visit sicily 2023

The best times to visit Sicily, a year-round destination

Mar 17, 2024 • 5 min read

Choose the best time for your visit to Sicily with this seasonal guide © Chiara Magi / Shutterstock

With its sizzling hot beaches and choice of three blue seas to dip in, summer has always been the hottest time of year to visit Sicily . Yet there’s so much more to Italy’s paradise island than flopping on gold or black sand with August’s ferragosto holiday crowd, cooling off over a riot of water-based activities and toasting endless long summer days with an Aperol spritz.

Each Sicilian month has its own beauty. This, coupled with the cultural heavyweight’s portfolio of world-class monuments and museums, makes the island an appealing destination all year. As already-scorching summer temperatures seem to spiral increasingly higher, the cooler shoulder seasons are becoming more fashionable. Couple this with a surge in slow, meditative exploration through rural landscapes and traditions – both of which Sicily boasts in spades – and you have the making of a whole new "best: season to visit Sicily.

Note: breakfasting on a sweet brioche bun dunked into blackberry granita and breaking mid-afternoon for creamy gelato crafted from island almonds, figs or pistachios is perfectly acceptable every month of the year.

April, May, September and October are best for outdoor action and epicurean pleasures

With fairly reliable sunshine and the mercury hovering at a pleasant 68°F (20°C) or so, spring and early fall are ideal for winding along precipitous coastlines on foot, scaling volcanoes – Mount Etna in eastern Sicily and Stromboli on the eponymous Aeolian island –  and hiking through flower-strewn meadows and up craggy peaks in the mountainous interior. Even with the milder temperatures, the Sicilian sun is fierce: bring a sunhat, sun protection and ample water before hitting trails and archeological sites such as Valley of the Temples , Segesta and Selinunte where there is no or little shade.

On the coast, you can beach-lounge and sea-dip without feeling like a sardine. May ushers in top-drawer diving and snorkeling (until October) in waters around Sicily’s offshore islands; diving schools in Ustica, Lipari and Lampedusa typically open mid-April to late October.

Accommodation prices remain reasonable and sights are blissfully uncrowded. More importantly, it is warm enough to lap up Sicily’s chill cafe vibe and enjoy its banquet of traditional cuisine al fresco – terraces in Palermo , Catania and smaller towns mushroom outside in early spring and operate well into October.

For epicureans, springtime stalls at Palermo’s Mercato del Capo and Catania’s fruit-and-veg market by its legendary La Pescheria fish market are piled high with asparagus, artichokes, fennel, fava beans and honey-sweet strawberries. Traditional sagre (food festivals) celebrating grape, olive, chestnut and pistachio harvests pepper September: Bronte’s pistachio festival, San Vito La Capo’s couscous festival and Castelbuono’s mushroom fest in October are well worth planning a trip around.

June to August are best for cooling sea dips, beach life and festivals

Though scorching hot and often crowded with vacationers, Sicily’s beaches are the place to be in summer, with their dreamy blue waters and always spectacular views. In Palermo, striped sun shades are draped full-length over apartment balconies by 10am, and on the coast, parasol-shaded sun loungers at private beach clubs fill fast. Come armed with water shoes to scamper into the sea – pebbles and rocks can be as hot as coals by noon in July and August.

Alongside its searing temperatures (rendering an afternoon siesta the only sensible option), August can raise the curtain on the Sirocco wind: this hot and fierce "hairdryer" wind blows in from the south and can reach near-hurricane speeds. Occasionally, dust from the North African deserts reddens Sicilian skies, and temperatures soar.

When the sun goes down and temperatures cool, open-air concerts, film screenings and theater performances are a dime a dozen. From May to July, world-class actors perform at Syracuse's 5th-century-BCE amphitheater during the Festival del Teatro Greco . Catania's four-night world music festival Marranzano raises the curtain on a glittering cast of international artists at historic monastery Monastero dei Benedettini in June, while a summertime ticket to a Taormina Arte performance at Tormina's Teatro Greco is Sicilian gold. On the eco-conscious Aeolian Islands, do your bit in July at Stromboli’s Festa di Teatro Ecologico , ushering in 10 days of theater, dance and music – no electricity involved – on an open-air stage on the island.

February and March ring in religious celebrations, street parties and almond blossoms

Sicilian skies are not always sunny, and temperatures remain cool, but the period around Easter is a lens on local tradition. Many towns celebrate carnival on Mardi Gras – one of the most flamboyant is in Sciacca on the southwest coast. Easter festivities climax in Trapani , where traditional guilds parade life-sized wooden statues of the Virgin Mary and other Biblical figures through the streets for four days during the mesmerizing La Processione dei Misteri.

Patron saint celebrations are equally festive: one million-odd Catanians follow a silver reliquary of St Agata through the city streets during  Catania' s Festa di Sant'Agata in early February. Almost as spectacular this month are the island’s blossoming almond trees, notably celebrated at Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples with Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore – an almond blossom festival with folkloric music and dance between the ruins.

November to January is the best time for budget travel

Sicily’s low season sees traditional beach towns and offshore islands in the Aeolian and Egadi archipelagos largely shut down. Many hotels, restaurants, beach clubs and hydrofoil routes close completely for a couple of months. Inland, temperatures can dip to 0°C or below.

Yet this is when accommodation rates island-wide can drop by 30% or more; a long weekend break in Palermo, a week off-grid amid the forests of the Parco delle Madonie or an off the beaten track adventure in northeastern Sicily’s Nebrodi mountains  will be a bargain for visitors traveling on a budget. Blockbuster churches, museums and galleries can be enjoyed in peace and relative solitude. Dining is more spontaneous – no need to worry about making table reservations weeks in advance at the most popular addresses.

Mt Etna and the highest peaks of the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains are typically snow-capped from December to late March. January is the best month to hit the slopes in the low-key ski resorts of Piano Provenzana and Piana Battaglia.

This article was first published Nov 4, 2021 and updated Mar 17, 2024.

Explore related stories

Tips & Advice

Apr 15, 2024 • 10 min read

From chilling on the beaches of Bora Bora to eating shellfish in Cape Cod, USA, here are the best places to visit in June.

Mar 21, 2024 • 6 min read

Mar 11, 2024 • 8 min read

Mar 10, 2024 • 6 min read

Mar 1, 2024 • 5 min read

Feb 6, 2024 • 6 min read

Jan 5, 2024 • 20 min read

Dec 19, 2023 • 6 min read

Nov 19, 2023 • 11 min read

Oct 25, 2023 • 7 min read

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Top Things to Do in Sicily for 2024

Ian Sumpter Last Updated: September 26, 2023

Planning a trip to Sicily? You aren’t the first! From Phoenicians and Greeks, Romans then Arabs, the Spanish then the French. All, at some time or other, have laid claim to Sicily, making it one of the most culturally diverse regions of Italy. Sicily is the clue to understanding all of Italy. So to understand Sicily best, I’m here to guide you through this beautiful and sometimes paradoxical country.

Pro Tip: You’re going to want to circle back to this article since it’s packed with local recommendations. Bookmark it in your browser on your phone so you’ll have it on your trip.

What Should You Do While in Sicily?

Sicily is one of Italy’s most authentic and less-touched regions by tourists. “Authentic” is what many travelers are aiming for, but beware, it can be far less comfortable.

Sicily will drag you out of your comfort zone in a way that more traditional ‘Disneyfied’ destinations won’t. But this will make the experience vastly more memorable.

I’ve traveled to Sicily many times. Along with Puglia, I consider it one of Italy’s best summer regions, offering value for money, amazing history, and fascinating culture. That, and the seafood, is off the charts. Here are the top things that I recommend doing while in Sicily.

1. Step Back it Time at Palazzo dei Normanni & Cappella Palatina

2. visit the home of archimedes – syracuse, 3. visit toarmina’s famous isola bella, 4. climb an active volcano, 5. catch a show at teatro greco taormina, 6. explore the valley of the temples, 7. go back in time by visiting medieval erice, 8. walk on the same floors as emperor hadrian, 9. get fatter, 10. bask in the salty tears of a goddess, 11. go medievel on at the duomo di cefalù, 12. get back to nature san vito lo capo, 13. unravel an ancient mystery at segesta, most recent blog posts.

On the sixth day, God accomplished His work and, pleased with all the beauty He had created, He took the Earth in His hands, and kissed it. There, where He put His lips, that’s Sicily. Renzino Barbera

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Where to Stay in Sicily article

Palermo is a city full of beautiful palaces. Norman, Arab, Byzantine, and Baroque elements mingle to create a rich architectural heritage. Of all of Palermo’s many wonders, the Palazzo dei Normani stands out. Recent archaeological discoveries have pushed back the foundation date of the building considerably. Initially, historians believed that the structure was constructed during the Islamic Caliphate. However, further research and archaeological findings have led to the conclusion that the foundations of the structure actually date back to the much earlier Phoenician period of the city.

Once the center of political power in Sicily, Fredrick II and Roger II held court here.

The palace is a gem, but the jewel in the crown is the Cappella Palatina. Starting during the reign of Roger II in 1130, the mosaics took ten years to complete and are considered amongst the finest in the world.  Ego eimai to phos tou kosmou  ( I am the light of the world), reads the Greek inscription above the central apse.

Not ready to book a tour? Check out our Where to Stay in Palermo article

Founded in 733 BC on the island of Ortiga, Syracuse has spread across the causeway connecting to the mainland and expanded rapidly.

The home of Archimedes, Syracuse, once rivaled Athens as the largest and most powerful Greek city. Today you can wander the splendid area of Ortiga, which is rich in Baroque architecture. Visit the archaeological park with its incredible 16,000-capacity Greek Theatre and indulge in some of the best food on the island.

The city is renowned for its food, and the region for its outstanding wine and beautiful baroque towns like Noto and Sortino. The best way to see these sites is with a local expert who can guide you through the major gems of the region as well as some of its hidden wonders.

Or check out our article on the Best Places to Stay in Sicily!

Taormina is Sicily’s most sought-after vacation destination for a great reason-it’s gorgeous. Monsterous cliffs plunge straight into the sea, crystal clear water, and an incredible view of Europe’s highest and most active volcano. And if that’s not enough, the delicious smell of one of the World’s greatest cuisines will lift you from your beach chair at noon-thirty daily.

Isola Bella is one of the most incredible beaches in Sicily and something no traveler to Sicily should miss. The island has a small land bridge that connects it to the mainland, making it as accessible as it is beautiful. You can check out our full article on where to stay in Taormina right here.

Italy has four active Volcanoes, three of which are in Sicily and all of which you can visit. Mt Etna is the most popular and continuously active. It is also the highest volcano in Europe.

Mount Etna is the most accessible volcano in Sicily, which makes it an attractive option for daredevils, volcanologists, and yodeling walking-stick-packing Austrians.

Thousands of people visit the volcano daily, and the smart ones will change out of their bathing suits and bring a warm jacket because it can be freezing even in the summer.

For the bon-vivant out there, you can rent a sailboat (or take the pedestrian ferry) and visit Vulcano and Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands north of Taormina. You can check out our full guide on Mount Etna right here.

