Giardini di Sicilia

This is an exciting new slant on Sicily's gardens and landscapes, ephemeral, public, private and agricultural, with glorious photography by Mario Ciampi and brief informative, but highly readable texts by Clare Littlewood.
Many of the private gardens have never been published before and their owners have kindly granted permission to peep over their garden gates or glance out onto their secret terraces, a privileged view into the private spaces normally jealously guarded for family and friends.
The landscapes show something of the glory of Sicily's natural and agricultural land in different seasons: the exuberance of nature, riots of colour and the dramatic force of lava flows and erosion, plants struggling against and together with the alternating violence and gentleness of the elements in Sicily.
Goethe, in his Italian Journey perspicaciously remarked that "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily leaves no image on the soul, for Sicily is the clue to everything".
The images on these pages certainly leave a strong imprint on the soul and reveal many of Sicily's beautiful secrets and unknown corners