Grand Tour of Southern Italy

This morning we set off on foot to visit the Antonio Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum in Palermo, which houses an incredible array of artefacts, notably the world famous metopes from Selinus from the temples we will later visit. We spend the rest of the day considering the marvels from Arabo-Norman period which produced a unique blend of art and architecture. We start with the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, or ‘La Martorana’, a church replete with mosaics, including a famous portrait of the Norman King Roger II. Next door, we visit the Church of San Cataldo, which is Byzantine in its shape and yet has Arabic squinches. In the afternoon, we visit the Duomo, whose façade, complete with a column from a mosque once on the site, is witness to the city’s mix of cultures. We end the day at the Norman Palace, where we visit the Cappella Palatina.

We continue our exploration of the Arabo-Norman period by visiting two of Sicily’s most famous cathedrals. We start with the Cathedral of Cefalu’, built by Roger II and dominated by an apse which has one of most evocative mosaics of Christ Pantocrator in the world. While here, we will also explore the cloister attached to the cathedral. We continue to Monreale to see the elegant Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, built under King William II in order to curtail the power of the Archbishop Walter Offamilio who erected Palermo Cathedral. The cathedral is covered in Byzantine mosaics which are beautifully preserved. Adjacent to the cathedral, we will visit the Benedictine cloisters, a fabulous conflation of medieval and Arabic architecture.

We move on from Palermo and visit a series of ancient sites, starting with Segesta, an Elymian city which preserves the unfinished 5^th century Greek temple, once built to impress Athens at a time when it was intent on invading Sicily. We continue to the island of Motya, the most important Phoenician site on the island. We see a Tophet, or child burial site, as well as a well-preserved gate and a mysterious sanctuary, once thought to be the city’s harbour. We end the day with the Baglio Anselmi Archaeological Museum which hosts a famous Punic warship. The vessel was sunk in the Battle of the Aegates Islands which concluded the First Punic War, as well as a superb late-Antique trading ship which has recently been re-assembled.

This morning we drive to the quarries at Cave di Cusa, the stone from which was used to build the gigantic temples at Selinunte. Their heavy work was abandoned in 409 BC, when Carthaginians mercilessly sacked their city, a common refrain in the violent history of Sicily. We can still see the remnants of column drums on site, sadly destined to remain both unfinished and in situ. We then travel on to Selinus itself to see the temples of the eastern sanctuary, including the incredible Temple G, one of the largest temples of the Greek world. We finish the day at the Acropolis of Selinus, dramatically positioned on plains overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Here we not only see remains of ancient temples, but of Punic housing inhabited by Carthaginians who took over the site after the sacking.

Today we spend a whole day exploring the magnificent remains of Agrigento, site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas. In the morning, we visit the National Archaeological Museum which houses a stunning array of artefacts narrating the city’s history, including an important collection of Greek vases as well as Roman sarcophagi. We continue to the Valley of the Temples, a World Heritage Site of seven Doric sanctuaries, including the Temple of Hera Lacinia and the remarkably well- preserved Temple of Concord, with its elegant walls and columns. We also view the remains of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, another gigantic Sicilian temple, with an unusual layout characterised by enormous telemons.

Our journey takes us through central Sicily, stopping at the magnificent Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina. This late-Antique villa is noted for its superb collection of mosaics – the largest in the world – which can now be viewed from a newly-installed network of raised walkways. Here we find the famous depiction of the ‘Bikini Girls’, as well as lively images of hunting and ancient games. We proceed to Morgantina, a city founded by the native Sikels under their leader Ducetius. The last of the Sicilian towns to succumb to Roman rule, the city was later captured by slaves in the First Servile War in the Roman period. Morgantina has been the focus of intensive excavations in recent decades, and research here is still ongoing. We find an exciting collection of remains, including a bouleuterion – an ancient Greek political chamber – a theatre, kilns and houses complete with mosaics.

Today we start our explorations of Syracuse, which Cicero described as “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all”. We visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park, home to the Great Theatre where Aeschylus’ tragedies were once performed in the playwright’s presence. In the afternoon, we walk around Ortygia, the oldest part of the ancient city, and the site of the remarkable 5^th century BC Temple of Athena, which has been converted into the Cathedral of Our Lady’s Nativity.

