{"id":23995,"date":"2019-06-15T17:04:54","date_gmt":"2019-06-15T15:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=23995"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:40:52","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:40:52","slug":"itinerary-sicily-baroque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2019\/06\/itinerary-sicily-baroque\/","title":{"rendered":"Itinerary in Sicily: the Beauty of Baroque in 5 stops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not only sea: in Sicily, a five-stage itinerary in the south-eastern area to discover the extraordinary Baroque-inspired artistic and cultural heritage.<\/em><\/h2>\n

Sicily<\/strong> has always been one of the favourite destinations of Italians and foreigners to spend long holidays, festivities breaks, or a simple weekend of relaxation and tourism. Its strong point<\/strong>? Being vast, different from one meter to another, beautiful<\/strong>. But above all, it is perfect to visit at any time<\/strong> of the year, and there is not even the danger of deciding not to return because “you’ve seen it all”: virtually impossible. The wonder<\/strong> of Sicilian beaches (many of them Blue Flags also in 2019) is more than known, and therefore we want to offer you a different itinerary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Did you know that Sicily was the cradle of different civilizations<\/strong> in ancient history? Greeks, Arabs, Normans… But even the modern age<\/strong> has left many traces, one in particular predominates in the south-eastern area<\/strong> of \u200b\u200bthe island: the Baroque<\/strong>. Find it out with this itinerary in five stages of Pure Beauty<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Piazza
Pic by Dario Giannobile – CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/div><\/div>\n

Catania, art at the feet of the Volcano<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Let’s make a premise, to explain the origin of this<\/strong> valuable artistic heritage<\/strong>: in 1693 the south-eastern coast of Sicily was shaken by a terrible earthquake<\/strong>, which destroyed most of the cities. However, the inhabitants of the area did not give up: what we see today is the result of the reconstruction<\/strong> of that time, at least a significant part. They chose the Baroque style, “personalizing it”, making it even richer than it already was: that’s why the “Sicilian Baroque”<\/strong> represents an artistic episode almost in its own right. With this historical parenthesis, let’s start!<\/p>\n

Whether you arrive by plane, car or ferry or train, the first stop<\/strong> is the city of Catania<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Piazza
Duomo Square, Catania. Pic via Wikipedia<\/div><\/div>\n

Not to be missed<\/strong>: all concentrated in the city centre<\/strong>, accessible with a good walk. Started from the Benedettini<\/em> Monastery<\/strong> (known as such, the original name is \u201cMonastero di S. Nicol\u00f2 l’Arena<\/em>), currently the seat of the humanities faculties of the University of Catania. Built in 1558 but partially destroyed by the earthquake (and even before by a massive lava eruption), it is a jewel of the late Baroque<\/strong> but tells of centuries of history, preserving within it a Roman domus. Continue the tour with “the living room of the city”, Duomo Square<\/strong>. Visit the Cathedral<\/strong>, whose magnificence preserves the relics of the patron saint Sant’Agata<\/em>, and the Palazzo degli Elefanti <\/em><\/strong>(“Elephants Palace”), seat of the town hall. To the right of this, the Fontana dell’Amenano<\/em><\/strong>, a fountain named after the ancient river on which the city was built (Katane<\/em>), is the “gateway” to one of the symbols of the city’s folklore: the Pescheria<\/em><\/strong>, the fish market outdoors. Admire then the lava stone obelisk<\/strong> in the centre of the square: it is an elephant, called by the Catanians “u liotru”<\/em>, to which at least two different legends are linked. Finally, another must of the city is the Biscari Palace<\/strong>, a residence wanted by Ignazio Patern\u00f2 Castello<\/em>, fifth prince of Biscari and still today the property of his family. Its magnificent halls and gardens today host events, gala evenings and business meetings.<\/p>\n\n\t\t