Sicily, with a sombre beauty at once stark, austere, and dazzlingly bright, has always been an island apart. The climate is both subtropical and Mediterranean, the landscape severe yet arid, the people gentle and volatile, a few of them ever ready to erupt like Etna, their great volcano. From the hectic capital Palermo to the temples of Agrigento, from remote Trapani to genteel Taormina, The Way Sicily explores the history, culture and natural wonders of the island and its sister isles, Lipari, Salina and Stromboli. Also features sections on dining, sightseeing and shopping tips -- with fold-out maps and full-colour photographs.