The tourist attractions housed by Sicily can throw up strong challenge towards any mainland attraction of Italy. Earlier, Sicily was not a part of Italy; it was operated as a sovereign kingdom. However, currently it is under the rule of the Italian government. In this article, we’ll be discussing about the premium tourist attractions of Sicily.

Palermo, the largest Sicilian city is home to a number of exciting tourist attractions. The most exciting sights of the city are located in the region beyond Golden Shell. One of the most visited sights of Palermo is Catania Markets. The shopping experience at the Catania Markets is truly matchless; the place is famous for offering great bargaining opportunities. Catania Markets stay open all through the week except Sunday and on Wednesdays the markets get closed at 2pm in the afternoon.

Another city of Sicily, Agrigento is home to the famous region known as Valley of the Temples. According to historians and archaeologists, this part of Sicily used to be the sight of worship for people living in this part of the world since more than thousand years. Valley of the Temples is home to 10 Roman and Grecian temples. Besides that, you can also spend some fun-filled hours at the natural park in this part of Sicily; the natural park will offer you the opportunity of enjoying horseback riding and hiking trails.

Sicily other than being an island itself also has a series of tiny islands within its territory.  You will get to spend some wonderful time at the sand beaches of islands like Alicudi, Panarea, Vulcano, Filicudi, Salina, and Stromboli. Most of these islands will offer you chances of taking part in thrilling water sports.

Hotel Stelle Marine:

This hotel is located near the Cannigione beach of Costa Smeralda. Other than the outdoor pool, this hotel also houses a pool dedicated only to the children. Amenities like audio visual equipments, meeting areas for groups of 10 to 12 people and other business services make the Hotel Stelle Marine a perfect place for people coming to Costa Smeralda for business trips.  This 4 star hotel also houses banquet facilities and conference rooms. You will also get to spend some lovely time as the poolside bar. The food served in the in-house restaurant of this hotel also has great reputation.

Hotel Speraesole:

This hotel is located near the Le Saline beach. This hotel houses all the necessary amenities that make the hotel stay comfortable for the visitors coming to Costa Smeralda. The pool side bar, the restaurant and the bar/lounge are known for their excellent services. There are 57 guestrooms, each of which is equipped with high speed internet, television with cable connection, safes, mini-bars, air-condition etc.

Excelsior:

This hotel is located in La Maddalena, which is a region adjacent to Costa Smeralda.  The guests staying in this hotel are offered complimentary breakfast, free access to internet etc. The other attractive amenities offered by this hotel are dry cleaning and laundry facilities, the opportunity of savoring the beauty of nature at the roof top terrace etc. The entire area of the hotel Excelsior is designated as smoke free property.

Make a trip to the little Deia village in Mallorca and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

About Deia

When you approach the village of Deia, you are greeted with a view of the Serra de Tramuntana, which makes for a picture-perfect backdrop of this Spanish Village. The ancient church which sits atop the hill gives an almost divine feeling to this entire region.

Deia, as a whole, sits almost precariously above the seashore. It seems like its clinging to Tramuntana mountains while it gets flanked by olive groves, orchards full of lemon and a generous outburst of pine and cedar forests.

Cala de Deia

The shingle beach of Deia is more pebbly than anything else; but the sight of clear waters make you forgive anything and everything that you may not have liked before. Given the fact that the routes to Cala de Deia are not well marked, not too many people know about it. So if you do manage to make your way down there, you’ll have one helluva great swim. Guaranteed!!!

La Residencia

La Residencia or La Res as it is popularly called by the locals is perhaps the most popular spot in Deia. Given the fact that Mallorca is the largest island in Spain, you’d expect your vacation to be spent lazily, basking on the sandy beaches, with wind in your hair. But Le Residencia has different plans for you.

The Surprise Package

The granite mountains of Tramuntana dominate the geography of this idyllic village, and make their presence felt by the shadows they cast upon the village. The La Res takes advantage of this natural gigantic structure that they have at their disposal, by arranging for a climb up the mountain paths.

The medium of transport – Donkeys! Donkeys have an advantage in comparison to other animals when it comes to breathing in rarefied air. They make the vertical climb quite easily.

You’ll have your lunch set out for you by the time you reach halfway up; and the scenic spot that has been chosen will make the entire climb until now seem worth it. The high altitude, the rarefied air, the stunning view and some lovely wine make for a combination that was never before thought of (makes you wonder why no one thought of it before!)

