Isola Bella

Isola Bella is a small island near Taormina, Sicily. Also known as the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it is located within a small bay on the Ionian Sea. The island is surrounded by sea grottos and has a small and rather rocky beach. Its rich biodiversity and cultural significance led to its designation as a nature reserve in 1990.

Lottery: Just Viewcards
Date: May 19

Temple of Segesta

At the top of a hill overlooking the Gulf of Castellammare, just outside the ruins of the ancient city of Segesta, is a wonderfully well preserved Doric temple. The old structure is thought to have been built around 420 BC by an architect from Athens and is regularly deemed the best surviving example of Doric architecture in Europe. But strangely, as fine as the structure is, it has several components that suggest that the temple was never actually finished. The columns have not been fluted like they typically would would have been in a finished Doric temple. Also, the tabs that were used to lift the blocks of the base into place were never removed.

Lottery: Just viewcards 
Date: March 27

Taormina

Taormina is a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily. It sits near Mount Etna, an active volcano with trails leading to the summit. The town is known for the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greco-Roman theater still used today. Near the theater, cliffs drop to the sea forming coves with sandy beaches. A narrow stretch of sand connects to Isola Bella, a tiny island and nature reserve.

Thanks a lot Corinne!

Catania

Catania is an ancient port city on Sicily's east coast. It sits at the foot of Mt. Etna, an active volcano with trails leading up to the summit. The city's wide central square, Piazza del Duomo, features the whimsical Fontana dell'Elefante statue and richly decorated Catania Cathedral. It's part of the UNESCO site Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto.

The Cathedral of Sant Agata is the Cathedral of Catania, dedicated to the martyr Saint Agatha, located in the main square of the city, Piazza del Duomo. The cathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt several times because of earthquakes and eruptions of the nearby Mount Etna.

Unesco: Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily)
RR: January Alternative RR
Date: Jan 6

Sicilia, Etna

Rising up over the Island of Sicily on the east coast, Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active and iconic volcanoes, and an outstanding example of ongoing geological processes and volcanic landforms. The stratovolcano is characterized by almost continuous eruptive activity from its summit craters and fairly frequent lava flow eruptions from craters and fissures on its flanks.

Unesco: Mount Etna
RR: Asia meets the world
Date: Oct 2

Noto Cathedral

 Noto is a city in southeastern Sicily, Italy. It’s known for its baroque architecture, including the reconstructed 18th-century Noto Cathedral. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a Unesci World Heritage Site.

Thanks a lot for the swap Marina!
Unesco: Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily)
Swap: Dec 26

Cefalù

Sent from Germany: Cefalù, a city and comune in the province of Palermo, located on the northern coast of Sicily, Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The town is one of the major tourist attractions in the region.

Distance: 170 km (106 miles)
Travel time: 5 days