Directory Image
This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

4 Ways to Get the Most Variety From Villas in Sicily

Author: Lisa Jeeves
by Lisa Jeeves
Posted: Dec 16, 2014

The gorgeous Italian island of Sicily can boast of a strange cultural paradox. It has become, to many, a symbol of Italy, yet it has a strong vein within it that pulses with a desire to be considered separate from all that is Italian.

This paradox is perhaps a reflection of the island's fascinating diversity. It has so much for the traveller to explore, in its breadth and depth. Renting one of the many villas in Sicily is the ideal way to gain the freedom and independence to explore this at your leisure.

From Messina to Etna

Renting one of the delightful villas in Sicily will afford you different vantage points of the island, depending on where you are situated. But from all of them you'll have a chance to enjoy the range of diverse landscapes if you can invest the time and energy. From the Strait of Messina to the glowering sublimity of Mount Etna, you'll be able to to explore active volcanos and verdant fields, imposing cliffs and sunny beaches, tiny hamlets and large towns, snowy peaks and blistering sun kissed hills. The sheer amount of natural choices on this heavily cultivated island makes it a paradise for the nature lover.

From Phoenicians to Vespers

The depth of human history is dug deeper in certain areas of the globe where remnants of history remind us more of ages past. Staying in any of the villas in Sicily will give you a chance to tap into a very rich vein of such history. From the Phoenicians to the Vespers, there are so many stories to be told. At the very sites they occurred, you can explore the clashes of the Punic Wars, the occupation by the Vandals, the battles for the Byzantine Empire, the Arab occupation, and the advent of the Norman kingdoms. And this is just for starters as the important position of the island in the Mediterranean has seen it be a touchstone for many clashes between nations, tribes, cultures and empires.

From Africa to Europe

The diversity evident in this island is also largely due to its central location as a bridge between worlds. The courses of modern history have long been seen as the meeting of the East and the West, between regions such as Europe and Africa. The villas in Sicily will invite you to holiday in a place that stands in firmly in the path of this meeting. The Arab and African influences here are as potent as the Roman and Germanic, and the island boasts in its cultural make up today the influence of these vast cultural zones.

From Aracini to the Teatro Massimo

Few islands can boast the degree of artistic diversity as much as the largest in the Mediterranean. The cities of Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa all yield a rich bounty of artistic and cultural highlights. From the days of Archimedes to current performances in the Teatro Messina, there are an abundance of highlights from the philosophical and creative output of the island. The diversity of artistic endeavour waiting to be explored here retains the quality that has seen it influence the world. During your stay in any of the villas in Sicily you can trace this influence and explore its deep and storied heritage in your own time.

Jonathan Magoni is Senior Manager of Cottages to Castles, a family owned company specialising in high quality holiday villas, apartments and cottages in Italy. For spectacular villas in Sicily or accommodation in the Italian lakes, ski resorts or city centres, we offer only the very best. Discover Italy at your own pace and without time restrictions in our hand picked villas and cottages.

About the Author

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.

Rate this Article
Leave a Comment
Author Thumbnail
I Agree:
Comment 
Pictures
Author: Lisa Jeeves

Lisa Jeeves

Member since: Oct 18, 2013
Published articles: 4550

Related Articles