SENSATIONAL SICILY

KID PICK: MOUNT ETNA

You can't help but be awed by Sicily's greatest natural attraction and highest mountain. At 3,350 meters, Etna is Europe's highest active volcano. Over 1200 meters of its surface is covered with solidified lava.

In winter, there is skiing, and in warmer months you can take wonderful hikes through the woods. Etna is a strata volcano, with relatively cool lava temperatures and several vents. No one knows where it will erupt next!

In mythology Etna was the forge of Volcan, the god of fire, and the home of the one-eyed monster, the Cyclops. Etna's beauty and frequent eruptions make it one of the best known and most studied volcanoes in the world.

But don't forget your sweater! It's always cooler on Etna than it is in the valleys or along the coast.

Other ideas:

• Puppet shows in Palermo
• Golden mosaics
• Gorgeous beaches
• Papyrus (see how it grows and try making something out of it near Siracusa)
• The Ear of Dionysus, a cave near Siracusa with amazing acoustical properties that let a person inside whisper to someone at the other end
• The gigantic fallen Telamon statues at the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
• Watching the trains being put on boats crossing the Strait of Messina
• The temple under the church in Siracusa
• The fresh water fountain surrounded by the sea on the Island of Ortigia
• Boat trips to the Aeolian Islands to see more volcanoes