The history of La Res

This is the place where Princess Diana took refuge when her marriage was shattered into pieces. Andrew Lloyd Webber is said to have booked the entire hotel for his 60th birthday. Yes, this place does get its generous sprinklings of celebrity glimpses from time to time.

This hotel is originally made up of four separate mansions. They are, till date, linked by secret passageways. The lovely olive terraces make for a spectacular view; and the private beach, the spa with all available facilities just add to the already existent appeal of this place.

The specialty of the island is that it boasts of small luxury boutique hotels.  Most of these hotels are in keeping with the architecture and style of the old town of 700 years.

Rhodes Old town has many distinctions to its credit.  Besides being declared a UNESCO world heritage site since 1988, the town also ranks as the largest inhabited medieval town of Europe. Some of the main attractions of the town include the Street of Knights, this is the most important and imposing avenue of the town and includes the former residencies of the various nationalities of the Order of the Knights of St John.

The famous Street of Knights is a very popular place frequented by tourists.  It leads to the Grand Master’s Palace, which in the present day is a museum full of significant archaeological finds from ancient as well as modern Rhodes.

There is no dearth of shops, bars or cafes in Rhodes. An interesting aspect about the place is it is very easy to get lost in the narrow, winding alleys.  However, this aspect makes your visit all the more interesting as you get a chance to uncover some of the hidden gems of the island.

The legendary Avalon Boutique Hotel is a history lover’s delight.  It is housed in the fortress walls of the old town and offers up to six suites, each unique in interior decoration based on the medieval period, however with a modern twist. One can experience a spectacular view from the veranda of the rooms.

The island also has some good stuff for fashion lovers as well, and the monument that I am referring to is the Nikos Takis Fashion Hotel.  Two famous fashion designers, Nikos and Takis, own this hotel and each of the seven suites of the hotel are individually designed by them.

The Spirit of the Knights boutique hotel has been opened recently. The hotel has been restored with the help of the archaeology department of Greece.

It is recommended that one stay in a boutique hotel once in Greece’s Rhodes Island. These hotels offer a much more personalized experience and the advantage of being in the heart of a medieval town only makes the holiday all the more interesting.  Another aspect of all the bars and restaurants and shops being build within the original walls of city only adds to the excitement. The best part of the visit by any means is when you get lost in the narrow alleys and in the process discovering something new about Rhodes.

One is braced with the attractive sights of the public garden located just across the port that proffers a fine chance to take an unwinding amble. On crossing the public gardens, one could visit the tourism office that is situated on Viale Mazzini to be able to access the maps and the timetable for the boat rides that ferry one off to the several other towns located alongside the shoreline, leaving at an hourly frequency that continues till seven or eight in the night varying with the season type.

During the stroll one could stop by at the Technical Naval Museum if one is inquisitive about finding about the Italian naval past and gear. When one arrives at the Via Prione, it is a worth-while sight to observe the 1933-constructed, Civic Theatre, planned by the famed Franco Oliva. The Diocesan Museum located on Via Prone is believed to be place where ancient time explorers made a pass-through. The Museum has a fine display of pieces of Eucharistic and apostolic types.

One can soak in the true essence of La Spezia when one visits the Piazza S.Agontino, which has predominantly baroque styled housing and defensive constructions that give one a sense of a chain of high rises.

The archaic, fifteenth century church Castello S. Girogio, re-constructed since 1945, is one of those places one should pay a trip despite being cringed for time, due to its civic archaeological assortment. Another worth-while place is the naval armoury initially constructed during the time periods from 1861-1869 and then re-constructed since 1945 and the adjoining naval museum.

One could also visit the archaeological museum that boasts of a fine display of ‘menhirs’ also known as archaic monoliths that are intricately carved in the shape of human figurines and of Roman relics derived from the adjacent primeval city of Luni.

The idyllic time to visit La Spezia is during San Giuseppe- the festivity of the Patron Saint that takes place on 19th March. The Palio del Golfo held on the foremost Sunday during August and the traditional fair of Cercantino that takes place during the first Sunday of each month excluding months of July and August are great times to visit La Spezia.

La Spezia – The Spice of Italy – Part – I

The accommodations in La Spezia are relatively pocket-friendly in comparison to its close by tourist townships and hence an idyllic spot for those intending on saving a few bucks. Hence, La Spezia, may perhaps be the best area to set up base camp for the period of one’s stay there. The preeminent means to unravel the fine nuances of La Spezia is by foot, with the inhabitants being quite cordial and obliging to assist.

