back next Sicily, Taormina,Siracusa, Mount Etna, Italy Photos Imagetripping sells beautiful framed photos featuring panoramic vistas of Sicily. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean being 150 miles wide and 200 miles long. It is located off the toe of the Italian 'boot' and seprated from the mainland by the Strait of Messina. This gallery features landscape photos of Taormina, Naxos, and Sircacusa. Featured are images of Mount Etna, an active volcano which dominates the eastern coast at a height of 10,902 feet. Mount Etna shows a swirling tangle of dried lava and colorful forests.Near the foot of the volcano, there are a multitude of vineyards and olive groves. The most violent eruption in the history of Mount Etna occurred in March of 1669. The lava flow destroyed Catania. An image of Silvestri Craters, 2000 meters above sea level is featured. Taormina was founded in 358 B.C., a beautiful town perched on high cliffs midway between Catania and Messina, and has a medieval atmosphere despite its Greek and Roman past. The buildings, dating mostly from the Middle Ages, have great charm and spectacular position overlooking the bay and rugged coastline. Featured are images of the Greco-Roman theater, located in the older part of Taormina, was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century B.C. and redesigned by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D. Also featured are Piazza IX Aprile, Saracen Castle, cathedrals, narrow streets and the Clock Tower. Siracusa was the most powerful of all the Greek settlements which flourished on Sicily, rivaling mighty Athens in strength, even daring to take on Carthage and Rome. Founded by Corinthian Greeks around 734 BC, Siracusa grew to become one of the most powerful city-states in history. The mighty Athenian fleet tried and failed to take the city in 415 BC, leaving it undefeated until Romans under Marcellus finally sacked it in 212 AD.Vandals, Byzantines, Muslim Arabs, Byzantines again, Normans, Genoese, Aragonese, Spanish, and Bourbons each held control for varying time periods, with a brief period of independence in 1848-49. Ultimately, Sicily became a part of unified Italy in 1865. The small island of Ortygia, Siracusa's Old Town or CittaVecchia and a World Heritage Site, is home to a number of ruins in the Neapolis Archaeological Park. These include a stunning Greek Theater(500BC) and a fine Roman Amphitheater 200 AD). In addition, Jewish Ritual Baths ("mikveh") are among the oldest in Europe. They served the Jewish community of Siracusa for close to 800 years and were closed around 1492 when Jews were converted to christianity by the Spanish. Deep underground and carved from solid rock, the baths remained hidden and forgotten until their discovery in 1989. An image supplied by the hotel owners of the Mikvah is featured in this gallery. Other images feature the 3000 year old Arethusa Fountain, Castello Maniace (the 1200 AD fort), Duomo di Ortigia (church dating to 600s with columns from the Athena temple) and many more.