ASSOCIATION HEART OF SICILY. The "Heart of Sicily" association invites you to visit Sicily and aims to enhance the wealth of the Island, suggesting tourist itineraries targeted, aimed at meeting the expectations for good pemanenza in Sicily, managing to capture all the beauty present and offers the chance to be welcomed since the arrival in a Sicilian airport before being accommodated in the HEART OF SICILY. Keep reading
VI ARE WHERE TO STAY
Thanks to our agreements we find where to sleep in selected places and attention to detail.
SUPPORT WITH CAR AND TRANSLATION
We will help you discover the most beautiful places of our land. Islands, seaside places, mountain,
ARRIVAL FROM AIRPORT OR STATION
Transfer from Trapani Comiso Palermo and Catania airport, up to our accommodation and vice versa for the departure to your chosen destination.
VI ARE WHERE TO STAY
Thanks to our agreements we find where to sleep in selected places and attention to detail.
good morning starts in the morning...
Breakfast. Hello Visitors! A day to be really good to begin with sweetness. For this, every morning, , you will be greeted by the fragrant smell of brioche, and pampered with a perfect breakfast in every detail
Free - Free internet connection
WI-FI free - free , in all accommodation, the internet is free.
Free
The Association provides, on request, A free shuttle service from the train station, dall'aeropoto or the bus terminal in the place of arrival to the hotel and vice versa.
Free
In addition, guests of the Association, They can count on a large guarded and not.
All inclusive vacation package
sciegliendo the all inclusive package you will be accompanied in our tourist routes and sightseeing program, the car association
Free
Our guide will accompany you in our tourist itineraries and guided sightseeing arrangements and will help 7 days 7. Also there will be a translator in English or French.
On demand
Thanks to agreements with specialized companies have the possibility to rent the car at an affordable price
On demand
Only available through agreements with specialized companies can rent a scooter or a bike, at an affordable price
SUPPORT WITH CAR AND TRANSLATION
We will help you discover the most beautiful places of our land. Islands, seaside places, mountain,
ARRIVAL FROM AIRPORT OR STATION
Transfer from Trapani Comiso Palermo and Catania airport, up to our accommodation and vice versa for the departure to your chosen destination.
IN THE CENTER, IN THE HEART OF SICILYSerradifalco Located right in the center of Sicily is very strategic for those who want to visit all the major cities and tourist destinations in Sicily, a 20 minutes from Agrigento, a 30 from Enna, 1 now from Catania, 1.30 from Palermo and Siracusa etc. 1 Now from Selinunte and Segesta, 1.45 from taormina. This allows our guests to see everything without large displacements.
There are hundreds of people every year are involved in the demonstrations of Santasancataldese week that proposes the themes dear to the popular and religious tradition of the Passion, death and Resurrection of Christ. Holy Wednesday: HISTORICAL PARADE – On Wednesday it offers moments of great spectacle. Hundreds of extras in splendid costumes, They give rise to a long and majestic parade, among fanfare, the trot of the many elegant horses involved and the attention of thousands of spectators placed along the square. The sentence imposed by Pilate decreed the fate of the Nazarene. The parade reassembled, Jesus had to drag the cross, proceeds to Calvary, where we witness the hanging of Judas. Thursday’ Santo: The real stars of the day were Maria, “the grieving” and the beloved disciple of Jesus, “San Giuvannuzzu“. Late in the evening from Thursday from the Church of San Giuseppe turn away the statues of the Addolorata and San Giovanni, brought into shoulder by devotees. After a long journey that makes a stop in the churches of the country, in which the search Sorrows Son, The procession ends late in the evening in front of the door of the Mother Church, where the dead Christ: the Church's door is suddenly closed and the band starts […]
Mussomeli Castle Masterpiece of military architecture of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries., It was erected by Manfredi Chiaramonte and it is definitely one of the more inaccessible fortresses of Sicily. The castle, located about 2 km from Mussomeli is placed at different heights and seems to merge with the limestone cliff on which stands. The fortress is bounded by two boundary walls irragolari that exploit the most of every possible support offered by the cliff; thereby built amalgamates with nature. The exterior of the castle with the portal and windows has plenty of Gothic elements.
It starts from Caltanissetta, visiting the Mineralogical Museum and the Paleontological Zolfara. After the visit is San Cataldo, which exceeds to go Gabbara area, the protected area that conceals within it several examples of sulphurous production. This is from the Calvary of San Cataldo, through Contrada Giganna and Provincial Road 149 to the gate of the protected area. From here, finished the hike, return to San Cataldo and proceed to Apaforte, following the National Road 122 verso Serradifalco (the site is just north of the village).
