Whether it’s a modest box of conversation hearts or a flamboyant heart-shaped box of chocolates, a whopping 92% of Americans plan to say “I Love You” with a gift of sweets on Valentine’s Day, according to the National Confectioners Association.
17.01.2024 - 16:31 / lonelyplanet.com
As the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily has long had a magnetic pull for both settlers and sightseers.
Separated from mainland Italy by the narrow Strait of Messina, the island is dotted with fine beaches and studded with historic stone townships and ancient ruins.
Humans settled this triangle of land as early as 12,000 BCE, and the island saw the rise of great Phoenician and Ancient Greek civilizations. Later, the island was ruled by Byzantines, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Normans and Arabic conquerors, all of whom contributed to the island's rich and unique culture. The Sicilian dialect still includes words from the languages of the peoples who conquered the island, including Arabic, Greek and Spanish.
Sicily enjoys a classic Mediterranean climate, with hot, sunny summers and mild winters with moderate rain. During the picture-perfect spring and summer, tourists flock to Sicily to swim, surf and sightsee, but the fall and winter are excellent seasons for enjoying the island's food, architecture and culture. Despite the delightfully mild weather, the summit of Mt Etna, Sicily's landmark volcano, is typically snowcapped from October through May.
Here are our picks for the best times to visit Italy's crown jewel of an island.
The low season in Sicily, from November through April, brings reduced hotel rates and smaller crowds. The daytime temperature rarely drops much lower than 10°C (50°F) in coastal towns and villages, and it's too cold for swimming in the sea. Inland temperatures can dip below freezing, especially at night. Sicily's interior mountains, including Etna, enjoy heavy snowfalls during winter, creating good conditions for skiing. Hitting the slopes here is less expensive than in other Italian ski resort areas. You can even ski the slopes of Mount Etna while steam rises from the summit!
Cooler weather with grey days interrupted by a few days of sunshine makes the low season an excellent time to enjoy Sicily's museums and other indoor attractions, especially during rainy November and chilly December (pack layers and an umbrella). Visit Sicily's capital city, Palermo, and tour countless palaces and churches, like the gilded Cappella Palatina, and museums such as the Pinacoteca Villa Zito, which houses a collection of mainly Sicilian art spanning the 17th to 20th centuries.
By February, average temperatures start to creep upwards across the island, and rain begins to lessen. Later in the month, spring starts to show itself in Agrigento as the iconic almond trees burst into bloom, with the rest of the island seeing springtime a little later, in March. With temperatures becoming increasingly mild, less rain in the weather forecast, and wildflowers in bloom, March is a beautiful time to hike or
Whether it’s a modest box of conversation hearts or a flamboyant heart-shaped box of chocolates, a whopping 92% of Americans plan to say “I Love You” with a gift of sweets on Valentine’s Day, according to the National Confectioners Association.
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