Sicily

Sicily

If you haven't been to Sicily, you haven't really been to Italy: because it is in Sicily that you find the source of Italy's beauty. — This is what Goethe wrote upon arriving in Palermo on April 13, 1787. Indeed, Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, masterfully blends enchanting natural landscapes with cultural sights, creating one of Italy’s most poetic and picturesque destinations.

From a map, Sicily looks like a soccer ball on the boot of Italy as it stretches into the Mediterranean. It lies at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, vast and fertile; with a warm climate and stunning scenery, it is rich in citrus fruits, lemons, and olives. Both the eastern and western coasts are dotted with lush groves of oranges, lemon orchards, and extensive olive tree plantations. Sicily is expansive, with three top tourist hubs: Palermo, Catania, and Agrigento. Palermo, the capital of Sicily, makes it easy to visit nearby sites such as Monreale or the ruins of Segesta; Catania, known as the Milan of southern Italy, is the birthplace of Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini, and boasts the hilltop town of Taormina to the north and Syracuse (Siracusa) to the south; Agrigento, often called the Valley of the Temples, is absolutely worth a visit and is famed as the home of the gods.