Travel -
Winter. in Sicily [We publish on this page articles and notes which may help our readers in their They are written by correspondents who have visited the places described. We shall of the Travel articles published in our columns. Inquiries should be addressed to 99 Gower Street, W.C. L=Ed. SPECTATOR.] plans for travel at home and abroad. be glad to answer questions arising out the Travel Manager, The SPECTATOR, ANYONE who knows Sicily will at once admit that it is one of the most fascinating places in the world. The amazing beauty of the island, the delightfully warm and sunny climate, the charm of the Sicilians, the rich historical associations and the romance of the mythology make an appeal that is abso: lutely irresistible.
_The season really begins in January and lasts until the end of April, though many of the large hotels are open from October to May.
. There are many ways of going to Sicily. The simplest is to go by train vitt Rome, Naples and Messina, where the train is run on to a ferry and so on to Taormina and Palermo,-without changing carriages. One advanta& of this route is the mag- nificent view of the Straits of Messina while 'crossing in the ferry. If you leave London in the inorning you' are in Sicily on the third afternoon. - A return ticket from London to Taormina costs approximately £20 first class, and 214 second class. • The journey may be done by sea, travelling from London to Naples in an Orient liner and from Naples to Palermo in one of the small steamers crossing every night, or in one of the luxurious Sitmar boats plying-between Genoa and Syracuse or Catania.
When Sicily has once been reached, travelling about the country may be done by rail or motor-car. The roads are not good, and it is a mistake to bring out a private tar. - Good cars can be hired everywhere and char-a-bane services take the tourist to all places of interest.. • - The hotels are good on the whole ; pension terms usually vary from about twelve to thirty shillings a day: ..Excellent accommodation can always be found for about twenty-five shillings a day. From personal experience I can strongly recommend the ' Villa Diadora Hotel,' at Taormina ; the
Hotel des Temples ' at Girgenti ; the ' Excelsior Palace Hotel ' at Palen-no ; and the Villa Politi ' at Syracuse. - The climate is very mild, the average winter temperature at Taormina being 65° F., and there is usually very little rain after January. Those who love the beauty of Nature will love Sicily, and the people are charming and very friendly. They are extraordinarily good-looking, and you may see pure Greek and Arab types all over the island. This is not really surprising, since Sicily has been over-run by Greeks. and Saracens as well as Romans and Normans. The English have been there several times. There are some scribblings on the wall of one of the oldest hotels in Taormina, the only relic of an English garrison.
Richard Coeur de Lion stayed at Catania on his way to the Holy Land and is still remembered at an annual festa.
The Greek temples and theatres in Sicily are extraordinarily interesting. The temple of Concord at Girgenti, one of the most perfect Greek temples in existence, is sublimely beautiful, and its loneliness seems to accentuate its dignity and perfect proportions, so that the beauty of the whole scene makes an unforgettable impression.
The remains of several other Greek Temples are here, and others may be seen at Segesta, not far from Palermo. There are also two Greek theatres in Sicily, one at Taormina and one at Syracuse. Greek plays are acted in both these theatres, and moonlight concerts are given in the theatre at Taormina.
The places most worth visiting are Palermo, Taormina, Syracuse and Girgenti. Palermo does not usually attract visitors very much. The harbour is one of the most beautiful in the world, but the town in ugly and squalid. The world- famous mosaics in the Cathedral at Monreale are well worth a visit, though the quaint blend of Norman and Moorish architecture so common here arouses more admiration for the courage of the ancient architects than any other emotion.
Modern Syracuse is not attractive ; the old town is different. No one who remembers the great part played by this famous colony in the history of Greece can fail to be interested. It is here that Arethusa comes to the surface after being changed into a stream by Diana to escape the ardent pursuit of Alpheus ; and there is now a little fountain to mark the spot.
The views of Etna on one side of Taormina and of the Calabrian Mountains across the Straits of Messina are indes- cribably beautiful. A good motor 'bus service connects the town with the seashore 690 feet below. There is a very attractive little tennis club with four hard courts, and a golf course is being made.
. The_almond blossom in February and later on the orange and lemon blossom in the groves, make walking a sheer delight; but no one who has a weak heart should go to Taormina, as you must always walk either up or down hill.
Flocks of goats and gorgeously painted carts jostle each other in the narrow streets, and the beautiful uniforms of the Carabineers add picturesqueness to the scene.
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