Stuck between the sea and the sky, the Greek Theatre of Taormina is the most beautifully located theatre in the world. It is the second largest theater in Sicily, constructed during the Hellenistic age around the 3rd Century BC.

The theatre was largely remodeled during the Roman occupation (most like during the reign of Trajan or Hadrian) and then again in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today the theatre is often used as a concert venue, with Sting performing in 2022. But don’t worry, even without a show, you will likely never see such a wonderful performance, as sea meets sky and the ever-menacing Mount Etna looms impressively in the background.

In the heat of summer, it is best to arrive early to beat the heat and the crowds.

The Greeks were great warriors, stupendous engineers, unparalleled philosophers, and perhaps the most talented artists ever to live. They call it the cradle of Western civilization for a reason. Sicily, at times, can sometimes feel more Greek than it does Italian, and nowhere is that more evident than at the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.

Seven Greek Doric temples stand in the Valley of the Temples. Making it one of Europe’s most impressive and under-visited archaeological sites. Often dubbed the Greek Pompeii.

Personally, I rate this as one of the most important sites in Sicily. Thankfully not everyone else agrees. Even in the height of summer, the valley never seems too crowded. Check out the full guide to the Valley of the Temples here .

According to legend, the town of Erice was founded by Aeneas and the survivors of the fall of Troy. Aenaeas mother, the goddess Aphrodite (later Venus), has always been the center of attention here.

Once an important center of worship for the goddess of fertility, the Temple of Venus is now no more than a few pillars on the edge of town. However, the town grew fat and prosperous on the back of ‘sacred prostitution’ between the 6th Century BC and the 1st Century AD.

Initiated into the cult at the age of 13, the girls were fed large amounts of milk and honey to make them pleasantly plump, trained in the art of lovemaking, and retired wealthy and heavily desired as wives at 21.

The small walled town sits high above the neighboring Trapani and is one of Sicily’s most beautiful gems. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Africa. No wonder it was such a strategic location.

Spend the day wandering around the cobbled streets, taking in the views, buying local goods, trying local food, storming the castle, and visiting one of the fifty beautiful churches.

Located three miles Southwest of Piazza Armerina, the Villa Romana del Casale is an archeological wonder. Constructed between the 2nd and 4th Centuries AD, the Villa Romana del Casale presents some of the finest examples of Roman mosaics. The polychrome mosaics cover 44165 square yards, averaging 3600 tesserae( individual mosaic pieces) per square foot.

It is not just the size but the quality of the work that astounds me. Archaeologists generally believe the quality to be a sign of the property belonging to a former Roman emperor. Possible owners include Diocletian or Maximian. A sign of its grandeur is it is oft compared to Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli and Diocletian’s palace at Split.

Whoever it once belonged to is secondary to this site’s magnificence, making it a must-visit destination.

I think what makes Sicilian cuisine the best in Italy is the successive episodes of occupation. Sicily has been occupied by the Greeks, The Carthaginians (modern-day Tunisia), the Romans, the Byzantines, the Muslim Caliphates, the French, and the Spanish, and I’m inevitably missing off a few here. Evidently, when it comes to food, variety is the spice of life. Each of these successive invasions brought its own ingredients, its own styles, its own secrets. It’s no surprise that the world’s oldest surviving cookbook was written in the 4th Century BCE, entitled Hedypatheia or On Good Taste , by Archestratus of Gela, in Sicily. Sicilians pride themselves on using only the very freshest ingredients. Therefore be prepared for seafood and lots of it. You can learn more about the history of Sicilian cuisine by reading our article on The Best Food to try in Sicily.

Or check out our article on the Best Food to Try in Sicily

Often referred to as the Land of Persophone, Sicily and mythology go hand in hand. Daughter of Demeter (the goddess of the harvest), she was beloved by the gods of Olympus. So much so that Hades (god of the underworld) kidnapped her, snatching her from Sicily and dragging her to the underworld.

For six months, Demeter searched the world for her, forgetting her godly duties. Nothing grew, crops failed, and famine set in (Autumn and Winter). Eventually, Hades would release Persophone for six months of the year. Demeter’s joy is such that crops grow in those six months, flowers blossom, and food is abundant (Spring and Summer).

While she searched for her daughter, Demeter distractedly dropped her scythe into the sea. The result is the sweeping headland of Trapani. Her tears of distress created the salt pans south of the city that are still in use today.

It is still an active Salt producing region and a WWF-protected wildlife environment. Many of the original windmills still survive, and the evaporation method of salt production is still in use. As a result, mounds of salt protected by terracotta tiles are not an uncommon site. Nor are flocks of Flamingos and other protected species that flock to the area.

You’ll need to book a week in advance to tour the nature reserve. Alternatively, there are many salt pans along the coast or the salt museum in Trapani.

In a country of picturesque towns, Cefalù still holds a special place. Founded by the Greeks in the 5th Century, its name derives from the Greek Kephalos (Head), referring to the head-shaped rock that looms over it. While the town is beautiful, the beaches heavenly, and the food divine, no trip to Cefalù is complete without a trip to the Cathedral. The Duomo de Cefalù was started in the 12th Century AD and not completed until the 13th. As with so much of Sicily, the art and architecture is a blending of different cultures. Norman, in its design, but with sixteen ancient Roman columns (probably taken from the temple of Diana), support the Arab-Norman arches. But the centerpiece are the stunning Byzantine mosaics in the central apse.

While legend says the tears of Demeter created the salt pans South of Trapani, to the North, we see signs of Demeter’s joy. San Vito Lo Capo is a stunning seaside resort on the Northern headland of Trapani.

Its fortress shows signs of the occupation of the land by the Byzantines, the Arab, the Normans, and the Spaniards. But as interesting as the history is, I come here for nature.

The beaches are pure, constituted of crystalline water and soft velvety sands. If that isn’t enough for you, head South, and you will find Sicily’s oldest nature reserve, the Zingaro Nature Reserve.

Five miles of unspoiled coastline, no vehicles are allowed inside the park. Even the park keepers carry out their work on mules. This park is an unspoiled paradise. There are numerous beaches where swimming is allowed.

For the nature lovers in a group, you’ll find Bonelli’s eagles, peregrine falcons, porcupines, foxes, and rabbits.

Despite being of the largest examples of a Doric temple anywhere in the world, the temple of Segesta was never actually completed. Built during the latter part of the 5th Century BC, for some reason or another, the temple was abandoned halfway through. The columns, in type Greek style, bulge slightly in the center in order to create the illusion of straightness. But, for some reason, they were never fluted, a sign the temple was not completed. The biggest giveaway, though, is that the bosses are still visible. A boss is a small protruding nub, often left on the stone to help them transport the already shaped stone to the site and then to help with grip while elevating the stones into position. Once the temple was complete, these bosses would have been chiseled down. The fact that they are still visible is a testament to the fact the temple was not completed but is vital to helping us understand how these fantastic monuments were constructed. Day trips covering Segesta and the Zingaro National Park are often lumped together, so this is a great way to kill two birds with one stone if you have no transportation of your own.

Where to Stay in Val d’Orcia, Tuscany

Val d’Orcia is one of the lesser known areas in Tuscany, but quite possibly the most beautiful. Rich in history especially of the time of Pope Pius II this region of Italy is sure to leave your belly full of wine, phone full of photos and heart full of memories. Pro-Tip: You’ll want to bookmark this…

Continue Reading Where to Stay in Val d’Orcia, Tuscany

8 Things To Do in Florence Off the Beaten Path

Florence is a very popular destination with a large village vibe that brings visitors back time and time again. It’s brimming with things to do and many are still undiscovered by tourists, which would explain why this small town gets so much international attention. Here are eight things to do in Florence off the beaten…

Continue Reading 8 Things To Do in Florence Off the Beaten Path

12 Astonishing Facts You Might Not Know About The Medici Family

Let’s face it, nobody rocked the Renaissance like the Medici family did. They were known for their banking prowess and they were famed patrons of the arts. These famous Florentines did everything they could to rise to power and they accumulated fantastic wealth. It’ll come as no surprise that intrigue surrounds them. Here are some astonishing…

Continue Reading 12 Astonishing Facts You Might Not Know About The Medici Family

Where Is the Statue of David?

After 500 years, Michelangelo’s David is still recognized as a masterpiece that propelled the evolution of Renaissance art in Florence. But what isn’t quite as recognizable is the original version of the David. Currently, there are three statues of David—one authentic one and two replicas. In this guide, you’ll learn about the significance of the…

Continue Reading Where Is the Statue of David?

How To Climb the Florence Duomo

If you’re heading to Florence, Italy, you cannot miss the city’s most iconic architectural wonder and popular attraction—the Florence Duomo. In this guide, you’ll learn the history behind Florence’s big red dome as well as how to see this beautiful Florence cathedral. Pro Tip: Planning what to do on your trip to Florence? Bookmark this…

Continue Reading How To Climb the Florence Duomo

Where to Stay in Calistoga

Staying in Calistoga offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure, from its world-renowned spas and hot springs to the picturesque vineyards that dot the landscape. It’s an ideal retreat for those looking to unwind in the heart of Napa Valley, offering a unique mix of natural beauty, luxurious pampering, and exquisite wines. Where to…

Continue Reading Where to Stay in Calistoga

Reader Interactions

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Travel Guide
• In The Press

POLICY & TERMS

• Cancellation Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy

Experience Sicily

Small Group Tours of Sicily and Customized Sicily Travel

Enchanting Sicily 2023

Sunday, May 21 to Saturday, June 3, 2023 14 days, 13 nights with a pre-tour option for one or two nights in Taormina 

  On our signature tour of Sicily, you’ll discover off-the-beaten path towns, interact with locals, and immerse yourself in Sicilian culture and ancient history. You’ll tour intriguing UNESCO World Heritage sites, remote mountain towns, and charming seaside villages. You’ll attend a world-class performance of a classic Greek play in Siracusa’s Ancient Greek theater. You’ll amble through Palermo’s open-air markets and interact with Sicilians in a meaningful way. You’ll stay in 4-star hotels and characteristic inns and relish family-run trattorias as you explore Sicily’s 3,000 years of human history with authentic experiences, vibrant flavors, and sweet melodies that will capture your imagination. Ask about our optional pre-tour stay in Taormina!  

May 2023 Sicily Tour Highlights

• Pre-stay option in Taormina
• Professional, local guides
• Siracusa/Ortigia*
• Interaction with locals
• Cooking class and market tour
• Live performances of classic Greek theater and Sicilian folk music
• Mount Etna*
• Wine experience on Etna
• Ragusa Ibla*
• The Roman Villa of Casale in Piazza Armerina*
• Valley of the Temples in Agrigento*
• Hidden mountain towns
• Palermo’s Arab Norman patrimony*
• Off-the-beaten path seaside villages
• Erice and Trapani’s salt flats
• Coastal boat excursion
• Outstanding seasonal cuisine
• The logistics and details managed by our expert guides
• Private and clean professional transportation

*UNESCO sites

$6,950 per person, double occupancy (Single Supplement $1200). Land only. 14 days, 13 nights. Includes everything but eight meals (Includes all breakfasts, ten lunches, and seven dinners, all transportation, all entrance fees and tickets, most tips.)  Taormina Pre-Tour Option One-Day: $380/person Double Occupancy, $555/person Single Occupancy Two-day: $575/person Double Occupancy, $875/person Single Occupancy

Discover Enchanting Sicily May 2023!

