If there were a place that could so potently exhibit the indelible effect of architecture, community spirit, food and phenomenal landscapes on humans, it would be Sicily. The island’s vulnerable position cast adrift from mainland Italy as the largest island in the Mediterranean saw it caught in the crosshairs of civilisations throughout the centuries. These days, it's a fiercely unique melting pot identity that has cooled and consolidated, like Etna’s lava flows over time. Conquered, invaded, coerced – the layers of history are manifest throughout the island, from the Norman Palace of Palermo to the North African-influenced spiced couscous and chickpea dishes of Trapani. Ancient temples and crumbling palazzos sit alongside innovative agriturismos and vineyards, stoic in the shadow of Mount Etna. On its fringes, volcanic islands gurgle and spit, their fertile slopes ablaze with wildflowers, capers and Malvasia grapes. The Sicilian spirit is not one easily bottled – it’s complex, proud and afflicted. But to live like a Sicilian is to live well, prioritising food and family above all else, starting the day on a sweet note with brioche con tuppo or granita; whiling away afternoons on sun-bleached concrete before plunging into turquoise water; scurrying under the watchful gaze of Baroque cathedrals for endless joshing and jousting in markets.
So rather than simply beelining for Taormina’s tourist-choked White Lotus filming spots, why not venture into this island’s rugged, ever-contradictory soul? Take in the beauty of its beaches, the mystical presence of Etna, ever looming, and inordinate amounts of morish, sweet ricotta-filled cannoli. These are the best things to do in Sicily for the ultimate Italian island experience.
What is Sicily best known for?
Knockout beaches that inspired Homer’s Odyssey, crumbling, honey-hued palazzos, mafia lore and ancient temples – Sicily effortlessly blends a sunny Mediterranean escape with lashings of history, culture and life-changing food. Etna has an almost sacred hold, dominating the scenery and treating al-fresco diners to the occasional fiery belch (best viewed from Taormina). The island’s southeastern Baroque towns bear the architectural stamps of a prosperous age, where soaring cathedrals and churches display jewel-box interiors, and grand palazzos have wrinkled with age, baked in the sun. Sicily’s cuisine shifts as you move around the island, revealing the influence of various invaders and traders, and it's famed for its caponata (a sort of aubergine ratatouille), busiate alla norma (an aubergine and ricotta pasta dish), and granita con brioche (sweet ice mopped up with a large brioche bun for breakfast).
How many days in Sicily is enough?
The beauty of the island is that so much can be covered in a short space of time. To even scratch the surface of the Southeast Baroque towns, you’ll need at least three days and can fill the rest of the week with downtime along one of Toarmina’s beaches or wine tasting and hiking along Etna’s slopes. Two weeks is enough for Sicily’s spell to fully take hold, landing in Palermo and moving southeast along the coast via Scopello and south to Agrigento for the temples and then to the Baroque South East. Spend time in the pretty, prairie-like fringes of Noto before edging up towards Etna and, if time permits, hop on a hydrofoil to the volcanic Aeolians, where the sea glows a shade of blue that feels too exotic for Europe.
The Baroque towns
There are eight towns in Southeast Sicily strung together like pretty beads to form the UNESCO World Heritage Site, but four of them should feature on any itinerary to this amber-hued maze.
Noto is an opulent haze of honey-hued walls, all belittled by the pillared-and-pompous cathedral that sits atop a series of steps like a Baroque jewel. Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the orderly artery street amid a chaotic labyrinth beyond it, where coffee lovers make their Sicilian pilgrimage to the legendary Caffè Sicilia (open since 1892).
Amid all its hilly, Baroque glory, Modica is all about chocolate. Antica Dolceria Bonajuto along Corso Umberto is Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory – the chocolate here is dark, richly flavoured and crumbly rather than smooth.
Scicli feels like a Noto or Modica shrunk in the wash – quieter, fewer tourists, stricter siesta code – though its bejewelled palazzos still whisper tales of a thumping prosperous age, their windows’ stucco brows crumbling, their facades mottled with age. Beneath them lie little cannoli boutiques, pocket-sized antique shops and film locations for Inspector Montalbano.
