What is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea?

Sicily! Rob and I just returned from a 10 day journey throughout the island of Sicilia. We started our tour in Palermo and went in a counterclockwise direction around the island until we reached Catania. The weather was warm and the wildflowers were in full bloom. We visited many cities and sites including: Palermo, Monreale, Segesta, Erice, Motya, Selinunte, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina, Morgantina, Gela, Noto, Pantalica, Syracuse and Catania. We also took advantage of the local cuisine by eating plenty of pasta, pizza, gelato (almost every day), prosciutto sandwiches, seafood, and cannoli. Here are a few pictures we took along the way.

The Cathedral of Palermo was built in 1185 and is characterized by the presence of different styles, due to a long history of additions, alterations and restorations, the last of which occurred in the 18th century.

A view of the interior of Cappella Palatina. As you can see, this church is known for its beautiful mosaics.

A view of the mountains from the harbor in Palermo.

Katie posing for a photo from the rooftop bar at our hotel. Behind you can see the Pretoria fountain which known for its nude statues. AKA: Fountain of Shame.

Rob took this beautiful photo of the temple of Segesta overlooking the valley.

These salt windmills could be seen as we boarded a small boat for the island of Motya near the town of Marsala.

This is all that remains of the Punic Ship. This ship was recovered in an underwater excavation and had to go through a long process taking it from saltwater to freshwater to no water at all! Notice the building it is housed in. This building in Marsala was one of the first places to produce Marsala wine.

We visited an ancient rock quarry where I posed to show just how big these columns would have been. It's likely that this particular column had a defect so it was never used in a temple.

This is a view from the rooftop of our hotel in Selinunte. The ocean was very pretty, but still too cold to swim in.

Rob posing on a column capital to show just how HUGE these temples really were.

Natalie and I do a little dance to celebrate the end of our marathon day at Selinunte.

One of the many temples at Agrigento.

Another temple at Agrigento, this time taken at night from our hotel room window.

Mount Etna! The largest active volcano in Europe.

The mosaics at Piazza Armerina.

More mosaics at Piazza Armerina.

The piazza at Syracuse. Such a gorgeous city!

Self-portrait in front of the church in Syracuse.

Rob presenting on the Siege of Syracuse. It was his best yet in my opinion!!

The church at Syracuse by night.

The piazza in Catania.

This is in the middle of the piazza in Catania. The elephant is carved from the black lava of Mount Etna.

The Bellini Theater in Catania.

The last meal in Sicily. As you can see from all of our smiles, it was one of the best!