“I very much enjoyed the Valley of the Temples!  Our tour guide was knowledgeable and a wonderful speaker.  The monuments were majestic.  How could they have lasted so long?  The burial ‘caves’ were fascinating. The visit to Mount Etna including the descent into a lava cave was fabulous! I enjoyed viewing the lava fields and extinct craters as well. And finally, the experience of attending a Greek play that was performed more than 2,000 years ago was incredible!  Although I was not able to understand what the actors were saying, it was impressive observing the actors on the large circular stage. I sat in awe during the play as I looked out over the audience and the night-time sky. Very impressive! Allison was an exceptional tour leader who freely shared her passion and love of Sicily with us. Her concern for the well-being and comfort of each individual was evident.” ~ Eileen, North Carolina  | Enchanting Sicily Tour 2022

Contact us today!

Day by day itinerary, share this:.

• Meet the Team
• Work With Us
• Itineraries
• Italy Travel Guide
• Hawaii Travel Guide
• Travel Tips

Things to do

The perfect sicily itinerary: how to spend 5-7 days.

Sicily is one of the most beautiful regions in Italy. The Mediterranean island boasts medieval charm and a fascinating culture with Greek, Roman, and North African influences. If you’re planning a trip to Sicily, you’re in for a fantastic vacation. 

Spending a week in Sicily will give you endless opportunities to explore the island’s best attractions and immerse yourself in the culture, including strolling through some of the best medieval towns in Italy to exploring Roman ruins.

» You may also like these 11 Beach Hotels in Sicily for 2023 .

We’ve been to many places in Sicily and have always enjoyed our time there. The food is incredible, the views are stunning. You just can’t go wrong with a vacation there.

We’ve put together a 5-7 day Sicily itinerary for you that will take you to the stunning beaches, charming villages – we especially loved Taormina – the ancient ruins, and for some wine tasting on Mt. Etna.

Visiting soon? Check out our expertly curated Sicily itinerary to help you plan the perfect trip, from where to visit , the airports that are closest to the places on our list, plus our guide to wine tasting in Sicily , the food you should eat , and the best beach hotels on the island.

Planning your trip to Sicily?

• Book a transfer from the airport to Catania city center with Welcome Pickups.
• Rent a car from the Catania or Palermo airports through Discover Cars .

Where to Stay See all hotel options

• Where to Stay in Palermo: Rocco Forte Villa Igiea – A renovated Art Nouveau palazzo overlooking the gulf or Palermo – luxury 5-star family-run hotel. 
• Where to Stay in Catania: With tastefully decorated rooms and high-end amenities and facilities, the  Liberty Hotel  is one of the best in the city.
• Where to Stay in Taormina: There’s no better place to stay than the  Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo , with direct views of Mount Etna.

Best Tours and Experiences in Sicily:

• Godfather vs Mafia Tour & Sicilian Light Lunch – This is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
• Private 6-Hour Tour of Three Etna Wineries – you can’t miss these wineries!
• Streaty – Palermo Street Food Walking Tour – great way to sample a lot of things at once

Table of Contents

How to Get to Sicily

Sicily is a beautiful island located in the southernmost part of Italy , and there are several ways to get there. The most common way to reach Sicily is by plane. The island has several airports , including the Catania-Fontanarossa Airport and the Palermo Falcone-Borsellino Airport, which receive regular flights from major European cities.

Another option is to take a ferry from mainland Italy. Ferries run from several ports, including Naples , Genoa, and Livorno, and offer a scenic and relaxing way to reach Sicily.

If you prefer to drive, you can cross the Strait of Messina via the A3 motorway, which connects Calabria on the mainland to Messina on the island.

Tips for Traveling to Sicily

When traveling to Sicily, it’s important to keep a few tips in mind to make your trip as enjoyable as possible.

• Rent a car (I always book with DiscoverCars.com for the best deal) or hire a driver to explore the island, as public transportation can be unreliable and limited in some areas.
• Be prepared for hot and humid weather in the summer months, and plan accordingly by packing light, breathable clothing and plenty of sunscreen.
• Immerse yourself in the local culture by trying the delicious Sicilian cuisine, which includes fresh seafood, pastries, and pasta dishes.
• Don’t miss out on visiting some of the island’s most famous attractions, such as the ancient Greek temples at Agrigento, the picturesque fishing village of Cefalù, and the stunning beaches of Taormina.

Sicily Itinerary | 5-7 days on the Island

This Sicily 7-day itinerary takes you from the island’s capital, Palermo, in the west on a road trip to Catania in the east.

You can either explore the island from the west to the east coast, like in this itinerary or vice versa. Which way you go usually depends on where you need to fly into. There are quite a few airports on the island, but most people fly into Palermo or Catania.

The Itinerary:

If you have 7 days:

Day 1: Trapani

Day 2-3: palermo, day 4: cefalù, day 5: taormina, day 6: mt etna.

• OR Catania – I waver suggesting two major cities in a 7-day itinerary. My preference would be to choose either Palermo or Catania and skip the other.
• Day 7: Syracuse

If you have 5 days:

• Day 1: Palermo
• Day 2: Cefalù
• Day 3: Taormina
• Day 4: Mt Etna
• Day 5: Syracuse or Catania

Keep in mind that you might need to drive back to your starting point to fly out, if you can’t get a flight into one airport and out of another.

While some travelers will only choose one side of the island to visit, I think you should do both in one trip, unless you foresee coming back to Sicily in the future for another trip. However, if you only have 5 days and you have to fly into Catania, then I would skip the west coast and do Syracuse, Catania, Mt Etna, and Taormina.

If you have more time to spend, like 10-14 days, I wouldn’t choose to go to more places. I would spend more time in each of the places listed below.

Who Is Sicily For?

I personally think anyone would love Sicily. It’s steeped in history, culture, and amazing scenery, but you might be wondering if you’ll find something there for you.

• If you’re a history lover, you’re going to really enjoy the island’s ancient Greek and Roman ruins, including the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the Roman Amphitheater in Syracuse.
• Foodies will love the fresh seafood, arancini, and cannoli. The island is also famous for its wine production, and wine tastings and vineyard tours are a popular activity.
• Nature lovers will enjoy exploring the stunning landscapes of Sicily, including Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe , and the picturesque Aeolian Islands, which offer great hiking and swimming opportunities.
• The island’s beaches are some of the most beautiful in Italy, with crystal-clear waters and sandy shores. Some of the best beaches in Sicily include the stunning Scala dei Turchi, the white-sand beach of San Vito Lo Capo, and the black-sand beach of Giardini Naxos.

On the first day of your Sicily itinerary, explore the stunning coastal city of Trapani. After landing at Palermo Airport, rent a car and drive to your hotel in Trapani. The drive is 55 minutes. If you arrive early, you plunge right in to sightseeing instead.

Options: If you want to spend more time in each place, I would suggest skipping Trapani (as sad as that is!) and heading straight to Palermo.

Where to Stay in Trapani

The  Rooms of Andrea Hotel  in the center of Trapani is a 4-star property with an ideal location for exploring the city; it’s one of the best.

Famous for its crescent-shaped shoreline, white-sand beaches, and Baroque architecture, Trapani is a great place to spend an entire summer vacation in the Mediterranean Sea . But you have just a day to enjoy it, so time is of the essence.

Admire The City’s Baroque Architecture

Start your day off with a stroll around the city, exploring its unique architecture. Chiesa delle Anime Sante del Purgatorio is an excellent place to admire Trapani’s Baroque architecture. 

Other historical sites like Cattedrale di San Lorenzo and Piazza Mercato del Pesce are also great depictions of Baroque architecture and are worth a visit.

Go Island Hopping

Hop on a boat tour to the Egadi Islands and enjoy a fantastic day of island hopping between Favignana and Levanzo. Onboard, you’ll have expert commentary about the islands and their Roman history. You’ll find several snorkeling spots and beaches ideal for sunbathing.

Visit the Trapani Salt Flats

Take a short 15-minute drive to Trapani’s salt pans for an immersive experience in the rich history of the city’s salt production. Your guided tour starts at the Mulino Maria Stella, where you’ll learn about the salt-making process. And remember to keep your eyes peeled for nesting flamingos around the salt flats.

Bonus Activity: Day Trip to Erice

If you have some more time, take a day trip to Erice — one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Italy . This historic hilltop village has about 60 churches, a cathedral, and two castes, so there’s a lot to see and do. You’ll also get stunning aerial views of Trapani.

The drive to Palermo city center is 1 hour 25 minutes.

Palermo is the island’s bustling capital. We recommend visiting on day 2 so you can unwind a little bit in Trapani and get those first few amazing sea views before launching into the city.

Where to Stay in Palermo

Rocco Forte Villa Igiea  

A renovated Art Nouveau palazzo overlooking the gulf or Palermo – luxury 5-star family-run hotel. 

Take a Walking Tour Around Palermo

There’s so much to see and do in Palermo. But, like many cities in Europe , a great place to start exploring the city is its historic city center. The best way to explore Palermo is by getting lost in its endless walkable passages as you eat your way through the city’s food hotspots.

Take a street food walking tour and explore Palermo’s backstreet markets and food stalls serving local delicacies. You’ll also visit open-air markets like Mercato di Capo and Vucciria Market, where you can enjoy a tasty lunch.

If you don’t have much time to explore Palermo on foot, you can take a hop-on-hop-off bus tour and see top attractions in half the time.

Admire Medieval Architecture at Quattro Canti and Piazza Pretoria

Learn about Palermo’s history through its stunning medieval architecture and bustling squares. Getting an up-close look at the Quattro Canti intersection is a must. Once you’re done marveling at the Quattro Canti, head over to the adjacent Piazza Pretoria.

Here you’ll find a massive structure named Fontana Pretoria , dominating the square with its 436-foot circumference and a towering 39-foot height. The fountain boasts several statues of nude nymphs, tritons, and river gods – which earned it the nickname “Fountain of Shame”.

Visit the Cattedrale di Palermi and Norman Palace

Your next stops are the Cattedrale di Palermo and Norman Palace , where you get a closer look at the architectural prowess of ancient Silicians. If you’d like to see more, take this markets and monuments walking tour and discover other iconic monuments like Teatro Massimo .

The drive to Cefalu is one hour.

The next city on your Sicily itinerary is another gorgeous coastal town – Cefalù. This vibrant old town has a lot to offer, from beautiful sandy beaches to casual restaurants dotted along winding medieval streets and, of course, the unmissable Norman Cathedral.

To cut down on the amount of times you need to change hotel, I would recommend just spending the day in Cefalu and moving on to Taormina for your overnight.

