| Sicily's prime geographic location in the | | | | the lower portions of walls, with some |
| centre of the Mediterranean Basin has meant | | | | murals, and some columns. While there is a |
| that, over time, settlers and conquerors from | | | | small archaeological museum here, most of the |
| the medieval Normans, Aragonese Spanish, | | | | original artifacts are in the Palermo's |
| Moorish North Africans, ancient Greeks, | | | | Regional Archaeological Museum. |
| Phoenicians, and Romans have come and, except | | | | |
| for the latter, mostly, gone. Today, Sicily's | | | | Taormina |
| Roman ruins are rivaled only by those in | | | | |
| Rome, and lovers of Roman archaeology will | | | | The Greek amphitheatre here, built in the |
| find a treasure trove of sites to explore. | | | | third century BC, was expanded later by the |
| | | | Romans, who enlarged the stage. The view of |
| To get an idea of the diversity of Sicily in | | | | Mount Etna and the sea beyond the theatre is |
| ancient times and particularly the range of | | | | spectacular. During summer, the theatre |
| artifacts from the Greek and Roman | | | | stages dramatic performances. A much smaller |
| colonizations of the island, visit the Museo | | | | Roman theatre, the odium, is near Santa |
| Archeologico Regionale in Palermo. One of | | | | Caterina church. |
| Italy's greatest archaeological museums, it | | | | |
| is filled with rare finds that put the | | | | Tyndaris - Capo Tindari |
| multiple foreign occupations in perspective. | | | | |
| As well, you'll have a chance to compare | | | | Tyndaris, founded by Dionysius the Elder in |
| priceless artifacts from the island's | | | | 396 BC, and later destroyed by pillaging |
| different civilizations, including those from | | | | conquerors, has been excavated to display the |
| the Phoenician, Punic, Greek, Roman and | | | | ruins of everything from a basilica to a |
| Saracen periods. Listed here are some of the | | | | Roman theatre. Overlooking the sea, the |
| best Roman ruins in Sicily: | | | | setting here is magnificent. |
| | | | |
| Cape Boéo - Marsala | | | | Villa Romana del Casale - Piazza Armerina |
| | | | |
| Roman ruins here include a villa with baths | | | | This Roman villa, a few kilometers outside |
| and colourful mosaics, and the Church of San | | | | town, and built between 330 and 360 AD, is |
| Giovanni, built over a cave converted into a | | | | one of the largest surviving classical-era |
| home in Roman times. The Baglio Anselmi | | | | Roman dwellings anywhere. The villa contains |
| Archeological Museum on Lungomare Boéo | | | | 40 rooms with western Europe's most |
| exhibits ship from the Punic era. | | | | magnificent mosaics depicting scenes from |
| | | | daily life, such as hunting, and one mosaic |
| Catania | | | | of ten young women dressed in strapless |
| | | | two-piece swim suits that could be in fashion |
| Catania has two Roman amphitheatres, one | | | | today. |
| reminiscent of Rome's Colosseum. The smaller | | | | |
| one, off Via Vittorio Emanuele, built upon an | | | | No archaeology lover's trip to Sicily would |
| earlier Greek theatre, accommodated 6,000 | | | | be complete without visiting the Valley of |
| spectators, while a larger amphitheatre, near | | | | the Temples, the largest and best collection |
| the commercial centre in Piazza Stesicoro, is | | | | of ancient Greek ruins in the world. You'll |
| completely Roman and was built in the second | | | | also see necropoli, houses, streets and |
| century AD. | | | | everything else you would expect to find in |
| | | | an ancient city. Be sure to check out the |
| Solunto - Palermo | | | | small amphitheatre, the several auditoria, |
| | | | and the first-rate archeological museum. You |
| Seventeen kilometres east of Palermo, | | | | can't miss the Concord Temple with its with |
| overlooking the coast, and on a site that was | | | | 13 tall, wind-eroded columns. Set outside the |
| originally a Phoenician village that had been | | | | city of Agrigento, on the southern coast of |
| expanded by the Greeks in 396 BC, are the | | | | Sicily, the temples look dramatic at night |
| ruins of a town that was rebuilt by the | | | | when floodlights accentuate their shape and |
| conquering Romans 50 years later. The ruins | | | | form. |
| mostly consist of floors, with some mosaics, | | | | |