Located along the National Road 122 verso Serradifalco, It had been already known since the nineteenth century, but only by 1905 He was subjected to excavations, that until the sixties of the twentieth century have allowed the discovery of significant traces of human activity, since the Bronze Age Sicani (tombs oven) to the earliest centuries of Christianity. Remains of walls, homes, road layout, graves and cult sites tell of a past lush. A number of artifacts supported, some perfectly preserved, They are now in various museums of Sicily. Path, It is reachable from S. Cataldo (Sicily-CL), through the SS n ° 122. Exactly at Km 4 It takes a dirt farm road leading to the site after a few hundred meters.
The church of San Francesco d'Assisi, already Capuchin church, It was also built by Prince Giuseppe Galletti and annexed to the former Capuchin monastery, from 1724. The Capuchins were in San Cataldo until the suppression of the religious orders took place in 1866. After alienation of the monastery was turned into a hospice for elderly. It has four lateral altars carved wood: the first on the right holds the statue of the Madonna of the Assumption 1957 that is carried out in the procession 15 August. St. Francis of Assisi, 4 – San Cataldo (CL) Tel: 0934 587018
The mother church, in the past the Nativity of Mary, It was built by barone Vincenzo Galletti Fiumesalato and Marquis of San Cataldo in 1632. In 1695, due to a collapse of the right transept the chapel of San Cataldo and the Crucifix, the church was rebuilt from scratch by Prince Giuseppe Galletti, who invited his brother Peter, Bishop of Catania (9 May 1739). On that occasion the mother church was re-dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. In 1788 a terrible fire caused extensive damage in the sacristy archive. The church was closed from April 1965 to December 1979. It presents a Latin cross with three aisles, divided by arches, with a barrel vault and central dome. In ancient times it was equipped with 14 altars.
Both the Monte Tabor, granted for defensive reasons by Philip III (“We grant… tower… build”) and then demolished and rebuilt, that the one integrated with the Church of the Rosary of Ss.mo 1820 and aimed at re for workers and miners, that the last of the Christ the King, most dedicated to religious services, draw a skyline of San Cataldo that is very different from other cities and surrounding villages.
History: The mountain is about Sabucina 10 Km. NE of Caltanissetta, on the right bank of the river Salso, l'antico Imera, and if rises m. 720 m. s.l.m. Together with the mountain Capodarso, Sabucina controls the point where the valley narrows Salty and for that strategic and geographical location it occupied in antiquity a remarkable prominent at the control of military and commercial penetration roads to the interior of this part of the island territory, coincident with the area of the ancient Sikania. Therefore, although over the centuries they changed the historical and political conditions, Sabucina on the site followed one another a number of settlements, which, punctuated by a few interruptions, They are placed chronologically since the Bronze Age (fine III – early second millennium. C.) Hellenistic (early third century. a. C.). The scientific and methodological survey obtained archaeological figures suggest as follows the various life stages of Sabucina center. In the age of ancient bronze, at the foot of the mountain Sabucina, there were some villages facies Castelluccio (XXIII-XV sec. a. C.); Between the thirteenth and tenth century. a. C., on the slopes of the hill was built Sabucina […]
The Mazarin Castle stands on a slight hill, near the present city center. The visible aboveground remnants allow a reading reconstructive implant quadrangular with cylindrical corner towers. The castle guaranteed the control of the valleys below and the Braemi Disueri streams. Even after the building of the town of Mazzarino, developed on the slopes of the castle to the south, He maintained towards this strategically located country. Vulgarly called 'The cannon', probably due to the similarity that, in the popular imagination, It assumes the cylindrical Southwest tower, only completely surviving, with a big cannon. Originally, the castle consisted of four cilindrichi towers connected by curtain walls with battlements, within which they were developed living environments and service, over various internal courtyards. Today there are well-defined, although fragmented elevation, only the south wall and in part the curtains to the north and west. The western towers, dimensionally larger than Eastern, They were made up of three levels connected by stone stairs located inside the same. The entrance was through an opening ogive located between the two western towers, of which few traces remain today visible. The north and south walls have various openings typologically different demonstrating […]
