For touring the island can be roughly divided into the north-shore and south-shore areas. Discount accommodation Giardini Naxos The north shore has reefs, olive groves, secluded coves and countless seaside resorts including Cefalu, a gorgeous Arab-Norman city with good beaches. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse. West of center of the north coast is Palermo the ancient capital and the island’s largest city. Be sure to visit the central market and 12th-century Monreale Cathedral which is 6 mi/8 km west of town (it has impressive biblical mosaics). Ustica lodging About 50 mi/80 km west of Palermo lies the ancient village of Erice atop a mountain: It still has remains of a temple dedicated to Venus. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse. The southern coast has an even milder climate so there’s swimming most of the year (although it can get cold there between November and March). Places of interest in Messina  

Begin your Sicilian odyssey in its capital city - Palermo. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse Spectacularly situated along a wide sweep of bay at the foot of Monte Pellegrino, Palermo was the wealthiest and most magnificent city in Europe in the 12th century. Trapani Agriturismo Today Palermo has an air of faded grandeur and an unrivalled display of Norman art and architecture and Baroque churches. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse. Stroll along the Via Roma and Via Maqueda in the heart of the old town and get a sense of what Palermo is all about. Places of interest in Sicily Don’t miss the magnificent 12th century Norman cathedral at Monreale, 8 kilometres southwest of the city. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Caltanissetta The inside of the cathedral is covered in breathtakingly glittering mosaics.

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. Farmhouses in Noto And today it's still a land of fire and passion. Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse. 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 Siracusa Syracuse. 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 Siracusa Syracuse 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. Calendar of events in Siracusa Syracuse Like much of southern Italy, Sicily has been the ground upon which the boots of Western civilization have trod. Cheap guesthouses Egadi Islands

Diving Centres Dive Sites and Schools Siracusa Syracuse