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Why choose Sicily?
Do you want to learn about Greece? So come to Sicily. It is a paradox, for sure, but only to a certain extent. The Greek cities of Sicily (Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta, Syracuse, to mention the most important) were among the most beautiful of the Hellenic world. Nowadays, to visit the Valley of Temples at Agrigento or to watch a summer performance in the great Greek Theatre of Syracuse is to plunge yourself into the remote Hellenic past. And this is also true in Sicily for many other historical eras and civilisations, from the Spanish to the French. With the sole exception of Arab rule, which has left scarce physical testimony.

Sicily is a book of history and art history, a compendium of the greatest civilisations and cultures of all time. A sunny island whose landscape is rich in contrasts, with a splendid coastline and a refined, delicious and varied cuisine of traditional flavours and exquisite aromas: the quintessence of Mediterranean culture, yet also dense with intellectual complexity and refinement, so well represented by the literary masterpieces of Luigi Pirandello, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Leonardo Sciascia, Gesualdo Bufalino and today, Andrea Camilleri. Every style, every movement in art is richly represented in Sicily.

In cities like Palermo, Catania, Caltanissetta, Enna, Syracuse, Ragusa, Trapani, Agrigento, and Messina. And in small towns, like Cefalù, clustered around its Norman cathedral, or Noto, with its extraordinary Baroque cathedral, or Taormina, with its splendid Greco-Roman theatre

All About Sicily

Environment
Tears of lava, limestone plains swept by the wind, sunny lands the colour of bronze: one by one the islands decorate the Sicilian coast like a string of pearls on the neck of a beautiful woman. There are fourteen of these daughters of Sicily, not including Motya, which at low tide is sometimes linked to the coast of Marsala. Fourteen paradises of untouched beauty. Some have an African charm, such as the Pelagie, in the province of Agrigento, and Pantelleria in the province of Trapani. Others, the uncontested mistresses of the sea and its secrets, Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo, form the archipelago of the Egadi in the sea off Trapani. Further north, in splendid isolation, is Ustica, the island of Circe, with its unspoilt marine reserve. And in the Aeolian islands, in the province of Messina, water meets fire. Here nature still dictates. Its rhythms, and travellers can let themselves be enchanted by the magic spell of the fishermen and farmers who inhabit these isles, the last custodians of the ancient Mediterranean traditions. The choice is yours - between the lively throngs on the Aeolian Islands, the peace and quiet Pelagie, and the perfumes of the Egadi.

The Region
Bare, arid, sun-baked, all adjectives used by those who do not know Sicily well.
But there is another Sicily to discover.
The Nebrodi and Madonie mountain ranges are the last offshoots of the Italian continental Apennines; all around there is a ferment of hills that end where the sea begins. Your eyes see only the yellow of the crops and the green of the vineyards. Bread and wine that this land offers to those who know how to learn it. If you should wish to explore this land, the parks, the reserves, the wildlife sanctuaries, you will discover lots of other colours. And fragrances too.
"Since the time of Proserpina, Sicily has been the house of flowers. It is said that the virgin Goddesses, Proserpina, Minerva and Diana, wove a multi-coloured tunic made of flowers for their father Jupiter... Now I understand why the Gods loved Sicily so much." This is what was written in 1880 by a "Milady in Sicilia", whose real name was Frances Elliot.

Farms, bagli, noblemen's country residences and Baroque or Liberty-style villas are hidden among "enclosures" of ancient olive groves, middle-eastern gardens of citrus fruits, above green hills filled with vineyards or red hills filled with "sulla" - a strange pulse used as fodder - which dominate these landscapes that take your breath away. Ancient lands full of great emotions. And excitement if you are interested in matters of the soul. This is Sicily.

Many of these buildings are now rural tourism centres that offer an ancient asset: hospitality. A value that the Sicilian people continue to honour. Together with the flavours of a cuisine that is deep rooted in the rural-farming world of the Siceliots, the Greeks of Sicily. With a glass of wine on the table, they will tell you a thousand stories about those who created them. These are perhaps the same stories told to everyone that has preceded you in the last three thousand years.

