morgantina

This Roman site is massive, spread over a large area. It is ruined but enough remains to give a good idea of the layout of the Agora and the houses which looked down upon it.Sadly almost all of the signs are vandalised, those which aren't do not do the site justice. There are some mosaics preserved and the scenery surrounding the area is stunning.Be sure to take your own info as a man in the car park will try to sell you his homemade guide, and inside the site there is little info.There is room for a lot of improvement here but the site itself is worth a visit definitely.

The ancient Greek city in Morgantina, Aidone area of Sicily may be lesser known to other more renowned sites in the area, such as the Villa Romana del Casale. The city houses Greek baths, a small amphitheater, various remains of dwellings including mosaics. Worth visiting.

Ancient Greek city - we were only visitors - so if you like wild, romantic ruins this is for you. There is a well preserved theatre and the site has fabulous views of Etna

The ruins of Morgantina dating from the Greek and Roman periods give you a good overview of what a town of this size actually looked like. While only the outlines and lower walls remain, the layout of the marketplace and other structures are easily understood. The theater, dating to the 4th century BC, could seat about 1000 spectators. We visited with a university professor who does guide work in Sicily, so we did not depend on signs for explanation. Do a little research first if you are visiting on your own.

This archeological site was THE place where I could feel the history, the place, the island ----- it was simply magical.

This is a little gem of a museum and not merely because of the wonderful pieces recently given back by the Getty and the Met. It is small, nicely laid out (almost Tuscan in form from the outside), and we found it far more interesting than the Archaelogical Museum in Siracusa. Certainly our granddaughter loved it, whereas I am sure she would have swiftly found the museum at Siracusa overwhelming. On the first Sunday of the month the entrance is free, though please check if they intend to close at 2.00pm – when we visited in October this was the case.

As others have commented, many signs are in an illegible state which is unfortunate but it doesn't take away the magic of visiting this remote site and realizing that it was a thriving Greek city 2,500 years ago.Given the high price of admission tickets to archaeological sites here and elsewhere in Sicily, one would wish that funding could be provided to redo the signage and to make this site more accessible since it is well worth visiting.

At first as you walk the trail it seems disappointing, nay incomprehensible. But keep walking and around a bend, shazzam, a whole city lies before you, starting with a well preserved theater. The signage explains things well in Italian and English. We were there at noon in October and the heat was starting to get to me. I think it would be pretty brave to go in high summer.

Like many others who have been to the archaeological site at Morgantina, I thought the park was beautiful but is in need of some major work. Many of the ruins are completely overgrown with plants and weeds that it is difficult to make out what I was even looking at and most of the signs are damaged beyond the point of reading. With that being said, however, this was a wonderful addition to a day at the Villa Romana del Casale. The park provides a nice bit of wilderness with some truly beautiful ruins. I do wish in the coming years more effort is put into the park in order to preserve the beauty and attract more tourists. Note: the ticket prices have recently gone up in all archaeological parks of Sicily, Villa Romana the biggest jump going from 4,50 euro to 14,00 euro a ticket. However, buying a combination ticket at the park in Morgantina can gain access to Morgantina, Aidone, and Villa Romana for the combined price of 14,00 euro.

go their if you like archaeological but also if you are looking for seeing the beautiful view of the surrounding including mount Etna

This beautiful site is being excavated by Princeton University and the Italian Archeological parks authority. Although open to the public, its purpose as it is at present is not to inform the public; indeed many information boards are damaged, others badly placed. But a quick google produces information from Princeton and you can read enough to get the gist, or follow through the website to become almost an expert! We got the gist. Then, in the car park, we were met by a faux guide, - there are many of these enterprising and usually well informed men on ancient sites, filling the gaps left by the withdrawal of government funding in Sicily, - who sold us a (illegally) photocopied plan, and some welcome water.As we set off into the site we found it pretty confusing at first, but as we climbed up to the site of housing its magical atmosphere took its hold. The views across the site, down to the sea, to Etna if conditions are right, are wonderful. Gradually the amazing scale, and age of the place, became clearer.And researchers are still reassessing the original discoveries, as well as uncovering new ones. We were lucky to come across someone making a very precise drawing of part of the area now thought to be offices, he kindly stopped his labours for an informative chat. (He smiled politely at my theories!)I wish we had made time for a tour of the museum in Aidone too, not normally something I'm keen on. We got to Aidone in time for a coffee but be warned, the few little bars and caffs here all seemed to shut at lunchtime!Take water, a hat, wear walking boots and, if you are as fascinated as we were, you could be there for 2 hours.A star visit.

Morgantina is unique: a perfect little city built on the Greek model, with not one but two bath complexes. It shows how ordinary people lived, in peace, in harmony with their environment.

It is a beautiful site but it lacks in providing any information for visitors. It should be cleaned up and cared for and it could be turned into a wonderful experience. Entrance fee is included in your Villa Romana de Cassale ticket!!!

This amazing site is a 'work in progress' but obviously sadly affected by the financial crisis cutting funding to local museums and also international universities who are doing most of the excavation work here. It is much like Herculaneum was 30 years ago - the majority of the town still lying like sleeping beauty covered in grass and vegetation, waiting to be discovered. It is much bigger than we had expected and in a couple of hours we only got round about half of it before the light went and the site closed. It was a Hellenic town from the 4th century BC in a beautiful situation with Etna puffing on the horizon. A charming amphitheatre and an extraordinary ekkesiastikon for public meetings, a villa with some of the oldest mosaics in all of Italy, a huge agora and streets and streets of houses. The pamphlet bought for €5 from the splendid and eccentric old man in the car park was worth every penny, plus the advice that he gave us on planning our visit. It was almost as exciting as Ostia Antica (my favourite archaeological site in Italy) and I can't wait to get back to explore more and to find out what new finds there are.

Morgantina is a truly wonderful place but to really take full advantage of the site you need to prepare. There are no local guides or any literature available from the ticket office and the signage is largely illegible. The charming old man in the car park has a hand drawn guide available and also sells water. Buy both is my advice. The sight is quite hot as there is little shade. The amphitheater is a highlight and the agora also quite remarkable. Several houses have been excavated and there are many others still to be revealed. It's certainly a work in progress. Combine your visit with the local museum in nearby Aidone which gives great background on this important site.