Sicily

According to Goethe, Sicily "is the key to everything". "Italy," claimed the great German writer, "leaves no image on the spirit without Sicily". Goethe's sentiments can only be applauded given that this island has represented not a boundary, but a point of contact and fusion between diverse Mediterranean civilisations. The Greeks and Romans, the Arabs, the Norman Crusaders, the Spanish and the Piedmontese have all left unmistakable and glorious evidence of their passing in the towns and villages of an area already blessed by nature: an African sun, tropical beaches, orange and olive groves and a volcano Etna, that restlessly dominates Southern Europe from the heights of snowy peak. Places and History: celebrating the world's most beautiful cities and its most fascinating and exotic regions. Celebrating their historic and cultural importance, and their natural beauty. The history of each location is shown in original prints and paintings. The modern scene is explored in glorious colour photographs and with a travel writer's experienced eye.