More than a thousand places not to pass by
Sicily looks like a multicoloured and variegated mosaic whose tones can be noticed in the different aspects of its landscape meant to be totally explored and where to get lost into. This is another suggestive journey, under the sign of Nature, through delicate hills covered by rows of olive-trees and vineyards mildly thinning out towards fertile lowlands full of orange orchards smelling of orange blossom …and then towards the shore with its crystalline and blue-coloured sea, where wide sandy littorals alternate to rocky cliffs hiding lovely shingle beaches and where it is possible to enjoy the most picturesque sunsets…and ahead from the splendid shores to the sublime altitude of the mountain of the mountains, the Aetna, the highest volcano all over Europe with its astonishing lapilli and routes of fire, and suddenly downwards on the slopes with its lava-flows taking anybody’s breath away: a supreme and exciting sight.
Once scaled the top of the majestic Aetna colossus it is time to get into a new scenery and admire the beauty of the minor islands: the Aeolian Islands (Vulcano, Lipari, Salina, Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea and Stromboli) with their volcanic origins stupendously silhouetted in between sky and sea, right there where the blowing of Eolo – god of the wind – and Vulcano – god of the fire – used to have their mythic dwell; Ustica, solitary pearl with its marvellous sea soundings – is a destination that those people who are fond of underwater tourism absolutely have to reach; and in the same way the Egadi Islands (Levanzo, Marettimo and Favignana where one of the last “tonnare” - places where the tunny-massacre occurred – of Sicily is active still in the present days). And finally a last dive into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on the archipelago of the Pelagie Islands (Linosa and Lampedusa) and on the island of Pantelleria: this is the extreme, wonderful, solitary end of Italy.
Furthermore, for those ones who are fond of protected nature and ecologic tourism, there is nothing better than taking a walk together with Flora and Fauna through luxuriant parks and natural reserves: from the “Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro” (a natural paradise surprisingly surviving in the integrity of its extraordinary and primitive beauty) to the salt-works of Trapani (an enchanting landscape characterized by windmills used for the salt gathering); from the natural oasis of Vendicari (where flights of migratory birds find refreshment and relief during their never ending crossings to Africa) to the “Riserva Naturale di Torre Salsa” , from the green coverings of the Nebrodi Mounts’ park to the enchanting little lakes of Tindari (three small salty lakes enclosed by dunes of sand); from the park of the Aetna to the gorges of the river Alcantara; from the Madonie Mounts’ park to the botanic garden of Palermo (the first in importance all around Europe thanks to its range of several rare plants and secular trees).
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