Sicily, 2005
Over Thanksgiving, I joined an Alumni Campus Abroad
tour of Sicily. Here are some of the highlights.

View from Erice toward Capo S Vito. We stayed outside Mondello, a fishing village north of Palermo. Mosaic of Christ in the dome of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo.
Mosaic of the Pantocreator in the Apse at the Palatine Chapel in Palermo. Driving throu Sicily is like driving through Italy, with great skies added. Ruins at Agrigento
The overlay of many cultures and architectures is what I liked best about Sicily. While being thoroughly Italian, it still manages to suggest Arab, 12th century Norman, Greek, Byzantine and of course Roman influences. I loved also that the Greek hero Odysseus met many adventures on Sicily--the Cyclops lived near Marsala; the Sun God Helios kept his sheep near Messina; Scylla and Charybdis lie in the Straits of Messina; and the Aeolian Isles are just north of Sicily.
Town of Monreale   Cathedral at Monreale
The fishing village at Mondello.   I met a true Sicilian on a walk to the Capo Gallo.
The Arab-Norman Cathedral of Palermo Greek temple at Agrigento Mosaic of Christ in the Dome of the Martorana
The Quatro Canti, the four corners in Palermo. The Palatine Chapel is in the Norman Palace in Palermo. The Romanesque Cathedral at Cefalu.
Erice The Ram in the Regional Archaeology Museum in Palermo. The Regional Archaeology Museum courtyard.
Miniature Greek heads in the Archaeology Museum, Palermo. Gold wreath in the Archaeology Museum. Mosaic of the Pantocreator in the Apse of the cathedral of Monreale..
Segeste The Four Seasons--a Roman mosaic in the Archaeology Museum. Agrigento.
View of the sunrise from our Mondello Palace Hotel balcony.   An olive grove owner gave us a tour.
Erice had everything to delight the senses. The Goddess reigns in Erice. A house clinging to a cliff at Erice.
Sicilian cart in Erice. View from Erice View toward the salt flats below Erice.
Segeste, a quiet temple. Me at Segeste. Rains interfered with our enjoyment of the theatre at Segeste.
Mosaic floor at the Villa Romana at Piazza Armerina. Juicy our guide at Piazza Armerina. Villa Romana.
Home Travels Elderhostels