Sicily

Photo by Silvia Abella

Sicily is a region of Italy off the coast and it is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. When many people here the word Sicily the Godfather comes to mind automatically because this is the region where a lot of Italian mafia started. All that aside Sicily is a wonderful island with many different things to see over your stay.  The food is great with fresh fish from the ocean, wine, cheese and of course the pasta. The coastline is also a spectacular sight with smooth sandy beaches and the calm Mediterranean Sea crashing on the shore.

Over the years Sicily was an island prone too attacks and take over’s by the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. This has had a lot of effect on the culture and people in Sicily. The dialect spoken in Sicily sounds almost foreign to mainland Italians. It is like the Newfoundland dialect in Canada. The reason for this is because of the influence that this island received from many other countries over the years.

Photo by David Sickmiller

When the Greeks conquered Sicily they left their mark on the island by leaving behind famous Greek temples and statues all over the island. The most prominent area to see these magnificent structures is in the province of Agrigento. You could spend a full day looking around at the Greek art that was left behind. But I caution you to be careful during the heat of the summer because it can easily reach over 40 degrees in Sicily and you can overheat quickly.

Photo by Giovanni Rovedatti

Sicily is probably most famous for the volcano on the island called Mount Etna. This volcano has been very active of late and there have been numerous eruptions in 2012. Mount Etna is a very tall volcano and in the winter it is completely blanketed in snow like the Rocky Mountains in Canada. This is strange to see in Sicily because the climate is fairly warm but there is enough altitude on Mount Etna for snow to fall.

Sicily is also know to have some amazing beaches which surround the entire island and due to the island not being that popular to tourists it is very easy to find your own private spot. Being on the Mediterranean the water is very calm and quite warm which makes it very comfortable to swim in and relax in the sunshine. Frommer’s has even listed off a list of the best beaches to visit in Sicily and it gives the reader an in depth analysis of each beach.

Photo by Silvia Abella

If you ever make a trip to Italy I recommend taking 4 or 5 extra days to travel south and experience what Sicily has to offer and I promise you will not be disappointed.