| Highlights of Sicily |
| Italy |
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| Sicily Table of Contents |
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| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the free Intrepid Berkeley Explorer video of this trip , "Don Corleone's Island", by clicking on AdventurePics.com |
| Sicily's many conquerors left their calling cards. Rome's most important gift is a remarkable display of 4th century mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale. The bikini girls make an unexpected fashion statement. There are also vivid scenes of wild animals and gladiators, all together the finest Roman mosaics I have ever seen. |
| The Greeks built their Valley of the Temples much earlier, near what is now Agriento. Here is the Temple of Concord, dating back to 430 BC. It alone has been well preserved, first as a Christian basilica. 18th century restoration left this temple in wonderful shape, better than any I saw in Greece. |
| The Normans were a dominant military power of their age, conquering Sicily in addition to England. This Norman Castle at Erice is from the 12th and 13th centuries, built so it appears to become part of the rock upon which the castle sits. Well worth a climb, the views of both land and water below are most spectacular. |
| Norman King William II proved that he could build a far more spiritual vision. The Cattedrale di Monreale, near Palermo, was completed in 1184. This Catholic Church interior glitters with Byzantine mosiacs telling detailed Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. I liked the Noah's Ark panels, such as this one, in which animals are taken on board the ark. Above the alter is a giant mosaic of Jesus in the Byzantine style. The craftsmen who built this work of religious art were primarily Moslem Arabs. |
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