A RICH HISTORY
PHOENICIANS, GREEKS, ROMANS, JEWS, CHRISTIANS, MOSLEMS, NORMANS, AND MORE
Valley of the Temples near Agrigento
Because we really enjoyed the mix of experiences we had on this tour, we have organized our website by topics, rather than following the tour's itinerary. This section has to do with the island's early history and the sites we visited. In addition to Alfredo, local guides provided an in-depth perspective on the many of the cities and sites on the tour. In Taormina, a very enthusiastic and informative volcanologist from Catania gave a slide lecture on Mount Etna.
Sicily seems to have been conquered by almost everyone at some point in its history, and this tour took us to some of the most interesting historical spots on the island. The photo above is the entry to the Valley of the Temples, near Agrigento.
Sicily seems to have been conquered by almost everyone at some point in its history, and this tour took us to some of the most interesting historical spots on the island. The photo above is the entry to the Valley of the Temples, near Agrigento.
Theater at Segesta built by the mysterious Elymians More ruins in the Valley of the Temples View of Mozia Island, home to Phoenician ruins
Monreale Cathedral near Palermo "Bikini girls" Mosaic from Villa Romana del Casale Mosque in Palermo
Jewish Quarter, Ortigia, sign lower right Roman Ampitheater, Taormina Phoenician funeral stone, Mozia Island museum
Roger's Personal History, or the Norman ReConquest:
The Normans, who had invaded what is now known as Normandy and took on much of the French culture there, also conquered or settled in a number of other places all around Europe, including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, mainland Italy, Malta, North Africa, Cyprus, the Levant, and, of course, Sicily, starting in 1061 and finally triumphing in 1071. Among the Norman kings in Sicily were Roger the First and Roger the Second. The fact that two of the Norman kings of Sicily were named Roger greatly interested Roger, the contemporary vagabond, and upon arrival in Sicily, he decided to offer himself as the third Roger of Sicily, King Roger 3.0. (The updated numbering comes from the fact that we live in the Seattle area and, it was hoped, to appeal to the more tech-minded Sicilians.) He had all sorts of plans to award estates to any number of individuals (friends and fellow tour members, for example, even, if necessary, employees of Rick Steves Europe) and to improve the lives of both extraordinary and ordinary Sicilians, but seeking out and locating the best cannoli and tiramisu regularly caused him to forget to inquire about the local interest in his assuming the position. He did, however, ask the local tour guide for Palermo about another Norman king, awkwardly named William the Bad, and she explained that he was given that moniker many years after his reign by some rather unpleasant priest historian who resented that William, like his Arab predecessors, kept a harem. Upon hearing that a Norman king kept a harem, the current day Roger quickly remembered his mission—but the ongoing challenge of finding another wonderful cannolo once again distracted him from his goal. Nevertheless, he feels that winning the website challenge might once again put him back on his odyssey, and so, as the once and future king of Sicily, he hereby orders Rick Steves to award First Place to this brilliant website.
TO GO TO THE NEXT SECTION, CLICK ON "MENU" IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER. WORDS IN BOLD PURPLE ARE LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES.
The Normans, who had invaded what is now known as Normandy and took on much of the French culture there, also conquered or settled in a number of other places all around Europe, including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, mainland Italy, Malta, North Africa, Cyprus, the Levant, and, of course, Sicily, starting in 1061 and finally triumphing in 1071. Among the Norman kings in Sicily were Roger the First and Roger the Second. The fact that two of the Norman kings of Sicily were named Roger greatly interested Roger, the contemporary vagabond, and upon arrival in Sicily, he decided to offer himself as the third Roger of Sicily, King Roger 3.0. (The updated numbering comes from the fact that we live in the Seattle area and, it was hoped, to appeal to the more tech-minded Sicilians.) He had all sorts of plans to award estates to any number of individuals (friends and fellow tour members, for example, even, if necessary, employees of Rick Steves Europe) and to improve the lives of both extraordinary and ordinary Sicilians, but seeking out and locating the best cannoli and tiramisu regularly caused him to forget to inquire about the local interest in his assuming the position. He did, however, ask the local tour guide for Palermo about another Norman king, awkwardly named William the Bad, and she explained that he was given that moniker many years after his reign by some rather unpleasant priest historian who resented that William, like his Arab predecessors, kept a harem. Upon hearing that a Norman king kept a harem, the current day Roger quickly remembered his mission—but the ongoing challenge of finding another wonderful cannolo once again distracted him from his goal. Nevertheless, he feels that winning the website challenge might once again put him back on his odyssey, and so, as the once and future king of Sicily, he hereby orders Rick Steves to award First Place to this brilliant website.
TO GO TO THE NEXT SECTION, CLICK ON "MENU" IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER. WORDS IN BOLD PURPLE ARE LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES.