Things to Do in Italy

In addition to larger and more famous cities and towns on Sicily's eastern coast - like Catania, Taormina, and Syracuse - there are several notable towns that may not be on your radar but are excellent bases for exploring the area. One of these cities is Acireale, which sits at the base of Mount Etna, not far from Catania.

Attractions in Acireale include a number of beautiful churches (one of which is in the famous Sicilian Baroque style) and several public parks and gardens. One of the parks overlooks the sea, giving visitors the lovely combination of being surrounded by a nature reserve and having glorious views of the water.

Acireale is a mid-sized city, but compared to nearby popular destinations like Taormina it may feel a bit further away from the tourist crowds, even in the summer. The time when Acireale will feel like the entire planet has arrived is during the city's annual Carnival celebrations.

Carnival - or "Carnevale" in Italian - occurs each year right before Lent. The exact dates change every year, but it usually happens during mid-to-late February or early March. You've probably heard of the elaborate costumes of the Venice Carnival, but Acireale's contributions to the Carnival season are larger than life: floats adorned with enormous and colorful allegorical characters parade through the city. There are often more than 10 days of festivities, including parades for children in costume, musical performances and fireworks.

The Carnival parades have proved so popular that Acireale stages "summer carnival parades," too, so check the schedule of events for the time when you'll be visiting the area.

La Zisa is yet another remnant of Moorish reign in Sicily. The Norman castle was built in the 12th century, and it's worth a visit although the interior has long since been cleared of its original decoration.

The palace of La Zisa was originally designed as part of an extensive park that served as a royal summer retreat. The grounds were stocked with wild animals (and fenced), giving the royals something to hunt. The park, known as the Genoard, also included another Norman-era palace that still stands in Palermo, La Cuba.

There were architectural alterations made in the 14th century, and by the 16th century the building had fallen into disrepair - it was even being used to store items contaminated with the plague. In the 1970s, city officials in Palermo acquired and began to restore La Zisa, a project that took more than 20 years. Today, the palace houses a Museum of Islamic Art on the second floor. The most impressive room is called the "Fountain Room," a two-storey chamber into which you enter from the main doors, which contains some of its original Moorish decorations.

The entire city of Naples can be overwhelming - it sprawls away from the bay and even up the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius - but visitors need only concentrate on the historic center, the "Centro Storico," to enjoy the best of what Naples has to offer.

Naples' historic center was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, including 14 city districts and more than 2,425 acres. Even this area is too much for most tourists to tackle in a short visit, but thankfully most of what you'll want to do and see in the city is concentrated in the heart of the Centro Storico.

Radiating away from the Bay of Naples, the Centro Storico spans more than 2,500 years of history. Even today you can see some ruins of the Greek city that once occupied this spot. More plentiful are monuments from the Roman-era, including the roads that run straight as an arrow through the historic center and the treasures from Pompeii and Herculaneum that are kept in Naples' spectacular archaeological museum.

Tour the medieval Castel Nuovo, located right on the water, the odd facade of which belies its many renovations during different architectural eras. Marvel at the exquisite sculpture of "The Veiled Christ" in the Sansevero Chapel. Take in a performance at the Teatro San Carlo, Italy's oldest opera house. See Christmas year-round in the nativity shops along Via San Gregorio Armeno. Eat in a pizzeria on Via dei Tribunali or Via Spaccanapoli, since Naples is where pizza originates. And if you're starting to feel a little closed-in-upon, head for the enormous Piazza del Plebiscito, one of the city's grandest squares.

The historic center, as old as it is, is very much alive today. Those ancient Roman roads are busy with car and scooter traffic, and the buildings on either side house shops and restaurants frequented by locals and visitors alike. Choose a hotel in the historic center so you're close to all the action, and then get out and enjoy this energetic and exciting city.