The venue of the workshop is the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, located in Aci Castello, close to Catania, Italy. (see map).
The coastline between Aci Castello and Aci Trezza (aprrox 12 km) is called "the Riviera of the Cyclops", in memory of the mythical giants who, according to legends handed down over the centuries, populated the Castellese area. According to legend, the archipelago that lies in front of the town of Acitrezza is the result of the anger of the Cyclops Polyphemus who hurled enormous boulders at Ulysses and his ships after he had been blinded by the Greek hero. But the name also contains the charm of a territory that slides suddenly from the hill into the sea and which has been shaped over time by volcanic activity, with its stupendous Ulysses Caves in Cannizzaro or those of the "Immacolatelle and Mincio Conti Complex" Nature Reserve , on the border with Ficarazzi.
The Ciclopi Islands Marine Protected Area includes the Lachea island, the Grande stack, the Piccolo stack and four other rocks arranged in an arch. The reserve presents a rich underwater flora with hundreds of species of algae and represents the main area of contact between Tyrrhenian and Ionian marine fauna. It can be visited from Aci Trezza, with special boats and boats with a transparent bottom.
About 7 kilometers north, is localted the baroque town of Acireale, famous for its Carnival with the eagerly awaited allegorical float competition. The granita is unmissable, probably born from the tradition of the "nevaroli" who transported the snow from Etna to the seashore.
