Page 192 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Sicily

190  SICIL Y AREA B Y AREA

s Tyndaris
The Nebrodi Mountains
Road map E2. @ from Messina (090- The Arabs occupied the Nebrodi Mountains for centuries and referred
892 021). n STR, Piazza Guglielmo to them as “an island on an island”. The name comes from the Greek
Marconi (0941 241 136). Open 9am–1hr word nebros, or “roe deer”, because of the rich wildlife found in this
before sunset daily. & _ Pilgrimage mountain range, which separates the Madonie Mountains to the
of the Madonna Nera (8 Sep).
west from the Peloritani Mountains to the east. The Parco Regionale
dei Monti Nebrodi is a nature reserve with extensive forests and some
Ancient Tyndaris was one of the pastureland, which is covered with snow in the winter. In the middle
last Greek colonies in Sicily, of the park is the Biviere di
founded by the Syracusans in Cesarò lake, a stopover point
396 BC, when the Romans were for migratory birds and an
beginning to expand their ideal habitat for the Testudo
territory in the Mediterranean. hermanni marsh turtle. The
The town also prospered under tallest peak is Monte Soro
Roman rule and became a (1,850 m/6,068 ft). Higher up,
diocese during the early the maquis is replaced by oak
Christian period, after which time and beech woods.
it was destroyed by the Arabs. A
visit to the archaeological site is O Parco Regionale dei
fascinating, partly because of the Monti Nebrodi
monuments but also because of Tel 0941-702 524. Horses grazing in the Parco Regionale dei
the many details that give you ∑ parcodeinebrodi.it Monti Nebrodi
an idea of everyday life in the
ancient city. The town is laid out
in a Classical grid plan consisting diameter of more than 60 m and vases, a colossal head of
of two straight and parallel (197 ft). Nearby is the Agora, the Emperor Augustus and
streets (decumani) intersected which has, unhappily, been prehistoric finds. One unmissable
by other streets (cardines). obs cured by modern buildings. sight is the view below the
Past the walls through the In the theatre area are the Promontory of Tyndaris: the
main city gate, not far from remains of a Roman villa and Laguna di Oliveri, celebrated by
the Madonna di Tindari baths. If you stroll through the the poet and Nobel Prize winner
Sanctuary (which houses the streets of the ancient city you Quasi modo (see p27).
famous Byzantine Madonna will see storehouses for food and
Nera or Black Madonna, the Greek-era drainage system. R Madonna di Tindari Sanctuary
honoured in a pilgrimage held Next to the theatre is the Museo Piazza Quasimodo. Tel 0941-369 003.
every September) is the Greek Archeologico, which has a large Open 6:45am–12.45pm, 2:30–7pm
Theatre, situated on the slope of model of the Greek theatre (to 8pm Jul–Aug) daily.
a rise and facing the sea; it has a stage, as well as Greek statues ∑ santuariotindari.it

The unusual natural scenery at the Laguna di Oliveri, seen from the Promontory of Tyndaris
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp204–5 and pp216–17

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