VISITING SICILY : TOP FIVE RESTAURANTS

Villa Antonio

Via Luigi Pirandello, 88, 98039 Taormina, Sicily, Italy

Website
Ranked #1 of 126 restaurants in Taormina
Cuisines: Italian
Good for: Romance, Doing business, Local cuisine, Special occasions, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Reservations, Delivery, Late Night
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Pasticceria Capriccio

Via Pier Santi Mattarella, 106, 91010 San Vito lo Capo, Sicily, Italy

+39 0923972822

Ranked #1 of 67 restaurants in San Vito lo Capo

Dining options: Delivery, Late Night

Il Portico

Via Orologio 6, 96010 Palazzolo Acreide, Sicily, Italy

+39 (0)931881532

Website

E-mail
Ranked #1 of 16 restaurants in Palazzolo Acreide
Cuisines: Italian, Dessert
Dining options: Reservations, Late Night

Il Locandiere

Via Luigi Sturzo 55/57/59, 95041 Caltagirone, Sicily, Italy

+39 0933 58292
Ranked #1 of 18 restaurants in Caltagirone


Cuisines: Chowder, Mediterranean, Wine Bar
Good for: Families with children, Romance, Doing business, Local cuisine, Special occasions, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Reservations, Late Night

La Madia

Corso Filippo Re Capriata, 22, 92027 Licata, Sicily, Italy

+39 0922771443

Website
Ranked #1 of 12 restaurants in Licata
84 Reviews

Good for: Romance, Doing business, Local cuisine, Special occasions, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Reservations

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VISITING SICILY : Rabbit Beach - Isola dei Conigli

Rabbit Beach,  Lampedusa - Sicily    

 Politically and administratively Lampedusa is part of Italy, but geologically it belongs to Africa since the sea between the two is no deeper than 120 metres. Lampedusa is an arid island, dominated by a garigue landscape, with maquis shrubland in the west. It has no sources of water other than irregular rainfall. The fauna and flora of Lampedusa are similar to those of North Africa, with a few pelagic endemic species. Overall the island has two slopes, from west to east, and from north to south of the island. The southern-western side is dominated by deep gorges, while the south-eastern part is dominated by shallows valleys and sandy beaches. The entire northern coast is dominated by cliffs: gently sloping cliffs on the east coast, and vertical sheer cliffs on the west coast.

The Isola dei Conigli (literally ‘Rabbit Island'), close to the south coast of Lampedusa, is one of the last remaining egg-laying sites in Italy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, which is endangered throughout the Mediterranean. The beach and the neighbouring island are part of a nature reserve. Next to Parise Cape is a small beach accessible only by sea, through a low grotto. Other species living along the island's coast include mantas and dolphins.

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VISITING ROME : Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

The Church of St. Louis of the French (Italian: San Luigi dei Francesi, French:Saint Louis des Français, Latin: S. Ludovici Francorum de Urbe) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome, not far from Piazza Navona. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, to St. Denis the Areopagite and St. Louis IX, king of France. The church was designed by Giacomo della Porta and built by Domenico Fontana between 1518 and 1589, and completed through the personal intervention of Catherine de' Medici, who donated to it some property in the area. It is the national church in Rome of France.^[2][3] The current Cardinal-Priest of the Titulus S. Ludovici Francorum de Urbe is André Vingt-Trois.

“One of the must-see (and free) sights in Rome.”

Even if you know nothing about painting or about Saint Matthew, the large paintings in this church will astonish you. The church is located about two minutes from Piazza Navona and, in the other direction, about two minutes from the Pantheon. The church has posted good descriptions of the paintings in multiple languages. This is a working church, and it is a good idea to observe the dress code that requires that shoulders and knees be covered. You might get away with shorts or bare shoulders, but you might not.

“Incredible Caravaggio”

I was mesmerized by Caravaggio's Conversion of St. Matthew. Viewing this masterpiece is free and you can get a little booklet that explains the details of the painting.

Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

Via Santa Giovanna d'Arco 5, 00186 Rome, Italy

39 6 688271

37 visitor photos

Ranked #2 of 529 attractions in Rome

442 Reviews

Type: Religious Sites, Churches/ Cathedrals

Owner description: The famous painter Caravaggio (1573-1610) was commissioned to paint for this church, where in one of its chapels is his realistic naturalism in three scenes of the life of St. Matthew.

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VISITING ROME : Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

"Beneath Palazzo Valentini we found a treasure and have given it new life"

The archaeological remains of ancient Roman houses uncovered beneath Palazzo Valentini are now on permanent display, adding to Rome’s already rich historical and artistic heritage.
A team of art historians, archaeologists and architects, all working for the Provincial Administration, worked on a project to research, restore and put these excavations on public display. The results are of exceptional significance, revealing an area that was of great importance in Roman times and which can help piece together the ancient and medieval topography of Rome.

These houses, "domus" in Latin, belonged to patrician families, maybe even senators, of the imperial era. Mosaics, decorated walls, polychrome floors, streets and other findings have been made into a fascinating journey through time by Piero Angela and a team of technicians and experts, including Paco Lanciano and Gaetano Capasso, who have given new life to vestiges of the past through virtual reconstructions, light and sound effects, and projections.

WEBSITE: http://www.palazzovalentini.it/index.php?lang=eng;

“MUST DO”

Only 15 visitors are allowed at a time - and book early. This is not to be missed. Gives you a terrific perspective of what a roman house really looked like (okay, a RICH roman's house). Kids will love it - but MUST book ahead. You will wall on glass floors in relatively low light conditions. The audio-visual aspect of this is EXTRAORDINARY - I've never understood ancient Roman life so well after this visit. You will come away really understanding how Romans lived, and how their houses evolved (this house was lived in for over 300 years - starting in 100-ish AD!). over centuries. This is a MUST DO. PS there is a "treat" for you at the end of the house component of the exhibit.

“Very informative and unique”

The tour was excellent. You see a lot of ruins in Rome and after a while they all start looking the same. In Palazzo Valentini they make the ruins come to life by using projection on the floor, ceiling and the walls, as well as showing you computer generated images of what the houses used to look like. Toward the end of the tour they show a 20-minute documentary about Trajan's column and the story it tells about Trajan's conquest over the Dacia. After the movie they take you to one of the widows to see the column up close. They also talk about the theory of the existence of Trajan's temple and you can see the huge column laying under the glass floor which may prove that theory. The only negative thing is the booking process. The booking website was not working at all. I called the number on the screen and made reservations, but when we got to the museum it turned out the reservation had been made for a wrong museum. Luckily, there was another English tour a few hours later. It was definitely worth the money and the wait. By the way, you can get a reduced price ticket even by showing a current validated ATAC ticket. Full price is 10 euros, reduced is 8.

ADDRESS:

Via IV Novembre 119, Rome, Italy

+39 06 32810

Website

Ranked #1 of 529 attractions in Rome

326 Reviews

Type: Museums, Historic Sites

  

SEE 8 visitor photos

August. For safety reasons entry to the Palazzo is subject to the availability of places. It is advisable to book in advance and the entry cost is € 1.50 per person.

Booking and Information 
tel. +39 06.32810

Tickets

Full price ticket € 10,00.

Reduced ticket € 8,00 for visitors aged 6-25 years old and OAPs over 65 years old and Provinz Card holders.

Schools € 6,00 for primary and secondary schools

Children under 6 years old, differently-abled citizens with accompanying person: free of charge.

+39 06 32810

  WEBSITEhttp://www.palazzovalentini.it/index.php?lang=eng;

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