For any traveller primarily a tourist, Sicily, a self-governing region of Italy, is a paradise: a maze of small islands within easy reach of Trinacria, the big island commonly thought of as ‘Sicily’. Enchanting seas, enormous forests, beautiful cities with their marine esplanades, temples, sculptures and impressive statues to the gods of Olympia, and one of the most famous open-air theatres in the ancient world are among the many witnesses to the dazzling Greek presence in Sicily, one that endured for 17 centuries.
Think of the accumulated Greek DNA in today’s Sicilians. Archimedes, my favourite Greek genius, was born in Syracuse, a Sicilian Greek who in his old age defended his beloved city from the Romans. And functioning as if it were born only yesterday is Etna, a living volcano…
