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Sicily

Things to do in Sicily

Mediterranean Atmosphere

SICILY

 

Sicily is a living history book of both mankind and history of art, a treasure trove enriched by the greatest civilisations and cultures of al time.

 

Agrigento with its Valley of Temples, Selinunte, Segesta, Syracuse with its magnificent Greek Theatre (where visitors can experience the magic of a summer performance) to name but a few. The cities of Sicily were amongst the most beautiful of the Hellenic world. In Sicily, the same may be said about other civilizations, from the Spanish to the French, and to a lesser extent, also the Arab.

 

A sun-drenched island whose landscape is rich in contrasts, with a splendid coastline and a delicious, varied, sophisticated cuisine featuring traditional flavours and exquisite aromas. Quintessentially "Mediterranean" but at the same time crammed with intellectual sophistication. One only has to think of the inspired writings of Verga, Pirandello, Tomasi di Lampedusa, Sciascia, Bufalino and Camilleri.

 

All manner of styles and currents of thought and art find expression in Sicily. In cities such as Palermo, Catania, Caltanisetta, Enna, Syracuse, Ragusa, Trapani, Agrigento and Messina...

...or in smaller towns, such as Cefalù, huddled round its Norman cathedral, or Noto, with its extraordinary Baroque cathedral, or Taormina, with its splendid Greco-Roman theatre.

 

Gems set in a sea of sapphire

Tears of lava, limestone plains swept by the wind, sunny lands the colour of bronze: one by one the islands decorate the Sicilian coast like a string of pearls on the neck of a beautiful woman. There are fourteen of these daughters of Sicily, not including Motya, which at low tide is sometimes linked to the coast of Marsala. Fourteen paradises of untouched beauty. Some have an African charm, such as the Pelagie, in the province of Agrigento, and Pantelleria in the province of Trapani. Others, the uncontested mistresses of the sea and its secrets, Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo, form the archipelago of the Egadi in the sea off Trapani. Further north, in splendid isolation, is Ustica, the island of Circe, with its unspoilt marine reserve. And in the Aeolian islands, in the province of Messina, water meets fire. Here nature still dictates. Its rhythms, and travellers can let themselves be enchanted by the magic spell of the fishermen and farmers who inhabit these isles, the last custodians of the ancient Mediterranean traditions. The choice is yours - between the lively throngs on the Aeolian Islands, the peace and quiet Pelagie, and the perfumes of the Egadi.

 

The sea is perennially the colour of sapphire, the domain of dolphins and swordfish. And so it has been since the dawn of time.

AEOLIAN ISLANDS

As the domain of Aeolus, god of the winds, the Lipari Islands are a volcanic archipelago visible from Sicily's northern coast. The principal islands are Lipari, Salina, Filicudi, Alicudi, Stromboli, Panarea and Vulcano. Here you'll find beautiful scenery, volcanoes, castles, thermal resorts, water sports, good fishing and, of course, some great beaches. Do expect crowds in Summer months.

 

Geologically, these beautiful islands are quite rugged, with deep caverns, steep cliffs, and splendid views. The volcanoes of Stromboli and appropriately named Vulcano, erupt fairly frequently; Filicudi, Alicudi and Salina are without volcanic activity in historical memory.

VULCANO ETNA

Etna volcano, towering above Catania, Sicily's second largest city, has one of the world's longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BC. Historical lava flows of basaltic composition cover much of the surface of this massive volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most voluminous in Italy. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur at Etna. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more of the three prominent summit craters, the Central Crater, NE Crater, and SE Crater (the latter formed in 1978). Flank vents, typically with higher effusion rates, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank.

 

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