4 Best Sights in Palazzolo Arceide, Sicily

One of Sicily’s best-kept secrets, the archaeological park of Akrai is home to what is said to be Siracusa’s first inland settlement, built to defend its overland trading route from other Greek colonies. You can access the site by a steep but steady 20-minute walk or a five-minute drive. Today, the site contains mainly ruins, but it is well worth visiting simply to see the Teatro Greco, originally constructed in the 3rd century BC to seat 600. Around the site, you'll also find two old stone quarries used to build the settlement, then converted into burial chambers as well as a remarkably well-preserved portion of the stone road into the area. Mount Etna may be seen rising majestically in the distance.

Locals consider this the most important church in Palazzolo Acreide, rebuilt and repaired after the 1693 earthquake. When you enter, usually a volunteer will be available to take you on a brief tour. The main focal points are the relics and the statue of St. Paul paraded annually through the town with alternate moments of piety and raucous pyrotechnics, between June 26 and June 29.

The ornate facade of this 18th-century Baroque church—a UNESCO World Heritage site—dominates Piazza del Popolo. The interior is worth a visit for its towering marble main altar, carved wooden sacristy, and numerous statuary and artworks, including some dedicated to the cult of Madonna Odigitria, traditionally venerated by the residents of the upper part of town with a music-and-flower-filled annual May procession. 

Originally from the early 800s, today this castle is mostly in ruins, but if you follow the well-constructed paths that wind through it, you can still pass through some rooms and doorways and get a sense of what the castle once looked like. The views are lovely near the castle walls that extend above the cliffs, and you can see how castle defenders watched for enemies here. Access to the ruins is wheelchair-friendly, but some climbing of stairs is required to complete the tour of the entire site.