Ragusa Ibla runs with the Baroque theme but feels closer to scenes from a Hans Anderson tale, with pastel-pink houses, little Sicilian puppet theatres, wooden toy shops and misty views over the Hyblaean mountains from the old town’s swirly, wrought iron balconies.
Beaches
Sicily’s beaches can baffle tourists expecting endless stretches of bone-white sand. They are more than often flanked by great hunks of warm concrete, pebbly, rocky and where sandy, smothered in those retro, rickety sun loungers you thought were confined to the ’70s. While occasionally insufferably hot during summer’s peak, dotted across 930 miles of coastline, Sicily’s beaches are positively lovely from spring to late autumn. The Sicilian way is to lie, like seals, sprawled along the rocks with a towel and a cold beer before descending abruptly into intense shades of blue. Scopello wins most beach beauty contests, with its dusty pink inn blinking over a calm bay through lace and weathered shutters. Scala dei Turchi (the ‘Turkish steps’) is more of a geological head-turner, with its rippled formation and moonscape appeal, as are the Aeolian and Aegean Islands’ beaches, mostly pebbled or framing the impossibly blue plunge spots with jagged rock. For something softer, Sampiere off the Baroque, South East coast, or Lungomare di Cefalù an hour from Palermo, are all blonde sands, icy Coca-Cola bottles and creamy gelato.
Mount Etna
Etna has a magnetic hold over Sicilians, her fertile slopes combed with vines, orchards and crops, and her menacing gaze from up high (some 11,000 feet), bearing down on the minutiae of everyday Sicilian life. It’s easy to associate Etna solely with hiking its lunar-like slopes (hire a guide from Rifugio Sapienza on its southern side) for lava flows and the thrill of climbing a dormant dragon, but Etna is vast and can constitute a full holiday in itself. Most of the hotels dotting its slopes are surrounded by vineyards and showcase trailblazing cooking and the bounty of the volcanic soil. These include Zash Country Boutique Hotel and Spa, a reimagined Palmento smothered in citrus trees and Monaci delle Terre Nere, whose farm-to-table ethos was well before its time. The 18th-century aristocratic villa also offers scenic horse rides through the foothills of Mount Etna. For more of a guesthouse stay, Palazzo Previtera retains the gloriously unkempt charm of an aristocratic Mediterranean pile, where swirly wrought iron beds and wild, colourful gardens stave off the ubiquitous interior design team gloss, and a member of the Previtera family still greets you at the door.
Taormina
Long before Netflix showcased its good looks to the world in The White Lotus, Taormina was a magnet for poets, filmstars and the aristocracy (a key Grand Tour destination). Its surreal position – perched high on a cliff above the eastern coastline – makes views from almost any spot, balcony, window, heart-thumping ones. Corso Umberto I thrums with boutiques, gelaterias and cafes stretching out in the sunshine, from its medieval Porta Messina city gate to the Cathedral, while few visit Taormina without a glimpse of its famous second-century Greek amphitheatre. Just below it, layered in pretty terraces and manicured gardens down the hillside is Belmond Hotel Grand Timeo – all glowy lanterns, smooth balustrade terraces and Grand Touree lore. Edge down to its sister hotel, Belmond Villa San’t Andrea, for a country club-style beach set-up and twinkling views of Naxos Bay. Connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of buttermilk sand just off Lido Mazzaro, Isola Bella is worth visiting for its pretty hilltop villa and, with a snorkel, for its marine park.
Palermo
By far one of Europe’s most underrated cities, Palermo bears the architectural and cultural scars from centuries of rampant invasion and occupation. Rowdy markets have gripped onto the island’s Moorish influences (Mercato del Capo being the most authentic), the gilded and grandiose Teatro Massimo harks back to Palermo’s most prosperous chapter, and almost every street corner has a mafia tale to tell (take the three-hour Palermo No Mafia walking tour). Artisanal, electric energy has occupied the grand bones of this intoxicating city, with young creatives animating the unbuttoned cafes and bars filling its old town’s squares – the air always hot and heavy with wafts of arancini and courgette fritti.
