1. Mt. Etna – You can see Mt. Etna from all over Sicily, you get the feeling the mountain is trying to lure you to come and visit. Walking along craters and traipsing through the lava of Mt. Etna you will find it difficult to believe that you are still in Italy, you feel like you are on a different planet.

2. Monreale – The Cathedral at Monreale outside Palermo, is a wonder of mosaics. The outside of the Cathedral is austere but inside everything glitters.

3. Taormina – Taormina has a little bit of something for everyone – beautiful views of the Ionian Sea, an ancient Greek/Roman amphitheater, impressive public gardens, great restaurants and shops, a funicular and a beach.

4. Ragusa – The thing that makes Ragusa special is that there are actually two Ragusa’s the old and the new. The new city was built after the earthquake of 1693, which by most of our standards does not make it very new. The old city was renovated after the earthquake.

5. Erice – Sitting at the top of either a large hill or small mountain, Erice glistens in the sun. With the white stone buildings and ancient stone streets Erice has an almost fairytale appearance.

Sicily produces some of the most beautiful pottery in the world. It is different than the pottery that we see here in the southern part of the United States. Sicilian potterty is brighter and busier and you will be tempted to buy it when you see it.

Small pottery shops can be found all over Italy. When I visited Caltagirone, known as the capital of Sicilian pottery, pottery was everywhere. The steps in the heart of the city had pottery tiles embedded in them. There must have been 100 steps each with their own unique tiles. The dome of the church was made of pottery. The bridge had scenes depicted in pottery tiles. Houses had pottery sitting in the windows.

Palermo is a city that’s quite apart from the rest of Sicily’s urban spaces. Though it’s on the traditional end of the scale, it carries with it a sense of unpredictability and adventure: its streets are jam-packed with traffic; its markets are a hive of hollers, smells and countless gastronomic offerings; the winding, palazzo- strewn streets of the old quarter contrast with the wide boulevards and glam shops of the new town. It’s a European city with a chaotic nature and a penchant for rule bending. –Reprinted from Lonely Planet Sicily, Italy

Pages: 332 pages

Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 11.2 ounces

Maps: The maps in the Lonely Planet books are the best I have found in any guidebooks. There are city maps, regional maps and a country map. You can actually use the street maps to find your way around a city.

Pictures: The Lonely Planet books have some photographs and sketches.

The island of Sicily is Italy’s largest region and is also it’s most varied. In terms of geography, there are offshore islands, endless coastline, rugged mountains, rolling Wheatfield’s and volcano’s, but its history and architecture are also of note. Sicily formed a significant part of the Greek empire, was strategically vital to Rome, and was invaded by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons, before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark, to create a palimpsest of cultures on the island. - Reprinted from the Eyewitness Top 10 Guide to Sicily

Pages: 160 pages

Dimensions: 7.5 x 4 x 0.5 inches

Weight: 6.4 ounces

Maps: There is a map of Sicily and a street map of central Palermo and a very small almost unreadable map of Siracusa

Pictures: These books have pictures though because the books are small, most of the pictures are small

Southern Italy boasts active volcanoes, the sublime landscapes of Capri and Amalfi, mountains that are still the haunt of bears and wolves, the country’s most famous ancient site – Pompeii – and historic cities such as Naples and Lecce. – Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 15.2 ounces

Maps: Regional maps, limited number of street maps. Since the book is too heavy to carry with you there is not really a need for street maps

Pictures: Excellent pictures printed on glossy paper

Wunderbar - Piazza IX Aprile 7

The Wunderbar in Taormina, Italy on the island of Sicily was made famous in the 20th century by the flow of celebrities visiting its bar. Ever since D.H. Lawrence (supposedly) wrote "Lady Chatterly's Lover" in Taormina, Italy, the town has attracted a long list of actors, actresses, writers and artists. Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Greta Garbo, Tennessee Williams, Cary Grant and Gregory Peck are all said to have visited the Wunderbar.

Sitting in the Wunderbar you can just picture Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton enjoying a cocktail at the bar. But if sitting inside is not your glass of scotch then go outside and sit at one of tables on the promenade that looks out over the Bay of Naxos. If you visit during the day and it is clear you can see Mt. Etna. On a clear night you can enjoy eating and drinking under the stars with the moon casting its reflection off the water.

L'Orologio - Near the Wunderbar and the Duomo, Taormina, Italy

There was so much food served at L'Orologio in Taormina, Italy when I went there for dinner that I could not even begin to tell you everything we ate! I went to L'Orologio with about 10 people so we had a set menu with 5 or 6 courses. There was more food than we could eat and we were all Americans so we can eat a lot.

What I do remember is that we had an excellent pasta dish served with a ragù sauce and fresh herbs. This was followed by a thin steak that was cooked to perfection. I had two helpings of pasta thinking I would not like the steak. In the end I had two helpings of pasta and ate every last bit steak, it was so good. All of the food was served with baskets of bread and of course we ordered several bottles of red wine and water. It was all excellent and it was all very Sicilian.

Dinner lasted a long time and the food was served slowly. I always take this as a good sign as it usually means the food is being cooked as it is ordered.

The Bella Blu Restaurant - Via Luigi Pirandello 28, Taormina, Italy

We arrived at the Bella Blu restaurant in Taormina, Italy shortly before noon and were the only people there. It was a good thing we got there early, since by the time we left there was a long line of people waiting for a table. The place was packed. We were seated on an outside balcony at a little table with a spectacular view of the sea and the funicular that runs between the town of Taormina and the beaches of Taormina.

It was the closest I have ever come to experiencing lunch as an opera. The waiter was attentive and thorough enough, he also sang, he laughed, we kissed. I felt like I was having a lunch experience rather than just eating.

My lunch was a spectacular black ink pasta with squid sauce, I would have to say it was the best I ever had. One of my lunch companions had an excellent pizza, and she was glad she did since pizza is hard to find in Sicily. The Bella Blu is known for their traditional Mediterranean cuisine particularly dishes made with seafood. They also have pastas and grilled steak for those among us who do not like seafood. In almost any restaurant in Italy you can get pasta with tomato sauce if you do not find something to your liking on the menu.

Taormina, Italy is one of the most picturesque towns in Sicily. Located high above the Ionian Sea on the east coast of Sicily, Taormina is a must see town for anyone visiting Sicily. Writers and painters have been visiting the town for centuries and it is easy to see why.

Taormina, Italy has been occupied for almost 2,500 years showing once again that the Greeks knew a beautiful place when they saw it. Taormina has an ancient Greek theater, a number of churches and beautiful public gardens with a spectacular view of Mt. Etna. You do not have to look very far to find a restaurant with a view  in Taormina.

Shops are located all along the Corso Umberto I, the main street in Taormina, Italy. I refrained from doing any shopping deciding that prices would be higher in this town that attracts visitors from all over the world. Besides, it was almost impossible for me to pull myself away from the beautiful views and interesting sites.