In 241 BC, a fierce naval battle between Roman and Carthaginian ships resulted in mass casualties. Local lore states, that the carnage was so extreme that the waters off the shore of the island of Favignana—located just a short boat ride away from Sicily—were soaked in blood. A rocky yet placid beach in Favignana is…
Fancy a holiday in Sicily? Noto could be your ideal destination. Immersed in one of the most beautiful valleys in Italy, the Val di Noto, Noto is renowned for the Baroque beauty of its historic center. It is located halfway between two fascinating Sicilian cities, Syracuse and Ragusa, and offers you the chance to visit…
In the 1500s, a group of Saracen pirates, often erroneously referred to as ‘Turks,’ scaled an enormous cliff in Sicily, marked by natural stone steps, to plunder a town. This cliff, after witnessing similar invasions by various pirate groups over centuries, became known as Scala dei Turchi, or the Turkish Steps. Surrounding the Turkish Steps,…
Sicily is probably in the list of must-visit places of many travelers. Only a few, however, are aware of the town of Cefalu, which is, for those who have explored most of Italy, considered as one of the most beautiful seaside destinations to visit in the boot-shaped country. One of the best things about Cefalu…
In the Italian mountain commune of Santo Stefano Quisquina is an extraordinary place: Andromeda Theater. Thirty years ago, the sculptor and a farmer Lorenzo Reina built the place, where he united his passion for art and nature. The Sicani Mountains are a home of the sculptor/shepherd Lorenzo Reina. There lays his family farm on 300…
Corleone is an Italian town and commune of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in Sicily. Several Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including: Tommy Gagliano, Jack Dragna, Giuseppe Morello, Michele Navarra, Luciano Leggio, Leoluca Bagarella, Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. It is also the birthplace of several fictional characters in Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather, including the…