FALCONARA THE CASTLE IS ONE OF THE HISTORIC SICILIAN, PRESENT ON THE SOUTH COAST, MORE WITH CHARM: THE NAME COMES FROM ANCIENT TO CENTRAL TOWER, OVER TO FORM THE ORIGINAL BODY, It WAS USED FOR BREEDING OF HUNTING FALCONI. FALCONARA CASTLE IS THE ONLY PROVINCE OF CALTANISSETTA the sea appears NEAR Butera. The building of the central tower probably dates back to the fourteenth century, after 1313, during the Vespers war between the Aragonese Angevins of Sicily and Naples, when some Angevin pirates could land between Newfoundland and Licata, to assault and plunder Butera. Certainly, the tower there was a 18 October 1392, when King Martin I assigned it as a feud with County Butera Catalan noble family of Ademar. Certainly until the end of the eighteenth century, It absolves the tower still in its task of monitoring and defense from pirate raids, indeed, Camillo Camillians had already included in his plan of defense of the island 1584. Today the castle shows the Aragonese still intact fifteenth-century structure, and its three phases of construction. To notice, Prospectus where the input, It stands out in a gunboat tower. Worthy of particular note the park surrounding the castle: rich […]
historic Akragas Profile - Agrigento The Park, covering some 1300 ha, It features an impressive monumental and landscape heritage that includes the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas and the land surrounding it to the sea. In the Valley of the Temples, declared in 1997 UNESCO "World Heritage", It is one of the major archaeological complexes of the Mediterranean, immersed in an agricultural landscape of rare beauty consists predominantly of centenarians olive and almond trees. Akragas was one of the most important Greek colonies in Sicily, extended about 450 ha, founded around 582 A.C.. by settlers from nearby Gela and from Rhodes. The site chosen was a plateau naturally protected to the north by the Rupe Atenea and the Colle di Girgenti and to the south by Long Hill of the Temples, bounded on the sides by Akragas Hypsas confluent rivers and south in one over whose mouth was the ancient port (emporion). From the beginning - under the tyranny of Phalaris (570-554 A.C.) famous for his cruelty - the city articulated terraces was characterized by a regular city plan. The Rock of Athena was the site of the acropolis with sacred and defensive function; the Hill of the Temples housed the monumental shrines; the central area of the town and […]
L’ element of greater scenic interest is represented by Scala dei Turchi, a living cliff consists of an outcrop of marl prominent white sea, whose degrading groundwater layer to give it a very striking appearance, accentuated, your back, by strong color contrasts if you think the blue sea and sky contrasted with the blinding white of the rock. The form that this monument of nature assumes that it is precisely of a staircase, where according to legend, during the Moorish invasions that raged in the '500, the Turks (so erroneously called) They landed in the territory of Realmonte climbing on layers of this crag.
It is considered the oldest tree and largest in Europe. It is located in Sicily, to be precise in the province of Catania, the famous "Chestnut of Hundred Horses", a creature whose life is between 3000 e i 4000 years. The famous chestnut tree is in the territory of Sant'Alfio, not far from the town, along the provincial road leading to Linguaglossa, on the eastern slope of Etna. A natural show, seen up close, with its impressive canopy that allowed the plant to become a legend. His nickname is in fact tied to the tradition that, under his huge arms, during a storm found shelter Queen Joanna of Aragon and his entourage, formed by 100 horses and riders. Sung and described by many travelers and scholars in the '700 and' 800, The Chestnut is now a destination for visitors from around the world as well as botanists. To establish the supremacy in Italy and Europe of the Chestnut of the Hundred Horses it was the Turin-known botanical Peyronal, according to which the shaft is aged between 3000 e 4000 years. According to estimates provided by the Ardea, Catania The chestnut has a diameter and a height of 22 meters. The writer Vincenzo Consolo, his […]
Etna (Mongibello or 'mount Sicilian) is a Sicilian volcanic complex originated in the Quaternary and represents the active volcano terrestrial higher than the Eurasian plate. His frequent eruptions throughout history have changed, sometimes deeply, the surrounding landscape, coming several times to threaten the populations in the millennia they have settled around it. The 21 June 2013 the XXXVII session of UNESCO Committee, meeting in Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Mount Etna has entered the list of the assets constituting the World Heritage.
