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Mt Etna, the largest volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world, lies south of Taormina. Nightlife Entertainment in Licata You are permitted to climb up to 2900m. Cheap Sicily Hotels. A rope marks the spot where the volcano’s unpredictability makes it unsafe to go any further. Further south, the town of Syracuse was once a very powerful Greek city. Solunto Bed and Breakfast Check out the medieval buildings on the island of Ortigia which lies in the centre of town. Don’t miss the 5th century Teatro Greco – a masterpiece hewn out of rock with a seating capacity for 16,000 people. Car Hire Erice The five Doric temples in the town of Agrigento are also well worth a visit. They are the most well preserved of Sicily’s Greek ruins and are truly spectacular.

Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands, lies between southern Italy and North Africa. Hostels in Giarre The island can be seen as a "stepping stone" between Europe and Africa. Cheap Sicily Hotels. A beautiful, mountainous island, Sicily has been occupied by a series of migrants and invaders. These include the Greeks, Cathaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Angevins and Spaniards. In 1861 Sicily became part of Italy when Garibaldi united the Kingdom of Italy and the island. Cheap Sicily Hotels Eighty-five years later Sicily achieved "relative independence". This means that although Sicily belongs to Italy it is responsible for much of its own local affairs. Cheap Sicily Hotels. The island is divided into nine provinces: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa and Trapani. Taormina Holiday Accommodation Throughout history islands have been invaded by foreign powers. Giarre villas However, Sicily's rugged terrain has provided its people with a degree of protection as many of its towns and villages are high in the mountains.

As elsewhere in the Roman Empire, the Romans were replaced by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths, who demolished far more than they built (one rare example is the villa of Piazza Armerina) and were swept away by the Byzantines. Travel guides and guide books about Sicily The Arabs who followed them moved the capitol from Siracusa to Palermo, renamed most of the existing towns, and planted the first carobs, date-palms, citrus trees, jasmines and melons. Cheap Sicily Hotels. The Normans took over in 1061. Cheap Sicily Hotels They tore down almost all signs of Arab culture. Discount accommodation Campo Bello di Mazara They brought the island to a new level of prosperity and planted a different kind of seed, still visible today in the blonde and red tresses of many Sicilians. Cheap Sicily Hotels. It is to the Normans that we owe the most spectacular of Sicily's architectural treasures. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Sciacca From the cathedrals of Cefalù, Messina and Monreale to Palermo's Zisa and Cuba, the churches of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, San Cataldo and the Martorana. Under the realm of Frederick II, the Swabian king, Sicily became one of the centers of the Western world, and perhaps it is not surprising that the principal architectural endeavors of this era. These lasted only from 1220 to 1250, were of a military nature, such as the castles in Siracusa, Catania and Salemi. Cheap Sicily Hotels. When Frederick died in 1250, his successor Manfred was murdered by the ruthless Charles of Anjou, whose French allies streamed into the island and established a new aristocracy so despised that it led to the popular uprising called the Sicilian Vespers. Houses to rent in Agrigento Eventually, in 1302, the French gave way to the Aragonese (part of the same dynasty which sponsored Christopher Columbus), who dominated until 1734. Cheap Sicily Hotels. The aristocracy created during this realm left their magnificent homes, such as Palermo's Palazzo Sclafani and Palazzo Chiaramonte, scattered all over the island. Solunto Accommodation The Aragonese clergy, while wielding the heavy arm of the Inquisition, effectively conspired to keep almost all artistic traces of the Renaissance out of the island.

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