Sicily
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, separated from mainland Italy by only five kilometres of water known as the Straits of Messina. Humans have been living here for at least 12,000 years. Over the millennia the island has been under the external control of various peoples – the Romans, Vandals and Ostrogoths, Byzantines and Arabs – along with periods of independence when the island was ruled by the Siceliotes, later as an autonomous Emirate and then the Kingdom of Sicily. Consequently, not only does the island have an extraordinary heritage (seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites), but also a rich and unique culture.