MORE OF SICILY

The castle itself was part of an extensive defense system that included 20 miles of walls around what was one of the largest cities in the Greek world. Dionysius the Elder developed the city in this way to make it safe from any attack. In this he succeeded to a great extent.

The Roman Gymnasium is located near off Via Elorina near the Porto Grande (Large Port). Built during the 1st century AD, it included a temple, theatre and court. Located below sea level, it is sometimes flooded. Another Greek settlement, Megara Hyblaea, on the coast about 10 kilometers south of Augusta, is north of Syracuse, conveniently reached by local train via the Megara-Giannalena station.

The Regional Archeological Museum, one of Sicily's finest and most modern, displays finds from Megara as well as ancient Syracuse, and is well worth a visit. This structure exhibits archeological treasures in their proper historical context. In many respects, it is superior to Palermo's Archeological Museum, though the collections are actually somewhat different. It is located on the grounds of Villa Landolina off Via Teocrito, near Saint John's Abbey.

Syracusa's medieval heritage mustn't be overlooked. A few sights stand out. Saint John's Abbey (on Via San Giovanni) was largely destroyed during an earthquake in 1693, but parts of the church's facade and cloister courtyard still stand.  The catacombs are interesting, and the Crypt of Saint Marcian offers a glimpse into the Paleo Christian era.

The Bellomo Palace, on Via Capodieci, was built as a castle during the 13th century and restructured in the Catalan Gothic style during the 15th.  It houses the Art Gallery, whose collection includes Caravaggio's Burial of Saint Lucy, Antonello da Messina's Assumption, and other notable works.

Palazzo Montalto, near Piazza Archimede, was built in 1397 in the so-called "Chiaramonte Gothic" style; its arched windows resemble those of Palermo's Steri, built in the same style almost a century earlier. The Fountain of Artemis in Piazza Archimede is attractive, though perhaps overrated in such a monumental city as this one.

If Palermo offers more medieval monuments than any other Sicilian city, Syracuse is unsurpassed for its ancient architecture and warm people. When you go be sure to stay at the Villa Claudia just outside Syracuse and near the beaches.

MESSINA or the ancient Zancle (so-called for the sickle shape of its harbor) existed as a native Sicilian settlement before the arrival of the Greeks in 756 BC. Expanded to form a thriving port city during the Greek colonization of Sicily, Messina remained prominent for centuries. The Romans recognized its strategic importance. To the Saracens, who never controlled much of Calabria, it was the northern and eastern limit of a Muslim dominion. To the Normans, Messina was an essential foothold in their conquest of the island during the eleventh century, though their first ships actually landed at a point on the Ionian coast south of the city in the middle of the night.

In mythology, Scylla and Carybdis threatened the intrepid Odysseus at the Strait of Messina, which Hercules swam and the Argonauts sailed. And when Artemis changed Arethusa into a spring of water to escape the river god Alpheus, the beautiful maiden emerged on the island of Ortygia, in Syracuse, where a spring bears her name.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Messina was the most important port of departure for European knights on their way to the Crusades. Such a Crusade prompted the visit of Richard the Lionheart and King Philip II of France in 1190. Generally ignored by historians is the fact that the two monarchs and their crusader knights sacked Messina on that occasion. Messina remained the second most important city of Sicily until the seventeenth century, when its position was challenged by Catania. There were fleeting periods when Messina's economic and political power rivaled that of Palermo.

Messina has often been associated with its disasters. The bubonic plague was brought to Europe on a ship that arrived in Messina, and several earthquakes have destroyed parts of the city over the centuries. The most destructive was that of 1908. The Allied bombardment of 1943 earned Messina the nickname "The City of Ghosts" because many residents sought safety in the outlying towns.

In their haste to see other sights, visitors often overlook Messina, whose reconstructed Norman cathedral is its most famous sight. Before describing that majestic church, we would like to introduce you to another one that is historically important but often ignored.

The Church of Santa Maria Alemanna (Saint Mary of the Germans) stands in isolation a few blocks from the train station in a part of the city that visitors hardly ever see. Its construction was probably begun around 1194, when the Emperor Henry VI arrived at Messina to ascend the Sicilian Throne. Completed some years later, it was the place of worship of the Germans who remained at Messina during the reign of the young Frederick II von Hohenstaufen, which began following Henry's death in 1197. Henry was buried not at this very German church, but at the Cathedral of Palermo. There were never very many true Gothic churches in Sicily (where one hears phrases like "Romanesque Gothic" or "Catalan Gothic"); Santa Maria is one of the very few such churches still standing.

