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Attractions

Galleria Regionale

Palermo's largest art museum, devoted to medieval works, is housed within the gothic-styled Palazzo Abbatellis (built in 1488). The collection includes several particularly interesting works. The Bust of Eleanor of Aragon by Francesco Laurana, for example, dates from 1471 and is considered to be...  see full details

Marionette Museum

One of Palermo's most unique attractions is the engaging Museo Internazionale delle Marionette, a museum dedicated to the art of puppetry, an age-old Sicilian form of entertainment. Free shows are often put on in summer, but the museum collection itself, the greatest of its...  see full details

Monreale Cathedral

Of all the many architecturally beautiful and fascinating places of worship in Palermo, probably the most renowned is the 12th-century cathedral in the suburb of Monreale, high on the mountain slope about five miles (8km) from the city centre. The dazzling cathedral is a...  see full details

Capuchin Catacombs

The subterranean catacombs that contain the mummified remains of about 8,000 ancient inhabitants of Palermo may be macabre, but are fascinating to visit. The Capuchin friars began mummifying and embalming the bodies of the city's nobles back in 1533, and the tradition continued for...  see full details

Palazzo Mirto

The excessive opulence of the Baroque period is nowhere better demonstrated than in the magnificent Palazzo Mirto, one of the few aristocratic homes of Palermo that is open to the public, offering visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of Sicily's noble 19th-century families. The...  see full details

Regional Archaeological Museum

Some of Europe's greatest archaeological treasures are tucked away in Palermo's somewhat musty museum, which is well worth visiting even though it's rather shabby. The collection is housed in several old convent buildings, dating back to the 13th Century, and includes artefacts from the...  see full details

Ortygia

The Ponte Nuova (New Bridge) connects the mainland city of Syracuse to the island of Ortygia, where most of the area's worthy sights are located. The remains of the Temple of Apollo are sited in the Piazza Pancali: this is the oldest Greek...  see full details

Paolo Orsi Regional Archaeological Museum

Syracuse's archaeological museum is one of the most extensive in all of Italy, preserving relics and remains from the Greek, Roman and early Christian eras of Sicily's history. The museum building itself is ultra-modern, consisting of glass-and-steel exhibition halls connected in a hexagonal shape....  see full details

Parco Archeologico della Neapolis

The Archaeological Park on the western edge of the city of Syracuse contains the celebrated rock-hewn Greek amphitheatre, capable of holding about 15,000 people, where Euripides and Aeschylus' works were performed in the days of antiquity. Today, Greek dramas are still played here on...  see full details

Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi)

Although not technically a 'valley' and rather a ridge located just outside the Sicilian town of Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) is one of Italy's oldest and most interesting archaeological sites. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, the...  see full details