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The islands were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in recognition of the ongoing evolution of the volcanic forms that creates their spectacular scenery. The islands remain an important study area for vulcanologists (see Aeolian Islands).

Sicily’s first true holiday resort has been drawing visitors for centuries, all of whom fall in love with its sparkling, colourful beauty (see Taormina).

Europe’s largest active volcano dominates Sicily – from much of the island it is rarely out of sight and never out of mind (see Mount Etna).

This small fishing village, now a resort thanks to its good sandy beaches, lies on a strip of land between the sea and a huge promontory looming above. Cefalù was founded in the 4th century BC, but destroyed by the Norman Count Roger in 1063. It only regained prominence thanks to his son Roger II, who endowed the village with a bishopric and a church decorated with exceptional Byzantine mosaics. The modern holiday resorts lie to either side of the town because the village itself has closed its doors to the sea, fortified itself against storms with tall protective stone walls, and focuses its attentions inwards (see p101).

Sicily’s second largest city has had its unhappy share of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and although Catania is rich in monuments dating back to its Greek foundations, the city seen today was built mostly after the massive 1693 earthquake. The rebuilding was largely carried out in the elaborate Baroque style, utilizing the workable local black lava stone. The most important monuments are grouped around the Piazza Duomo with the 1736 Elephant Fountain, the Duomo itself, dedicated to Sant’ Agata and retaining its original Norman apses, the Fish Market in via Garibaldi (see Catania), the Roman theatre, the castle (see Castello di Donnafugata), via Cruciferi with its Baroque palaces, and via Etnea with its shops and cafés.

According to ancient historians Naxos was founded in 734 BC after a ship was blown off course as it sailed to southern Italy, and it became the first Greek settlement in Sicily. Naxos never became a powerhouse but was mother city to successive colonies and the setting off point for messengers carrying news back to Greece. The ruins, defensive walls and parts of a temple are enclosed within a nicely kept park. A small museum houses finds from the Greek site, as well as finds recovered from shipwrecks.

Founded by colonists from Messenia, Greece, the city grew up around the harbour, which has always been its focus. In 1908 Messina was levelled by a disastrous earthquake and tidal wave, although parts of the older city survive. Monuments are concentrated around the magnificent harbour, including the Norman Duomo with original portals and sculpture, a 15th-century fountain in the Piazza Duomo and a clock tower whose mechanized figures come to life at noon, the Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani with its Norman features, the 1572 monument to Don Giovanni of Austria, and the Museo Regionale, with important works by Antonello da Messina (see Antonello da Messina) and Caravaggio.

The narrow strait between Messina and Reggio di Calabria was supposedly guarded by Scylla and Charybdis, the mythical sea creatures who led sailors astray. A proposed suspension bridge linking Sicily and mainland Italy has been under debate for more than 30 years. Sicilians are split between those who believe a link to the mainland would open up Sicily to much-needed economic development, and those who fear a loss of their insularity, and thus autonomy. Many suggest that the island infrastructure should be addressed first – much of Sicily still lacks basic necessities such as decent roads and water and electricity supplies.

The Madonie range, featuring Sicily’s highest peaks after Mount Etna, extends from Cefalù inland and is protected by the Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie. The park encompasses spectacular countryside, forests of beech, chestnuts, cork oaks, poplars and fir, and tiny villages that time seems to have forgotten. The remote villages that once provided refuge to bandits on the run are now good starting points for mountain hikes, horseback riding, cycling and skiing (see Outdoor Activities).

The extensive ruins of ancient Tyndaris, first Greek and then Roman, lie to either side of the Decumanus Maximus, the main street. Homes show mosaic flooring, drainage and the remains of heating systems. A restored basilica with graceful arches spans the street where it marked the entrance into the public area. A theatre, built by the Greeks, modified by the Romans and still in use, was sited to take advantage of the view out to sea. A small museum houses finds from the site including a colossal head of Augustus. Nearby visit the sanctuary of the Black Madonna, a pilgrimage favourite.