Sicily has long been a crossroads of cultures, a veritable melting pot where architecture, culture and culinary traditions meet. Over the centuries, diverse peoples – from Greeks, Romans and Phoenicians to Carthaginians, Arabs and Normans, to name but a few – have left an indelible mark on this, the Mediterranean’s largest island. Lying along a sea-facing ridge on the southern coast is the Valley of the Temples, home to an incredible grouping of 5th-century Doric temples, while tucked away on the south-eastern shore is the gorgeous Baroque island of Ortigia, which forms the compact historical centre of Syracuse. The island’s natural beauty is no less impressive: off its dramatic northern coast lies the volcanic island of Stromboli, known for its spectacular eruptions of spewing fire and fountains of molten rock, while on the southern coast, admire the Stair of the Turks, a dazzlingly white stretch of coastline characterised by chalky rock sloping into calm aquamarine waters.