A foremost momentary look at La Spezia gives one the impression of it being a vital commercial and military hub with a bustling business harbour. Many might find the panoramas of La Spezia not as magnificent as the neighbouring towns dotting the coastline and quite a few nearly pass over the town, assuming that the place might not be that interesting.

Nevertheless, as one saunters from the dock, meandering through the civic gardens, the Via Prone and passing the historical centre, one is overwhelmed with the awareness that the city has constantly evolved through numerous epochs of noteworthy historical advancements, thus making it the ideal setting to gain an insight into the wide-spanning array of architectural approaches ranging from hints noticed from the Middle ages, the 17th century coinciding Baroque period, Renaissance era and frontwards to the Futuristic art, Deco and simple Rationalism approach when straight contouring  and formality was the in-thing. One is utterly spellbound by the styling noted in the town.

In order to get a sense of the area, one could begin at the landing place off Viale Italia. On certain days, the visibility allows one to see as far as the quaint Porto Venere and Palmaria towns of the Cinque Terra. The Cinque Terre coast boasts of the finest scenic locales with its coastline being preserved by UNESCO and has marvellous strolling and ascending cliff pathways. The exquisite section of Italy, the Cinque Terre meaning five towns has a multitude of alleyways connecting the villages with fabulous sights of the overhangs, coastlines and tended, dry stone courtyards. The time would just fly by, while engaging in some hiking and soaking in the sun and sand.

The trek through the Samaria Gorge would consume close to four or as much as eight hours, dependant on the speed one undertakes. Normally six hours is what one takes, particularly when one halts at varied locales to soak in the scenery or take a snap of the luxurious innate landscape.

A truly challenging trek for those unseasoned walkers not used to taking long strolls. Those who are in physically sound condition can quite easily take a trip down the gorge, though one should be ready for some serious stiffness and rigidity in the legs on the following day.

One needs to have a decent pair of trekking footwear, a head cover and a good quality sunscreen to start off with. The most treacherous part of the trek is the concluding three kilometres prior to the outlet from the National Park, with the scenery being mostly dry and without any shade. With loads of patience in hand, one could reach the alluring Agia Roumeli beach that is another hour’s stroll away.

Those who are not up to the arduous trek can take the short cut also known as the ‘Lazy Route’. The route is comparatively shorter commencing at the Agia Roumeli, going way up to the narrowed location of the gorge, also called the Iron Gates. At the Iron Gates, the Samaria Gorge constricts to such an extent that one could nearly feel both the sides as they precipitously soar up to 350metres on top of one’s head.

The smallest route is definitely the easier manner to feel a part though not the complete spellbinding experience of the Samaria Gorge. The gorge is normally open to all during the time periods from middle of April, way up to October, though a heavy rainfall could halt the entry in a bid to avert any fatality.

Braving The Majestic Samaria Gorge- Part I

Braving The Majestic Samaria Gorge- Part II

Treading the Xyloskalo path lands one in a widely diverse scenery that leaves an indelible imprint on all. The access to the Samaria Gorge can be availed through three courses, namely, the Xyloskalo entryway located south of Omalos plateau, the Omalos entryway through Poria starting from the eastern side and through Linoseli from the western side.

The well-maintained, signposted walkway that traverses the whole course of the gorge is the most treaded footpath in the entire of Greece coming second only to footpath of Mount Olympus. The footpath that goes way up to Agia Roumeli beaches is perennially bursting with a steady line of visitors, with facilities like portable water springs and loos located at regular intervals.

The spectacular glory of the Samaria gorge starts to unravel as one commences the journey from Xyloskalo, with the gorge cutting through the core of the White Mountains leading to the pristine clear beaches of the Libyan Sea. The Samaria gorge is flanked by the Eligia gorge to its eastern side and the more rugged duo gorges, Domata and Tripiti located on its western side. The footpath through the Samaria gorge passes between the Pahnes and Zaranokefala mountains located to its eastern side and the Gingilos Mount on its western side, prior to concluding the path, the gallant voyager would find himself soaked feet deep in water on numerous occasions.

On descending the footsteps of the Xyloskalo path one comes across the greyish Sapimenos or Mount Gingilos that soars up, with the opening of the canyon opening beneath.  At the right side, located on the Linoseli slopes is the huge locale full of ash-hued massive clusters of smallish debris stones that come rattling down the hill with the faintest of motion. Soaring to nearly 1,450metres high is the Linoseli spring situated at the boundary of the debris stone area, whose nippy waters are believed to have therapeutic properties.

