Sicily is located 1.89 miles off the coast of Italy and the island is surrounded by the Mediterranean, the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the largest island in the Mediterranean with a population of around 5 million people.  Sicily is home to the the largest active volcano in Europe, Mt. Etna, and the town of Catania sits at its base

The country has been ruled by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Angevine and the Spanish and their influences can be seen throughout the country.  The island has beaches and many mountains and steep hillside towns. 

My family and I flew into Catania Airport (CTA) but before leaving SFO we learned that Mt. Etna was  erupting again.   Since we arrived during the day, we did not see the eruption but you can go to You Tube and see videos of the current eruption.  

Our ten-day self-drive around the island began after picking up our rental car at the Catania Airport, and we drove 1 hour to Siracusa (ancient Syracuse) and spent 4 nights there on the island of Ortigia.  Ortigia is the old town and it is connected to Siracusa by a bridge.  You can follow our journey by clicking on the links on the left.