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The river’s source is a pool formed by the tears of Cyane, who tried to prevent Persephone’s abduction into the underworld. The river banks are thick with papyrus. Take a boat tour past the Olympieion.

“Quì si magnifica il porco” (“Here the pig is glorified”) is the motto of this restaurant, which is also a butcher’s.

One of the most spectacular buildings in Sicily, the dramatic Baroque façade fronts a 5th-century BC Doric Temple to Athena. It was transformed into a church in the 7th century AD. Clearly visible inside and out are monolithic Doric columns.

Traditional Ragusan recipes are prepared with vegetables from the estate’s garden, and bread and pasta from their own wheat.

The mythical Arethusa was turned into a spring and bubbles up on the shores of lower Ortygia. Along the Lungomare Alfeo a little terrace looks down on the spring that now feeds into a pond, with ducks and tall papyrus.

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 .

Only five tables in a barrel-vaulted space in old Modica, where the chef prepares local, seasonal foods.

This tiny town in the middle of the Monte Iblei has narrow streets lined with palaces, churches and residences. Note the typical homes, with low doors, to protect against cold winter winds.

Built by the Principe di Butera after the 1693 earthquake to house the farmers of the destroyed village of Occhiolà, this lovely place preserves an authentic peasant-farmer feel, even though it was built on a grand plan inspired by Renaissance mathematical ideals. The concentric hexagonal plan radiates from around the central Piazza Umberto I, home to private residences, palazzi , the Chiesa Madre and the town hall.