Page 7 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

while boutique accommodation and sustainable tourism projects have mushroomed in

recent years. The rewards are immediate, notably the dramatic landscapes that range
from pin-prick outlying islands to the volcanic heights of Mount Etna. Much of the
island is underpopulated, and outside the few tourist zones crowds are rare – which
means plenty of opportunity to make your own personal discoveries: dazzling white-
and black-sand beaches, sparkling coves, rolling wheat plains, upland wildflower
meadows and precarious mountain passes. Sicily was an important powerbase during

Greek and Roman times, and its excavated ancient cities and temples especially are
superb, standing comparison with any ruins in Greece itself. There are stunning Arab
and Norman palaces, churches and castles across the island, while the devastation
wrought by the great earthquake of 1693 provided a blank slate for some of the most
harmonious Baroque architecture to be seen in Europe.

Perhaps above all, there’s a distinct way of day-to-day living that separates Sicily

from the rest of Italy – an almost operatic exuberance that manifests itself in some
extraordinarily vibrant festivals and celebrations. You’re unlikely to forget the
intensity of the Sicilian experience, whether you’re shopping for swordfish in a
raucous souk-like market, catching a concert in a dramatic open-air Greek theatre,
bathing in a hidden hot spring or island-hopping by hydrofoil across azure seas.

FACT FILE

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, with extensive areas of
mountains in the north and east, the highest being Mount Etna (3323m) –
Europe’s biggest active volcano. Apart from Etna’s sporadic eruptions, Sicily

is also prone to seismic upheavals – massive earthquakes destroyed the
southeast from Catania to Ragusa in 1693, Messina in 1908, and rocked the
western part of the island in 1966.
Sicily has a semi-autonomous status within the Italian republic, with its own