Brief introduction The cathedral of Monreale, next to the Palatine Chapel in Palermo and the Cathedral of Cefalu, It is the culmination, construction of a century Norman, continental and insular. In it converge syncretically constructive experiences, that starting to Cluny in the tenth century, continue with the dell'abbaziale edification of Bernay and subsequently the Trinitè , St. Nicolas e St. E'tienne in Caen, combining at Miletus, these architectures with those dell'abbaziale of Montecassino and experimenting in the cathedrals of Catania and Messina impregnated new types of Sicilian regionalism and new Norman experimentalism, (v. Lessay Normandia – Some). DESCRIPTION Chiesa_Cattedrale_Monreale.jpgOsservata outside the cathedral of King William II, It is divided into three main volumes characteristic of the Western churches in Latin cross: The longitudinal basilican body with three naves, transept, and the area triabsidata. These volumes are added to the west: two bell towers which clamp the pillared entrance porch (esonartece) surmounted by a triangular gable, according to the typical pattern of Normandy churches. The dell'esonartece surfaces were decorated with scenes from the life of the Blessed Vergine Maria. porta_ingresso.jpgLa large entrance door coated with bronze panels, by Bonanno da Pisa, It was placed in 1185. At the crossing of the transept and the nave rises, above […]
“The set of buildings that forms the site of 'Arab-Norman Palermo and cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu’ It represents an example of coexistence material, interaction and interchange between different cultural and historical components of heterogeneous geographical origin. This syncretism has created an original architectural and artistic style, of outstanding universal value, in which they are admirably fused Byzantine elements, Islamic and Latin, able from time to time occur in unique combinations, excelled of artistic value and extraordinarily unitary. The Arab-Norman syncretism had a strong impact in the Middle Ages, contributing significantly to the formation of a Mediterranean koinè, fundamental condition for the development of modern European-Mediterranean civiltaà”. (© Nomination Dossier for registration in the World Heritage List of the serial Palermo Arabic website- Norman and cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu, December 2014) Along with the Cathedral of Palermo they are part of the itinerary of the cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu and the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, the Royal Palace, the Church of S. John of the Hermits, the Church of Martorana, the Church of S. Cataldo and Admiral Bridge and the Palace of Zisa
Once in Ragusa it is impossible not to visit Ragusa, the centerpiece of the city of Ragusa, his most charming neighborhood with numerous palaces and churches that are found there. Ragusa extends over a small hill and after the earthquake 1693 It was entirely rebuilt in the Baroque style. To start a pleasant walk to the discovery of Ibla is good from Piazza Pola. This square is the principal of the neighborhood and this is where you will find many bars, local and municipal offices.
The house of Montalbano The famous house of Italy's most famous Commissioner, now a place of pilgrimage for many tourists, It is located in Punta Secca in the municipality of Santa Croce Camerina (Rg), in via Aldo Moro 44. The house is in the small square in front Scalambri tower built in the late sixteenth century to defend the fief of the Bellomo family of Syracuse. We are on the coast of the province of Ragusa. A curiosity to know about this building is that it was originally intended as a warehouse for the desalination of sardines and, in 1904, it became a home. The village of Punta Secca houses 132 inhabitants, It is small and quiet, and it is 5,7 kilometers from Santa Croce Camerina
The Villa Romana del Casale A good one for all The Roman structure, of the late imperial era, for its exceptional wealth of architectural and decorative elements, It has become particularly important object within the program to protect and enhance the heritage of the region of Sicily, whose management is now entrusted to the Archaeological Park of Villa Romana del Casale and the archaeological sites of Piazza Armerina and neighboring municipalities, Administration Regional Institute of Cultural Heritage. The Ville, protected by UNESCO 1997, It belonged to a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, perhaps a governor of Rome (Grand Prix); according to some scholars was, instead, built and expanded on direct imperial patronage. For its beauty and complexity, It can be considered one of the most significant examples of representative dwelling compared to other contemporary Western Roman. The high profile of his patron is celebrated, eloquently, through an iconographic program, stylistically influenced by African culture, that unfolds, with compositional richness, in a multitude of public character and private environments.