Hike to Castello di Cefalù

Kick off day four of your Sicily itinerary by taking a two-mile hike to Castello di Cefalù. The trail takes you up Rocca di Cefalù, where you’ll find several prehistoric ruins like the Temple of Diana and Church of St. Anna, built in the 5th and 10th centuries, respectively. While you’re here, take some time to enjoy the panoramic views of Cefalù from above.

Admire the Duomo di Cefalù

Once you’ve seen the city from a bird’s eye perspective, make your way to the Duomo di Cefalù. This towering Roman Catholic cathedral makes part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale. Inside the basilica, you’ll spot incredible 12th-century religious mosaics and ornate frescoes.

Explore the Lavatoio Medievale Fiume Cefalino

Before you call it a day, take some time to explore a historical laundry house that dates back to the 15th century. This medieval wash house was used by locals well into the 20th century. Walking through the washhouse, you’ll get a glimpse of medieval life in Sicily and how inhabitants used the stone wash basins and cast-iron spouts to do their laundry.

Taormina is one of the popular cities on Sicily’s east coast. The stunning hilltop town also has dramatic backdrops of Mount Etna and its own Greek-Roman Theater. But there are lots of other things to do in Taormina , and you’ll find plenty of charming spots dotted across the city’s medieval cobblestoned streets.

Where to Stay in Taormina

There’s no better place to stay than the  Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo , with direct views of Mount Etna.

Walk Around Teatro Antico di Taormina

The ancient theater of Taormina was first built by the Greeks in the third century and later reconstructed and enlarged by the Romans. This 5,400-seater theater was initially built for musicals and performances, and it was turned into a stadium for gladiator games. 

What makes Teatro Antico di Taormina a spectacular feature in the city is its incredible views of the Calabrian Coast and Sicily’s Ionian Coast – so don’t miss out on this attraction.

One of the biggest tourist draws to Sicily is Mount Etna, so it’s only right that you take a hike up the famous peak. Mount Etna is a stratovolcano known for its incredible level of activity; the volcano has been erupting for over 2,700 years. 

A fantastic way to see this monumental landmark is by taking a half-day tour to Mount Ena, where an expert guide will take you through the volcano’s ancient craters and lava flow cave. Your day trip also included a special wine tasting and an incredible view. If you want to hike up to the summit of the crater, this tour is for you.

Mt Etna is home to some of the best wineries in Sicily, so a wine-tasting trip should be on the cards. Take this small group food and wine tour, tasting local delicacies in villages in and around Mount Etna’s countryside. Pick up is from Taormina, so you don’t have to change hotels for this trip.

Day 5: Catania

Catania is the second-largest city on the island. This ancient port city sits at the base of Mount Etna and is abundant with culture, architecture, and bustling markets.

For me, it’s only really necessary to visit one of the cities, so if you’ve already planned to visit Palermo, you can skip Catania, or vice versa. Not because Catania isn’t great, it is. I just think the smaller towns are more “real Sicily” and should be prioritized.

Where to Stay in Catania

With tastefully decorated rooms and high-end amenities and facilities, the  Libe rt y Hotel  is one of the best in the city.

Take a Walking Tour Around Catania

Take a guided tour through Catania to see the city’s gorgeous medieval architecture and learn about its history and culture from a local. During your tour, you’ll get to see highlights such as the Ursino Castle, the vibrant scalinata Alessi, La Pescheria, and lots of piazzas.  

Tour the Massimo Theater

The Massimo Theater is the biggest opera house in Italy and one of the largest in Europe . This gorgeous 1,387-seater theater is known for its perfect acoustics, and you can give them a try during your guided tour of the Neoclassical building. You also get to tour the Valsecchi art collection in the historic Palazzo Butera. 

Admire the Frescoes at Palazzo Biscari

If you’re an art lover, visiting Palazzo Biscari should be your favorite thing on this Sicily itinerary. This Baroque palace is the most private in Catania, boasting jaw-dropping interiors from wall to ceiling. Take a guided tour of Palazzo Biscari and marvel at its gorgeous frescoes, paintings, overdoors, and stunning terracotta floors.

Visit the Catania Fish Market

Immerse yourself in Catania’s everyday life by visiting the local fish market. This seafood market has lots of enthusiastic fishmongers selling the day’s catch under colorful umbrellas. To get here, you’ll climb a series of stairs made of volcanic rock – how cool is that?

Explore Catania’s Roman Architecture

Catania is one of the first Sicilian cities to fall to the Romans in 263 BC, so it has a lot of historical monuments from that era. A great way to see the legacy of the Romans and their architecture is by exploring its relics dotted across the city.

Start at the Greek-Roman Theater, where you’ll find two ancient open-air arc Roman theaters. The larger theater was designed to accommodate 7,000 spectators and had marble columns. On the west end, you’ll find the Odeon theater, built for 1,500 people.

Your next stop is the Roman Amphitheater of Catania in the historic Piazza Stesicoro. While most of the ruins lie under the four adjoining streets, the amphitheater was originally built to accommodate 15,000 spectators and is one of the largest in the Roman world.

Sicily Travel Itinerary Day 7: Syracuse

Syracuse is a historic town sitting along the Ionian Coast. This stunning medieval city boasts an abundance of Greek and Roman architecture and amphitheaters, and it’s said to be the birthplace of the famous Archimedes – a Greek engineer, mathematician, and inventor.

Where to Stay in Syracuse

The Caportigia Boutique Hotel  is a 5-star hotel with an excellent location, and luxurious suites with breathtaking views.

Explore Neapolis Archaeological Park

In the Archaeological Park Neapolis, you’ll find plenty of ancient ruins to admire. The complex comprises marvelous Roman and Greek architecture. You can take a tour of Neapolis Archaeological Park and admire its Roman Amphitheater, Teatro Greco, and the Ear of Dionysius –  a limestone cave formed like a human ear.

Visit the Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi

If you want to dive deeper into Syracuse’s history, visit the Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi for a front-row seat to the most extensive archeological museums in Sicily. Here, you’ll see a large collection of fossils and figurines, including Titian’s Venus Anadyomene.

Walk the Grounds at the Temple of Apollo

Dating back as far as the sixth century, the Temple of Apollo sits adjacent to Piazza Pancali. These ancient ruins are one of the most important Greek monuments in Sicily. This Doric temple is considered a pioneer in Greek architecture, as it displays a transition from building with wood to using stone. 

Bonus Activity: Marvel at the Arethusa Spring

If you have some time to spare before the end of your Sicily itinerary, take a stroll down to the Arethusa Spring – a natural spring with a mythical story. This is a great place to sit and recollect all the memories you’ve made on this trip. 

How to Spend One Week in Sicily | Wrapped Up

Italy is home to some of the best well-preserved medieval towns in Europe , and Sicily has plenty of them. The country’s popular regions like Tuscany and Lazio may get the most attraction from travelers, but Sicily is a must-visit.

Be Prepared For Travel Planning is the most important part of any successful trip. Do it the easy way:

🧳 Travel Packing List | ✔️ Why You Need Travel Insurance | ✈️ What to Do Before You Leave Home

• Find and book the best hotel (our favorite booking site is Expedia)
• Research flight options (our favorite tool is Skyscanner )
• Book a tour (we always use Viator to find the best tours)
• Rent a car through Discover Cars (they search the best deals for you!)

Like this post? Why not save it to Pinterest? FOLLOW US  on  Pinterest ,  Instagram ,  Facebook  for more great travel inspiration and tips.

Laura Lynch, creator and writer of Savored Journeys, is an avid world traveler, certified wine expert, and international food specialist. She has written about travel and food for over 20 years and has visited over 75 countries. Her work has been published in numerous guidebooks, websites, and magazines.

2 thoughts on “ The Perfect Sicily Itinerary: How to Spend 5-7 Days ”

Thank you for a great article. We go every year to Sicily. 7 days is such a tease. We go for 2 weeks at a time and still is not enough. What is interesting is no one writes about Marsala. It is a tranquil oasis that seems to be forgotten. Grazie mille per il tuo articulo

Yeah 7 days is definitely not enough! There is just so much to see there and driving takes up so much of the time.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Travel Resources

Visit Sicily: Top 20 Things to Do and Must See Attractions

The 20 best things to do in sicily (bucket list).

You’re planning to visit Sicily for you next trip or holidays and you are looking for the best places to visit?

Great choice, there are many things to see on this beautiful Italian island!

With important historical sites such as Agrigento Valley of the Temples , the Roman theatre of Taormina or the Baroque cities of Noto, Ragusa and Modica .

Natural richness , with its volcanoes (Etna, Stromboli and Vulcano), its islands , its beaches and its magnificent nature reserves like the one in Zingaro .

And of course, the fabulous Italian Cuisine! (I am a big fan!), you will for sure enjoy your stay. Now the question is: Where to go in Sicily?

To help you plan your trip, here is the list of the best things to do in Sicily, as always accompanied by my best tips for a memorable stay!

So, what are the best points of interest in Sicily?

3. Taormina

6. syracuse and ortigia island, 7. visit noto, modica and ragusa, 8. the valley of the temples in agrigento, 9. scala dei turchi.

• 10. Selinunte Temples 

11. The temple of Segesta

12. torre salsa nature reserve, 13. marsala salt pans, 14. trapani and erice medieval village, 15. aegadian islands, 16. enna, the heart of sicily, 17. zingaro nature reserve,  18. monte cofano nature reserve, 19. aeolian islands, 20. sicily most beautiful beaches, the best activities in sicily, sicily tours, renting a boat in sicily, tourist map of sicily, you’re traveling in sicily these articles will help you, visit sicily: the 20 best places to visit and must-see attractions.

You’re planning to visit Sicily?

In order to help you plan your stay, I have prepared detailed itineraries depending on your trip duration . You should read them after reading this article.

You can find them here, simply click on the orange links to read the articles:

• Itinerary: 2, 3, 4, or 5 days in Sicily – With all my best tips + accommodation suggestions (East + West)
• Itinerary: 1 week in Sicily – The best itinerary to visit Sicily in 6, 7 or 8 days (East coast)
• Itinerary: 10 days in Sicily – Want to spend 10 days in Sicily? Then you should read this guide (West coast)
• Itinerary: 2 weeks in Sicily – How to plan your 14, 15 or 16 days trip to Sicily (Full Sicily tour)

They will allow you to plan your trip very easily!

And if you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments section, at the end of the article. I would be glad to help you plan your stay.

I can only start this list of the top things to do in Sicily   with the capital, Palermo . It is a very rich city in terms of historical buildings and monuments and the ideal place to visit if you like churches and palaces.

In Palermo , you shouldn’t miss:

• The Norman Palace
• Palermo Cathedral
• The Massimo Theatre
• The Ballaro Market

Not far from Palermo, there is one of the most visited places in Sicily: Monreale Cathedral and its thousands of square meters of golden mosaics . To give you an idea, 2200 kg of pure gold was used to make them!

For more details about Palermo and the best accommodations in town, you should read my article: The 15 best things to do in Palermo

This is a very picturesque place and probably the first Sicily picture you saw!

