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Gloria Mertoli’s shift is over when the first light of dawn shines on the goalposts of a rugby pitch in the Librino district of Catania, a stronghold of the Cosa Nostra, the feared Sicilian mafia. Since mobsters torched the clubhouse and team bus, she and other players on the women’s rugby team, Briganti Librino RUFC, have taken turns to stay after...

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A particularly powerful eruption of Mount Etna has created a volcanic storm that sent bolts of lightning dramatically across the sky over eastern Sicily. A volcano expert with Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, said Friday that such volcanic storms are rare but can happen in particularly violent eruptions or with volcanoes l...

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There are several ‘lucky’ spots in Italy where, according to popular belief, if you visit them or perform a simple ritual, often passed down through the centuries, you will get lucky. Some lucky spots you may have heard of include Juliet’s House in Verona, the statue of the bull in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, the statue of the Porcellin...

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Mount Etna is the most famous of the Sicilian volcanoes. The locals call it Mongibello, or a muntagna and feel a mix of love and awe for it. It couldn't be otherwise. Its profile has always characterized the landscape around the wonderful Catania and its spectacular incandescent lava flows inspire wonder and dismay at the same time. Mount Etna is i...

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From rubble to splendour. How did a small area of Sicily devastated by earthquakes become one of the world's most magical places? The year zero is 1693. On 11 January, a devastating earthquake razed more than 2,000 years of Greek, Byzantine, Arab and Norman history to the ground. What followed was a glorious reconstruction that in just 50 years tur...

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Orange Fiber has been announced as the winner of the second edition of Vogue YOOX Challenge – The Future of Responsible Fashion scouting projects. Orange Fiber is an Italian company that has patented and produces sustainable fabrics from citrus fruit by-products. Established in Catania in 2014, it creates high quality fabrics for the fashion-luxury...

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The cities, the archipelagos, the volcanoes and the monuments of the island have been inserted in the World Heritage UNESCO as testimony of the artistic and natural beauties of Sicily. From natural beauties to spectacular monuments, from archaeological areas to picturesque old towns, Sicily has many reasons to be defined as a World Heritage Site an...

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Come for a stroll through the Christmas Market in Catania. The handmade artisan products are stunning. Plus there are lots of the flavors of Sicily to sample. Watch as a woman demonstrate carpet making the ancient way, a family craft that has been in her family for centuries in Catania. We also get a great view of Catania from the roof of one of th...

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“Not only sea, sun and grattatella“, would answer any Sicilian to the question “Christmas in Sicily, really??”. Yes, because, in any season, Sicily offers enchanting views, suggestive places and atmospheres, moments to remember and unique dishes to taste. Yes, really, even at Christmas! The tradition of Christmas here is very strong and you can imm...

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Is there any country on earth that wears its history as lightly as Italy? Roman ruins sit cheek by jowl with Renaissance palazzos, while modern skycrapers cast their long shadows over neoclassical cathedrals. But there are many more reasons why this is the fifth most visited country in the world – the rolling landscapes of Tuscany, the sandy beache...

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