A land that spins its tale, of chivalry and romance, a web of pure pleasure and magic as centuries fall away, on the shores of its golden coloured sand beaches under sapphire skies…in faraway places where novelists like D.H.Lawrence dreamed and wrote their classic masterpieces, his ‘Lady Chatterly’s Lover’..or where Goethe, inspired and bewitched, declared ‘..Sicily is the clue to everything..’ and the quintessential 20th century lovers, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, under its spell, fall madly, passionately in love….
"We are old, dear Chevalley", says the Prince of Salina to the envoy of the King of Piedmont, in the book Il Gattopardo by Tomasi di Lampedusa, "we are very old, we have held the weight of at least twenty five centuries of magnificent civilisations on our shoulders..."
The ancient name of Sicily was Sicania, which later became Trinakia in the Greek period, meaning "in the shape of a trident", and it was later remembered by Dante as Trinacria the VIII Canto of his Paradiso…
Still today every corner of this island is testimony to its history, its natural beauties and its many traditions. Indeed Sicily is an amazing island, set in the azure waters of the Mediterranean sea, to the south of Italy, an island of breathtaking beauty with rugged hills and rocky inlets, stupendous volcanoes, wide sandy beaches and flower strewn valleys. To this array of natural splendour is added the imprint of several millennia of civilization and the architectural styles associated with the various nations who at times have ruled there; the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs- even for a brief period, the British!
Whether it’s temples, amphitheatres, cathedrals, or the urban landscapes of huddled roofs and winding cobblestone streets, meandering passages and azalea-laden stairways, that you enjoy exploring while on holiday you will find evidence in the towns and villages of Sicily of the pageantry of classical European history round each corner, in each courtyard.
Above all perhaps, Sicily is home to some of the most splendid gastronomic experiences of the Mediterranean. From its history of conquest by Greek, Roman, Arab and Norman invaders comes a simply exquisite range of culinary delights, from the harvest of local orchards, fruits, apricots, peaches, oranges, figs and strawberries to name but a few, to fresh produce and legumes to the bountiful, exceptional variety of seafood and fish from the generous cobalt-blue Mediterranean to a selection of superlative wines from the rich, native vineyards of Mt Etna, all make for a singular culinary paradise!
Visitors to this magical, yet relatively undiscovered island, leave with the images of its sheer beauty, its cultural simplicity, the passion and warmth of the people and the historical and architectural delights, etched permanently in their memories.
The island is a painter’s palate of colours including the wonderful grey-green of the olive groves, the intense ruby flesh of the islands oranges, the deep blue of the never-ending horizon reflected in clear turquoise sea which surrounds the bays, beaches and coves that make up the coastline. The whole Sicily experience leaves those that visit breathless and enthused to plan their return.
