It lies on a seismic fault and has for centuries suffered earthquakes and eruptions. The island's most striking feature is Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. The coastline is beautiful. Two of the most visited attractions in Sicily are the Aeolian Islands and Taormina, with its spectacular backdrop - snow capped Etna. The largely mountainous interior is sparsely populated but the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts are lush. For 3,000 years the Mediterranean was the epicentre of the Western world and Sicily its focal point. The Greeks dominated between 6th century BC and 480BC. Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta and Syracuse, with its theatre, were Greek cities. A visit to the Valley of the Temples at Agrigento is an amazing experience. Then the Romans came, followed by the Arabs who made the magical city of Palermo their capital. Normans, then the Roman church overlaid their influence upon this mix creating a dynamic culture with a delicious and varied cuisine - the island is famed for its incredibly sweet deserts!