Sicily, island of eternal summer, culture and archaeology

Attracted by the fertile volcanic lands and resource-rich areas, groups of Chalcidian merchants founded Naxos. The Greeks established trading emporia and Greek colonies, which grew to the size of flourishing cities: Syracuse, Catania, Selinunte, Agrigento, Gela.

The Mamertines, an Italic population that had occupied Messina, threatened by the Carthaginians, asked the Romans for help and started the First Punic War. Sicily was transformed into a province with a rich agricultural production and from this period, artefacts and monuments remain in Termini Imerese, Catania, Tindari, Taormina and Piazza Armerina: to get an idea, visit the Roman Villa del Casale.

At the fall of the Western Roman Empire it was ceded to Odoacer and later to the Visigoths of Theodoric, who were followed by the Arabs in Sicily with the landing at Mazara.

It was then the turn of the Normans in Sicily who made it a prosperous and peaceful kingdom. Of this period, special mention is made of Frederick II, one of the greatest monarchs of the Middle Ages. The Sicilian Vespers Revolt then led to the definitive expulsion of the French from Sicily and Frederick III became viceroy in Palermo, later elected King of Sicily. There followed an alternation of Spanish and Savoy rule, but following the Battle of Bitonto, Sicily returned to the Spanish orbit with the coronation of Charles III as King of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. With Garibaldi's bravery, the region was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. 

Depart from Palermo, the authentic and unrivalled soul of the island, a city teeming with bustling markets and sumptuously embellished by the Baroque, which unveils its past with the red of the Arab-Norman domes.
Some of its stately palaces, churches and monuments have become UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but one trip will never be enough to see them all: start with Palermo Cathedral, Palazzo dei Normanni with the Palatine Chapel and the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, and note the rest for next time. As you will return.

To the east of Palermo, and reachable by ferry from Milazzo, are the Aeolian Islands: Vulcano, Stromboli, Lipari, Panarea, Alicudi, Filicudi and Salina. If you can, treat yourself to a break in one of these snippets of volcanic paradise scattered off the northern coast, in the province of Messina.

On the other side of Sicily, there is Catania, the island's second city after Palermo and its eternal rival: your first stop should be Piazza del Duomo to admire the Elephant Fountain, carved in black lava. It is said to have the power to pacify the wrath of the volcano Etna, in whose shadow the city rises.

On the same coast, but 50 kilometres north, Taormina, abundant in archaeological sites and beautiful beaches. Visit the Greek Theatre of Taormina, the second largest in Sicily, but also the magnificent Isola Bella, a small island connected to the coast by an isthmus that only emerges at low tide.

Also on the east coast you will find Syracuse and the beautiful island of Ortigia. Split your time between the magnificent historical centre full of squares, fountains and palaces and the archaeological area of the Neopolis Park. Don't forget to take a trip to the Val di Noto, celebrated for its Baroque, which is also a World Heritage Site.

The last destination is the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento, one of the best-preserved archaeological parks in the world and a vital vestige of the passage of Hellenic civilisation.

If you are a sea lover, and on holiday in Sicily, it is highly likely you’ll love the ocean here, so don't miss Scala dei Turchi: an enchanting white cliff face overlooking the sea, also recounted in the adventures of Andrea Camilleri's Commissario Montalbano.
Also worth seeing are the Egadi Islands: Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo are another opportunity for excursions or mini-vacations of sea, nature and relaxation.
Taormina's Isola Bella and Lampedusa's Spiaggia dei Conigli (Rabbit Beach ) are also worth a visit. The latter can only be reached after a nice hike, but its crystal-clear water, fine white sand and wild nature will be worth the pain.

Don't leave out San Vito lo Capoa small, beautiful seaside resort in north-western Sicily. Around here, and precisely between San Vito and Scopello, lies Sicily's first Nature Reserve, a path studded with wonders. La Zingaro Reserve seven kilometres of unspoilt nature where birds of prey live and nest, the vegetation explodes with colour and where the sea is tinged with green and blue.

Looking for something tourist guides don’t tell you?
Find the Andromeda Theatre, an open-air stone theatre at an altitude of 1,000 metres amidst unspoilt nature and wild scenery, and you will not be disappointed.
Or the Argimusco Plateau, an archaeological and naturalistic site close to the Bosco di Malabotta Nature Reserve, in the province of Messina, formed by huge rocks millions of years old with a rare shape.
Or the Grotta delle Trabacche, near Ragusa: it is an ancient Roman catacomb immersed in the countryside. 

No cuisine is as tasty and appealing as sicilian cuisine. To understand what we mean, try caponata, a dish made with aubergine, celery and onion, flavoured with capers, vinegar, sugar and olives.

For the sweet tooth there are Bronte pistachios, PDO and Slow Food Presidium, an ingredient in many sweet and savoury recipes, almond paste, prepared with finely ground whole almonds mixed with flour, sugar and water, and the chocolate from Modica, cold-processed and featuring granulated caster sugar.

Then there is manna, the ash stilla that flavours, softens and assists in the leavening process.

You can't say you've eaten in Sicily without having tasted pasta alla Norma, bread, panelle, crocchè, arancini and the sandwich with milza. And then of course the granita with brioche, the cassata, the Sicilian cannolo and more. For hours.

Among the appointments with tradition, there is one worth seeing: it is the Carnival of Acireale one of the oldest on the island, during which allegorical and flower-decked floats parade.