Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands, is a mosaic of art, language, architecture, cuisine, and time-honored customs. It's not quite European or Arab, Greek, Spanish, Norman or Italian, yet all of these at once. Fantastic sights lie scattered under brilliant skies. Good, simple food is made and served by a friendly, gentle people. Artisans labor in time-honored trades, producing papyrus to puppets and ceramics to traditional costumes. Sicily, kaleidoscope of contrasts, is lush and tropical on the coast, abundant in orange, lemon, and olive groves, vineyards and sandy beaches. Inland, it remains mostly uninhabited, rocky and ripe for exploration.

Sicily basks in a wonderful climate year round. Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, scrapes the sky at over 10,000 feet above the sea. Medieval Taormina is forever suspended between a living volcano and the gentle sea. Siracusa, the most spectacular capital of the ancient world, is the microcosm of Sicily. Its domes and arches reflect every human era this island has ever known. Sunny Agrigento, today a land of sleepy fishing villages, shelters monumental remains of Greek, Carthaginian and Phoenician cities. More of ancient Greece survives in Sicily than in all of Greece. The Ragusano and its Baroque treasures sit astride raw natural beauty and fascinating seascapes.

Then there is Palermo, the captivating casbah of Italy. As the jewel of the Middle East, Palermo was once the envy of world capitals. Today, her vast treasures crumble at the heels of a disdainful Europe, a minor shadow cast along the southern frontier. Don't rue her fate, be awed by it instead, and the enormity of what yet remains. From major Italian cities, Sicily can be reached by air. Catania airport is on the eastern coast and Palermo airport is on the northwest end of the island. Palermo also has overnight car and passenger ferry service to Naples. From Messina, north of Catania, passengers, cars and trains are ferried across the channel to Calabria in less than 30 minutes.