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Norman rule of Sicily only lasted a century, but it left a rich legacy of law, culture and architecture. Their early monuments are grouped around a fortified site in the heart of Palermo (see Norman Palermo).

The last and most spectacular of the Norman monuments, the mosaic cycle at Monreale Cathedral is one of the wonders of the medieval world (see Monreale).

Volcanic activity lent to each of these seven islands its own land and seascape. Evidence of 6,000 years of history, a live volcano, black lava beaches, the magnificently limpid sea, and food and wines intensely flavoured by the sun are well worth the trip out (see Aeolian Islands).

As Sicily’s first resort and an obligatory stop on the Grand Tour, Taormina has welcomed visitors for centuries. The town, draped with bougainvillea, offers breathtaking views, an ancient theatre, and cafés and terraces overlooking the sea (see Taormina).

This, the largest and most active volcano in Europe, has been threatening the island since before records began. Its awesome presence dominates eastern Sicily (see Mount Etna).

The once mighty Greek colony and rival to Athens quietly exists today as a thriving modern city endowed with vestiges of its former glory (see Syracuse).

Destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, Noto was rebuilt during the 1700s when the Baroque style was at its height. A unified building programme creates harmony between landscape and village (see Noto).

The extensive mosaic decorations of this luxurious Roman hunting villa are the best preserved of their kind in the world (see Villa Romana del Casale).

The famed Valle dei Templi is home to ruined Greek temples that stand, or partially stand, against a backdrop of the distant sea. They are as awe-inspiring today as they must have been to the peoples who constructed them 2,500 years ago (see Agrigento and the Valle dei Templi).

Another of Sicily’s remarkable ancient sites, the romantic remains of Greek Selinus reign spectacularly from a promontory high above the sea. Comprising the largest archaeological park in Europe, Selinunte offers the chance for a solitary ramble among the ruins, walking in the footsteps of history (see Selinunte).