|
 Palermo
This port city is the regional capital
and Sicily's largest urban area. Sunny Palermo typically has less rainfall
annually (and often more smog) than any other large city in Italy. Of Phoenician
foundation, Palermo was enlarged by the Carthaginians and Romans, and under the
Moors (Saracens) became the capital of Sicily, a status it was to enjoy under the
Normans and successive rulers. In the twelfth century, it was briefly the most
important city in the Mediterranean, and much of its medieval heritage is
visible. There are more than a million residents ("Palermitans") in the
greater Palermo area.
Read about Palermo. |
|  Catania
In the shadow of Mount Etna, Catania
is an important industrial centre and Sicily's second largest city. Located on
the eastern (Ionian) coast, it is often the warmest large city in Italy. Founded
by Greeks and greatly expanded by the Romans, Catania grew in prominence in the
Middle Ages but surpassed Messina in importance only in the seventeenth century
when, following the extensive damage caused by one of Etna's frequent eruptions,
it was constructed as the greyish Baroque city we see today. A sibling rivalry
dating from the 1700s continues between Catania and Palermo.
Read about
Catania.
| |
 Messina
Its position on the coast near
mountains and winds makes Messina's weather seem cool compared to that of other
Sicilian cities. Messina is Sicily's gateway to the rest of Italy. The whirlpools
encountered by Odysseus in the Strait of Messina, though small, are not a myth.
Messina was a Greek city and a Roman one, growing in importance during the Middle
Ages as a European springboard for the Crusades. For brief periods, it was the
capital of Sicily. Following an earthquake early in 1908, and extensive damage
during the Second World War, Messina was rebuilt into its present
form.
Read about Messina. |
