Stefano Caruso always does things the right way. With a grandfather who was forced to flee the venal Sicilian mafia and start life anew in America, Stefano now heads the corporation his father and grandfather built. Handsome and successful, he’s on top of the world...until one day he has an unexpected visitor and gets shocking news. Stefano is being cheated and lied to, and the company his family built from the ground up is in mortal jeopardy. That’s when Benito Cuggi, the face of the modern-day mafia, comes into his life. Cuggi appears to live by a strict code of morals that the laws of Western society cannot enforce. Loyalty and trust are rewarded, while betrayal is punished. Now Stefano faces a difficult choice. Can he ally himself with what he’s been taught to hate and fear? Or should he let what generations of his family built be stolen out from under him? Fraught with moral complexity, Siracusa is a fast-paced, exciting crime thriller that pits good against evil and righteousness versus deception, while asking whether good men should sometimes do bad things to punish evil.

An electrifying New York Times bestselling novel about marriage and deceit that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from one another are exposed and relationships are unraveled. With her inimitable psychological astuteness and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none will see coming. One of People Magazine’s Top 10 Books • A Washington Post Bestseller • A Los Angeles Times Bestseller • A USA Today Bestseller • One of Vulture’s 100 Greatest Beach Books Ever • A People Magazine Summer Reading Pick • One of Elle, InStyle, and Marie Claire’s Best of July • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016 (Fiction)

Dubbed 'the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all' by Cicero, Syracuse also boasts the richest history of anywhere in Sicily. Syracuse, City of Legends - the first modern historical guide to the city - explores Syracuse's place within the island and the wider Mediterranean and reveals why it continues to captivate visitors today, more than two and a half millennia after its foundation. Over its long and colourful life, Syracuse has been home to many creative figures, including Archimedes, the greatest mathematician of the ancient world, as well as host to Plato, Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Hannibal, and Caravaggio, who have all contributed to the rich history and atmosphere of this beguiling and distinctive Sicilian city. Generously illustrated, Syracuse, City of Legends also offers detailed descriptions of the principal monuments from each period in the city's life, explaining their physical location as well as their historical context.This vivid and engaging history weaves together the history, architecture and archaeology of Syracuse and will be an invaluable companion for anyone visiting the city as well as a compelling introduction to its ancient and modern history.

"Keahey's exploration of this misunderstood island offers a much-needed look at a much-maligned land."—Paul Paolicelli, author of Under the Southern Sun Sicily is the Mediterranean's largest and most mysterious island. Its people, for three thousand years under the thumb of one invader after another, hold tightly onto a culture so unique that they remain emotionally and culturally distinct, viewing themselves first as Sicilians, not Italians. Many of these islanders, carrying considerable DNA from Arab and Muslim ancestors who ruled for 250 years and integrated vast numbers of settlers from the continent just ninety miles to the south, say proudly that Sicily is located north of Africa, not south of Italy. Seeking Sicily explores what lies behind the soul of the island's inhabitants. It touches on history, archaeology, food, the Mafia, and politics and looks to nineteenth- and twentieth-century Sicilian authors to plumb the islanders' so-called Sicilitudine. This "culture apart" is best exemplified by the writings of one of Sicily's greatest writers, Leonardo Sciascia. Seeking Sicily also looks to contemporary Sicilians who have never shaken off the influences of their forbearers, who believed in the ancient gods and goddesses. Author John Keahey is not content to let images from the island's overly touristed villages carry the story. Starting in Palermo, he journeyed to such places as Arab-founded Scopello on the west coast, the Greek ruins of Selinunte on the southwest, and Sciascia's ancestral village of Racalmuto in the south, where he experienced unique, local festivals. He spent Easter Week in Enna at the island's center, witnessing surreal processions that date back to Spanish rule. And he learned about Sicilian cuisine in Spanish Baroque Noto and Greek Siracusa in the southeast, and met elderly, retired fishermen in the tiny east-coast fishing village of Aci Trezza, home of the mythical Cyclops and immortalized by Luchino Visconti's mid-1940s film masterpiece, La terra trema. He walked near the summit of Etna, Europe's largest and most active volcano, studied the mountain's role in creating this island, and looked out over the expanse of the Ionian Sea, marveling at the three millennia of myths and history that forged Sicily into what it is today.

When her stepfather dies, Lois Cayley finds herself alone in the world with only twopence in her pocket. Undaunted, the intelligent, attractive, and infinitely resourceful young woman decides to set off in search of adventure. Her travels take he...

Conversations in Sicily holds a special place in the annals of literature.

The southeastern corner of Sicily is a popular choice with travelers. Its historic towns, beautiful scenery and uncrowded beaches merit a substantial part of any Sicilian itinerary. Two glorious epochs in history have helped make the southeast towns what they are today. The Greeks settled the region and it flourished for 500 years under them as a center of culture, learning and political power. The second epoch was made possible by a devastating earthquake that flattened towns and villages in 1693. As a result, it was rebuilt in the ornate architectural style known as Sicilian Baroque. Siracusa is the major city in the region and the most visited, but there are plenty of other gems to discover in the wider province. Noto, Modica and Ragusa all feature the Baroque style; you could undertake some serious trekking at Pantalica's necropolis or Cava Grande in regions of immense beauty, bird watching at Vendicarri or explore Sicily's most southern point around Portopalo. Highlights: Ortigia: This beautiful warren of streets combines ancient Greece and Baroque with a view of the sea from almost every lane. Piazza del Duomo: This is one of Sicily's great squares and the Duomo its best church and a prime example of Siracusa's polyglot character. Take a dip in Cava Grande's waterfalls and refreshing pools. Pantalica's 5,000 tombs riddling the hillsides. The beautiful wetlands of Riserva di Vendicari. A great new resource. --Travel + Leisure. "The perfect companion for planning." --Rutgers Magazine. "These useful travel guides are highly recommended." --Library Journal. There aren't many places in the world you can ski and then hit the beach afterwards for a refreshing dip; see Greek, Roman, Etruscan, medieval and Arabic architecture all in the same town; and meet some of the friendliest people in the world. The richness in culture is demonstrated in the theater, cinema and art found everywhere. The coastal towns, the Mafia, the wines and foods, the astonishing history - all are explored in this guidebook. Full color throughout. This is excerpted from our full guide to Sicily.