Vistas in Sicily

In 1912, Sicily remained a mystery to most American travelers. Arthur Stanley Riggs set out to correct that, journeying to the Mediterranean island shortly after a volcanic eruption near Naples forced its way into the world's consciousness. What he found shattered his preconceptions. This is travel writing before tourism, when Sicily still belonged to Sicilians. Riggs wanders through Palermo's labyrinthine streets, traces the ruins left by Phoenicians and Greeks, and records customs that have survived centuries of conquest. He encounters a people whose warmth contradicts every outsider's rumor, and landscapes so varied they seem to contain half the world's climates within one island's borders. Part history lesson, part adventure narrative, Vistas in Sicily captures a moment before the 20th century transformed Mediterranean travel. For readers who crave the romance of old guidebooks, who want to discover a place alongside a curious, thoughtful companion, this book offers passage to an island that still, over a century later, feels like a revelation.