Who has never dreamt of climbing Etna, the fascinating volcano that overlooks the Ionian Sea to the East from atop its 3,345 metres? The famous philosopher Empedocles is said to have been one of the first to attempt it. The age-old Sicilian giant, a ..

''The opulence and splendour of the city are such that the inhabitants of Akragas build temples and houses as if they were immortal, and eat as if they were going to die tomorrow.'' These words from the philosopher Empedocles, a native, evoke the pas..