Italy / Sicily: SICULO-NORMAN ART. Islamic Culture in Medieval Sicily.

Tour length: 7 days / 6 nights Recommended periods: April–May 2010, October–November 2010 Price: From € 942 per person (sharing double room), depending on size of group.

Sicily has always been on the fringe of the Muslim world since the Arab conquest of Tunisia by the famous Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi in the late 7th century. In the 9th century the Aghlabids established themselves on the island, choosing Palermo as their capital. The Fatimids also left their mark on Sicily, but the most sumptuous monuments that still bear the mark of Islamic art date back to the Norman rule in the 12th century. The architectural and artistic masterpieces of the Middle Ages in Sicily are distinguished by the unification of three cultures: Byzantine, Arab and Norman. The combined expertise of these three cultures has yielded fascinating results including the famous Norman Palazzo Reale in Palermo, the churches and cloisters in Palermo and Monreale, the castles and churches in Val di Mazara and in the cities and villages of western Sicily.