Gela Hotels - Sicily

According to the Greek historian Tucidide, Gela was founded in 688 B.C by colonists from Rhodos, guided by Antifemo and from Crete, guided by Entimo. Thus a flourishing "polis" was established on the Southern coast of Sicily.

It is in the area of Molino a Vento, that the most impressive traces of the town's Greek origins can be found. In the ancient Acropolis the main road which divided the ancient settlement in two can still be seen, to the South the sacred district, to the North the residential and commercial center. Close by, the Archaeological Museum houses an impressive collection of artefacts found during excavation work.

In the Capo Soprano district the fortifications, known as the "Mura Timoleontee" and representing one of the most important works of Greek military architecture, were discovered, along with the remains of some magnificent Hellenic thermal baths. So as to commemorate both Gela's glorious past and Eschilo, the great Tragedian who chose to spend the last years of his life here, each summer a series of Greek Tragedies are performed here.

Despite Gela having developed in recent years in to a large industrial town, the historic center, reconstructed by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, in the 13th century, still conserves a great number of important religious buildings, the most important of which being the Neoclassical Mother Church.