Lay of the Land
Sicily is actually the largest island in the entire Mediterranean Sea and has a population of about 5 million people. The island's history is believed to date back to about 8,000 B.C., based on scientific dating of cave drawings. Greek settlers arrived around 750 B.C., and as they incorporated Sicily (and present-day southern mainland Italy) into Magna Grecia, they erected many temples to the gods. The Romans took over around 242 B.C., making Sicily the first Roman province beyond the mainland of modern Italy and building settlements with amphitheaters much like those on the other side of the Strait of Messina.
Years of war and various rulers followed, with Byzantine emperors, Arabs from Tunisia, the Norman dynasty, Austrian and Spanish leaders, and Napoleon Bonaparte all taking a turn at calling Sicily their own. Finally, the island joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, and after a short-lived attempt at independence and the rise of the Mafia crime network in the late 1800s, Sicily eventually became a republic in 1946 after being invaded by World War II Allied forces. According to the Constitution of Italy, the island is one of just five “autonomous regions” that are part of modern-day Italy. (The other four are Sardinia, Trentino-Alto Adige, the Aosta Valley, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The government gave them autonomy because of cultural and linguistic differences following World War II. However, there were strings attached. For example, the autonomous regions have to finance much of their own public infrastructure.)
Today, tourism is a major part of Sicily's economy, though agriculture still offers key financial support as well. Many visitors to Italy believe that Sicily is as “must-see” as Rome or Naples, both because of its ruins and because of its enduring natural beauty.
Fact
Many people saw the rise of Sicily's Mafia in the late 1800s as a good thing. The Pope was fighting with state officials in Rome over general regional leadership, and the Mafia sought to fill the resulting lack of attention to local residents' needs. The secret society's work may not have been legal, but someone had to maintain order and protect property on the island.
Arriving by Air
Three airports welcome visitors to Sicily. The busiest is Catania-Fontanarossa, which is just south of Catania on the island's eastern shore. The airport's most recent upgrade occurred in 2007, when a passenger terminal with twenty new gates was opened to help accommodate the estimated 6 million people who travel through the airport each year.
Multiple regional airlines offer flights here, as do international brands including Air France, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM/ Northwest Airlines, Lufthansa, and Virgin Express. You can pick up a connecting flight to Catania from pretty much any major city in Europe, as well as from farther-away cities including Casablanca and Moscow. Details are available in English at the airport's official website,
Fact
Palermo International Airport is also known locally as Falcone-Borsellino Airport, in honor of two anti-Mafia judges who were killed by the organized crime syndicate in 1992. There is a plaque at the airport featuring their portraits along with the words, “The Pride of New Sicily.”
The second-biggest airport on Sicily is Palermo International Airport, on the island's northwest coast. It is in Punta Raisi, about twenty miles west of Sicily's capital city of Palermo. About 4.5 million people transit through this airport each year, with Alitalia being the largest major carrier that offers flights. Other international airlines that serve Palermo include EasyJet. Your best bet getting here will often include a connection from the international airport in Rome. More details are online in English at the airport's website,
Last of Sicily's three airports is Trapani-Birgi, located on the island's far western coast. It is a combined civilian and military facility that serves about 500,000 travelers each year. Only a handful of airlines operate here, including AirBee, Avanti Air, RyanAir, and Meridiana. Most connections are from Italian cities, though you can find flights on RyanAir from major European cities such as Barcelona, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stockholm. The airport's official website offers some information in English at
Alert
Ferry routes to Sicily book up quickly between June and September. It's ideal to have your ticket several weeks in advance. Whether you book directly through a ferry company or with a travel agent or a self-service website, be sure to have your confirmation number handy. There will be many other potential customers for your space if your paperwork is not in order.
Arriving by Boat
It is virtually as easy — though not always as quick — to arrive in Sicily by ferry as it is by airplane. Ferries run regularly from nearby Reggio di Calabria on the mainland. There also are ferries available from large mainland cities including Genoa, Livorno, and Naples.
Different ferry routes arrive at different points on the island of Sicily. Messina is just across the strait from Reggio di Calabria, on Sicily's eastern shore, while ferries from Naples and Genoa arrive at Palermo, on the island's northwest shore. Some of the ferry rides can be mini-cruises unto themselves. The trip from Naples to Palermo, for instance, can be a little more than ten hours long with the major carrier Tirrenia (
Expect to pay at least 120 per person, round-trip, for a room with a bed during one of these extended ferry rides. Rates go up if you want to bring a rental car onboard with you, and as with everything tourist-oriented in Italy, prices also rise with the peak summer travel season. The website
