Sicily: A rewarding Incentive island a contradictory Meeting place.

Sicily has been likened to a sugar spiked expresso. Sicily will reward you with an intense bittersweet experience rather than anything lightweight or frothy. Sicily is deep and contradictory.

In Sicily it seems as though the sun shines brighter and the shadows are darker; life is lived full on for the moment.

Today, Sicily’s new generation is loathe to remain trapped in the past. New ventures are seeing aristocratic entrepreneurs prising open the doors of some of Europe’s finest palazzi and villas, while sensitive agriturismi (farm stay accommodations) are shedding light on Sicily’s hidden rural treasures and national parks. Sicily also has a refreshing lack of neon-blazing entertainment and theme parks, which further helps preserve its individuality and appeal.

Overloaded with art treasures, undersupplied with infrastructure Sicily possesses some baffling social topography. Brace yourself to reconcile baroque architectural beauty in Catania with modern squalor in Palermo, artistic excellence with moral ambivalence and the rational with the sensual.

This is an island to be visited with an open mind – and a healthy appetite; one factor remains a constant, and that is the uncompromisingly high quality of the cuisine.

After some 25 centuries of foreign domination, Sicilians are heirs to an impressive cultural legacy, from the refined architecture of Magna Graecia to a beguiling, if contradictory, artistic fusion of Arab craftsmanship and Norman austerity.

This complexity of culture is matched by a startling diversity of landscape that includes the smouldering Mt Etna, an aquamarine coastline with a tiara of Aeolian Islands and Parco Naturale Regionale Delle Madonie.

Mount Etna is a paradise playground for everything from incentive adrenalin activities and team building to more leisurely fun plus outdoor dining and barbecues. Just add that special DMC Welcome, Welcome Italy, to make the most of your time on Mount Etna.