The largest island in the Mediterranean and coveted by history’s main players from the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Arabs, Normans to the French and the Spanish, it is no wonder Sicily has evolved into a cauldron of competing influences all culminating to an exotic flourish. Locals consider their homeland as a separate entity from the rest of Italy and travel writers quipped that a holiday there might as well be travelling out of Europe. From the poetic chaos of Palermo’s streets, statuesque temples in Agrigento to the lava-strewn Mount Etna, and not forgetting possibly the most flavourful regional Italian cuisine, a customised Sicily tour package from Chan Brothers Travel Private Tours will bring you to where incredible scents, sounds and sights are just a part of what every Sicilian has to cope with on an everyday basis – not exactly a bad deal anyone would suppose
Blowing hot and cold at Mount Etna
Sicilians, especially Catanians, who live under the massive hulk of Mount Etna consider Europe’s largest active volcano as a life giver. While its irrepressible energy often sparks unpredictable eruptions, it is exactly the same that results in the region’s wondrous fertile soil which in turn nurture some of the world’s best produce. While Mount Etna is both revered and feared, locals engage with their most important symbol in a seemingly carefree manner. While hiking along its dead lava craters and seeing the sight of red liquid and smoky ash is probably the quintessential experience, many do not know that a great skiing experience also awaits the keen adventurer from end November to April each year. A true tale of fire and ice indeed.
Valley of the Temples
Agrigento, nestled around Sicily’s southwestern shore, is one of Magna Grecia’s (Greater Greece) most important cities during Hellenic rule, and possibly nowhere, not even in Athens will you find a collection of Greek temples in one massive site this finely preserved. Proudly perched above the sea in a grove full of almond trees, highlights of this stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site include the seven Doric-style Greek temples of which Temple of Concordia is the most famous. In fact, it is so representative that UNESCO uses it as their defining emblem. Spend a day amidst its stunning environs and if you can, watch a magical sunset with the sun descending and shining its rays through the gorgeous lines of these ancient columns