The message on the answerphone was ominous. "Intourist have rung about your holiday. Please call us." The group who were due to accompany us to Moscow and St. Petersburg had cancelled their booking and the trip was off. The option to spend more money on the same itinerary via dearer hotels did not appeal. A thought occurred; what about Sicily -a new area of Italy to explore, with the promise of good food, fine weather and all the other Italian virtues? Sicily it was, then - and specifically Taormina.
The closeness of Mount Etna cannot help but cast a shadow over the immediate area. There have been no recent eruptions, but the best way to see this phenomenon is definitely from some distance away, lending not only enchantment but greater safety to the view. In some ways, despite its grotesqueness, Etna is a reminder of reality in a location at least semi-detached from that state.
There is no better place to see Etna than from the Greek theatre on the far side of the town, set into a hill. The sea, volcano and other mountains and rocks make an incredible backdrop for the theatre, which could apparently hold almost 10,000 people. It's hard to see how any drama could compete with such natural beauty. The Romans tried to improve upon nature by encasing the theatre in brick - an act of philistine clumsiness.
A less historic, but more tranquil location, is the Villa Communale, a large set of gardens cultivated by Florence Trevelyan, an Englishwoman who married a local and settled in the town earlier in this century. She bequeathed the gardens to the town so that everyone might enjoy them. Children play, the budgies and lovebirds in the aviary chirp and other visitors sip their drinks in the bar while looking at the sea, the volcano, the orange and lemon trees and the many other exotic varieties of plant life.
Taormina is only one side of a multifaceted story. Further south, but still on the east coast, lies Syracuse, founded as a Greek colony. This city was, at its zenith, one of the most powerful in the ancient world. With the inventive aid of Archimedes, Syracuse twice repelled attempted invasions from Athens in the 5th century BC. Its Greek theatre could hold up to 20,000 and the view from the top is impressive, as is a very pretty harbour.
Arabs and Normans have also left sizeable footprints in the sands of Sicilian history, a fact illustrated clearly by a visit to Palermo, the capital, and nearby Monreale. The periods of Arab and then Norman rule (c. 830 - 1200 AD) were, in many ways, the high noon of the island's prestige and influence. Both sets of conquerors showed religious and cultural tolerance; they were happy to use the administrative and creative skills of all groups. Monreale's Cathedral is, as a result, a bizarre and beautiful mixture of Arab and Norman architecture. Byzantines were also specially contracted to complete the work. The Palatine Chapel in Palermo, built for King Roger II in the 12th century, is distinctive and impressive for similar reasons. The speed of completion of both these works hints at the financial prosperity of the island at that time.
Since then, Sicily's influence has drained away. This was at least partly because of the steady expansion of the world in perceptual terms. The Pacific Rim or Suez, for example, had no strategic importance then; the ancient and medieval worlds still revolved around the Mediterranean and Sicily occupied a vital position at its centre. A steady decline in fortunes set in under centuries of Spanish rule. The nadir was probably reached during the European wars of the late 18th / early 19th centuries when the island became, in effect, a bargaining counter. A glimmer of hope came with Italian unification in 1861, followed swiftly by disappointment as the Italians, like the Romans before them, simply used Sicily as a breadbasket.
Although its basis is Italian cuisine, Sicilian cooking reflects many tastes. The Arab influence lies behind some of the more exotic items. For a truly hot starter, pasta arrabiata (tomato and chilli sauce) will kick-start the palate. Seafood is a speciality, especially swordfish. Involtini (thin slices of meat or fish rolled up with a filling of breadcrumbs, herbs, cheese etc) are delicious, as are arancini. These are so called because they resemble oranges; they are a layer of rice and breadcrumbs surrounding a meat and vegetable filling. The most famous dessert is cassata, a concoction of ice cream or (in its cake form) ricotta cheese, studded with candied fruit. Many shops display sweets based on almond paste and fruit or vegetable shapes made with marzipan -although it is hard to imagine anyone eating (for instance) a whole marzipan orange.
This section would be incomplete without reference to granitas, refreshments too solid to be a drink but too fluid to be an ice cream. Flavours are manifold - some examples are lemon, coffee, peach and strawberry.
A week spent in Sicily seems brief, but the impressions will last. The character of the island and its people is deeply divided. The sunshine, the natural abundance and beauty, the good food and a colourful heritage are the positive side of the equation; the negative side includes the fatalism, the Mafia and Mount Etna (although volcanic lava has enabled the soil to flourish as well as bringing death). The two sides are inseparable; after all, the most sparkling jewels provoke the basest emotions.
The cultural and historical interest can keep a visitor as fully occupied as can the fine art of relaxing in what is a beautiful place. The attractions appeal to a wide age range and to visitors from all corners of the world. They will testify that, whatever you do when you're there, visiting Sicily is one of life's pleasures.
First published in VISA issue 17 (July 1995)
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