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The Arab conquest of the island began in AD 827 and was complete only in AD 902 with the fall of Taormina.

Chased by the river god Alpheus, Arethusa threw herself into the Ionian sea and sprung up at Syracuse, transformed into a fountain.

Although fishing is big business, there are still artigianal fleets fishing Sicily’s waters using cannizzi , hand-made cane switches called fish-aggregating devices. Hand-made lobster pots and colourful nets are also used. Find artisans making cannizzi and pots and chat with fishermen who sell their own catch at local markets, or watch as they repair their nets in the afternoons.

Sicily was given to the House of Savoy in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht treaty, and swapped for Sardinia seven years later, thereby coming under Habsburg rule.

In AD 535 Sicily became part of Justinian’s Eastern Roman Empire.

Made of rough white stone, this 12th-century Norman castle dominates the village and valley below. Pass through the once impregnable walls, walk among ramparts, and visit the Sala di Congiura (Hall of the Conspiracy), where in 1160 the barons plotted to overthrow King William I.

This masterpiece of Norman art celebrates both the Glory of God and successful Norman rule. Masses are said in the richly decorated chapel (see Cappella Palatina Interior).

Carthage invaded repeatedly and many Punic War battles were fought on Sicily.

Donnnafugata is truly a hodgepodge of architectural styles. The Arabs first fortified the site around AD 1000; it then became a castle around 1300. In 1865 it was turned into a far grander building, and a Venetian Gothic loggia was added.

These 4th-century BC fortifications protected the western approach to mighty Greek Syracuse. Archimedes refined the structure adding a drawbridge, trenches and catapults to protect the keep. Descend into one of the defensive trenches where the tunnels (gallerie ) give access to the keep (see Castello di Eurialo).