Barrows, passage graves and dolmens are generously strewn over the area and the islands, and should you stick a spade into the earth you are quite likely to find a historical artefact. In 1993, archaeologists found the largest Iron Age house in Scandinavia at Gudme, Gudmekongens Hall, a residence and meeting place for the most powerful people in the kingdom.

The past still lives on. The whole area is synonymous with a very special atmosphere. It is as if people carry the history with them in whatever they do. It is hardly a coincidence that on Langeland, by Tranekær Castle, an internationally renowned sculpture park has been created using natural materials.

A visit to a manor house, or a natural history museum will give new impressions and knowledge. Nature in culture, culture in nature. Manor houses and half-timbered houses more numerous than anywhere else in the country nestle into the picturesque surroundings. Hollyhocks, cobblestones, dry-stone walls, woods, windmills and verdant fields are just part of everyday life in Sydfyn. It almost resembles a setting for a film which could be called "Once upon a time". It is not. It is real!

The atmosphere is creative and forward looking, and there is nothing out of date about the people who enjoy their surroundings, where nature harmonious blends with the effects of centuries of cultural influence.

A holiday in Sydfyn and the islands really fires up the imagination, and the horizons are wide, both in time and distance.

However many times I have taken the trip from Svendborg across Tåsinge, past Bregninge Church and along the bay at Lunkebugten over to Langeland, the feeling is always powerful and indescribable. It is never the same twice, as it depends on the weather, the season and the tides. The light, the countryside and the atmosphere on Langeland are just so different to anywhere else. And I have travelled quite a bit. The landscape tells rich stories, and particularly in the twilight there is a feeling of a Golden Age. The countryside does tell stories. Not necessarily ones which can be translated into words, but in atmospheres. Atmospheres which say that things are thriving here. Many people find the varied culture and landscape moving - inhabitants and tourists, painters and authors. This is the genuine article. It is especially valuable that the area has kept its human dimensions. That is important.
 
Alfio Bonnano, artist, living on Langeland, originally from Sicily