Travelling to Sicily

Sicily is one of the 12 regions that make up Italy. It covers the whole of the island to the south of the country. The largest Mediterranean island, and the Italian region, is still closely connected to tradition and old ways, but also with mafia. Most of the area has hills, with some mountains and straights that are only in the coastal regions. The climate is typical for the Mediterranean, with mild winters and great for growing typical fruits. The most notable landmark and a sort of the logo of the island is the mightiest and largest European volcano, that has shaped the lives of the people on the island for millennia. The strong influence that gods had in everyday life is still preserved until today. There are many preserved archaeological monuments, still respected today. 

 

The best way to travel the island is by car, motorbike or bicycle. The place is safe and the warm locals make the journey all the more pleasant. As the island is not remote, it’s not expensive to reach. You can get there by airplane, train, car, bus or ship. Public transportation is well organized and there are many places where you can sleep. Personally I’d suggest a hostel located on the southern coast of the island: www.hihostels.com/hostels/noto-il-castello. The friendly staff and great positioning, and above all meeting people from all over the world, make it a great choice. 

Sicily and its capital Palermo are probably best known for many mafia groups, with some of them still having their organization on the island. The local folk don’t want to talk about that with strangers and perceive it as a sort of local tradition that’s none of anybody’s business. It’s why some call Sicily a quiet and mysterious place. This secrecy and some imagination, and you can see the spots on baroque streets where allied bombs made their mark when they reached the island of Sicily in 1943. Sicilian history, as most of Europe, is sad, dramatic and naturally also romantic. The Sicilian peasants were among the poorest up to the 1950s, due to harsh mafia rules. There were blood vendettas, exploitation, murders… all a part of everyday life. 

 

On the east side of the island there’s the most famous island attraction. It’s the volcano Etna – peaking at 3323 meters above sea level. If the weather is nice, you can get an unparalleled view from its top, where the smoke always rises night and day. The smoke lets you know that somewhere deep inside the volcano is still active and every time it erupted in the past, it had a strong influence on the people. It claimed many victims in its history. The last larger eruption happened in 2002 when lava destroyed a few hotels, houses and even a ski resort. You can still see some pillars of the cable cars and parts of houses peeking out of hardened lava. Most of it is restored as such an event didn’t discourage the people, so you can again take the cable almost to the very top of the mountain. You can also go to the top by off road 4x4, or you can – naturally - walk. On foot you can even go to the very crater. The road taking you up hill is very dark with many serpentines and by the remains of the lava you can see the power of nature that is under your feet, and can get unleashed with an eruption. Although there’s a constant danger for the people, they still live near the volcano. The volcanic dust made the land very fertile and the people use that to their advantage. Here you can find many people growing almonds, pistachio and wall nuts, and naturally citrus. And from the foot of the volcano, you also get a great view of the mountain.

 

Due to many interesting historical remains, you can still get to feel the real history, when people believed in gods. With its geography and climate Sicily was settled by humans very early on. The digs proved that. Many archaeological sites testify that this is where foreign tribes made strong trading posts and military fortifications. The culture is influenced by the Greeks, who lived here for a long time, but other settlers and conquerors also left their mark. It was in the 18th century that Sicily joined the kingdom of Italy, and it’s still part of Italy today.

 

The people mostly farmed the land, raising crops, fruit, olives and wine, but also vegetables and fruit. Most of the population is still living off the agriculture, with the dominant branch being cotton planting. 80% of all Italian cotton is farmed on Sicily. There’s also animal farming and fishing, with some chemical and petrochemical industry.

 

 

Despite all the testimony about mafia adventures, it’s very safe to travel around Sicily. As some locals say, it might be thanks to mafia, that it is so safe today. There are many interesting things to discover around the island, from clear sea, mountains, volcano and especially land’s history which you can experience for yourself. It’s a true traveller’s paradise with much cultural and natural heritage to offer.