This morning we discover traces of Syracuse’s glorious past in the exceptional Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum, where we explore a remarkable array of vases and statues, along with a unique treasury containing a collection of jewels and coins from the area. Afterwards we continue our journey up the eastern Coast of Sicily to Giardini Naxos, beautifully situated set on the coast and home to the first Greek colony in Sicily, Naxos. Here, we explore the little visited archaeological museum and the ancient site, set in a beautiful fruit grove. Remains of the ancient city, built from volcanic rock, include houses, a kiln and impressive walls. After lunch in Giardini, we travel to the atmospheric city of Taormina, perched over Naxos and famed for its views of Etna.

A relaxing day today starting with a walk around the city, venturing to the famous Roman theatre as well as the smaller Roman odeon. Afterwards you will have free time to explore the delights of Taormina, finding colourful streets which are off the beaten track and cafés which afford breathtaking views. Those keen to get the most out of this historic town could visit the Palazzo Corvaja or remains of Roman houses, as well as the Roman nymphaeum. It is not hard to see how people from all over the world from different centuries have fallen for this place.

Today we leave the magnificent island of Sicily and venture into southern Italy. We drive a short distance to Messina, badly damaged by several earthquakes and during World War II, and take a ferry to Reggio Calabria. Here we spend the rest of the morning in the spectacular National Museum of Magna Grecia, which houses an important collection of artefacts from Calabria, including bronze tablets from Epizephyrian Locris, the bronze head of a philosopher and the peerless Riace Bronzes, life-size bronzes found off the coast of Reggio, among the most significant statues remaining from Antiquity. After lunch, we travel northwards to Paestum in Campania, stopping on the way to stretch our legs.

Our day begins at the site of Paestum, ancient Poseidonia. Long before the Romans came, this was a thriving Greek city that was part of Magna Graecia from the 6th century BC. The city is famed for its three Classical temples, which are among the best-preserved in the Greek world. Goethe famously compared the Temple of Concord in Agrigento with the temples at Paestum and you have the wonderful opportunity to do the same. In Paestum, we also see houses and public buildings from the Roman era. Following a leisurely lunch, we visit the Paestum Museum, which houses the famous Tomb of the Diver, with its intact fresçoes dated to around 480 BC. Here, we will have a private behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s incredible store rooms.

We devote the entire day to Pompeii. No site compares in revealing details of daily life in a Roman town and there has never been a better time to visit the site, following a series of excavations which have revealed new houses and thermopolia. Starting at the amphitheatre entrance, we explore the recently-opened exhibiting space in the Palaestra which displays food as well as wonderful frescoes from Moregine. Continuing down the Via dell’Abbondanza, we explore houses which are newly opened and make our way to Regio V to see the House of Leda which has just opened to the public. Travelling via the best routes to avoid crowds, we end the day at the Villa of the Mysteries, whose fresçoes depicting Bacchic initiation rites are among the finest in-situ Roman paintings in the world.

This morning we venture into Naples, where we visit the world-class National Museum of Archaeology. The museum houses the artefacts from the Vesuvian towns, as well as the Farnese collections of gems, and statuary from the Baths of Caracalla. We will see the famous collection of mosaics, including the Alexander mosaic, and the dainty mosaics of everyday life signed by Dioscourides. We will also be able to admire some of the most famous frescoes from the Vesuvian cites, including the well- known depiction of Vesuvius before the eruption. We end the tour on a highlight by spending the afternoon in Herculaneum. This once beautiful coastal city is buried underneath 23 metres of pyroclastic flow which have allowed it to be preserved in much greater detail than Pompeii. Our day includes visits to the newly re-opened Houses of the Stag and the Bicentenary, as well as to the Shrine of the Augustales, a speechlessly well-preserved building, which housed a famous victim of the eruption whose brain was recently found to be vitrified.

After a long journey through Sicily and southern Italy exploring more than a millennium and a half of history, we make our way back home, flying from Naples to London