Sicily - An island touching different worlds

The presence of kumquats, prickly pear and pomegranates hints at Sicily’s closeness to North Africa. It has an exceptional climate with a long, long season. Even back in Georgian times the English took to wintering away here, sighing over the exotic gardens, antique ruins and ravishing views of Mount Etna puffing away on the horizon. Superlatives still fall easily upon this largest and most southerly of European islands, a mere 3km from the toe of Italy yet in character as complex as a separate country – which, of course, it once was before Garibaldi united the whole “boot”.

Colonised by every Mediterranean civilisation from Phoenician times onwards, down the centuries Sicily has netted a remarkable haul of Greek, Roman, Norman, Byzantine and Baroque architectural treasures. Many of these have recently been restored as the island’s fortunes have turned, reversing the economic decline wrought by feudal rule and perpetuated by the Mafia. Now on the brink of a brighter future, this island of stunning natural beauty, peerless historical glories and exuberant beach resorts can be appreciated on so many different levels.

Scenically the outlook shifts from a wild west that feels as if it’s already in Africa, to sophisticated resorts brimming with Italian style, to the kind of remote, mountain communities that the film Il Postino brought to life. A scattering of offshore islands adds further excitement – each another little world.

Pantelleria; the Egada group reached from the ancient port of Trapani; Ustica with its underwater treasures; and above all the spectacular Aeolian archipelago, a tantalising mix of turbulent nature and very civilised pleasures.

Sicilians are among the most welcoming of hosts and foodwise you are in for a treat, for the variety and quality of Sicilian cuisine is further evidence of the island’s rich cultural inheritance. As for the wine, to drink the best where the Greeks first planted vines is something to be savoured.