Sicily: volcanoes, Greek temples and Baroque.

Which part of Sicily should you choose?

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and can't be seen in a week. The best approach is to choose one half and get to know it well. Broadly speaking, the east is volcanic and Baroque, and the west Arab, Norman and salt-pan country. Catania and Palermo are the two gateways.

The east, based in Catania, Taormina or Syracuse, is the most complete option for a first trip. Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, is climbed by cable car and 4x4 to almost 3,000 metres and is skirted by wineries on its northern slope. Taormina looks out to the volcano and the sea from its ancient theatre. Syracuse, with the island of Ortigia, mixes Greek ruins and a Baroque old town. And to the south, the Val di Noto brings together the cities rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake: Noto, Ragusa, Modica and Scicli, a World Heritage Site.

The west, based in Palermo, is more urban and more mixed. Palermo has street markets, palaces and the Arab-Norman route, a World Heritage Site together with the cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù. Beyond are the Trapani salt pans, the medieval village of Erice, the Zingaro reserve and the Egadi Islands.

The centre and the south are crossed on the way between the two halves. Agrigento's Valley of the Temples has some of the best-preserved Greek temples in existence, and the Villa Romana del Casale, near Piazza Armerina, holds enormous Roman mosaics.

The islands are another trip. The Aeolian Islands, to the north, are seven volcanic islands: Lipari as a base, Vulcano with its fumaroles and Stromboli with its almost continuous eruption. Allow at least four nights.

For ten days, a good split: three nights in the east with Etna and Taormina, three in Syracuse or the Val di Noto, one in Agrigento and three in Palermo. If you have a week, stay in the east.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane, to Catania or Palermo. Catania has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Alicante; Palermo, from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Choose the airport by half of the island: Catania for the east and Etna, Palermo for the west. If you're doing the whole island, fly to one and return from the other.

By boat, there is no direct line from Spain. You can drive to Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia or Naples and board there for Palermo, with GNV or Grimaldi, on overnight crossings. By road, you drive down the whole peninsula to Villa San Giovanni, in Calabria, and cross the Strait of Messina by ferry, in about twenty minutes, at any time of day.

How do you get around Sicily?

By car. It's almost essential: trains are slow and buses don't reach the villages, wineries or beaches well. Sicilian motorways are partly free and partly tolled, such as Messina to Catania and Messina to Palermo. The historic centres of Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Taormina have limited traffic zones: park outside.

Without a car, you can do the east by bus between Catania, Taormina and Syracuse, and the Aeolians by boat: hydrofoils and ferries leave Milazzo for Lipari, Vulcano and the other islands.

When should you go and what does it cost?

Spring and early autumn. In April and May the fields are green and in flower, ideal for the temples and the Baroque; in September and October the sea is still warm and there are fewer people. July and August are very hot inland: visiting Agrigento at midday is an ordeal. In winter the coast is mild and Etna is covered in snow, but the islands empty.

Sicily is cheaper than northern Italy for eating and sleeping, except in Taormina, Ortigia and the Aeolians in summer. What rises most is the hire car in August: book it early.