This small fishing town with its colorful boats moored at the pier seems calm and peaceful.

Ok, I will tell you something, so you will not be disappointed when you will visit Sicily: the reality is nowadays a bit different because Cefalù has become a popular seaside resort. With its sandy beach and medieval alleys , the place is certainly pretty, but quite crowded, especially in high season. I don’t advise you to go there if you only want to enjoy the beach, you will find much better and quieter elsewhere!

However, Cefalù is worth a stop to admire the panorama from the old port and pier and stroll through its narrow streets full of shops and restaurants. If you have time, you should also visit the Cefalù Norman cathedral , the most important building of the city.

Finally, you should climb to the top of La rocca di Cefalù , the cliff that overlooks the town and offers spectacular views.

Let’s continue this bucket list of things to do in Sicily with Taormina , nicknamed “the Pearl of Sicily” . This town is world-famous for the magnificent view it offers on the plain of Catania , Etna and Isola Bella . It’s one of the most touristic cities in Sicily , so it’s best to go off-season to make the most out of your stay.

If you’ve decided to visit the east coas of Sicily , it’s a must-see destination. Here are the things you shouldn’t miss in Taormina :

• Go down to Isola Bella , the small island and its beach that contribute greatly to the fame of the city.
• Visit Taormina Greek Theatre
• The beautiful view on the Etna and the sea from Piazza IX Aprile
• Climb the 300 steps leading to the Madonna della Rocca Church to enjoy a Bird’s-eye view of the surroundings.

I give you all the best tips to visit Taormina during your trip to Sicily in my article: Visit Taormina: The 10 things to do and see.

The Etna volcano is impossible to miss if you are in Sicily . It is one of the island’s main attractions, and it should definitely be included in your tour in Sicily .

From Taormina and Catania , many viewpoints allow you to admire it from a distance. But as it’s so close, it would be sad to miss the opportunity to climb up and see its crater, right?

The best things to do is to choose a day or half-day excursion. From Catania or Taormina , many tour operators offer full package around 55€ with transport , equipment , guide and 4 Wheel drive vehicle to go up to the crater.

Of course you can also drive there , but you will not be supervised, so be careful to have the right shoes and equipment . Check the weather conditions beforehand as well, access is not always allowed. Please note that if you are not accompanied by a guide, you will have to stop at the first level , (after the cable car). To reach the crater, the climb to the second level must be done in a guided minibus .

Going on the volcano is an unforgettable experience!

To make the most out of your day trip to Etna, I highly suggest you to book your tour with Getyourguide. It’s simple, they have the best English speaking guides!

Click on the following button for more info about the trip to Etna volcano:

Catania , the 2 nd largest city in Sicily after Palermo , is located at the foot of the Etna . As I told you before, this is the ideal starting point to get to the volcano.

Nicknamed the black city because of its buildings built in lava stone, Catania has many things to offer.

During your trip to Sicily , I advise to spend between half a day and a full day visiting the city.

Here are some of the things to do in and around Catania , in addition to the Etna excursion:

• Take a walk around the Piazza del Duomo to see the emblem of Catania : The Fontana dell’ Elefante .
• Visit Duomo Di Catania , the Cathedral dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Agatha .
• Visit the “Cyclops rocks” (Faraglioni in Italian) in the seaside resort of Aci Trezza , only 35 minutes from Catania .

Find all the best activities to do in Catania in my article: The 12 best things to do in Catania

On the east coast of Sicily lies the town of Syracuse and the charming Ortigia Island , its historical center. It’s simple: everything in Ortigia is pretty! Monuments, squares, fountains, palaces and churches. There’s also some really good ice cream. You will have guessed it, at Voyage Tips, we loved our stay on this island!

Ortigia Island must-sees attractions:

• The beautiful Piazza del Duomo
• The Castello Maniace
• Arethusa fountain at sunset

In the modern city of Syracuse , there is only one must-see attraction: Neapolis archaeological park with its Roman amphitheater, Greek theatre and the Ear of Dionysius.

Find everything you need to plan your stay in Syracuse in my article: Syracuse: the 15 best things to do

Another great place to visit in Sicily!

If you are looking for the best place to visit in Sicily to discover the amazing baroque architecture, then look no further!

The Baroque towns of Noto , Modica and Ragusa are all listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites . There are no specific monuments to visit here. All you have to do is stroll through the historic centers and enjoy it! (Tip: With an ice cream, it’s even better).

Palaces, churches and Baroque cathedrals , architecture lovers will really be happy!

The Valley of the Temples, next to the city of Agrigento, is Sicily best-known archaeological site. It’s the number 1 in terms of visit, before Selinunte Temples and Segesta (I will tell you more about them below).

8 temples are visible in the valley but the 2 best preserved are undoubtedly the temple of Concorde and the temple of Hera . The walk between the temples is very pleasant and easy to do on foot.

If you choose to go by yourself, you can find detailed information to plan your visit in my article: How to visit the Valley of the Temples?

About 20 minutes’ drive from the valley of the temples , the Scala dei Turchi is another must-see if your trip to Sicily takes you in this region!

This white limestone cliff is famous for its particular shape: it looks like erosion has carved steps! And if you add the turquoise color of the sea and the fine sand beaches that border it, you will understand why Scala dei Turchi is a very popular place.

Several dozen people gather here at the end of the day to watch the sunset , probably hundreds in high season. A show you shouldn’t miss!

Adresse de la Scala dei Turchi: Strada Provinciale 68

10. Selinunte Temples  

I will not hide it: Selinunte is my favorite archaeological site in Sicily! The temples with the sea view is simply a must-see during your trip to Sicily .

The archaeological park is split in 2 different sites , so I recommend you take your car to go from one to another. There are several temples to see . Some are very well preserved, others in less good condition.

Since the experts were not sure to which divinity the temples were dedicated, they preferred to name them according to the alphabetical letters. So don’t be surprised to visit temple A, B or C.

The site is really beautiful and will keep you busy for half a day. If you can, I really recommend you to stay there for the sunset .

Details for visiting Selinunte temples can be found in our article : How to Spend 10 Days in Sicily? The Best Itinerary!

Last temple and archaeological site of my Sicily bucket list, the temple of Segesta .

Perched in the middle of the green hills , Segesta Temple dominates the surrounding countryside. Extremely well preserved , it’s definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

Fun fact: if the temple doesn’t have a roof, it’s simply because it was never finished!

Another vestige you can see on the site is the theatre , which is perched at 400 meters above the temple. It’s still used in summer to host concerts and theatrical performances.

All the info to know how to visit the Temple of Segesta is in my article: The 10 things to see in and around Trapani

Torre Salsa nature reserve is located between Agrigento and Selinunte , which makes it a very nice stop during your road trip in Sicily.

Another good reason to go there: the sandy beach is huge and there are really not many people. This not very well-known point of interest is a real paradise for swimming or picnic!

To get there, you will have to go down a dirt road for about 20 minutes , then park your car in the parking lot.

Be careful though:

• It’s not well indicated, so you may be struggling a little to find the right entry (there are several)
• The path to go there is very rocky, so watch out for your rental car!
• Avoid leaving your car on the parking lot with your belongings inside. Don’t leave anything in the car .

When you get out of Marsala town , take the salt road that will take you directly to the salt pans . The road then continues to Trapani .

The salt pans and their mills are on many postcards, and you will quickly understand why when you will see them! Try to go there at sunset if you can, they are even more photogenic!

You can easily stop on the roadside, take a few pictures and maybe buy some of this renowned salt, used by the best Sicilian chefs.

Trapani city itself isn’t a major point of interest of Sicilian tourism, but it is an ideal starting point for at least 3 major attractions:

• The temple of Segesta I mentioned earlier
• Visit Erice medieval village
• Take a trip to the Aegadian Islands . I will tell you more about them in a minute!

Let’s talk a bit about Erice , this small medieval town built at an altitude of 750m, on top of the rocky cliff overlooking Trapani.

You can of course get there by road (good luck finding a parking space in summer!) or go for for something more original: the cable car !

From Trapani , a return trip by cable car costs 9 euros and the view is breathtaking .

Once at the top, here are some of the must-see places in Erice:

• Erice castle , from where you will have a beautiful view on Trapani
• The opposite view, on Monte Cofano reserve and San Vito Lo Capo
• The 14th century medieval church
• Discover the charm of small medieval lanes and shops (Even though touristic!)
• The Maria Grammatico pastry shop, an Erice institution!

For more information on Trapani region, I recommend that you read our article: Visit Trapani: The Ultimate guide.

From Trapani , you can leave for a day trip (or several days!) to one of the Aegadian Islands .

Boats connect Trapani to the islands several times a day.

The 3 Aegadian Islands are Favignana , Levanzo and Marettimo . They are all ideal for long walks, bycicle riding and swimming breaks in beautiful coves . And in addition the use of cars is very regulated, so there are almost none!

However, if you only have one day to devote to Aegadian Islands, I recommend you choose Favignana . Most people then opts for bicycles rental , to be able to see as much as possible in a day. Impossible to get lost, everything is well indicated. The paths have no particular difficulty, except for a few potholes.

Things to see in Favignana :

• Cala Azzura
• Cala Rotonda
• Lido Burrone

Everything you need to know about the Aegadian Islands is in our article : Visit Trapani: The Ultimate guide.

Located in the heart of Sicily, Enna is nicknamed “ the navel of Sicily “.

The region of Enna is the only one without access to the sea. However, it has the most lakes, including Lake Pergusa , the only natural lake of the island.

Perched on a promontory over 900 meters above sea level , Enna has retained its typical charm and offers several points of interest:

• Lombardy castle , which offers an unobstructed view of Etna from the top of its main tower.
• Enna’s Duomo
• Via Roma , the city’s historic center
• Archaeological Museum
• Lake Pergusa , with a racing circuit on its shore

It is undoubtedly the most famous nature reserve in Sicily. The Zingaro Nature Reserve is easily accessible from Scopello or Trapani .

During the easy 3h trail (back and forth), you will be delighted by the beautiful panoramas, with the path overlooking the sea.

And if you still need a reason to go there, this nature reserve offers access to several super beautiful coves. You can go for a swim before, during and after your hike! Isn’t life beautiful?

If you plan to visit the Zingaro during your trip to Sicily, you should read my detailed article: How to visit the Zingaro nature reserve?

Just as beautiful as the  Zingaro Nature Reserve , the Monte Cofano Nature Reserve is not as famous.

Other travel blogs may not tell you about it when you’re looking for points of interest in Sicily, and that’s a good thing! Like the Zingaro, it’s a path that runs along the seaside , however the vegetation and landscape is very different. personally, I loved it!

It’s also a lot quieter, very pleasant to walk around alone or almost.

For more experienced hikers , the reserve also offers another trail that allows you to climb to the top of Mount Cofano. But beware, with very steep passages where it’s necessary to use ropes and chains attached in the rocks, this trail requires good equipment and a good physical condition .

If you want to know more about Monte Cofano Nature reserve , you can read our article : Top 10 Things to see in Tripani.

