Virtual tours in Sicily's cultural areas. From Valley of the Temples to Selinunte, parks and museums

 - Online platforms and smartphone apps are giving people at home on lockdown during the coronavirus emergency an exceptional possibility to visit many of Sicily's cultural heritage areas, from archaeological parks to museums.

The Region of Sicily is offering an extraordinary possibility for visiting the island's archaeological parks with a smartphone app called "Sicilia Archaeologica", created by its cultural heritage department.

The free app, which can be downloaded through Google Play or Apple App Store, brings visitors through 14 different Sicilian archaeological parks, including underwater itineraries with the Superintendency of the Sea.

Sicilian Governor Nello Musumeci said the app offers not only a "rich and varied multimedia offering" but also helps "renew the invitation to stay home, therefore preventing the spread of infection" from coronavirus.

Websites are also a way for virtual visitors to go on internet visits.

Parks available for online touring include the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the park of Selinunte, the park of Naxos and Taormina, the Villa Romana del Casale, the park of Catania, the park of Segesta, and the park of Lilibeo.

Museums include the Pepoli Museum in Trapani, the Riso Museum in Palermo, and the Palazzo D'Aumale in Terrasini, where visitors can view collections online.

The Superintendency of the Sea offers the chance to access editorial publications produced since 2004 and to admire underwater cultural itineraries on its YouTube channel.

Visitors can also tour the Valley of the Temples through Google Arts & Culture, accessible from the park's website at www.parcovalledeitempli.it or by downloading the smartphone app.

Coopculture offers a web platform called "Culture at Home" for visiting sites such as the Palazzo della Zisa and the Salinas Museum in Palermo.

The website Aditusculture offers text and images from the Paolo Orsi Museum in Siracusa, the Neapolis, Castello Maniace, the Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo, the Musem of Messina, the archaeological area of Tindari, the Roman villa of Patti and the Museum of Lipari.