Sicily: Art and History

This beautiful book about Sicily is published by the Italian publisher Bonechi, which specialises in picture books about famous places in Italy and around the world. It is a volume in the popular series called “Art and History.”

Books from Bonechi are published in several languages. This version is in English; it was published in 1997 and it has 174 pages. There are 280 colour illustrations. The text is written by Giuliano Valdes. The English translation is by Rowena Hill.

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is located between Europe in the north and Africa in the south; between Gibraltar in the west and Alexandria in the east. It has a turbulent history: many outsiders have wished to control this island because of its strategically important location. Since 1861 it has been a part of Italy.

This book covers more than forty locations: towns, archaeological sites, as well as the countryside. Most towns, and most archaeological sites are on the coast, because the island is full of mountains. But a few towns and a few archaeological sites are found inland, away from the coast. In this review I will only mention some of them. I have divided them into four groups, according to their location:

On the East Coast

** Siracusa – six pages

** Catania
** Taormina-Naxos
** Messina
** Inland: Etna

On the North Coast

** Cefalu

** Palermo – 26 pages
** Inland: Monreale – 12 pages

On the West Coast

** Trapani

** Marsala
** Inland: Segesta – seven pages

On the South Coast

** Selinunte – 10 pages

** Agrigento – 18 pages
** Inland: Villa Romana del Casale – 12 pages - and Morgantina (near Piazza Armerina)

The book begins with an introduction which covers history, art, traditions, food, baths, and protected areas. The book concludes with a map of the island.

All the major sites of Sicily are here, with text and illustrations. I miss only one place: the ancient town of Himera, which is located on the north coast, halfway between Palermo and Cafalu. An important battle between a Carthaginian and a Greek army took place here in 480 BC. The modern name of this place - Termini Imerese - is marked on the map, but it is not covered in the text, and there are no pictures from this place.

For more information about Himera see Richard Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, hardcover 2010, paperback 2011, pp. 114-126.

There is a brief presentation of the famous author Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936), who is from Sicily (page 104). But two famous persons from the ancient world, who lived and worked here, are not presented: Empedocles (490-430 BC) and Archimedes (287-212 BC).

If you come to Sicily by plane, you will probably land in Palermo on the north coast or in Catania on the east coast. If you want to take a tour of the island, I suggest you follow the coast in a counter-clockwise direction, going inland where there is an important site to see. Do not miss:

** The volcano Etna, but be careful, because it is still alive!

** The cathedral and the Benedictine cloister in Monreale
** The ancient temple in Segesta
** The Temple of Concordia in Agrigento (perhaps the best-preserved ancient Greek temple)
** The fascinating mosaics in the Roman villa near Piazza Armerina

Who is the target audience for this book? I think it intended for two types of people: (1) the armchair traveller, who wants to study the island and its monuments without going anywhere; (2) the real traveller, who wants to explore some – perhaps all – sites of the island. Whether you belong to the former or the latter category, I am sure you will enjoy this beautiful book.

PS. This book from Bonechi is an artistic and historical guide, but there is no practical information about hotels and restaurants along the route. If you need a more practical approach, I suggest you turn to a traditional guidebook, for instance:

* Sicily - Lonely Planet by Vesna Maric, 4th edition, 2008

* Sicily - Lonely Planet by Virginia Maxwell, 5th edition, 2011
* Sicily - Lonely Planet by Gregor Clark, 6th edition, scheduled for publication in January 2014

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Giuliano Valdes

Art and Histoty of Sicily,

Bonechi, 1997, 174 pages

 

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A new version of this book, which has 192 pages, was published in 2009

 

 

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