4 Top Archaeological Sites to Visit in Sicily

While visiting Sicily, villas provide the finest opportunities for exploring the island: the independence of a villa encourages excursions, with familiar comforts at the end of the day. This is an island rich in ancient history, having been inhabited since at least 8000 BC. Four top archaeological sites that visitors can drive to are the necropolis of Pantalica, the Valle dei Templi, Selinunte and the Villa Romana del Casale.

Necropolis of Pantalica

The necropolis of Pantalica is a large, UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing five cemetery areas: the necropolis of Filiporto, the North West necropolis, the Cavetta necropolis, the North necropolis and the South necropolis. It is an important site, providing evidence of pre-Greek habitation of the island: its main use was from 1250 to 650 BC, perhaps by the Sicels. Visitors who have come to the site can follow roads and footpaths to reach designated viewing areas to best see the numerous tomb entrances cut into the rock, which are an impressive sight in their numbers. Though the tombs suffered from looting over the millennia, some grave goods remained to modern times — bronze brooches, small weapons, red-burnished pottery — and are now displayed in the Archaeological Museum in Syracuse.

Valle dei Templi

The Valle dei Templi belongs to the wider archaeological park of Agrigento, a spectacular site well worth visiting while staying in one of the nearby Sicily villas. There are seven Doric-style Greek temples in varying states of preservation, some — such as the Temple of Concordia — in a very good condition. The temples were built from the 6th century BC onwards, as Greek settlement of the island grew in scope. The site is considered one of the finest examples of Ancient Greek architecture from the greater Greek world.

Selinunte

Selinunte was a Greek coastal city in the southwest part of the island, founded in 628 BCE. For a time it was an important Greek colony, experiencing periods of warfare with local peoples and Carthaginian dominance, as well as times of prosperity. Eventually, it was destroyed by the Carthaginians in the mid-3rd century BC, after which it was not rebuilt. Ruins remain, however, and make an excellent excursion from many well-placed Sicily villas. The city’s akropolis is an impressive site, giving visitors a strong impression of Selinunte’s central layout, and the Temple of Hera (Temple E) has been reconstructed using the original materials to show the scale of the temple.

Villa Romana del Casale

The Villa Romana del Casale is the ultimate in Sicily villas: a 4th century AD Roman building, built in an agricultural estate. A landslide covered the site in the 12th century, helping to preserve a number of spectacular mosaics. They include the mosaic informally known as "the biking girls", showing young women participating in sports, and a hunting scene with a captured tiger, a lion attacking a hunter, and ship. The colours are vibrant and the tiles largely intact.

Jonathan Magoni is Senior Manager of Cottages to Castles, a family owned company specialising in high quality holiday villas, apartments and cottages in Italy. For spectacular Sicily villas or accommodation in the Italian lakes, ski resorts or city centres, we offer only the very best. Discover Italy at your own pace and without time restrictions in our hand picked villas and cottages.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.