Hospitality, relaxation, good food and a discreet invitation to come and learn about the territory. There are lots of things to do: from skiing down the slopes of Etna, swimming if you are on the coast, canoeing or sailing, if you want to feel the thrill of the wind. Or diving into the sea's, depths that hide the remains of ancient sunken ships. And the pleasure of little discoveries.
On foot, on horseback, on bicycle, to follow the traces of their civilisation step by step. A civilisation that on this island is truly ancient.

The Sicilians have always been used to strangers. However, they can make you feel as if you are the first to arrive, privileged to enjoy their food and their friendship. You will feel like gods all of a sudden. And you will not feel time slipping by. Because "where the Gods lived walking around as men, there can be no dull days like in other parts of the world". That is what Frances Elliot wrote.

History & Religion
Are Sicilians religious? They must certainly be cautious, if you consider there are almost seven hundred patron saints looking after the 389 Sicilian towns! Palermo alone has twenty "ordinary saints", fifteen "principal saints", four female "patron saints" who can be seen at the Quattro Canti, and one "patron to watch over all", Santa Rosalia. Why so many saints? Perhaps because, unlike God, they too were once mortals on this earth and were considered to be the only ones capable of understanding and providing for human needs. And then, after all, it's the saints who perform miracles…The festivities in their honour originate from ancient pagan cults, rites linked to the solstice and the seasons, while others may strictly speaking have little to do with religion. From the tenth to the fifteenth of July, in the sweltering heat of summer, the inhabitants of Palermo are in a state of frenzy: it's Festino time.

It is most certainly the peak moment of city life, a gigantic popular ex-voto dedicated to Santa Rosalia as a thanksgiving. She it was who saved the people of Palermo from the plague in 1624. This is the last surviving example of the "baroque festivals" of Europe, with a triumphal chariot, huge enough to transport a band of musicians. It is a symbol of the city, unique in Europe, demonstrating the wealth and splendour of Palermo. An act of municipal pride, to remind people - spectators and participants alike - of the City's regal dignity! Still today, for many, Santa Rosalia remains the Great Hope.

Cuisine & Craft
Our cuisine is a perfect blend of all the influences of the various cultures that have followed each other in the island.
Rather than a cultural residue, it is the most resistant trait of a whole culture. The dining-table is the place of introspection of all the different civilizations that have passed through the island. An ancient pleasure indeed, if it is true that Plato, once visiting Syracuse, criticized its citizens for "sitting down at table several times a day".

Sicilian cuisine? There are three sorts: the patrician or baronial cuisine, that of the ordinary people with all its lively inventiveness, and street cuisine, i.e. that of the "buffittieri", as they used to be called, a term originally derived from the French buffet.

An immense wealth and variety of dishes, since every city, town, and family has always had its own version of each recipe, reflecting the island's strong sense of individuality. While the Monsù, the chef to the great aristocratic families, produced in the palaces celebrated dishes of soles and groupers, hares and capons, the people down below could enjoy the aromas and the fantastic descriptions made by the servants. With great imagination and skill these dishes were reinvented using ingredients that were often quite basic. De-boned sardines were promoted to the rank of soles: "lenguado", in the Spanish of the nobles, meant "sole", and thus sardines a linguata were created. A certain small bird similar to the blackcap, when skillfully prepared, became the beccafico that the Monsù proudly served in jelly with pickles. Aubergines were thus disguised as "quails" and even as "parmiciana", which is a dialect word meaning simply a shutter. Nothing to do with Parma and its parmesan cheese. And from the aubergine also came the queen of popular cuisine, caponata, the aubergine appetizer served as a sweet and sour sauce and originally created in the kitchens of the courts of pre-Islamic Persia.

Investment opportunities in this area

We are promoting developments in two areas, both of which are 15km from Cefalu, which is itself a lovely town.

The first is Apartments Pollina Cefalu Sicily

and the second is Mare Luna