Enchanting Sicily Holidays

Right at the centre of the Mediterranean, but still very much in Europe, island of Sicily is very different to rest of Italy, yet the perfect destination for your Sicily holidays. The largest island in the Mediterranean (25,700 sq km), Sicily is surrounded by a constellation of minor islands, with a collective area of about 270 sq km, known for its dramatic landscape and harsh but seldom graceless. From mountainous interior and rugged coastlines to remote outlying islands and the volcanic foothills of Mount Etna the island of Sicily is remarkably rich in what can only be described as spectacle.

Being one of the most densely populated islands in the Mediterranean, Sicilian landscape is changing with each region. You will soon notice that the countryside, towns and monuments on Sicily are a little more extravagant than anywhere else. Vast coastal plains, inland valleys and extensive areas of mountains in the northern and eastern parts of island, Sicily is also home to Europe’s largest active volcano Mount Etna (3,323 m).

Administratively the island is divided into nine provinces. Each commune commonly consists of a single village and its territory, but a number of communes, especially in the provinces of Messina and Trapani, are composed of two or more settlements. The total number of villages in the Sicily is above 800. The villages are particularly small in Messina province, but are much larger in central and southern parts of the island.

Sicily is a young island geologically, although it contains formations of every period from Palaeozoic to Holocene, and there are a few disputed occurrences of pre-Palaeozoic rocks in the northern mountains. Sicily's mountains are part of the Tertiary Alpine-Himalayan fold system, and represent the structural continuation of the Italian Apennines and the North African Atlas ranges. Many of the uplands are formed of Mesozoic limestone. Much of the interior is of Miocene-Pliocene age and the island's famous volcanic are even more recent, continuing up to the present day. Mountains and hills cover 86 per cent of the surface, although within the mountain-hill category there is much variation. A formless jumble of hill, plateau and incised valley covers most of the interior. The principal lowland is the alluvial Plain of Catania. Other, smaller plain areas lie along the south and west coasts, with scattered pockets in river valleys and along the north coast.

Northern Sicily is dominated by a succession of mountain ranges that extend in an unbroken line from the Straits of Messina to the River Torto, standing like a high wall between the narrow north shore and the interior.

Sicily holidays would not be what they are without the most important factor: the wine and dining. As the star attractions, food and wine are by far the most important reason why people choose summer holidays in Sicily. Too many to list, authentic restaurants are plentiful and good wine is easy to come by. While there, try traditional dishes that are unlike those with the same name in other countries.

Earthquakes, eruption of Etna and the sinister image of the Mafia may have discouraged the uninitiated travellers, but with its abundant summer sunshine, mild winter climate, numerous empty and unpolluted beaches, as well as world renowned archaeological and architectural treasures, Sicily holidays is surely only a matter of time before such tourist resources are exploited to the full.