Read an Excerpt
Sicily is a sly seductress. You’ll fall for her – everyone does –
but she won’t make it easy. First impressions are intense, but
paradoxical: beautiful and brutal, anarchic and serene, exuberant
and insular, the island resists all easy definitions. Countless rulers
have come and gone, each adding something different to the mix.
The result is a complex yet infinitely beguiling land.
For the Greeks, Sicily was the island of Demeter, who endowed it
with beauty and natural abundance. They built their cities as though
their civilisation would last forever – even now, these ancient ruins
are breathtaking. The subtle legacy of the Arabs is apparent in the
islanders’ hospitality and rich cuisine, and the glorious, golden
cathedrals were bequeathed by the Normans. Tragically for Sicily,
everyone else – from the Romans to the Bourbons – was out for
what they could get. And what wasn’t stripped out, was bombed to
smithereens during the Second World War.
Grinding poverty, institutionalised corruption and the Cosa
Nostra have taken a heavy toll. But there has been a renaissance
in recent years: historic cities are being slowly restored; swathes
of the glorious landscape are protected in nature reserves; and
grassroots organisations have found the collective courage to
stand up against the mafia. There’s a heady sense of hope in the
air – just one more reason to fall a little more in love.
In this guide we focus on the island’s southeast corner, from
the ebullient city of Catania, which sits in the shadow of Mount
Etna, to a trio of ravishing Baroque towns in Noto, Ragusa and
Modica. We dawdle in the ancient ruins of Syracuse, once one of
the greatest cities of Magna Graecia, and relax on remote beaches
and nature reserves. We take a tour around mighty Etna herself,
and stroll through enchanting Taormina. We also visit the finest
surviving antique temple complex outside Greece in Agrigento,
and then head to the tiny, paradisical Pelagie Islands.
