Ancient Sicily

Even the most worldly surveyor of ancient civilisations is mesmerised by the monumental grandeur of Agrigento – “Athens with improvements”, according to one 19th century visitor. Our circuit of historical Sicily, starting in the heart of Palermo, travels via Agrigento and Syracuse to Taormina – Goethe’s “patch of paradise”, characterised by idyllic coastal vistas.

As well as absorbing the monumental magnificence of Sicily’s classical heritage, we will examine later cultural influences, from the extraordinary Arabo-Norman architecture of Palermo to the UNESCO-listed Norman-Byzantine cathedral in Monreale, built by William II. 

Palermo, like Monreale, reveals a fusion of Islamic, Byzantine, Norman and Romanesque traditions. The city’s Palatine Chapel in the Palazzo dei Normanni is distinguished, above all, by its overwhelming Byzantine mosaics – rivalled by the golden masterpieces on display in the cathedral in Monreale.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus at Agrigento was amongst the largest in the entire Greek world, presenting an astonishing display of wealth and power. The highlights of Syracuse, “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all” in the opinion of Cicero, include the vast Archaeological Park and the island of Ortygia, where the Baroque façade of the cathedral barely conceals the Doric columns of the ancient Temple of Athena.

The Roman Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina contains some of the finest mosaics in existence, with remarkable depictions of mythological figures and ancient life.

We will stay in hotels of four-star standard throughout the tour. 

This tour will be led by Oliver Kenzie, BA, MRes, a Cambridge-based archaeologist and ACE bursary student who studied at the University of Birmingham. Specialising in Early Iron Age Greece, Oliver’s postgraduate research specifically focused on the development of Doric architecture on the mainland. He has conducted study at the British School at Athens, undertaken excavations at Helike in the Peloponnese, and continues to write and research independently as a member of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society.

“Sicily, teetering on the fault line between the colliding tectonic forces of the ancient and medieval world’s most powerful states – there are few places where the melting pot of colonisation, conquest and cultural exchange is as palpable. Fully enclosed within the Mediterranean basin of ancient commerce, it is no wonder that antiquity’s two chief seafarers – the Phoenicians and the Greeks – sought out Sicily as a land of opportunity. A millennium of harassment, invasion and occupation followed, but left in its wake a gloriously diverse material culture that barely seems to fit all on one island. This is the brilliance of Sicily, and this tour, traversing coast-to-coast, unpacks it all: from Greek temples to Baroque cathedrals and everything in between. I’d come to Sicily for the temples alone – especially the golden columns of Selinunte – but they’re ‘one a penny’ here, and you can decide on this tour which is your favourite!”

— Tour Director Oliver Kenzie