Ancient temples and magnificent theatres, lush palaces and immense cathedrals, elegant Liberty-style villas. Sicily is rich in astonishing architectural elements, each one special and distinctive in its own way, witnesses to a past that has come down to us today.
We have already told the story of Sicily and its many dominations, of the peoples who inhabited it for centuries and those who stayed only briefly — but what did each of them leave behind as testimony to their passage? Sicilian architecture is rich and elegant, at times sumptuous and at times simple, but above all it tells, through its shapes and colours, the story of this island’s past. Starting from ancient history and moving through to the Liberty era of the 19th century, let’s take a walk together through the architectural styles that have shaped our wonderful island.
Ancient architecture: temples, theatres and Roman villas
Sicily has been inhabited since antiquity — first by the Phoenicians along the coast, then by the Greeks, who built the greatest colony of Magna Graecia, and finally by the Romans. Each left its mark, and the remains of this ancient architecture can still be admired today.
The Greeks built a flourishing colony in Sicily, raising imposing temples dedicated to the gods and beautiful theatres, where the famous Greek tragedies and comedies came to life — still the clearest symbol of Greek architecture on the island today.
So what remains of these extraordinary works?
Starting in the west, at Segesta, near Trapani, stands the Doric Temple of Segesta, its 36 columns still remarkably well preserved. A little further south, along the Trapani coast, lies the archaeological park of Selinunte, one of the largest archaeological sites in Europe, home to the remains of no fewer than eight Doric temples — better than any other single site, it conveys the sheer power of this ancient Greek colony.
Continuing south-west, we reach the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, a magnificent archaeological park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, where visitors can admire temples still standing almost intact, such as the Temple of Concord, alongside the ruins of others, like the temples of Jupiter and Hercules.
Moving on to Syracuse, the most important city of Magna Graecia — it’s worth remembering that Archimedes, the great mathematician, physicist and inventor of the Hellenic age, was born here — we find the remains of a Doric temple dedicated to Apollo, as well as the imposing Greek Theatre of Syracuse. The latter still fulfils its original purpose today, hosting numerous theatrical performances each spring and summer, including the celebrated season of Greek tragedy and comedy.
Another fine example of Greek theatre architecture can be found in the province of Messina, in Taormina: its Greek Theatre, like its “sibling” in Syracuse, is still very much in use, though nowadays as a stage for more contemporary shows, concerts and events (it even hosted the G7 summit in 2017).
An outstanding example of Roman architecture on the island — one that captures the full magnificence of the late imperial era — is the Villa del Casale, located in Piazza Armerina. This patrician villa is renowned for its lavish and highly distinctive mosaics, among the finest surviving examples from Roman times, which is precisely why this historically and culturally invaluable heritage site is so carefully protected, and why it, too, has earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Arab-Norman style
Among Sicily’s architectural styles, the Arab-Norman is without doubt the most distinctive, standing as a symbol of the union of two very different cultures.
When the Normans arrived in Sicily, the island was under Arab rule. Rather than tearing down what the Arabs had built, the Normans took over and rebuilt many existing structures, preserving the typically Arab style while layering in elements of Norman and Byzantine art — the golden mosaics being a striking example.
The most remarkable examples of this style can be found along the Arab-Norman Route, which winds through Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù. It includes the Cathedral of Palermo, the Cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù, the Royal Palace of Palermo with its marvellous Palatine Chapel, the Zisa Palace, the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Church of the Martorana, and many other architectural gems.
All of these monuments have earned UNESCO World Heritage status for their beauty, magnificence and singularity. Arab-Norman works can also be found in several other Sicilian towns, including Erice, with its castle, Mazara del Vallo, Castelvetrano, and many more.
The splendour of Sicilian Baroque
Today, the area known as the Val di Noto — Ragusa, Scicli, Modica, Noto, Caltagirone, Palazzolo Acreide, Catania and Militello in Val di Catania — is unquestionably among the most beautiful in Sicily, characterised by breathtaking Baroque architecture: palaces, churches and villas built in full Baroque style.
How did Sicilian Baroque come about?
It all began with tragedy: the devastating earthquake of 1693, which destroyed the Val di Noto area. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this catastrophic event gave planners, architects and artists — both local and from further afield — the impetus to rebuild everything that had been lost, breathing unexpected new life into the entire stricken area. Among these figures, two names stand out above all: Rosario Gagliardi and Giovan Battista Vaccarini, the two masters who, more than anyone else, reinterpreted the Baroque language with a distinctly Sicilian flair.
Richly and lavishly decorated palaces went up, aided by local stone — tuff and the prized white stone of Comiso — which lends the facades a luminosity and softness that still leave visitors astonished today. Some of the finest churches in the Val di Noto were built during this period, including the Cathedral of Syracuse, the Mother Church of San Giorgio in Modica, the Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Ragusa, and the Church of San Domenico in Noto, alongside finely decorated palaces that rival Baroque architecture found anywhere else in Europe.
Sicilian Baroque is a historical and cultural architectural heritage that must be preserved and cared for, so that it can continue to shine, be admired, and tell its own story: today the Val di Noto is a UNESCO-protected area, declared a World Cultural Heritage Site.
The elegance of the eclectic style and Sicilian Liberty
Sinuous forms, floral motifs and rich decoration are the hallmarks of the Liberty style (also known as Art Nouveau) — a movement that was not just architectural but artistic too, born in the closing years of the Belle Époque.
Art Nouveau swept across Europe and found fertile ground in Sicily too, particularly in Palermo, thanks to a Palermitan bourgeoisie eager to make its mark, and to the vision of celebrated architects such as Ernesto Basile, Giovanni Damiani Almeyda and Carlo Giachery.
Even before the Liberty style arrived, Palermo had already embraced the eclectic style — essentially a blend of different trends and influences, spanning everything from ancient to oriental art, with touches of Baroque or Roman style thrown in. In short, a style shaped by multiple artistic and architectural currents, which in Sicily produced notable works such as Palermo’s Botanical Garden, the Palazzina Cinese and the English Garden.
From here, Sicilian architecture evolved into the Liberty style, championed and financed by an enterprising Sicilian bourgeoisie — chief among them, the Florio and Whitaker families.
The Florio family, in particular, sparked a renaissance for Palermo and Sicily as a whole, not only economically but culturally too. Their villas — the Villino Florio all’Olivuzza, Casa Florio all’Arenella, and Villa Igiea — became the beating heart of Palermo, welcoming illustrious guests: the Tsarina of Russia and Tsar Nicholas II, for example, stayed at the family’s house in the Arenella district.
A heritage worth safeguarding
The sheer variety of Sicilian architecture is the perfect mirror of this wonderful island’s history: temples, churches, palaces, villas and theatres are today an invaluable cultural heritage, a mark left by every people who ever set foot here and stayed just long enough to leave “a memory” of their passage — as well as an indelible sign of how deeply their traditions and their culture put down roots on this pearl of the Mediterranean.
Sicily’s architectural heritage matters not only because it keeps the island’s past and history alive, but also because it tells the story of a land that has always welcomed and respected the cultures and traditions of everyone who chose to call it home — a spirit of hospitality it has never lost, even today.
But if these places speak of the past, there are others where that past can still be lived in: from the lesser-known masserie, bagli and dammusi to the Baroque and Liberty palaces waiting to be brought back to life. We’ve told that story too, in our companion piece on Historic Sicilian Homes You Can Live In.