 Though only the apse and half the nave have survived (with the upper portions of the structure undergoing an extensive reconstruction using materials far too distinct from the original gray stone), the church's medieval Gothic splendor is still evident. Arched windows reach upward to culminate in majestic points, and pilasters arch out of supporting columns to form shapely buttresses. This church would hardly be noticed in England, France or Germany but in Sicily its particular architectural style is indeed rare. The Abbey of Santa Maria della Valle (Saint Mary of the Valley), built outside the city during the same period, is another rare Sicilian example of true Gothic design. Hidden on an obscure street between Viale San Martino and Via Garibaldi (a few blocks from the railway station) and surrounded by unsightly buildings, the Church of Santa Maria Alemanna stands below ground level and is rarely open to the public, though much of its open interior is visible from the outside. Because of its unappealing location and incomplete condition, it is virtually ignored by travel guides and tourists, but a brief visit to the Church of Santa Maria could give your visit to Messina a taste of what the city was like when its ancient stone streets echoed with the footsteps of presumptuous kings and overzealous knights.

The cathedral, where Richard the Lionheart worshipped in 1190 en route to a Crusade, was erected during the twelfth century Norman dominion and its style resembles that of both the Basilica of Saint Nicholas and the cathedral at Bari. Most of the present cathedral is actually a reconstruction, the original building having been almost entirely destroyed by earthquakes; a few segments of the original walls remain.

Cefalu is one of the Mediterranean's undiscovered jewels. It is the epitome of picturesque grandeur. Cefalu has a beach, winding, narrow, medieval streets, and delightful restaurants overlooking a rocky coast. All under the gaze of the Norman-Arab-Byzantine cathedral, one of the greatest churches of southern Europe. Nestled between the Madonie Mountains and the sea, Cefalu's mountain boasts the ruins of a large fortress and an ancient Sicanian-Greek temple. The view from the summit is inspiring.

On the northern coast, 75 kilometers east of Palermo, from which it is about forty-five minutes by car, a bit longer on an express train, Cefalu (with the accent on the last syllable) is a medieval town built on the site of an ancient Sicanian and Greek settlement. In fact, its name derives from the Greek word for a cape; the ancient city was called Cephaloedion. Except for a few archeological items in the local museum, all that remains of these ancient cultures today is a small structure, the Temple of Diana, on the mountain overlooking the town. the foundation of this simple enclosure is said to be one of the oldest structures still standing in Sicily. Though the fortress itself crumbled long ago, the battlements atop the mountain were built during the Norman rule of the island in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. A few segments of this outer wall are restorations; most are original. For the stout hearted, the summit, with its magnificent view of the town, cathedral, mountains and sea, is well worth the climb. (Only Taormina's seaside view rivals this coastal vista.) Viewed at night from the coast to the west, the illuminated mountain and cathedral make for an inspiring site, evoking much of the city's medieval grandeur.

Begun in 1131 during the reign of Roger II, the cathedral and the adjoining abbey and cloister were completed some years later. The floor plan and artistic style, typical of those of many cathedrals built in Northern Europe during the same period, differ somewhat from the simple Romanesque lines of Monreale's cathedral, especially when viewed from the outside. The church, with some Gothic features, was one of the first Sicilian cathedrals built on the Western model, with a long nave and distinct transept.  This indicates an influence more Norman than Byzantine or Arab, though the icon of Christ in the apse leaves no doubt about the Eastern (Orthodox) tradition still very much alive in western Sicily at the time the church was built. Cefalu Cathedral lacks the extensive mosaics of Monreale; its ambience is altogether more Gothic than Byzantine, though purists would point out that its style shows only partial signs of early Gothic forms. Do keep in mind that the cathedral is closed in the afternoon from 1 to 4.

During the the War of the Vespers, Charles the Lame, son and heir of the King of Naples, was imprisoned in the citadel by the Aragonese following a naval defeat. While the royal visitor's imprisonment could  not have lacked for splendid views or fine cuisine, one senses a certain isolation here. The prince survived his stay at Cefalu to be crowned Charles II of Naples upon his father's death in 1285, though his dynasty had to renounce their rights to Sicily in favor of the House of Aragon.

Near the ruins of the fortress at the top of the mountain are the remnants of the so-called Temple of Diana, probably a Sicanian structure. Its portal and cut stone reflect Greek and Roman construction, and in fact the cult of Hercules worshipped here. However, the temple's foundations are actually far more ancient, dating to the ninth century BC if not somewhat earlier.

Several medieval buildings still stand in the city itself. These include the lavatoio (lavandai), a medieval wash house fed by freshwater springs, and the Osteria Magna (Great Guesthouse), where King Roger stayed during his visits to Cefalu. A maze of charming medieval streets make Cefalu a pleasant spot, whether you stay for a morning or an entire day.

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