Agriturismo Paparanza

To see some fab Sicilian countryside, make for the disused mine, a 20-minute drive away. That might not sound the most appealing of natural locations, but the onetime sulphur works of Floristella Grottacalda have been transformed into a wildlife park and walking area of great beauty, ideal for nature-spotting and picnics. Further afield, it’s an hour to the birdwatchers’ mecca of Simeto, where legions of feathered visitors like kingfishers, hawks and herons congregate where the riverine wetlands meet the coast. About an hour and a quarter’s drive away, it’s the start of the Parco dell’Etna, a protected wilderness of mountains, caves and wildlife dominated by the still-very-active volcano. For city slickers, it’s 25 minutes to the smart squares and stylish shops of Piazza Armerina, and 50 minutes to Caltagirone, whose reputation for fine ceramics results in a sizeable museum and even more sizeable opportunities for shopping. Catania, with its amphitheatre, WW2 museum, botanical gardens and wide sandy beach is an hour away. If it’s the classical past that gets your motor running, make a beeline for Morgantina, an excavated Greek colony-city dating back 28 centuries, and the remarkably well-preserved mosaics and wall paintings of the Villa Romana del Casale, both half an hour away. If the presence of a rumbling volcano doesn’t excite all members of your party, take them over to Etnaland (50 minutes) for rollercoasters, white-knuckle rides and waterslides.