The Aeolian Islands are located in Northern Sicily . This volcanic archipelago is made of 7 islands + a few islets and rocks. The best known and therefore the most visited are Lipari, Salina, Vulcano and Stromboli.

Each islands has its own charm and atmosphere :

• Lipari is the largest, best served by boats, and therefore it’s more animated than its sisters. It also has beautiful beaches .
• Vulcano is also easily accessible . It is famous for its beautiful volcanic landscapes and mud baths .
• Stromboli , well-known thanks to its continuously active volcano . An impressive night show you shouldn’t miss!
• Salina , has some beautiful hiking trails and good restaurants to eat after activities. It’s less touristy than the previous ones.

To get to Aeolian Islands , you will have to take a hydrofoil or a boat from Milazzo , Palermo or Messina . For example, the boat from Milazzo to Vulcano takes about 1h30. Once on the islands, cars are forbidden and reserved for residents exclusively.

If you only have a day to devote to the Aeolian Islands, I advise to choose only one, but if you want to see them all, you can choose a multi-day cruise .

My Sicily bucket list wouldn’t be complete without a list of the most beautiful beaches. Yep, if you’re going on a tour to Sicily , you will for sure want to enjoy the beach and crystal clear water! It’s one of the best things to do in Sicily after all.

Here are some of my favorite beaches and coves:

• San Vito Lo Capo Beach: Perfect for families with children, this large sandy beach is great for swimming or sunbathing! Public beach + private beach.
• Isola Bella: Small pebble beach with crystal clear water, at the foot of Taormina. Ideal for snorkeling with lots of small fish to observe. Public beach + private beach.
• Scala dei Turchi: This is the most romantic beach to enjoy the sunset in Sicily. Turquoise water + limestone cliffs getting orange and pink tone = the perfect combination! Public beach + private beach.
• Cala Rossa in Favignana: Surrounded by huge rocks, this cove offers crystal clear turquoise water. The view from above is breathtaking.
• Torre Salsa Nature Reserve Beach, a large, fine sandy beach, with very shallow water. Great place to spend a day with family, far from everything. Be careful for 2 things: the road to go there isn’t very good and it’s extremely important not to leave anything in your car.
• Parco Marino del Plemmirio : Close to Syracuse , you can find numerous beautiful small coves there.
• Calamosche Beach: One of the busiest beaches around Syracuse, well known for the beauty of its shallow and translucent water.

During your stay in Sicily, you might want to do something else than cultural tourism or going to the beach .

I have thus selected for you the best activities in Sicily. There is something for everyone ??

Simply click on the links below for more information and to book your activities:

• Paragliding: You can enjoy this activity in Palermo, Agrigento, Taormina , Trapani or Cefalu.
• 4-hour cruise from Catania to Cyclops Bay – And for the Small group version, on a sailboat, click here!
• Canyoning in the Alcantara Gorge – Five-hour trip ( Book here !) 3-hour excursion ( Book there. )
• A boat trip to Isola Bella, in Taormina
• A boat trip to the Aeolian Islands
• Mountain bike tour in Alcantara gorge
• Snorkeling tour (Aeolian islands – Vulkan and Lipari) or a Snorkeling tour in a marine reserve around Catania.
• Kayaking around the beautiful island of Isola Bella, in Taormina – You can also do a snorkeling tour there!
• A Segway tour of Catania
• Diving in Sicily, near Catania – First dive also possible on the Aeolian Islands
• An excursion to Etna from Catania or from Taormina
• Mountain bike on Etna / Also possible with a buggy!
• Parasailing , a great way to enjoy the view over the coast!
• A Kayak course along the coast of Syracuse, or in Catania
• Quad bike tour near Ragusa/Modica
• Quad bike tour in the archaeological park of Segeste
• Jet Ski Rental to discover a part of the south coast of Sicily.
• Jet boat tour (a very fast boat that takes very tight turns)
• Speleology in the lava caves of Etna
• Guided hike to the necropolis of Pantalica , near Syracuse.

And if you have the budget, you should opt for a unique and exceptional activity : A Private helicopter flight over Mount Etna!

Now, I would love to know what you have planned to do during your trip to Sicily!

On Voyagetips.com , I give you all my best tips and itineraries to plan your trip to Sicily by yourself. (All Sicily articles are here)

However, if you prefer to book a Sicily tour with a travel agency , I recommend you to check the 10 best Sicily tours by clicking the button below:

If you want to rent a boat for a nice day at sea during your trip to Sicily, you should book it with Samboat.

Motorboats, sailboats, yachts, small boats without a license, with or without a skipper: they simply have the most complete offer for boat rental.

So, what are you waiting for to book your boat trip in Sicily? 😊

To help you get a better overview of this big island, I have created a tourist map of Sicily , which lists all the best places to visit I mention in this article. You can view the map’s legend by clicking on the upper left button, the one with a small arrow.

Sicily travel Guides

• Buy the Lonely Planet Sicily guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk
• Buy the DK Eyewitness Sicily guide on Amazon.com or on Amazon.co.uk

Discover all my articles about Sicily : All my articles to help you plan your trip to Sicily are listed there.

• Itinerary: 2, 3, 4, or 5 days in Sicily – with all my best tips + accommodation suggestions! (East + West)
• Itinerary: 1 week in Sicily – with all my best tips + accommodation suggestions! (East coast)
• Itinerary: 10 days in Sicily – with all my best tips + accommodation suggestions! (West coast)
• Itinerary: 2 weeks in Sicily – with all my best tips + accommodation suggestions! (Full Sicily tour)
• Agrigento: The 10 best things to do in and around the city
• Catania: The 12 must-see attractions
• Palermo: The 15 things to do in the capital
• Syracuse: The 15 best things to discover
• Taormina: Top 10 things to do and must-see!
• Trapani: The 10 best things to do
• Agrigento Valley of the Temples: visit the archaeological site with my detailed guide!
• Zingaro nature Reserve: All my best tips to enjoy this wonderful hike
• Where to stay in Sicily? My guide of the best hotels, sorted by cities and budget!

You’re using Pinterest? Here is the picture to pin!

Creator of the Voyage Tips blog, travel and photography lover. I give you all my best tips to plan your next trip.

Related Stories

5 days in Edinburgh: the perfect Itinerary (first time visit)

Gozo quad rental: The definitive guide

Visit Gozo: Top 10 Things To Do and Best Places to Visit

Discussion 63 comments.

Hi Vincent!

I’ve really been enjoying reading your information on Sicily. You have offered some great ideas and advice!

I do have a quick question for you. Next April my husband and I are going to Sicily for about 10 days. We’d like to settle in 2-3 areas for that time, as we all really like to linger in a place for a while.

Since this is our plan, I was curious what 2-3 towns would you might suggest for this kind of trip. I have a feeling we’ll be settling on only 2 locations, but we’re just in the beginning stages of our planning, so we may change it to 3 different spots.

Thanks so much!

Hi Allyson!

I am glad my articles are helping you to plan your trip!

If I had to choose 3 cities, I would go for Taormina, Syracuse and Palermo, these are the 3 most interesting cities to visit. But it really depends on what you want to see, if you like more cities, historical sites or nature for example. Tell me what you prefer.

If you are interested in visiting the temples (Agrigento, Selinunte) + Marsala Salt pans + Aegadian Island + Erice village (all 3 next to Trapani city), staying in Selinunte or Sciacca town can be a good idea.

It also depends if you plan to rent a car there? Let me know! Then you can pickup a few places you would like to see from this article: The 20 best things to do in Sicily . I will then tell you where to stay to optimize your trip in Sicily.

Hey Vincent!

Thanks for your response! My husband, David, and I will be traveling with another couple that has been to Italy many, many times. They are pros at traveling around the country! 🙂 We will definitely have a car, and will do a little bit of everything. I’m a big nerd, so I love the history. LOL We will also plan on some active type activities, as well as travel to big cities.

There has been a development in our planning, though. We had decided on Sicily, but in a conversation late last week, Greece was mentioned. Now we are trying to decide if we want to go to Sicily or Greece! It’s a rather difficult one to make, because we would all love to go to both places! The pros to going to Sicily are that my friend Lisa speaks the language, has driven there many times, and the FOOD!! Oh the food!! Pros for Greece include the history and architectural ruins, the many islands, and again, the FOOD!

I checked your website, and I noticed that you haven’t been to Greece. I’ll have to do some searching around on other sites to find information that will help our decision-making. We want to have it decided upon within the next two weeks, so we can book our flights.

Anyway, any advice, tips, or whatever you’d like to share will be most appreciated. Thanks so much!

Hey Allyson,

If you love history, you should really go to at least one of the temples archeological sites, it’s amazing!

I haven’t been to Greece, I am planning to go relatively soon (This year or next year, not sure if I will do Portugal first, or Greece, no idea for now!), but the country is big and attractions aren’t close to each others, so traveling 10 days in Greece seems a bit short in my opinion (15 should be a minimum I think, 20-25 would be best).

So my personnal advice for a relatively short trip would be Sicily, as traveling from place to place with a car is super easy there, you will lose a lot less time in transportation.

After, you decide!

Just one important thing: If you go to Sicily, you need to be very careful with the car rental scams, it’s unfortunatly very common there. I have written an article about it and how to avoid them, but it’s just in french for now. (if needed I can sum it up for you)

The article is here, just in case: Rent a car in Sicily – How to avoid scam (in French)

If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to let me know.

We will be on the Amalfi coast for three days and i plan to go to Sicily for a couple of days by car…the 7 hour drive is bad enough so i dont plan to go all the way to Palermo…for time sake. However I would appreciate you advice on things to do in eastern sicily… i have only two days to allow and then back to Rome for our flight back home…thanks

Hello Johnny,

If you don’t want to drive too much, the best is to spend your 2 days in Taormina, it’s a very beautiful town, and the closest to Messina (where the ferry boat to Sicily arrives). You can spend your 2 days like this: Day 1: Visit Taormina and go to Isola Bella beach Day 2: Go to Castelmola village (less than 10 minutes drive, very beautiful!) + enjoy the beach again, or go to Alcantara Gorges.

Another option for Day 2 is to go to Mount Etna.

You can read my article about Taormina: The 10 best things to do in Towwn

Enjoy your trip to Sicily!

Hello Vincent, I really enjoyed reading all the information in Sicily, my boyfriend & I we are (48 & 64 years old)are wanting to go in November, we enjoy history, beaches, and are big “Foodies” and love to explore new places, I have some Sicilian history (Great Grandfather from a small town that was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1970’s and most of the family moved to Polamero at that point. Anyways… We are thinking 8-10 days maybe ? in Sicily and then pop over to Barcelona for a week or so ?, I could really use some help planning some of the details can you recommend someone? We live in USA and also do not speak any Italian so I want to make sure we don’t get scammed.

I also read that Greece is on your list and I do have a great person for planning that, check out Fantasy Travel, they only plan Greece and Egypt however.

Hello Nicole,

For Sicily, i will be glad to answer your questions and help you plan your trip (for free of course) if you want to organise it yourself.

