Sicily

Insight Guide Sicily is an essential full-color guide to this sun-baked island off the toe of Italy. Whether you're after active volcanoes (Stromboli and Etna, to name two), historic cities and resorts (Palermo, Siracusa, Taormina) or ancient temples (Agrigento, Segesta, Selinunte), this guide will help you find them. Our inspirational Best of Sicily section highlights the unmissable sights and experiences (if you've never tried a Sicilian dessert you have not lived), while a comprehensive Travel Tips section gives you all the practical information you need to plan your trip, and our selective listings bring you the very best hotels and restaurants.

Colourful magazine-style features offer a unique insight into Sicily's festivals and folk art, and Baroque architecture, as well as into the extraordinarily well-preserved temples and monuments of the Greek, Arab and Roman periods. A detailed Places section, with full-color maps cross-referenced to the text, guides you from Palermo's Arab-Norman cathedral to Stromboli's smoking volcano, and from the Valley of the Temples to the sandy beaches and colorful markets.
A new, sunnier Sicily is emerging, from Mafia-free' holidays and the return of stolen' art treasures to the revival of Ragusa, Siracusa and southeastern Sicily, the resurgence of Palermo, and the revitalisation of Sicilian wines.

Added to the mix are chic boutique hotels, Slow Food cookery courses, new walking trails through nature reserves, cruises around the Aeolian islands, and helicopter flights over Mount Etna. Sicily has never been more beguiling.