Valley of the Temples
On the fringes of Agrigento lies the world’s largest archaeological park, all arid and sun-baked and home to eight beautifully preserved ancient Greek temples. The main act here is the Temple of Concordia – remarkably well-preserved Greek ruins on what was once the Greek city of Akragas some 2,500 years ago. Wandering through this UNESCO World Heritage Site and absorbing its rich history amid the absurdly bright blue ring of the Mediterranean in the distance, takes around three to four hours. Bring water, a sun hat and, if you’re wanting to avoid the crowds and searing heat, and you can be in Azienda Agricola Mandranova’s pool by 3pm, or even in time for lunch under the olive trees.
The Aeolian Islands – stay on Salina, Filicudi and Alicudi
These evocative, volcanic islands, cast adrift off the northeast coast of Sicily, remain salted, fresh and gloriously dishevelled. Lava houses gaze over the Tyrannean’s other-worldly blue, Stromboli lights up the sky at night with a theatrical spurt of lava and mud baths and thermal waters spit, ooze and stew both locals and visitors, giddy on Malvasia wine. From Salina’s wild caper profusion and old-world hotels (such as Hotel Signum) to shy, introverted Alicudi’s mule tracks, flanked by canary-yellow flowers and snaking down to inky-blue water, the Aeolians share a unique castaway character, chiselled by the elements and swaying to the rhythms of the tide.
Private Palazzos – Lampadusa
Sicily’s abundance of palazzos harks back to a gilded age when the city was conquered by the Spanish and lavished with baroque architecture. While imposing from the outside, their magnificent jewel-box innards are worth a browse – a superb, rather opulent retreat from the midday sun. While many have decayed, some have been lovingly restored, such as Palermo’s Neo-Gothic Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata, which has remained in the same family since the 15th century. Catania’s Palazzo Biscari (a bastion of Rococo glory) occupies an entire block of the volcanic-stone city and is still occupied by descendants of the Biscari family. Its stuccos, frescoes and sweeping ballroom can be viewed through a narrow window in the morning.
Catania – offbeat boutiques, cool foodie scene
In the shadow of Mount Etna and brushing up against the Ionian Sea, Sicily’s second-largest city was grandly rebuilt in imposing Baroque style using lava stone following a devastating 17th-century earthquake. As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character. You won’t find the fairytale museums of Ragusa Ibla or the blonde beaches of Cefalù here; Catania is proudly dishevelled, scruffy amid all the faded Baroque splendour and a goldmine of street food, hole-in-the-wall bistros and under-the-radar artists and makers. For the chaotic essence of Catania, head (at the crack of dawn) to its 19th-century fish market under the Archi della Marina. If on the hunt for independent makers, visit Magda Masao’s concept store, a third-generation artisan who crafts stylish homewares from lava stone, marble and ceramics. The joy of Catania is roaming its streets on an empty stomach, salivating over vendors’ fresh, fried seafood, the calzone-like cartocciata and other native delights spread along unbuttoned Tavola Calda Catanese (Catanian ‘hot tables’), then tucking into plates of pasta alla Norma at low-key haunts such as Al Tortellino.
Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve
This is pure, unsullied Sicily at its best before even the Ancient Greeks got their deft hands on the island. At Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve, Mediterranean scrub smothers steep hillsides that edge abruptly to meet a surreal, gin-clear water. The rugged northwestern stretch of coastline narrowly avoided rampant development following a planned road connecting Scopello with San Vito Lo Capo with a public petition. As such, its mass of untamed, scrubby green can today be traipsed through on foot or horseback, via ethereal blue coves such as Cala Marinella, the odd wandering fox and to the soothing rhythm of Aleppo pines rustling in the hot wind. The reserve’s six knockout beaches are comfortingly hard to reach, so it’s worth planning the route well before you visit.
