I absolutely adore Sicily, the huge island at the bottom of "the Italian boot." Sicily represents the Southern life of Italy with its sunny weather, scenic views, and sweet treats. Apart from those, which secrets may Sicily keep from the average tourist?
Let's discover the island with me and other itinari editors:
The must see
Once in Sicily, you definitely should not miss the multicultural capital, Palermo. It is one of the most interesting cities I have visited in Italy because it has been influenced by the Greek, Arab-Muslim, Spanish, and French cultures, among others. My favorite day trip from Palermo was to visit the cathedrals in Cefalù and Monreale. Apart from those, the ancient theaters and ruins in legendary places such as Syracuse and Taormina are also worth visiting. Catania is another popular city in Sicily but I personally did not like it. I only went there to get to Taormina.
Cattedrale di Palermo
Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 90040 Palermo, Italie
Teatro antico di Taormina
Via del Teatro Greco, 1, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
Teatro Greco di Siracusa
Via Ettore Romagnoli, 96100 Siracusa SR, Italy
Chiesa del Gesù, Palermo
Piazza Casa Professa, 1, 90134 Palermo, Italy
Teatro Massimo - Palermo
Piazza Verdi, 90138 Palermo, Italy
Cattedrale di Monreale
Piazza Guglielmo II, 1, 90046 Monreale PA, Italie
Duomo di Cefalù
Piazza del Duomo, 90015 Cefalù PA, Italy
Palazzo dei Normanni
Piazza Indipendenza, 1, 90129 Palermo, Italy
Quattro Canti
Via Maqueda, 90133 Palermo, ItalieThe hidden gem
Visiting Sicily, tourists tend to skip small town and villages such as Modica, Sciacca, Ortigia, and Erice. But according to Nicolas Casula in his article "The Unmissable Sicilian Villages," the borghi (the Italian word for "villages) will leave you speechless and take your breath away. The article really makes me want to visit all of those off-the-beaten-path villages. Among them, Modica is definitely on the top of my bucket list because I am a fan of the Aztec chocolate made in Modica.
"Italy has very beautiful cities indeed but let's not forget about the small and untouched villages, the kind you just can't find anywhere... except if you are in Sicily! I would strongly recommend a car (since some of them do not have efficient public transportation) and especially a small car since the streets are very very narrow :) And now, let me take you there (at least with your imagination) and make you dream a little!" - Nicolas Casula
Modica
97015 Modica, Province of Ragusa, Italy
Erice
91016 Erice, Province of Trapani, Italy
Il Gusto dei saporti smarriti - Ortigia
Piazza Cesare Battisti, 4, 96100 Siracusa SR, Italy
Sciacca
92019 Sciacca, AG, Italy
Città di Ragusa
97100 Ragusa, Province of Ragusa, Italie
Piazza Almerina
94015 Piazza Armerina, Province of Enna, ItalyThe nature
One of my favorite things about Sicily is its breathtaking and untouched nature. During my visit to Palermo, I had the privilege of touching a sacred tree, one of the largest and oldest trees in Europe. Apart from trees, Sicily also has amazing beaches, rivers, and mountains - some of which are in natural parks such as Parco delle Madonie and Parco Naturale Regionale dei Nebrodi. And of course, we cannot forget the mighty Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. Unfortunately, due to weather, I could not hike up Mount Etna but I hope I can come back for that and admire the volcano from as close as possible.
"Mount Etna is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world, the largest and highest active volcano in Europe and it is the natural attraction that inevitably draws the largest number of tourists in Sicily from all over the world. Mount Etna lies in the eastern part of Sicily, has a height of about 3,300 meters ad a circular base of over a hundred kilometers. It is visible from most of the Eastern Sicily, often gives amazing flaming shows, with high fountains of lava that illuminate the cool Sicilian nights." - Eleonora Ruzzenenti
Mount Etna
Etna, 95031 Adrano, Catane, Italie
Riserva naturale orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile
Riserva Naturale Orientata Cavagrande del Cassibile, 96012 Cassibile, Siracusa SR, Italy
Parco delle Madonie
Parco delle Madonie, 90027 Petralia Sottana PA, Italy
Mondello Beach
MONDELLO, 90151 Palermo, Italy
Spiaggia di Cala Mosche
Spiaggia di Cala Mosche, Contrada Vendicari, 96017 Noto SR, Italy
The Scala dei Turchi
Stair of the Turks, 92010 Realmonte, Province of Agrigento, ItalyThe cuisine
The most fun part of traveling is tasting local foods. “Food is more essential than clothes,” said Sicilians. Indeed, the Sicilian cuisine is exciting to explore. From tasty street food to delightful sweet treats, Sicily has them all. A list of the essential foods to taste in Sicily is in my article "Foods You Must Try in Sicily." If you are particularly interested in the Sicilian dessert cannolo, check out Eleonora Ruzzenenti's well-written piece "The king of Sicilia: the cannolo", an inside-out guide of the traditional pastry.
Pasticceria da Jose' - Palermo
Via Messina Marine, Palermo PA, Italy
Pasticceria Scimone - Palermo
Via Imera, 8, 90138 Palermo PA, Italy
Antico Caffe' SPinnato - Palermo
Via Principe di Belmonte, 107, 90139 Palermo PA, Italy
Pasticceria Cappello, Palermo
Via Colonna Rotta, 68, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy
Trattoria De Fiore, Catania
Via Pietro Antonio Coppola, 26, 95131 Catania CT, Italy
Trattoria Tiramisù, Taormina
Via Apollo Arcageta, 9, 98039 Taormina ME, Italy
Franco u Vastiddaru
Via Vittorio Emanuele, 102, 90133 Palermo PA, Italy
Ke Palle, Palermo
Via Maqueda, 270, 90133 Palermo PA, ItalyWant to plan a trip here? Talk to AI travel assistant Maya.
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Vy Tran
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