Mt Etna, the largest volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world, lies south of Taormina. Flats in Milazzo You are permitted to climb up to 2900m. Cheap flats in Giardini Naxos. 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. Licata Villa Rentals 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. Last minute accommodation Giarre 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. Cheap hostels in Licata The island can be seen as a "stepping stone" between Europe and Africa. Cheap flats in Giardini Naxos. 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 flats in Giardini Naxos 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 flats in Giardini Naxos. The island is divided into nine provinces: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa and Trapani. Self catering accommodation Ustica Throughout history islands have been invaded by foreign powers. Cheap flats in Ragusa 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. Giarre Hotels 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 flats in Giardini Naxos. The Normans took over in 1061. Cheap flats in Giardini Naxos They tore down almost all signs of Arab culture. Booking Hotels Ragusa 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 flats in Giardini Naxos. It is to the Normans that we owe the most spectacular of Sicily's architectural treasures. Cheap hostels in Catania 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 flats in Giardini Naxos. 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. Giardini Naxos Holiday Flats Eventually, in 1302, the French gave way to the Aragonese (part of the same dynasty which sponsored Christopher Columbus), who dominated until 1734. Cheap flats in Giardini Naxos. The aristocracy created during this realm left their magnificent homes, such as Palermo's Palazzo Sclafani and Palazzo Chiaramonte, scattered all over the island. Ustica Holiday Flats 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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