As one nears the base of the gorge located nearly three kilometres from the start at Xyloskalo, one is blown away by the sights and sounds around, that is bound to mesmerise all with its splendour. The sounds of gushing waters, the lamenting winds, the sights of the nearby springs and the dense lush vegetation and unmatched ecological formations makes one feel as if one has reached God’s own paradise.

Braving The Majestic Samaria Gorge- Part I

Trekking to the Samaria Gorge commences in the city of Hania with frequent, early dusk, bus departures. The bus journey winds through the quaint Lakki town that has hardly any dwellings that line the wayside and a pristine white church. Nearly two hours drive later is the Xyloskalo village. Eager visitors are disembarked in front of the Samaria National park’s entrance. Caretakers perched atop donkeys watch the area and help un-organized visitors that can’t finish the trek.

Trekkers throng the gorge for its exceptional locales and unique natural world. The famed prevalent occupants, feral goats known as kri-kri, an unusual form, hang about in the gorge. Apprehensions regarding the disappearance of these animals, locally known as the ‘agrimia’, catapulted the reason for the creation of the Samaria National Park. Though only a jammy few actually get to catch a peek of the kri-kri who at times are spotted in the village of Samaria when they come up to the dwellings at the periphery of the village.

The Samaria National Park displays an unusual proliferation of 450 unique floral forms and a wide-ranging wildlife. The delicate ecosystem of Samaria is staunchly preserved under the international law. The thick vegetation is bursting chiefly with towering pine and cypress whose timber is widely famed for their idyllic use in constructing rugged ships.

The primitive village of Samaria is the midway point to reach the gorge and is a fine chance to view the time-honoured construction and to take a break. Its dwellers were repositioned during 1962 at the time of the gorge’s transformation to a national park. As one treads further downwards from the village lies the fourteenth century old chapel of Osia Maria or the Holy Mary, due to which ‘Samaria’ name was founded.

The key site of curiosity is found in the Area II, wherein the wood based ramp proffers fine viewing of the in-progress excavations. The relics belong to the Phoenician relocation on the crest of belatedly Bronze era bases. An array of awe-inspiring primitive sacrosanct sites has been unearthed at this location.

The major detectable constructions are those of a huge place of worship re-devoted to Astarte, the deity of fecundity, also identified as ‘Temple I’, made of ashlar having a debris filling material and a remarkable massive entry. The smaller sized four shrines are attached to copper liquefying work rooms that indicate either veneration of a copper-derived goddess or in any case a spiritual interest in the metal’s manufacturing. An additional temple devoted to the male maritime divinity has the presence of a pipe inside that point to the ritualistic opium smoking. There are hardly any Roman relics uncovered in Kition that makes this site so unique and particularly significant, in addition to being politically fragile as Greek residents in Cyprus mostly display lesser interest in regards to Asian culture derivations.

The prehistoric sites and the related six museums are located in the core of the town, with the highly significant site in Larnaca being the relics of primordial Kitium. The most primitive architectural relics trace back to the 13th century B.C., with the part being re-constructed by the Greeks hailing from the region of Achaea. The relics comprising of the cyclopean fortifications prepared from huge building blocks and the compound housing the five temples is truly appealing.

A worth watching sight is the granite bust of Zeno, the founder of the famed Stoic school of philosophy, is located at the intersection close to the American Academy. Nearly midway from the statue of Zeno and the famed Larnaca Salt Lake lays the underground-located rocky cavern church of Ayia Phaneromeni that was a pagan crypt in the past. The chapel is believed to have immense miraculous and therapeutic powers, also regularly visited by women who come to the place to pray for the well-being of their loved ones stationed abroad.

The Church of Lazarus is a spectacular Orthodox church that bears the marble sarcophagus of Lazarus beneath the Holy of Holies. Another great locale is the Turk built Fort of Larnaca during 1625, presently a museum with its interior patio that with due permission doubles up as an al-fresco garden cum theatre in the summer time.

The 1745-built, Roman-styled, Old Aqueduct recognized as ‘The Kamares’ is located in the outskirts of the town on the course to Limassol. It was constructed to transport water from a resource that was nearly six miles on the south Larnaka. It is quite a sight as the aqueduct is lighted up post dusk time.

A must visit is the mosque of Hala Sultan Tekke located nearly five kilometres west of Larnaka that is believed to be the place where Umm Haram breathed her last and was laid to rest here. The Ottomans later constructed the present day mosque to venerate her.

Primeval Kition – Part I