Sicily

Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is the largest of all the Italian islands and at the same time the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily offers a great mix of sun, sea, culture and good food.

It is separated from the Italian mainland (Calabria) by the only three kilometer wide Strait of Messina (Stretto di Messina). There have been plans for years to connect the island with a bridge, but so far nothing has come of it.

Here you will find remnants of Arab, Greek and Roman civilizations, beautiful cities and beautiful beaches. Not to forget Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. Sicily is perfect for discovering on the basis of a tour with a rental car.

The island has an area of ​​25.708 km2, making it the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and about the same size as Belgium. Sicily is also the largest region of Italy.

Sicily is enclosed by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south and west. The African mainland begins less than 200 kilometers south of Sicily. The small island of Lampedusa (part of the region of Sicily), known for the refugee flows from Africa, is closer to the coast of Tunisia than to Sicily itself.

The coast of Sicily is 1.030 kilometers long and long sandy beaches can only be found on the broad southern cliff coasts. The Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts to the east are narrow and largely steep. Between the mountains and rocks, which run into the sea, there are many bays.

Eastern Sicily is dominated by the imposing volcano Etna and the surrounding Etna massif. Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The volcano has a height of 3323 meters, making it the highest point in Sicily. You can reach a height of about 3000 meters (in good weather and no danger of eruptions) on the volcano, where you have a view of one of the craters.

You do the first part by car, after which you can continue with a ski lift. The part to the semi-top is covered on foot or with a special tourist bus. Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and it has been erupting at least once every year since 2006. Over the years, Etna has wreaked havoc and claimed lives. Yet the volcano also gives a lot. A particularly fertile soil, for example, on which the most delicious lemons and oranges in the world grow.

There are many smaller islands around Sicily. North of Palermo is the island of Ustica and southwest of Sicily is Pantellaria. Far to the south are the Pelagic Islands with Lampedusa, Linosa and Lampione. Further islands in the west are the Aegadian Islands (Favignana, Lévanzo and Marettimo).

The Aeolian Islands consist of Lipari, Salina, Vulcano, Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea and Stromboli. You will also find working volcanoes on Vulcano and Stromboli. Boat excursions from the north coast of Sicily are offered to these islands. Many tourists take a dip in the volcanic, warm mud that is particularly good for your skin. You have to be able to tolerate the smell of sulfur, which can come out of your pores for weeks afterwards.