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.
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