No need to worry, if you book everything in advance, you can’t really get scammed. The only scams that are problematic in Sicily are the car rental scams, but you can avoid them easily by taking an insurance, as i explain in my itineraries articles.

Unfortunately I don’t know anyone who can organise your trip for you, but, if you want, you can tell me what you would like to visit, and I can tell you how many days you will need.

By the way, have you read my 10 days and 2 weeks itineraries articles? They can give you a good idea about how long it takes to visit the various places!

I am currently in Greece, I have visited most of the country during the past month, so I will prepare some travel guides when i will be back.

I am sure you will love your trip to Sicily, Barcelona and Europe!

Good afternoon Vincent,

Thanks for your great tips for visitors to Sicily. My husband and I are planning a holiday for a month in Italy in May/June 2019 and have decided to include Sicily in our itinerary.

We will certainly be taking your advice and visiting many of the places you have mentioned but are a little undecided what to do about booking accommodation. Would you suggest pre booking from Australia or perhaps just ‘winging’ it when we arrive. We really are at a bit of a loss on this one so hope you may be able to help us out a little with you great knowledge of the country.

Many thanks, Kristine

Hello Kristine,

I would really suggest you to book your accommodations in advance, Sicily is quite touristic and the hotels offering the best value for money are full quite fast.

This is especially true in Taormina, Ortigia (Syracuse) and next to the Valley of the Temples for example.

If you haven’t already, I recommend you to have a look at the itineraries I have written: they give you a better idea of what you can visit in how much time. I also suggest the best hotels for every budget in each cities. Click here for the list of the best Itineraries in Sicily

And if you need help to plan your trip, don’t hesitate!

Thanks Vincent, will take your advice and book prior to going. Will also look at your recommended areas to visit. Nothing like having some local knowledge so will probably be back in touch.

Cheers Kristine😊

You’re very welcome, talk with you soon then 🙂

Hi again Vincent,

Quick question. If we decided to base ourselves in one hotel and then travel to different towns/cities in Sicily, where would you suggest we do that. We will have transport and as we live in Australia we are used to driving distances so that wouldn’t be an issue but just wonder if this idea is feasible.

Thanks again,

Hi Kristine,

I wouldn’t suggest to do this at all, as it is really a waste of time 😊

Even by staying in the most central location (in the middle of Sicily, where there is nothing very interesting to do), you will have around 4 or 5 hours of driving each day to reach the main attractions and come back.

Not to mention a few places deserves at least 2 days to visit, like Syracuse or Trapani if you also want to go to Aegadian islands.

In Sicily, doing an itinerary is really the only viable solution.

My family booked a house for a week in Trappeto. We are already planning to spend a couple days going to Palermo. On top of that what would you recommend? Should we stay on the west side of the island (Castellammare del Golfo/ Trapani)? Or does maybe an overnight, two-day trip to Mt. Etna and Taormina make sense during that week? Thank you so much and I have really enjoyed reading all of your articles!

If you are in Trappeto, it’s really better to stay on the west side of Sicily. There is enough to keep you busy, with attractions such as:

– Palermo of course and Monreale Cathedral – The Zingaro nature reserve – Erice village, near Trapani – or even Selinunte temples, as they are only 1 hour drive from Trappeto – Marsala Salt Pans – The Aegali islands (Favignana or Levanzo) – Cefalu is at around 1h30 if you want to go there too.

You can group some of them. For example, you can do, in 1 day:

Selinunte temples in the morning, then do a loop: Marsala Salt Pans and Erice village at the end of the day. That would be a pretty awesome day of visits!

To go to the east side (Catania), it’s a 3 hours drive. A bit far in my opinion for just a week. Going back and forth, you would be losing half a day in the car.

It’s really better to plan to come back to Sicily another time, and enjoy the east side, as there is enough places to visit to spend another great week there 😃

Have a nice trip, and if you have other questions, don’t hesitate!

I love your blog and will use your advice for our 2 weeks in Sicily and for a few days in Rome, thanks so much for your insights.

We are seniors and the idea of navigating ourselves is a bit intimidating, I was wondering if you could recommend a driver who could take us around on our 2 week sojourn in Sicily.

I suppose we can do it but it would be a real luxury to be able to look out the window and have someone else ( who knows the terrain) get us around.

Thank you in advance for any help and information, we loved your blog!

P.S. we will be traveling in February 😊

I am glad my articles about Sicily are helping you to plan your trip! Unfortunately, I don’t know any driver in Sicily. I think your best bet would be to contact one of your hotels in Sicily and ask them. They generally know a few local taxi drivers.

Have a great day and enjoy your trip to Sicily! And if you have any other question, don’t hesitate.

Hi, My husband and I are going to have just 3 days in Sicily but have yet to decide where to stay. He wants to rent a car but I would rather hire a guide to lead us around. Which would you suggest? Also, we speak no Italian and I am really concerned about the language barrier. Which area of Sicily would be best for English speaking Americans?

It really depends on what you want to visit. If you don’t mind driving a bit, the best place to visit in 3 days would be Catania/Taormina/the etna Volcano and castelmola village. If you do not have the time, you can do just half a day in catania, it is enough to visit the best attractions of the city.

You can read my 3 days in Sicily itineraries article here: the best things do to in 3 days in Sicily .

There are links to my city guides in the article too.

For the car rental/guide question, it depends: the guide would be useful if you want to have detailed historical information about the places you will visit and if you don’t mind being with someone else all day.

Else, it is pretty straightforward, you just have to drive from A to B with the car. The city historical centers are very small, so you cannot get lost.

And don’t worry about the language barrier, Sicily is a very touristic place and everyone speaks a bit of English there.

Great article. My daughter and I will be in Sicily for one week. She would like to do wine tasting. Can you recommend a specific region that would allow for both wine tasting and hitting the sites/cities you recommend.? Thank you!

Hello Elizabeth,

I’m glad my article is helping you to plan your trip to Sicily.

The 2 best regions for wine tasting in Sicily are around Marsala and Trapani on the west coast and around the Etna volcano on the east coast.

I have written 2 detailed itineraries that will help you to plan your stay.

You can read the one about the east coast of Sicily by clicking here And the one about the west coast there .

The west coast itinerary is for a 10 days trip, but it can be slightly modified to fit a 7 days holidays in Sicily. If you need any help for this, don’t hesitate to ask me.

If you choose to visit the east coast, I highly recommend you the following tour:

Mount Etna 5 hours wine tasting tour

Hello Vincent,

Love your website. Thank you so much. Problem is I want to see it ALL and I know that will never be possible. So I’m hoping you might have some ideas for us.

My husband and I will be going to a family wedding in Trapani. The wedding is on Aug. 4. I know, groan, August is not the best time to travel in Italy and especially not Sicily. We will be flying from NY. We were thinking of spending maybe 3 days in Rome and then flying to Sicily.

We would like to spend 2- 3 days in Trapani, perhaps Aug. 3, 4 & 5? And then tour a bit more of the island. We would want to spend no more than 14 days total (including the days devoted to transatlantic flights). If we take a 14 day total trip, subtract 2 days for transatlantic travel, 3 days for Rome, 3 days in Trapani, that would leave us 6 days to tour Sicily. Can you suggest an itinerary?

Would flying home to NY directly from Palermo be possible? Are there flights every day? Would it add a lot to the air fare to book flights NY → Rome, then Rome → Catania, (rental car from Catania ), then Palermo → NY? I am assuming the total trip time will be shorter if we fly directly home to NY from Palermo, but that it will be more expensive .

Thank you so very much for any ideas you have.

Hello Kisa,

Thanks a lot, I am glad my website is useful for you to plan your trip to Sicily.

For the 3 days you will spend in Trapani, you should have a look to my detailed article about the things to do in and around the city, if you haven’t cheked it yet. It also includes itineraries to visit the city in 1, 2 or 3 days. You can read it here: The 10 best things to do in Trapani

For the 6 other days in Sicily, the best would be to land in Catania and do the following itinerary:

– 1 day in Catania – 1 day in Syracuse and Ortigia Island – 1 days in Noto, Modica and Ragusa – 1 day in Agrigento and Scala dei Turchi – 1 day in Selinunte – 3 days in Trapani for the wedding – 1 day in Palermo and take your flight back

It’s a tight schedule, and you will have to change hotel each night, but that’s the best way to see many places in such a short amount of time.

You can read all my articles about Sicily by clicking here , you will find a list of the best things to do for each place + itineraries ideas to plan the visits.

For Palermo to New York flights, you should have a look on a flight comparator such as Skyscanner . I have checked, and it seems there are flights everyday (with 1 stop) for around 400€.

By the way, I have also written a detailed travel guide about Rome, with all the best things to do and itineraries to visit the city in 3 days, you can read it here: The 25 best things to do in Rome .

Don’t hesitate if you have any other questions.

I am planning for a three week trip to Sicily in Mid August. I plan to rent a car.

I am researching places now but was wondering what places you recommended. I am interested in nature, culture and history.

I know that it will require driving but is it possible to base myself in certain places (of an area) for a couple of days and then do day trips to surrounding areas?

Thanks in advance.

The thing is, in Sicily, all the 99% of the must-see attractions are located along the coast. So to visit, you really need to drive around the island.

It’s not really possible to do it with only 3-4 stops for example, you would end up driving 5 or 6 hours per day!

For a first long stay in Sicily, I recommend doing the itinerary I talk about in my “How to spend 2 weeks in Sicily” article. You can read it here: 2 weeks Itinerary in Sicily .

It’s a 9 stops itinerary, and the only ones you can group together are “2) Syracuse / Ortigia Island (2 days)” with “3) Noto / Ragusa / Modica (1 day)”. You can spend one more night in Syrcause and visit Noto/Ragusa and Modica as a day trip. You will waste a bit of time, but as you have 3 weeks, that’s alright in your case!

As you have 3 weeks in Sicily, in addition to the itinerary I linked above, you definitely should add a few days on the Aeolian Islands. 4 days would be a good start to explore them.

If you have any questions to plan your trip to Sicily (advices for your itinerary draft, best places to stay in a city or anything else), don’t hesitate to ask me 🙂

Hi, Thanks for this very informative site; it’s really helped me plan our trip to Sicily. Thought I’d leave you my itinerary to get your opinion on if we will manage with what we doing:

– Day 1: Arrive in Palermo pm – Day 2: Palermo – Day 3: (road trip begins) am Cefalù/ pm Taormina (sleep in T) – Day 4: Taormina/ Castelmola- drive to Syracuse (sleep in S) – Day 5: Syracuse – Day 6: Syracuse + Ortigia (drive to Catania/ sleep in C) – Day 7: Catania – Day 8: Catania…pm ferry to Amalfi

U think it’s all good ? Can you recommend any accommodation ?

Thanks, Dan

Your itinerary seems to be perfect!

About accommodations, I have written suggestions in the detailed articles about each city, in the “where to stay?” section

Here are the direct links, for the cities you will visit during your road trip in Sicily:

Where to stay in Palermo Where to stay in Taormina Where to stay in Syracuse Where to say in Catania

If you have specific questions about accommodations or anything else, don’t hesitate!

