of cultures, arts and flavours that are incomparably refined and complex. The result is a world just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed, from the generous spirit of its people to the blessing of its unique environment and climate. In the heart of the Mediterranean, Sicily is a land of indescribable beauty and charm. Man and nature have come together here recording unequalled pages of history, civilisation and culture with the passing centuries. Buildings from every age look out onto horizons of intact charm, melding with the hues and scents of a land that continues to amaze with its alternation of sweet and sour, and continues to allure and bewitch the visitor, unlike any other tourist destination, in a class of its own. Sicily’s treasures make it one of the world’s most complex places: a cornucopia of offerings, temptations and allusions. It would be impossible to identify it with a single dessert, wine, colour, monument, or traditional identifying symbol. There’s just too much of everything, and each element can be split into a thousand pieces that belong to the infinite puzzle that articulates the island’s uniqueness. It seems that the area’s central Mediterranean location is what has historically drawn people here from every corner of the world: the seeds of ethnicities, cultures, traditions, fruits, experiences, legends, arts, music, and so on. Seeds that grew together in a sort of cross-pollination to create new species in thousands of different sizes and shapes, finally giving origin to the current array of options that amaze visitors today.

these unrivalled natural paradises are located just a few miles from the northern coast of Sicily. Alicudi, Filicudi, Stromboli, Panarea, Salina, Lipari, Vulcano, the names of these “seven sisters”, as they are called by the locals, evoke images of clear waters, rocky islands and uncontaminated gulfs, landscapes of absolute beauty.

The Aegadian Islands: daughters of the sun and wind. The archipelago of the Aegadian Islands is located off the western coast of Trapani and includes three main islands (Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo) and two minor rocky islands (Maraone and Formica). Crystal-clear waters, fascinating coasts, bays, caves, tuff and sandstone mines whose colours come together in a play of light and shadows, melding with the local ancient history.

Ustica: a scuba diver’s paradise Scuba divers from all over the world flock to Ustica for the unrivalled beauty of its sea floor. Located approximately sixty kilometres north of Palermo (just one hour by hydrofoil), Ustica is the end part of an enormous underwater volcanic complex with that stretches for over ten kilometres. Here, in the depths of time, an enormous eruption led to the formation of caves, inlets, rocky islands, gorges and a sea floor that tells the tale of its origins to all who venture out onto the coasts and under the blue surface of an enchanting sea, in search of a myriad of extraordinary and colourful species.

Baroque sanctuaries and Greek temples; intact sea floors rich with fish and colours, nature parks where the Mediterranean flora and fauna bring visitors directly into contact with an environment that has remained unchanged for centuries. The Palermo coastline that extends eastwards, (the Gulf of Castellammare, Terrasini, Scopello, up to San Vito lo Capo) and westwards (towards Cefalù), offers rich insight into what Sicily is all about and how much history, nature and the environment are still its defining elements. This area also offers an infinite number of excursions to choose from, on land or by sea, each with its own unique charm and rich in unforgettable emotions: like a tile in the colourful mosaic of an unforgettable journey through time. The Zingaro Nature Reserve, located between the Gulf of Castellammare and Trapani, is a “world of its own” sure to surprise and amaze even those already accustomed to appreciating the abundance of natural wonders that the Mediterranean, and Italy in particular, have to offer. The Zingaro Reserve, with a surface area of 1,650 hectares, looks out onto a coastline of approximately seven kilometres. The land and the sea blend together and intertwine in the pebbly coves and steep dolines, sparkling clear waters and the deep sea floor. The little coves, when seen from the sea, look like pale niches carved into the side of limestone walls that, from south to north, appear in a seemingly random succession: Cala della Capreria, Cala del Varo, Cala della Disa, Cala Marinella, and so forth, in a sequence that ends with Cala Tonnarella dell’Uzzo.

Palermo escapes every simplification and definition. All one can do is learn about it with patience and love, while knowing that it would be impossible to learn all of its infinite secrets. The writer and journalist Roberto Alajmo (author of Palermo is an Onion) has a suggestion for those who visit his Palermo for the first time: before entering the city, try to forget everything that’s been said and written about Palermo. A clear invitation to discard prejudices, to free the mind of burdensome ghosts, smoke and futile words. This is perhaps the only way to happily and joyfully discover a world that, like a puppet show, is made up by contrasts and excesses, of ambiguities and refinement. First of all, Palermo is a large city without one main centre. It actually has many, like a living organism that has multiple hearts, each capable of pumping different energies. There’s Piazza Politeama, a traditional meeting point for Palermo natives and the location of the Politeama Garibaldi Theatre, one of the first great theatres built by the city in the 19th century, designed by Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda in 1867. Palermo has two opposing hearts. The princely heart as portrayed by Giuseppe Tommasi di Lampedusa in his novel entitled “The Leopard” is apparent in the symbolic building Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi where Luchino Visconti, the director of the film based on the novel, filmed the unforgettable dance scene. And the other is of the declining Palermo – the dilapidated, decaying Kalsa neighbourhood which evokes the image of a pained and desperate city, marked by silence and sharp screams, gloomy darkness and sudden beams of light. That’s not to forget Palermo’s street markets: the four markets of Vucciria, the colours of which were told around the world by Renato Guttuso, the markets of Ballarò, Capo and Borgo Vecchio. Noble palaces look out onto this endless sea of goods, faces, sales patter, scents and tastes. This is the city’s true beating heart. Although the list could go on forever, ours concludes with Palermo’s sun and sea image, the Palermo that looks out onto that half-moon of fine white sand called Mondello that, from April to October, becomes the city’s own private beach.