What I Learned Teaching Sunday School: Join us on our Mediterranean Cruise April 2013

The first stop The Navigator of the Seas will make after leaving Rome next April 28th will be the beautiful island of Sicily.

Sicily is an historically cosmopolitan region, having been ruled by Asians, Africans and Europeans. There's no other place on Earth like it. The island is a unique place full of art, archeology, history, folklore and breathtaking scenery. And, of course, great food. (If you've read Eat, Pray, Love - instead of just watching the movie - you know that Elizabeth Gilbert spent the last part of her Italian culinary sojourn in Sicily, though in the film adaptation Julia Roberts never makes it south of Naples).

Sicily is almost a nation unto itself. The enchanting land where Archimedes taught and Saint Paul preached was a Greek colony, a Roman province, an Arab emirate and a Norman kingdom. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese and Jews made this unique island their own, leaving behind an eclectic history that you can still touch today.

Many people choose to take an excursion to Taormina: a gorgeous and chic resort town on the Southern coast of Sicily about an hour drive from Messina where we'll dock. Built at an elevation of 650 ft. it offers fantastic views of the sea and of nearby Mt. Etna (one of the most active volcanos in the world), but also has a wonderfully quaint medieval-village atmosphere: with endlessly winding ancient streets and tiny passages. This town is a great shopping destination (with some of Italy's most exclusive boutiques) and also perfect if you like to eat and drink at sidewalk cafes. Some of the best souvenirs are funky fruit and spice liqueurs from Vico dei Sapori (Teatro Greco 13) such as the traditional limoncello and the anything-but-classic cinnamon liqueur (absolutely delicious). You can even buy the locally made potions in flavors such as bay leaf, cactus, pomegranate and orange. Other Sicily-made products are olive oil and honey. Sicily is also famous for its Granita, a semi-frozen dessert some say is even better then Gelato!