Why choose a holiday home in Sicily?
What is the best magic trick in all of Italy? It's probably the one where all unfair stereotypes of Sicily disappear within moments of meeting the people that live here. The vineyards rival those of Tuscany, thick olive groves crowd the emerald meadows, and the aroma of pungent citrus and fruit trees fill the air. The scenery is framed by rocky, silvery mountains and a bottomless indigo sea.
The broad streets of Catania feature two huge street markets and a few majestic palaces. The Ursino Castle was a coastal fortress until the shoreline was falsely extended by volcanic eruptions from nearby Mt. Etna. Two Roman amphitheaters that together could have held 7,300 spectators are now visited by curious tourists with a penchant for the past.
Messina residents evacuated to the surrounding countryside during allied bombing in 1943 and the empty town was called "The City of Ghosts". Today you can stride the stone streets in the footsteps zealous knights and royalty long vanished. Richard the Lionheart, traveling to the Crusade, stopped to worship in a cathedral in 1190 and some of the original portions remain.
Palermo is possibly one of the most chaotic cosmopolitan cities in Italy. Some say that a visit to Sicily is incomplete without immersing yourself in Palermo, "a city that permits one not just to know this island but to begin to understand it". Shopping and dining are favored in the city center where you can sample the various culinary delights or stroll contently with a flavored ice or pastry. Ceramic keepsakes and original jewelry are prized here. All of this is against the backdrop of a fascinating historical setting worthy of thorough exploration.
Syracuse or Siracusa is on the Ionian coast and is the city of Archimedes, Pindar and Aeschylus. This modern city embraces it's mythological and historical past. Check out the Temple of Apollo, circa 565 BC and stop at the Maniaces Castle before you continue to the original Greek settlement of Megara Hyblaea.
A sensational holiday in Sicily is unavoidable for those with a joy for life, history, and organized frenzy.
Contribution post: 01 August 2010
