The landscape of Sicily is not soft and pretty but rather striking and beautiful. It is a fascinating thing; rugged, wild, untamed, formed by volcanic processes, dotted by intriguing towns with a multitude of cultural influences marking their architectural characters, hugged by a stunning coast that boasts some of the best beaches in the world. Those seeking a sense of adventure and something new and interesting at every turn will find themselves very much at home in this part of
Italy. If you want a great place to trek, hike, cycle, swim, play, and explore, a
vacation rental in Sicily is just the ticket.
In particular, we would recommend setting aside some time and heading to the island of
Vulcano, 25 km north of Sicily, at the southernmost tip of the eight Aeolian Islands. As the name immediately suggests, this wonderful little island in the Tyrrhenian Sea is a veritable hotspot of volcanic action with several volcanic caldera and one of the four active volcanoes in Italy that are not submarine. However, it is not it that is named after volcanoes but, rather, the other way around, the word for “volcano” coming from the name of the island, which was derived from Vulcan, who was the Roman god of fire. In fact, in both Greek and Roman mythology, the island was a forge for gods, being the labelled as the private foundry of the Olympian god Hephaestus, the patron of blacksmiths, and the chimney of Vulcan's workshop, with earthquakes and explosions of ash thought to have been evidence of the god being busy making weapons for the war god Mars and his armies.