - 57 m and height 30 m), and well preserved - the Temple of Concord.

In the nearby Archaeological Museum there is a large collection of exhibits from the Greek period from the Valley. The most interesting relics of antiquity is the real figure of Telamon (height 7.5 m) from the Temple of Zeus, placed vertically.

In addition to the Valley of the Temples, there are many ancient Greek temples and churches throughout Sicily.

Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova

This cathedral, located in the suburbs of Palermo in the town of Montreal, is one of Sicily's most visited and impressive sights. The building, built in the 12th century, impresses with its 130 mosaics and a combination of different directions in the interior.

If you want to actively rest with the whole family between sightseeing, you should visit the water park Ettaland - the largest and most famous in Sicily. You can find it at the foot of the famous volcano - Etna, in the town of Belpasso. There are interesting water attractions, a park of dinosaurs, restaurants and even a zoo.