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The World  
 
The Islands

  Italy, The Islands

The Islands: -

SICILY: Strategically situated between Italy and North Africa and with fertile soil and rich coastal fishing grounds, Sicily has suffered an almost continuous round of invasion for as long as history has been recorded. The Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese, Bourbons and, most recently, the Germans (and the Allies) during World War II - all have left their mark on this unique island, the most populous in the Mediterranean. The economy is based on the production of citrus fruit, almonds, olives, vegetables, wine (including Marsala), wheat and beans, together with mining, fishing (anchovies, tuna, cuttlefish and swordfish) and the raising of sheep and goats.
The capital, Palermo, is a splendid city in a grand style, opulent, vital, full of remarkable architecture, particularly Norman and Baroque. Notable buildings include the Martorana, Santa Maria di Gesu, San Giuseppe dei Teatini and San Cataldo churches, the Cathedral and the Palazzo dei Normanni. The catacombs at the Capuchin Monastery contain thousands of mummified bodies.

Syracuse: is said to possess the best natural harbour in Italy. The old town stands on a small island just off the coast and contains many historic buildings. Archimedes lived and died here.

Catania: is a spacious city dating mostly from the 18th century, having been rebuilt following a succession of earthquakes. Europe's largest and most active volcano, Mount Etna, stands nearby and with its fine beaches the city attracts many tourists.

Taormina: , further up the coast, is an immensely picturesque resort town. Perched on a cliff within sight of Mount Etna, it has fine beaches, a well-preserved Greek theatre, a castle and a cathedral.

Messina: , a busy port with a deep natural harbour, was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1908. The Cathedral is an exact reproduction of that destroyed in the 1908 calamity, which was built in the 11th century by King Roger.
Sicily is littered with the remains of successive invading cultures and a full listing of important sites is beyond the scope of this entry. The following is a representative selection of sites and buildings: the Norman Cathedral at Monreale, containing an acre and a half of dazzling mosaics; the numerous Greek remains at Agrigénto, said to be better preserved than any in Greece itself; the Greek theatre at Syracuse; the vast Temple of Apollo at Selinunte; and the Byzantine cliff dwellings at Cava d'Ispica near Modica.
Popular seaside resorts include Cefalú (near Palermo), Mondello, Acitrezza, Acireale, Taormina (see above) and Tindari. There are extensive sandy beaches on the southern coast.
Many attractive small islands surround Sicily, offering excellent facilities for underwater fishing. Accommodation is generally simple (although there are some excellent hotels). These islands are the Lipari Group (Lipari itself, Vulcano, Panarea and Stromboli), Ustica, Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo, Pantelleria and Lampedusa.

SARDINIA: This is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean. Much of Sardinia away from the coasts is an almost lunar landscape of crags and chasms and is largely uninhabited. In recent years, there has been much investment in tourist infrastructure, particularly in the northern area known as the Costa Smeralda and on the west coast near Alghero. This is the only region in Italy without motorways. The Sardinian language is closer to Latin than is modern Italian.

Cagliari: , the capital, stands in a marshy valley at the south of the island. It was founded by the Phoenicians and subsequently expanded by the Romans, who knew it as Carales. It is today a busy commercial port and site of most of the island's heavy industry.
The only other towns of any size are Sassari, in the northwest near the resort area around Alghero; Nuoro, an agricultural town on the edge of the central massif, a good base from which to explore the interior; and Olbia, a fishing port and car-ferry terminus on the edge of the Costa Smeralda.
There are numerous Bronze Age remains throughout the islands, the best known being the nuraghi - circular (sometimes conical) stone dwellings. The largest collection of these may be found at Su Nuraxi, about 80km (50 miles) north of Cagliari.

Beach resorts: include: Santa Margherita di Pula, Alghero, Santa Teresa, Porto Cervo, Capo Boi and the island of La Maddalena.