Sicily: History, Food, and the Drama of Etna

Sicily is the Mediterranean distilled. Every civilisation that sailed the inland sea — the Sicani, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, the Spanish — left something here, and the island absorbed each influence and made it Sicilian. The result is a place of extraordinary layering: a Greek temple beside a Baroque church beside an Arab-Norman mosaic ceiling, all eaten alongside food that draws from all of them. There is nowhere else quite like it.

Palermo: The Arab-Norman Capital

Sicily's chaotic, magnificent capital wears its history on its architecture. The Palatine Chapel (Cappella Palatina) inside the Norman Palace is one of the world's supreme artistic achievements: built by the Norman king Roger II in the 12th century, it combines Byzantine mosaics (ceiling), Arab muqarnas (stalactite carving) and Norman Romanesque arches in a synthesis that could only have happened in medieval Sicily, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived and built together.

The Ballarò market — Palermo's oldest and most atmospheric street market — is a full sensory assault: stacked produce, grilled street food (stigghiola, grilled lamb intestines; pane ca' meusa, spleen sandwich), shouting vendors, and the controlled chaos of a market tradition unchanged for centuries.

Stroll the Via Maqueda and the Quattro Canti crossroads, and don't miss the Catacombe dei Cappuccini — the Capuchin catacombs with 8,000 mummified bodies lining the walls. Macabre, historical, and strangely moving.

The Valle dei Templi, Agrigento

The Valley of the Temples near Agrigento is one of the finest collections of Greek antiquity outside Greece — and better preserved than much of what survives in Athens itself. Seven Doric temples from the 5th century BCE march along a ridge above olive and almond groves. The Temple of Concordia survives almost complete — it was converted into a Christian church in the 6th century CE, which ironically saved it. At sunset, when the golden limestone glows in the low light, the site is extraordinary.

Mount Etna: Europe's Most Active Volcano

Etna (3,357m) is not just Europe's highest active volcano — it is one of the world's most continuously active. Standing near the summit craters while the mountain smokes and occasionally rumbles below you is a visceral reminder of what lies beneath the thin crust of earth we inhabit. Access by cable car from Nicolosi reaches 2,500m; from there, guides can take visitors to the summit crater rim.

The flanks of Etna are extraordinarily fertile — volcanic soils producing excellent wine (the Etna DOC zone produces some of Italy's most sought-after red and white wines from the Nerello Mascalese and Carricante varieties), pistachios (the Bronte pistachio is considered the world's finest), and citrus fruits of unusual sweetness.

The Etna wine scene is one of Italy's most exciting: old-vine Nerello Mascalese from high-altitude terraces, farmed by small producers who are increasingly sought out by international buyers. The villages of Castiglione di Sicilia, Randazzo, and Milo are at the heart of this.

Syracuse: The Rival of Athens

Siracusa (Syracuse) was once the largest and most powerful Greek city in the world — larger than Athens at its peak. Archimedes was born here; the playwright Aeschylus premiered works here; the Athenian fleet was destroyed here in the greatest naval defeat in ancient Greek history. Today the Ortigia island at the city's historic core is a beautifully preserved baroque town, rising directly from the sea. The Parco Archeologico della Neapoli contains a superbly preserved Greek theatre (still used for performances) and a Roman amphitheatre.

Sicilian Food: A World Cuisine

Sicilian cuisine is, arguably, one of the world's most influential — many of the defining flavours of southern Italian and Italian-American cooking have Sicilian roots, filtered through Arab, Greek, and Norman influence:

• Arancini: Fried rice balls — a direct legacy of Arab rice cultivation in Sicily (arancini likely derives from the Arabic for orange, naranja)
• Caponata: Sweet-sour aubergine stew — agrodolce flavouring from Arab sweet-and-sour traditions
• Pasta con le sarde: Pasta with sardines, wild fennel, raisins, and pine nuts — the quintessential Arab-Norman flavour combination
• Cassata and cannoli: Sicily's iconic desserts, both with Arab origins
• Granita: Iced fruit slush — descended from the Arab tradition of flavouring mountain snow

Practical Information

• Getting there: Fly to Palermo or Catania from most European airports. Ferry from Naples, Genova, or Malta.
• Best time: April–June and September–October. July–August is very hot (38–42°C inland) and crowded at coastal resorts.
• Getting around: Car hire gives the most flexibility. Train connects Palermo–Catania–Messina (scenic but slow). Buses reach many sites.
• For couples: Ortigia at sunset, Etna wine tour, Taormina's views over the Ionian Sea
• For families: Etna cable car, puppet theatre (Opera dei Pupi) in Palermo, beach days near Cefalù

Related: Sardinia: Italy's Wildest Island | Calabria: Italy's Forgotten South