Mt Etna, the largest volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world, lies south of Taormina. Discount hotels Piazza Armerina You are permitted to climb up to 2900m. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands. 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. Discount hotels Lipari 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. Camping and Caravan sites in 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 was chosen by the Gods of Olympus as the scene of their stories of love and hatred, of passion and revenge, of sudden wrath and deep compassion. Sciacca Bed and Breakfast And today it's still a land of fire and passion. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands. It's also a land of great beauty and contrast, not least the contrast between what the local politicians say they'll do with the money, and what eventually ends up getting built/maintained/improved. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands. In ancient times, Sicily was covered with extremely rich farmland, whose copious wheat harvests fed virtually the entire western part of the Roman Empire. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands Its thick forests were renowned, but the Romans plundered them to build their great naval fleets and the myriad wooden homes that fueled Nero's infamous fire. Trapani Agriturismo Like much of southern Italy, Sicily has been the ground upon which the boots of Western civilization have trod. Hotel Reservations Sant Agata Militello

Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands, lies between southern Italy and North Africa. Cheap flats in Campo Bello di Mazara The island can be seen as a "stepping stone" between Europe and Africa. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands. 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. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands 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. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands. The island is divided into nine provinces: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa and Trapani. Hotels Piazza Armerina Throughout history islands have been invaded by foreign powers. Lipari 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.

Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Egadi Islands