Luxury Sicily Holidays

Once a centre of Greek culture and learning – producing intellectual giants such as Archimedes and Empedocles (the first person to prove that air has weight) – it is somewhat amazing that after 2,500 years of invasions, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, so many historical sites remain on the island of Sicily, such as the largest Doric temples and theatres which are the setting for much of Homer's Odyssey. However, there is much more to this island, the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, than ancient landmarks. Superlative cuisine, dramatically perched clifftop villages and endless stretches of beautiful beaches (each coast is distinct, from the rugged and mountainous north to the sandier south). If you don't enjoy the heat of summer, do go in the spring, particularly in May, when the island looks lush and the water is warm enough to swim in.