It bases its defensibility while perched position on the rocky top of the plateau East ennese cusp, here the bedrock was carved up to derive a high masonry barbacane, pouncing useful to the defense of the base of the castle and, evidently entirely unaffected by a possible work of mine of the walls. The walls then close a series of modulated circuits according to several lines of defense ever closer and closer and closer to the key area of the castle itself, the male. The raw tape, It should probably be thought of as a mild curtain wall which was supposed to contain the rock of Ceres, useful in the control of the valley of the Dittaino. Of this curtain, There remain some flaps today buried beneath the road that leads to the same Rupe with two turrets of a square base rincalzo one of which seems to be positioned under the access to the pizzeria ladder placed immediately at the foot of the road and the other is visible as very questionable restoration in the highest of the same lane area. Castello di Lombardia (Enna)More she was inside the curtain wall which follows the course of the calcareous rock cut shoe, that, in simple terms, that is today identified as the outside of the castle curtain. On this […]
10 things to do and see in Taormina A complete and detailed guide 10 things to do and see in Taormina 1, 2 O 3 days. Thanks to its charming seaside location, beautiful scenery, to the vast historical heritage, cultural and archaeological heritage that abound, Taormina is one of the most famous resorts of the island. Place of great charm and beauty, the beautiful Sicilian town has attracted poets and writers, He has attracted famous travelers, welcomed world-famous celebrities. Visitors arriving from all over the world in this "paradise on earth flap" (Goethe, I travel to italy 1787), to see its greek-roman theater, to stroll along its medieval streets, to admire its breathtaking views, to enjoy its excellent cuisine, to relax in the sun of its wonderful beaches, there remain fascinated. The rest, as he stated by the French writer Guy de Maupassant, Taormina "is all that seems created to seduce the eyes, the mind and the fantasia ". Who he was in Taormina knows that is true, those who intend to visit it easily discover. On this page we recommend you 10 things you must do in Taormina. The Greek Theater […]
Syracuse An itinerary for those with limited time, suitable for adults and children, to visit the most significant sites of one of the most beautiful and important in the world. Syracuse is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a major tourist. Its territory includes more than three thousand years of history, witnessed by numerous monuments, archaeological sites and museums. To visit, understand and truly appreciate it, it would take many years. When you visit as a tourist, naturally, It does not have much time. Often a few days, if no one adderittura. You must then make a selection of what to see. The following is a suggested itinerary that allows seeing the sights in one day, optimizing traveling times, taking into account the opening hours of the attractions and physical fatigue. The steps proposed are compatible with the schools, even an early age, but it can be optimal for adults. For more details, please refer to their detailed files. This route starts at approximately 9.00 am If you arrive in the city with touring coaches, There are rules to follow (see details). The vehicles are to be parked in the area of […]
THE DISCOVERY AND ERICE TRAPANI - WHAT TO SEE IN A DAY? If you talk to any tourist, foreign or Italian, visiting Western Sicily, You can not help but repeat, like a mantra, between the various locations, to Erice. "I went to Erice", "You have to go to Erice", "I will go to Erice", and so on. At this point, all that remains is to face facts, be dragged from the crowd and ... go and see for themselves, matching, Erice, a visit to Trapani. 🙂 Finding myself in Palermo, and wanting to take advantage of the day, I immediately discarded the train (that, to date, due to logistical problems, employs nearly 4 ore, touring very long), and I focused on Blablacar, car sharing system that I had never used before. I looked for, in their database, a person who effettuasse the Palermo-Trapani route that day, at that time. At that point, personally he does was to agree on payment (5/6 eur) and meeting place. starting at 7 in the morning, I managed to get to Trapani shortly after 8 (thanks to a fluke, we have not found the notorious traffic on Avenue of the Sicilian Region!). Having with me the trolley, and having to go […]
Olive culture -collection of milling olives and pure olive oil production.
Viticulture - From vine to wine- Collection, squeezing and transformation into grape juice collection and manufacture new local wine.
Preparing Aloe according to ancient recipe by Father Romano Zago. At Guests sarà donato the mixture and an aloe map.
Typical Mediterranean Cooking classes.
Visit to museums, archaeological and natural sites.
Participation in fairs, parties and meetings organized
jams preparation courses and nature preserves with fresh seasonal fruits without the use of preservatives or other, with fruit picking opportunities directly available from the association's campaigns.
Collection, drying and preparation of products based on dried fruit (nights, almonds, cocciole).
Studio uses Sicilian traditions and customs.
Knowledge of herbs and traditional medicines and preparation miraculous oil of San Giovanni (St. John's Wort Oil)
cultivation techniques agricultural products and fruit grafts with ancient techniques and natural without the use of chemicals.
The accommodation is very cute, the rooms are decorated down to the smallest details, and the owners are very nice.
Stay in the peaceful and staff efficiency. All perfect. warm welcome. impeccable cleaning!
Staying, visit with guided sleep in wonderful places to eat local delicacies, THINK TO ALL OF US
Choose our Association Heart of Sicily, we will welcome you when you arrive, we'll stay, eat visit the most beautiful places on the island, rich in art and history, culture. +