Vendicari Beaches
Spanning Sicily’s southeastern coast from Noto to Marzamemi, the car-free Vendicari Reserve in Syracuse is a series of protected, unspoilt beaches – some blonde and beautiful with soft sand (Eloro, Calamosche), others rockier, and with saline lagoons home to various migratory birds. These are interconnected by a path that snakes along the coast (though, in true Sicilian style, reaching the actual beach from the car can take a good hour of crunching through brittle trails). Birdwatchers flock to the marshes, where various species, such as flamingos (in spring and autumn), marsh harriers and black and white storks congregate in great numbers. As well as beach and wildlife, The Vendicari Reserve has plenty to offer the history buffs, with archaeological sites such as the ancient Greek city of Eloro, Torre Sveva (a 15th-century tower) and an ancient tonnara (tuna fishery).
Street food tour
Street food tours are great things to do in Sicily and a fabulous alternative to hours of shuffling through museums. Like the rest of Italy, so many answers can be found in the kitchen, and some of Sicily’s finest food can be bought roadside or in its energetic, unvarnished markets, where rituals as old as the mottled walls unfold. Among a dizzying choice of tours, a few standouts include a Night Street Food Tour of Palermo with Palermo Street Food Tours, where tales of conquest are woven into arancini, panelle and pani ca’ meusa tastings. Sicilian-run Streaty Food Tours operating in both Palermo and Catania, have that local touch with understated insider spots you’d naturally walk pass, and miss out on eye-rolling ricotta and anchovy-stuffed Siciliana or some of the best Minne di Sant’Agata in Catania. Across most of Sicily’s towns and cities, you can comb through Airbnb Experiences to find proud, knowledgeable Sicilians willing to invite you into their labyrinth of lesser-known foodie spots – just be sure to read the reviews and ratings.
Ancient towns of Siracuse and Ortigia
The ancient Greek city of Syracuse was once a busy metropolis that Cicero described as the most beautiful Greek city. It’s certainly hard to deny its beauty. Two short bridges connect the island of Ortigia to the mainland, a UNESCO landmark where getting lost is almost obligatory, tracing nearly 3,000 years of history through the various architectural styles and taking refuge from the heat under oversized trattorie umbrellas. Visitors gorge on fried seafood and generously filled sandwiches at Ortigia’s outdoor market, then load up on gelato at Volgia Matte before taking on the Neapolis Archeological Park, with its famous Greek Theatre. Intense flashes of blue against the city’s sun-bleached limestone from the surrounding lagoon lure swimmers to its rocky edges (head to Forte Vigliena for a bath-warm dip or stay at The Thinking Traveller’s seafront hideaway with an oasis-style roof terrace hovering above the bustling heart of ancient Ortigia, and moments from the water).
Pantelleria
Seemingly drifting off towards Tunisia from Sicily’s South Western shores, Pantelleria is the largest of the minor Sicilian islands and one of its most ravishing. Scorched and rocky, its warm, cobalt swim spots are often a challenge to reach (the best things in life are), and reward long hikes through its fennel and wild caper-coated interior – bring a snorkel and jelly shoes (the rocks can get hot) to Martingana, Tenuta Borgia or the lava-formed Arch of the Elephant. From the mud baths of Lo Specchio di Venere to Bagno Ascuitto’s hot-steam grotto, Pantelleria’s fringes constitute a natural spa with gurgling thermal waters. Sunsets are also taken seriously here. They’re Africa-meets-Italy: blazing across a vast horizon. Whether scoffing the fisherman's haul at Ristorante Bar la Vela, Margaritas and caper paté at Kaya Kaya overlooking the harbour of Scauri, or simply scrambling onto a rocky perch with a cold beer.
Trapani Salt Pans
Once Europe’s centre for ‘white gold,’ Trapani’s salt pans date back to Sicily’s Norman chapter and are now protected by the WWF as one of the world’s most important wetlands for migratory birds. The scenery offers an unexpected hiatus from the limestone Baroque and rocky beaches that fill up most of the island’s coastline, with its Dutch-style mills at their most picturesque during dusk, their inky silhouette pressed into a canvas of burnt orange and crimson. Take a guided tour of the Maria Stella salt pans for a whistle-stop-tour of the production process, sampling various salt flavours and (in spring and autumn) spotting flamingos and other migratory birds nesting.