White Almond Sicily

Mount Etna is full of mysteries and legends. The first Greek settlers named the volcano Aetna and thought of it as the home to Hephaestus , god of fire, who used its flames and lava to forge Zeus’s thunderbolts. Etna is described in the book of myths as “the forge of the gods”. To the Arabs it was known as Mongibello (Beautiful Mountain). Visitors, local and international, are instantly charmed by the volcano and visit daily to this magical part of Sicily. Since the Grand Tours started in 1680, Mount Etna was the “must see” attraction of visitors to the island and has been enjoyed by such notaries as Goethe, Byron and Maupassant, as it had already been by the Greek philosopher Empedocles and the Emperor Hadrian. This legendary area is a magnet for visitors looking for excitement and dramatic landscapes. Mount Etna is the highest volcano in Europe. It extends for approximately 1250 square km and reaches a height of approximately 3350 metres. For its repeated eruptions o

Porta Catania ... Taormina's Southern Gateway Taormina … the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, a town of myth and legend, a destination for the international Jet Set and one of the most beautiful parts of Sicily. The town has incredible energy, beautiful colours, exciting aromas, the tastes of authentic Sicilian cuisine and is full of rich Ancient History. A Brief History of Taormina Taormina was founded in 358 in the period when the Greek colony of Naxos was being destroyed by the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse. The people of Naxos looked towards the mountains for a new settlement. The Greeks named the town Tauromenion. Thereafter the Romans invaded the town and named it Tauromenium. It was the Romans who added most of the splendour to the town. In fact the remains of many magnificent Roman monuments can still be seen today in Taormina. The town was neglected and suffered decay in the last days of the Roman period but was born again during the presence of the Byzant

Ottobrata ... every Sunday every October Zafferana Etnea is a pretty town on the slopes of Mount Etna and is one of the last towns before you reach Rifugio Sapienza – Etna Nord , the Northern gateway to the summit of the volcano. The atmosphere is very peaceful and slow with comfortable temperatures even in summer due its height 600 metres above sea level. It is well worth a stop when visiting Mount Etna as the route up to Etna Nord passes close by the town.  In 1992 an eruption threatened to reach some local houses, the faithful residents of Zafferana gathered up the town’s statue of Our Lady of Providence which dates back to the 18 th Century and marched with it ahead of the lava flow and miraculously the flow stopped. In Piazza Umberto I the statue is preserved in the cathedral. Cathedral of Zafferana Etnea Across the square is a vantage point which overlooks the town’s public gardens full of exotic trees and beautiful fountains. From here the view is unique,