DK Travel : Sicily

The island of Sicily is Italy’s largest region and is also its most varied. In terms of geography, there are offshore islands, endless coastline, rugged mountains, rolling wheatfields and volcanos, but its history and architecture are also of note. Sicily formed a significant portion of the Greek empire, was strategically vital to Rome, and was invaded in succession by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons, before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark, to create a palimpsest of cultures on the island.

Franco Bertolino

Hand-painted carretini , traditional Sicilian miniature carts, are sold here along with beautifully crafted papier-mâché figures and fruit.
Frappato

Cultivated in the province of Ragusa, the primary grape of Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
Fresh Fish

Fishing villages line the southern coast of Sicily with important centres at Licata, Porto Empedocle and Sciacca.
From Caltabellota

From the ruins of the Norman castle above Caltabellota (see Caltabellotta) you can see all the way to the flat coast stretching toward Marsala and the hilly interior dotted with villages and farms.
From Eraclea Minoa

From the ruins of Eraclea Minoa on top of a white sandstone cliff, look down to the wide stretch of sandy beach and the dark sea (see Eraclea Minoa).
From Morgantina

From the residential sector on the east hill, look down on the agora (forum) and out towards the east coast and the outline of Mount Etna (see Morgantina).
Frutta di Martorana

Almond paste sculpted and painted to look like real fruit or other edibles.
Galleria d’Arte Moderna

A collection of contemporary works by Sicilian masters.
Galleria Regionale del Palazzo Bellomo

The 13th-century Palazzo Bellomo houses the fine arts museum. The star features are Caravaggio’s Burial of St Lucy and Antonello da Messina’s Annunciation .
Galleria Regionale del Palazzo Bellomo, Syracuse

The palace itself, built in 1234, is noteworthy for its medieval architecture with 15th-century Catalan additions. The collections trace the development of figurative art in southeast Sicily with medieval and Renaissance sculpture, Sicilian, Italian and Flemish paintings including works by Antonello and Caravaggio, and a collection of Sicilian decorative arts.