Jeremy Dummett is an expert on the history and culture of Sicily and the author of Syracuse, City of Legends: A Glory of Sicily and Palermo, City of Kings: The Heart of Sicily. He read history at Trinity College, Cambridge, and during his professional career lived for many years in Italy. Since retiring, he has been a regular visitor to Sicily. His website is [...]

For armchair travellers and visitors

ForewordPART I: History
1. Introduction
2. The Castle of Dionysius
3. Sicily under the Roman Republic
4. The Arabs in Sicily
5. The Cathedral at Monreale
6. Frederick II and the Sicilian Poets
7. Domenico Caracciolo, the Reforming Viceroy
8. The British Wine Merchants
9. The Revolution of 1848

PART II: Cities
10. Introduction
11. Catania, Sicily's commercial capital, and Mount Etna
12. Taormina, Sicily's top international resort
13. Messina, port with connections to mainland Italy
14. Cefalù, seaside town with a Norman cathedral
15. Noto, baroque hill town
16. Ragusa and Modica, baroque hill towns
17. Palazzolo Acreide, baroque hill town
18. Marsala, ancient Lilybaeum, port city famous for its wine

PART III: Ancient Sites
19. Introduction
20. Pantàlica, a pre-historic site
21. Segesta, an Elymian city, with a Greek temple
22. Selinunte, ancient Selinus, a Greek city
23. Agrigento, ancient Akragas, a Greek city
24. Mozia, ancient Motya, a Punic city
25. Villa Casale at Piazza Armerina, a Roman villa

PART IV: Artists
26. Introduction
27. Antonello da Messina, Renaissance painter
28. Antonello Gagini, Renaissance sculptor
29. Caravaggio, baroque painter
30. Pietro Novelli, baroque painter
31. Giacomo Serpotta, baroque sculptor
32. Rosario Gagliardi, baroque architect
33. Ernesto Basile, architect of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
34. Renato Guttuso, twentieth century painter

NotesBibliographyAcknowledgementsMapsIndex