The Region of Sicily (Sicilia)
From Jesse's
Journeys
in Italy
Population: Approx. 5
Million
Area:
25,703 kmē
Provinces:
Agrigento, Caltanissetta Catania,
Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa,
Siracusa, Trapani
Capital City:
Palermo
Official website:
Sicily
Wikipedia:
Sicily
Map:
Sicily
Sicily
is a
place unlike any other in Italy. It is a place of myth,
magic, romance and sun. Inevitably, it will
cast a spell on you. Be
prepared.
Indeed, upon stepping into the streets of towns
such as Taormina,
Siracusa,
Giardini di Naxos or Palermo, where oranges fall
at your feet and lemons hang in place of pine
cones, you may
start to realize why the naturally romantic
Italians themselves say, "Sicily is paradise".
Sicily, throughout history has
been a place where more cultures have converged
than any other in Europe or the world. From the
Arabs who first settled there, to the Greeks,
the Romans and
the Normans, Sicily has been a melting pot
and battle ground of culture, tradition, art and
architecture. The ruins, located throughout Sicily
are numerous, vast and incredible.
Sicily may be more interesting
to those who
enjoy adventures off the "beaten path". It
may be difficult in some respects for visitors to
navigate the island, but the tourist
information system is getting
progressively better. It
is well worth the risk to dive right into
Sicilian culture, for what
awaits a guest in this rich Italian province is
nothing short of magic.
It takes approximately seven
hours by train from
Naples to arrive in Sicily and
about ten hours from Rome. If taking the train
to Sicily from places such as Rome or
Florence, it
is advised for those who can sleep on the train,
to take a night train which has beds. However, if
you are travelling by car, it is to your
advantage, for the travelling time will be faster
and you will have access to inland Sicilian
villages and towns that are otherwise
inaccessible.
If you'd rather not drive, you
will find that train and bus services throughout Sicily
are quite good, with stops at all major towns
and cities. |
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