 |
|
|
The Best Ruins
Tyndaris (Capo Tindari): Tyndaris was a bustling place at its founding by Dionysius the Elder in 396 B.C. Later destroyed by pillaging conquerors, Tyndaris has now been unearthed, and the ruins of everything from a basilica to a Roman theater can be seen. The view of the sea is reason enough to visit.
Teatro Greco (Taormina): Opening onto a view of Mount Etna in the background, this Greek amphitheater was hewn out of a rocky slope on Mount Tauro. What you see today is what's left after destruction by the Arabs in the 10th century.
Ortygia Island (Syracuse): Famous in Greek mythology, this island is filled with ancient ruins such as the Tempio di Apollo, the Greek temple dedicated to Apollo that dates from the 6th century B.C. and the oldest peripteral (having a single row of columns) Doric temple still left in the world.
Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (Syracuse): Two of the greatest attractions of Sicily -- both from the world of the ancients -- lie in this city in southeastern Sicily. The Greek Theater is one of the great theaters of the classical period still remaining. The other attraction is the Latomia del Paradiso, or the "Ear of Dionysius," the most famous of the ancient quarries of Syracuse.
Villa Romana del Casale (Piazza Armerina): This is one of the grandest of all Roman villas to have survived from the classical era. It contains a total of 40 rooms "carpeted" with the most magnificent mosaics in Western Europe. Its most reproduced mosaics are those of 10 young women dressed in strapless two-piece bikinis that would not be out of style today.
Valle dei Templi (Agrigento): Containing the largest and greatest collection of ancient Greek ruins in the world, the Valley of the Temples, outside the city of Agrigento, opens onto the southern coast of Sicily. The temples are especially stunning at night, when they're floodlit. The most impressive ones are those dedicated to Juno and to Concord. The latter is the most magnificent of all, with 13 wind-eroded columns still standing.
Selinunte's Archaeological Garden (Selinunte, west of Agrigento): Guy de Maupassant called these ruins an "immense heap of fallen columns," and so they are, but they are also the remains of one of the greatest colonies of ancient Greece. The temples date from the 6th century to the 5th century B.C.
Tempio di Segesta (Segesta): One of the world's most perfectly preserved monuments from antiquity, Tempio di Segesta was constructed in the 5th century B.C. Amazingly, 36 of its Doric columns still stand. A visit to this remote site in western Sicily also gives you a chance to see a large Greek theater in ruins.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
|
|
|
