Sicily captivates with its tangled web of history that can be traced back to the Phoenicians. The island has a distinct patchwork of hyperlocal architectural styles, dialects, and cuisines that reflect thousands of years of invasion and conquest that began with the ancient Greeks and continued through Romans, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, and French and Spanish Bourbons. Each left a mark that has created an island that is both a Mediterranean mishmash and at the same time unmistakably and proudly distinct. 

Nowhere is this better represented than Syracuse (or Siracusa), with its spectacular ancient ruins sitting cheek-to-jowl with sumptuous baroque squares and an endless maze of medieval lanes…all surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. The largest city in the Mediterranean during the Magna Graecia period (yes, even larger than Athens), Syracuse today is a mecca for archaeology and architecture enthusiasts, gourmands, and lovers of Italy’s la dolce vita vibe.