Sicily+Michel

**Welcome to Sicily**
introduction: Sicily is a land of extremes and contrasts, a magnification of all Italian things. It is an island with a concentrated distillation of history, architecture and gastronomic delights, where incandescent volcanoes light up the night skies, majestic mountain ranges and where the sea has sculpted a coastline of stunning variety and beauty Climate: Its climate is Mediterranean that is characterized by hot and windy summers and mild winters.

Tourists can admire: Agrigento: The "Valley of the Temples" is a large archeological site outside town surrounded by olive groves and almond orchards. Agrigento boasts several ancient Greek temples, including the Temple of Concord, one of only two completely standing ones in Sicily. Palermo: Sicily's regional capital and largest city is perhaps best compared to a rough, uncut jewel. Its beauty has to be revealed through careful discovery. You'll find this bustling city chaotic and dusty yet interesting. The historic environment of this former royal capital of kings and emirs is largely Baroque with some stunning nuggets of medieval architecture. Siracusa: Archimedes, Plato and Saint Paul loved Syracuse, and with good reason. It was one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world, and the most important in Greek and Roman Sicily. It was also one of the most beautiful. The archeological park is extensive, while the old city, Ortygia, has some fascinating treasures. cuisine: Sicily is rightly famous for her granite' and 'sorbetti'. Sicilians were also the first makers of ice-cream in Europe and they consume it in vast quantities, sometimes as a filling in a brioche as a pre-dinner snack. Cannoli: crisp pastry cylinders, deep fried, then filled with ricotta mixed with sugar (sometimes vanilla, lemon zest, candied peel, chocolate pieces added) Cassata siciliana: ricotta cake, mixed with sugar and vanilla and decorated with colourful candied fruit on brightly painted icing and marzipan. Melanzane parmigiana: sliced aubergine cooked in oil with tomato basil and parmesan, baked in the oven.