Perhaps
every country has a dark horse - a region whose praises are sung by few, so that almost all who go there come
away pleasantly surprised. To our minds, Italy’s dark horse is unquestionably
Sicily, cursed by an unfair stereotype that vanishes almost the minute your plane sets down or your boat touches
the shore. It’s the kind of place where, when you ask for driving directions in a crowded, frenetic
city, the person you stopped on the street will walk alongside your car until he thinks you’re past
any intersections that might confuse you. Speak to anyone about anything and you will be met with a smile
that manages to be shy and dazzling at the same time.
Then
take a look around you, at some of the most spectacular nature Italy has to offer: miles and miles of vineyards
rivaling any in Tuscany or Piedmont, endless olive groves sprouting from emerald-green carpets of grass, veritable
forests of shiny citrus and fruit trees, rugged silver mountains, all against a backdrop of the deep blue
sea. Sicily has a massive amount of world-class art, ranging from Greek to Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman,
French, and Spanish, and some of it enjoys the most astonishing setting, abandoned on a hillside or nestled
into a deserted cove where you can come upon it so naturally that you almost think you’ve
stepped into a time machine.
Yes,
there is something very ancient about Sicily, more than in Rome or Ravenna or Pompeii, and the thing we like
the most about it is its unpretentiousness, the matter of fact, day-to-day atmosphere that turns all this
history into a landscape as natural as a prickly pear blooming alongside a country road. If you had discarded
the idea of visiting this fascinating region up to now, we hope our stories and unique lodgings will provide
some very good reasons to change your mind.
"God would not have chosen Palestine if he had seen my kingdom of Sicily."
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen
- Sicily has often been a glorious imperial capital during its surprisingly rich history.
- A Sicily Photo Album.
- There are indeed those who'd argue that Sicily's history is as fascinating as Rome's. Click here for a chronological breakdown.
- The Phoenicians founded Palermo; the ancient Greeks are present in the temples at Agrigento; the Romans left us the exquisite villa at Piazza Armeria; the Normans built cathedrals; the Swabians built castles; the Spanish built palazzi. Everyone left something wonderful to see in Sicily.
- As anyone who's ever visited Sicily knows, Mount Etna never sleeps. What you might not know is that it is much, much more than just a volcano. You'll find out why if you come with us on an excursion to the summit.
- Sciacca is a city in southwest Sicily famous for its ceramics and its Carnival.
- So far south that it is practically in Africa, Siracusa is one of the great undiscovered treasures of Sicily and of Italy.
Giuseppe Tambè contributed a wonderful story about Easter
pageants in Sicily.
- Our road map of Ragusa province's many ornate churches will take you to a dozen tiny towns few tourists have ever visited.
- One of the most beloved traditions in Sicily is the St. Joseph's Table.
- Information about getting to Sicily.
- Most great writers number Giovanni Verga among the great authors of our century. Although he was a literary pioneer of the 20th century, he would probably prefer to be remembered as a citizen of his beloved Catania. Jacqueline Gomperts tells us how Sicily figures into Verga's works.
- Italian Style: it's ineffable, inexplicable, and envied all over the world. One of the things the Italians do best is vacationing. Cynthia Lambakis shows us one way to Vacation Like the Italians Do.
- Want to see Sicily's Treasures without renting a car? Take a private day trip and let Emilio do the driving!
- A Taormina Photo Album.
- Sims Brannon says one nickname for Sicilian cuisine could be Sole e Mare - and he gives us two scrumptious recipes to prove his point.
- Ceramics, kitchen utensils, hand-made linens, antique bric-a-brac: what better place to find souvenirs for your friends and yourself than a flea market, set in the shadow of a 16th-century cathedral, perchance? Keep this calendar of outdoor markets in Sicily for your files.
- Sicilian cuisine is half Italian, half Arab, and all delicious. Here's a quick primer, along with an easy recipe for some rather unusual meatballs.
- The little-known Aeolian Islands are the perfect vacation spot for adventurers who want to leave behind everything but crystal-clear seas, never-ending sun, hospitable people and healthy food.
- If you're trying to find the location, zip code, area code, province or region of a specific town, Click here.
- Looking for a Sicily / Sicilia flag? Click here to find one, along with hundreds of other flags from Italy and around the world.
- Useful WWW links.
- A year-round calendar of the colorful festivals and pageants held throughout the region of Sicily.
- The basic facts about Sicily.
- An interesting site about Sicily in German.
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[Regions of Italy]
