This recently restored site is one of the most fascinating in Sicily (and one of the coolest in summer!). The basilica was founded in the Byzantine period and developed around the tomb and crypt of St Marciano, a Christian martyr, as was often the case with early Christian churches. The Byzantine basilica was destroyed by an earthquake, then retaken by the Normans. The portico in front of the façade was rebuilt using materials from the 15C.