Page 93 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

sophisticated city. The the ancient Elymians,
1 Palermo Cappella Palatina (Palatine was in constant conflict
Palermo is a fascinating Chapel; www.federicosecondo. with Selinunte, whose de-
conglomeration of splen- org; Piazza Indipendenza; struction it sought with
dour and decay. Unlike adult/reduced Fri-Mon dogged determination
and singular success.
€8.50/6.50, Tue-Thu €7/5;
Florence or Rome, many
of its treasures are hid- h9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 8.30- Time, however, has done
den rather than scrubbed 9.40am & 11.15am-1pm Sun) to Segesta what violence
up for endless streams of is the perfect expression inflicted on Selinunte;
tourists. The evocative of this marriage, with its little remains now, save
the theatre and the
gold-inflected Byzantine
history of the city infuses
its daily life, lending its mosaics crowned by a never-completed Doric
dusty backstreet markets honeycomb muqarnas temple. The latter dates
a distinct Middle Eastern ceiling – a masterpiece of from around 430 BC
feel and its architecture a Arab craftsmanship. and is remarkably well
For an insight into
preserved. On windy days
unique East-meets-West ITALY 6 WONDERS OF ANCIENT SICILY
look. Sicily’s long and tur- its 36 giant columns are
bulent past, the Museo
A trading port since said to act like an organ,
Phoenician times, the Archeologico Regionale producing mysterious
city, which is best ex- (%091 611 68 07; www. notes.
plored on foot, first came regione.sicilia.it/beniculturali/ The Drive » Keep heading
to prominence as capital salinas; Piazza Olivella 24; along A29dir through a
of Arab Sicily in the 9th h9.30am-6.30pm Tue-Fri, to patchwork of green and ochre
century AD. When the 1pm Sat & Sun) houses some fields and follow signs for the
Normans rode into town of the island’s most valu- 40km to Trapani. As you reach
its outskirts, you’ll head up the
able Greek and Roman
in the 11th century, they very windy SP3 to Erice, with
used Arab know-how to artefacts. great views of countryside
turn it into Christen- 54 p98 and sea.
dom’s richest and most
The Drive » From Palermo
the 82km trip to Segesta starts
along the fast-moving A29 as 3 Erice
LINK it skirts the mountains west A spectacular hill town,
YOUR of Palermo, then runs along Erice combines medieval
agricultural plains until you
TRIP reach the hills of Segesta. charm with astounding
The Greek ruins lie just off the 360-degree views from
atop the legendary Mt
1 Grand Tour A29dir. Eryx (750m) – on a clear
Head north to
Naples where you can TRIP HIGHLIGHT day, you can see as far
as Cape Bon in Tunisia.
start your search for Wander the medieval
enlightenment and 2 Segesta streets interspersed with
adventure. Set on the edge of a deep
canyon in the midst of churches, forts and tiny
4 Amalfi Coast desolate mountains, the cobbled piazzas. Little
remains from its ancient
Don’t miss this 5th-century-BC ruins
week-long adventure of of Segesta (%0924 95 past, though as a centre
hairpin turns and vertical 23 56; adult/reduced €6/3; for the cult of Venus, it
landscapes amid the h9am-7.30pm Apr-Sep, has a seductive history.
world’s most glamorous 9am-1hr before sunset Oct- The best views can
stretch of coastline. Mar) are a magical site. be had from the Gi-
The city, founded by ardino del Balio, which
91