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Sicily Travel Guide

Travel to Sicily - Volcanoes, Walking, Biking - Art Architecture and Temples!

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Sicily has been attracting visitors for millennia, whether in the form of invaders or the modern visitor that comes to enjoy its cultural gems which are often set against a background of mountains and volcanoes.

The island attracts those who have a penchant for classical art and architecture with sites such as Taormina and the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento where the strong Greek influence can be seen. Baroque splendour can be seen wherever one travels with the mighty churches and cathedrals, for example in Ragusa or Palermo, but there is much to attract the lover of the great outdoors too.

The volcanic archipelago of the Aeolean Islands, Mt Etna and many other less visited corners of the island attracts those who enjoy exploring on foot or bike as well as by 4WD or why not learn how to cook Sicilian style with a cooking course holiday?

Sicily has been invaded countless times, starting with the Sicels, who gave the region its name. The Greeks were a major influence, arriving in the 8th century BC, and left their mark in the stunning temples and ruined cities that we see today - Syracuse, Selinunte, at Agrigento and many others. After the Punic Wars Sicily spent 600 years under Roman rule, important for its grain. The Vandals (arrived 440AD) and Byzantines (mid-6th century) came next until the end of the 11th century when the Normans arrived and Sicily prospered becoming wealthy. It was druing this period that the famous Cathedral at Monreale was built.

The next few hundred years saw first German Hohenstaufen, Angevin, Aragonese and Spanish rule, with the formation of the "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies" taking place in the middle! Sicily joined with the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860 and the Kingdom of Sardinia became the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. There was much unrest from seperatists but finally Sicily was part of Italy.