The failure of more Americans to visit Sicily is often ascribed to Sicily’s association with the Mafia. And yet, the impact of the Sicilian Mafia on the tourist is nil. From arrival to departure, you hear not a word of Mafia activities, and no tourist to my knowledge has ever been targeted by a group that has every business reason to encourage visits.
Though Sicily’s economic problems – it is one of the poorer parts of Italy – are sometimes “pinned” on the Mafia, just as many Sicilians will talk of the wave of foreign invasions that kept Sicily from becoming a strong nation-state for so many centuries. Its strategic position in the center of the Mediterranean made it a tempting prize, first for the Carthaginians, then the Phoenicians, then the ancient Greeks (who incorporated Sicily into “Magna Graecia” and covered the island with their magnificent temples), then the Romans, then the Byzantines, then the Muslims (whose two or so centuries of occupation were a time of prosperity and tolerance), then the Normans (who transformed Muslim mosques into Christian cathedrals), then the Spanish, and so on. It suffered especial damage from Allied bombardment and battle in World War II.
It is this turbulent history that provides the basis for a fascinating tour. In no other part of Europe, with the exception of Malta, is it possible to see so many striking remains of the key eras of human history crammed into such a small space. And all of this is found in a place of striking natural beauty, with fields and rolling hills covered in such lush vegetation and agricultural richness that, should be one of the most prosperous areas of Europe rather than one of its poorest.
Cheaper destination
Far less developed than the rest of Italy, Sicily is also far less expensive, and rarely do you encounter the startling prices or overcharges that are sometimes found in more heavily visited parts of Europe.
The trip usually starts in Sicily’s international airport of Palermo, from which an inexpensive train takes you into town. And after resting for two days in a city of Norman churches covered with glittering gold mosaics, the tourist usually embarks on a circular tour along the coastal cities of the island. The interior, by contrast, is lightly populated, and all the historic sights are along the sea.
From Palermo, a popular overnight stop is in the medieval mountaintop village of Erice, with its stunning views, which sometimes can reveal the coast of Tunisia, and its streets so narrow that you are best off leaving your car in a parking lot at the entrance to the city and rolling your luggage to your hotel.
A two-and-a-half-hour drive through the western side of Sicily (stopping en route at Segesta to visit a stunning Greek temple and outdoor amphitheater) brings you for a second overnight stay in the city of Arigento, with its “Valley of the Temples,” with the remains of no fewer than six Greek/Roman pantheons of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., of which one – the Temple of Concordia – is the world’s most perfectly preserved. Another two-and- a-half-hour drive along the southern and eastern coasts of Sicily brings you to Siracusa and its ancient island of Ortygia, marvelously restored with countless quaint restaurants, shops, clubs, museums, churches and monuments. It makes for a Greenwich Village- style treasure trove of ancient delights.
Siracusa was as important as Athens in ancient times (Plato visited three times and Archimedes lived here), and so one should stay three nights, making time to visit the archaeological park (giant Greek and Roman amphitheater) and the remarkable Archaeological Museum in Siracusa proper.
If you haven’t yet visited Sicily, you are overlooking one of Europe’s gems.
