A European island gem in the south of Italy. As Italian as pasta and mama, but with a history so varied that it is just as apart from Italy in many ways from the influences of Greece, Arabia, Spain and Normandy.
Its particular foods and flavours and its secret familial society that has kept de Niro and Pacino in business for many years.
Where to go
We did Sicily in two trips – the East for some winter sun and the West for some Spring warmth, and both times for some great food and drink!
With a long week you can probably cover the island, but a bit longer or two medium length trips as we did is probably the best, as there is a lot of ground to cover.
The West holds the capital city of Palermo and is surrounded by mountainous countryside, dotted with the classic remains of Greek temples everywhere.
The East has a greener feel, presided over by the great mount Etna and its history more frequented by the Romans. Both halves are unique in themselves, which makes a trip to both sides of the island a must.
Western Sicily – Palermo
Dominated by the capital of Sicily – Palermo, stay at least a day or two here, to get a proper feel for the place, explore its back streets and feel the culture.
If you are driving (as we were) then the first bit of culture you will get is the experience of the crazy traffic jams of this relatively small city…being stuck in the middle of an intersection with your neighbouring drivers shouting to ‘mama mia’ with their hands raised high is a special moment.
Followed closely by trying to squeeze into the last car parking space in the city…Fiat invented the 500 for a reason!
Ditch the car as quick as possible as spend you rest of the time in the city on foot, or on a hop on-hop off bus that gets you to all the main spots – The Teatros (Politeama and Massimo);
The elegant and baroque Quatro Canti that forms the heart of the city;
Get lost in the maze like 14th Century Palazzo Steri;
The Arabic Cathedral (especially nice at night);
Marvel how the traffic can fit through the majestic Porto Nuevo;
Enjoy the fresh markets;
and spend time exploring the beautiful buildings, palaces and villas that the city has to offer
Not on the bus route, but well worth a creepy look is the Catacombe dei Cappuccini Palermo…truly the stuff of nightmares with dressed mummified bodies of the dead.
Originally for the local friars it soon became fashionable for local notables to go this way, with instructions to keep their clothing updated to the latest fashions (although this trend setting finished decades ago).
Get a closer look at Palermo on foot with a stroll down the shiny marbled streets to Piazza Vigliena;
popping you head into the impressively interiored churches that line the way (particularly St Catherine’s church).
An evening out in Palermo has to be to see an opera at Teatro Massimo…where Don Corleone (Pacino) got gunned down on the steps in Godfather III.
A bit of Puccini is perfect for this setting, where you’ll be surrounded by the pearls and Chanel of the upper echelons of Palermo. If you don’t know the opera you see, then make sure you google the synopsis beforehand as there are no subtitles!
East of Palermo
A short trip (once thropugh the traffic) along the coast to the pictoresque seaside village of Cefalu, where you can escape the bustle of the city;
have a nice little seaview lunch and then hike off all the calories with a hike up La Rocca to get the best view of the village and surrounds.
Monreale Cathedral is a must visit for its majestic beauty and location.
The Cathedral is also set up on top of a hill that gives amazing views down into the valley that get punctuated the countryside with divine rays.
South of Palermo
Takes you into the hilly centre and what is known as the ‘navel of Sicily’
Further south is the must visit to Agrigento and its valley of temples. Overrun with the most impressive Greek temples that you’ll see almost anywhere (including Greece!).
A trip through here is like embarking on the Odyssey, encountering mythical characters such as Zeus, Heracles, Asclepius and Hephaestus.
Well worth the visit, and especially in December when you have the place almost to yourselves.
Return via Enna, a quaint little town (once you get through the built up outskirts) with a castle, cathedral and cobbled streets to explore.
West of Palermo
Trapani is a pleasant old town on the coast that you can while away a few hours exploring…snacking on a local canoli to keep energy levels up.
Just by Trapani (on the way to its airport if you want to time things right) you’ll come to the doric Temple of Segesta.
Beautifully set in flowered green fields, a visit in December seems to have so few visitors that it feels like since the Greeks built this temple it has just been forgotten about and left like an old garden shed in the garden.
Heading up to the hills above the temple you will have one last surprise of the perfectly appointed amphi-theatre that looks out pover the valley and sea below.
All the world is a stage, and this stage is indeed one of the most marvelously placed we have come across in our travels.
Eastern Sicily – Taormina
A quaint, pleasant town in the shadow of Mount Etna and the base to explore this side of Sicily.
Start by enjoying the town, touristy, but in an sedate, genteel kind of way.
To visit the local churches, palazzos, squares and fountains, that come alive if you visit on one of the numerous Saints days.
The top sight here is the Ancient Theatre, not just itself as a sight but the amazing views that you can see from the theatre.
We stayed just outside the town at Castello di San Marco – a little piece of castellated luxury on a smaller scale and smaller budget.
Beautiful gardens, again with the spectacular view of the volcano as the backdrop.
Around Taormina
Naturally the first stop in the vicinity is the smoldering mountain that dominates the skyline of this area – Mount Etna.
Like most volcanos, you have to be quite lucky to get a perfect view that is not obscured by clouds…we were not so lucky on our visit, in fact with clouds, fog and mist we had no luck at all!
But a visit to the volcano is relatively easy, with a gondola taking you up top, so you don’t need to expend too much energy to get here, even with limited sights to see.
If it’s cloudy up top, try heading to the Silvestri Crater where you will get that volcanic moonscape
and fields of lava
Savoca is a craggy hilltop village where you get up close with the Godfather, to worship at the Church of St Nicolo where a young Michael Corleone married his first wife.
and stop for a drink at bar Vitelli…but be careful as the locals can be a bit threatening.
It’s not just the Godfather that is the pull here, Savoca is also set in a prepossessing location, with stunning views all around
Syracuse and Noto
Heading down to the south eastern corner of the island you’ll come to coastal Syracuse.
Have a wander through its squares and plazas
along it’s promenade
before hopping on a boat to see the city from the water
and visit the cave of hearts and the mysterious ‘spirit cave’
Before heading back up north, make sure you go just a little bit further south to Noto, a Unesco jewel of a place that is one of the highlights of the island.
Its Baroque Basilica is the highlight
and is stunning from all angles
So that about wraps up our tour of Sicily, there is still mush to see and do, and that will need a much longer stay for a future trip, in the meantime, enjoy!