Hi Vincent There is so much to see and do I think I need a month! However, we are flying into Palermo late evening and have then 5 nights for a road trip. We want to see Palermo, Agrigento and Syracuse and whatever you suggest along the way. We are then heading for Taormina where we have a hotel booked for a week. We went there last year and loved it so decided to see a little more of the Island first. Would really appreciate your help.

If you want to visit Palermo, Agrigento and Syracuse during your road trip before going to Taormina, I suggest you the following itinerary:

– Day 1: arrive in Palermo – Night in Palermo

– Day 2: Visit Palermo. If you have time, you can also go to Monreale town to see the cathedral. Night in Palermo

– Day 3: Go to Agrigento (2 hours by car) and visit the Valley of Temples. At the end of the afternoon, you can head to the Scala dei Turchi beach to watch the sunset. Night in Agrigento.

– Day 4: Discover the 3 baroque cities: Ragusa, Modica, Noto and then head to Syracuse. Night in Syracuse.

– Day 5: Visit Syracuse and Ortigia. Night in Syracuse.

– Day 6: Visit Catania and night in Catania or Taormina (depends if you count the first night in Palermo in the 5 nights total or not).

If you have other questions to plan your trip to Sicily, don’t hesitate!

Thank you Vincent. The 5 nights includes the first night in Palermo but we can drive to Catania from Taormina for a day trip. Do you think we would have time to visit Trapani/Erice on our full day in Palermo?

From Palermo to Erice, it’s 2 hours by car, so it’s too short to do Palermo + Erice on the same day.

If you prefer, you can skip Palermo and do a day trip to Erice.

From Palermo, you can take the coastal road, go to the Zingaro Nature Reserve or see some nice beaches around San Vito Lo Capo and Monte Cofano (Bue Marino beach for example) for the first part of the day.

Then head to Erice, try to be there around 4-5pm.

Erice is very small, so 1h30-2 hours is really enough and Trapani city iself isn’t very interesting (not worth going).

Thank you for this great site. We are going to be hiring scooters to tour the Island in September, and have found you advise tremendous. What are the roads like in terms of safety?

Hello Jane,

To be honest, I wouldn’t hire scooters to tour the island, for a few reasons:

– Sicily is a very big island, a typical tour of Sicily takes about 2 weeks, if done by car. (You can have a look at my 2 weeks itinerary in Sicily ). With a scooter, unless it’s a 400cc or more, travel times would be very very long. – Sicilian driving is crazy: if you are not used to drive in the South of Italy, renting a scooter is quite dangerous. – You will need to be very careful of thieves. Even if you rent a car, it’s not recommend to leave it unattended with something inside. So you can’t really park the scooter near a wild beach and go swimmming, as you might have a bad surprise when coming back.

While renting a scooter is great for small islands (like the Aeolian islands, reachable from Sicily), it’s really not adapted to visit Sicily itself.

Enjoy your trip, and if you have other questions, don’t hesitate!

I would like to ask you for the best breathtaking panoramic/view points in Sicily. We will be driving a rent car for 4 days starting from Catania.

Hello Mariyana,

The best viewpoints of the east coast are located in Taormina and in castelmola, a small village located near by.

Hi Vincent,

My Boyfriend and I are planning to spend 4/6 weeks in Sicily and hope to see as much as possible during that time.

We are planning to fly to Palermo and spend at least 1 week there first. We were not intending on renting a car for our trip- do you think this is a bad idea? Are there any other modes of transport for getting around the island?

As we will be staying for quite a while we are not in a rush to see everything as quick as possible and can stay a few nights/ a week in each place. I would love to get your advice on the best way to get around the island and if a car is absolutely essential!

Hello Kate,

As you will spend 4/6 weeks in Sicily, it’s in my opinion even more important to rent a car.

Of course, it will be a lot easier to get around with a car, but that’s not all: during such a long trip on the island, you will probably want to explore remote “secret” places, villages, go hiking in the mountain, find secret beaches and so on. And all this can only be done with car, as public transportation in Sicily is rather limited.

Of course, if you want to stick to the main highlights of the island and you have the time, you can for example do something similar to my 2 weeks itinerary in Sicily , but by bus, on a slower pace. That works too!

So it really depends on what you plan to visit, what kind of things you enjoy doing while traveling. In my personal opinion, the complete freedom you get when doing a road trip is totally worth the amount spent on the rental car!

If you really don’t want to rent a car, here are the options you will have in terms of public transports:

– You can take the train. Here is the train schedules: Trenitalia . – You can also take the bus. There are 3 main bus companies: Interbus , SAIS and AST .

However, please note that public transport in Sicily is not very reliable. Most of the time, trains and buses will arrive or depart late.

If you need help to plan your stay in Sicily, don’t hesitate to ask me!

Enjoy your trip,

First of all, I would like to thank you for all the lovely guides you’ve put on this website. They are really useful and in-depth, so thank you for that! I was hoping to get your advice in certain aspects!

Around August 15, I’m flying to Palermo to start a 1-month trip in and around Sicily. I’m 21 years old and I’m going to travel by myself, hoping to meet a lot of new people and to have a wonderful time. I’m just going to travel with 1 large backpack. I’m not planning on renting a car, but I will just travel by train mostly (and sometimes take a bus or taxi). I should also note that I’m a real fan of nature, so I love hiking & visiting coastlines, coves, mountains, … and I’m not really into museum and churches.

I’m planning on visiting the following cities ( in this order):

Palermo (+ Mondello) – Cefalù – Milazzo & the Aeolian islands (Vulcano + Lipari + Salina + Stromboli) – Taormina – Etna visit – Catania – Siracusa & Ortigia island – Ragusa or Noto – Agrigento (Valley of Temples & Scala dei Turchi) – Castelvetrano (for Selinunte) – Trapani + Erice – the 3 Aegadian islands – Monte Cofano and ending in Palermo again.

Next up, I have a couple of questions:

– Should you advice me to visit Enna or Messina? I could integrate both of them in my tour, but I’m not sure if it is really worth the extra time? At first sight, it appeared to me that those cities were not as interesting as the rest of my planned tour.

– I saw you adviced both Noto, Modica or Ragusa, but I think I will only visit 1 of them ( or maybe 2). Currently, Noto & Ragusa seem the nicest to me. In case you would have to choose between them, which one do you believe is the nicest one to visit?

– Do you think it is feasible to book everything just day by day? That includes tickets for museums, ferry tickets, train tickets, hotels (or hostels,…)? Or do you really suggest me to book in advance? ( I would like to avoid this though as I want to have to freedom to stay as long as I want in the places I want to spend more time than anticipated.) This implies that I book my hotels like 24 or 12 hours in advance only.

– Do you have any advice in general before I head off? (Concerning travelling by train or items I should definitely take with me in back pack? Tips and tricks to survive Sicily in the summer?)

I’m really looking forward to your advice! Don’t hesitate to send me a private PM as well, I can show you a powerpoint I prepared with everything that I have planned in my trip. Please also let me know if I should skip some cities and focus more on others instead!

Thanks in advance!

Andreas Windels

Hello Andrea,

Thank you!I’m glad my blog is helping you plan your trip to Sicily.

Regarding your questions about your itinerary:

1) Messina is not worth it. Enna is charming and offers beautiful views over the whole of Sicily, but it’s really quite small. So as it takes quite much time to get there by train, you might want to skip it.

2) I recommend visiting Noto, Modica and Ragusa in 1 day because by car they are very close to one another. So it’s super easy! By train or bus, it’s definitely better to choose just one or two. For me, Noto was the more impressive as it has a few very beautiful monuments. It’s a very nice place, even if small (it will not take you a full day to visit for sure).

3) You can book day by day for the museums and the ferry. For the train, I’m not sure how it works in Sicily but booking your ticket 24 hours in advance should be enough. For hotels or hostels, it’s more complicated. There are already many hotels that are fully booked in August. With Covid, many Italians aren’t going abroad and prefer to spend their holidays in Sicily. So the destination is even more popular than usual! In some places like Cefalù, the Aeolian Islands and Taormina, it would be a lot better to book in advance. At the last minute, you will just end up with prices and “not that good” accomodations.

4) I haven’t travelled in Sicily by train, but I have seen several warnings that they are often late (same for buses).

I think your itinerary is great. You will enjoy your stay in Sicily for sure!

Hey Vincent, thanks for your previous reply!

I’m planning my visits on the northcoast of the Sicily right now. Regarding the Aeolian islands, I’ve noticed that booking hotels is quite expensive, so I’ve decided to stay in Lipari for 3 days (as it is the biggest island, it provides the most possible hotels and air bnb’s.)

I would then use my time there to visit the several islands by ferry. I would discover Lipari on the day of arrival (maybe with a scooter or bike) and we’ll do a boat excursion to Panarea & Stromboli on the 2nd day. My question now is, what to visit on the final day? Vulcano seems like a unique experience, while Salina seems very quiet and peaceful. And what about the remote islands of Alicudi & Filicudi? Would you advise me to visit only 2-3 islands and take my time in doing so or would you recommend to visit all of them in like half a day?

I’m looking forward to your feedback regarding these Aeolian islands.

Kind regards!

Hello Andreas,

You are welcome!

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to help you too much with the Aeolian Islands because I don’t know all of them very well (especially Salina, Alicudi and Filicudi, I can’t tell you if they are worth it or not).

But for sure you should at least plan 1 day per island. It will be impossible to visit them all by spending only half a day on each one.

For the last day, I think the best thing is to wait until you are there to decide. It will allow you to ask your hotel about the details + to decide depending on what you feel like doing that day!

Have a nice day,

Hello, Vincent and thank you for this wonderful resource. My wife and I are planning to spend one week in Sicily next July (2022.). Before I read your blog my plan was to rent an Airbnb in Cefalu because of the beach and then take day trips from there. Now that I have read your comments, I wonder if you would have a different suggestion. We would really like to be by a sandy beach but we are flexible as to where on the island. Do you have a better suggestion?

Hello Gerry,

Thank you very much! I’m glad that my article about the best things to do in Sicily is helping you to prepare your trip.

If you want to be close to a sandy beach and spend the week in one accommodation, you should in my opinion stay around San Vito lo Capo or Castellammare del Golfo.

From there you can visit: – The Zingaro nature reserve – The Monte Cofano nature reserve – Trapani and Erice medieval village – The Aegadian Islands (Favignana) – The temple of Segesta – Marsala

If you want to know more about these places, you can also read my articles: – Trapani: The 10 best things to do – Zingaro nature Reserve – Palermo: The 15 things to do in the capital

It’s better than Cefalu to organize day trips, there are a lot more places to visit in the area.

Enjoy your stay in Sicily!

First of all, Vincent, I can’t get over what a valuable and generous resource you provide. I will look into it right away and perhaps bother you again with a question or two. Thank you again.

Yes, please do not hesitate if you have any further questions about planning your trip to Sicily.

Hello Vincent, Love your help…… we land in Palermo on Wednesday night and we’re thinking of going to Siracusa the next day and visit Taormina and possibly Ragusa too before we head back to Palermo on Saturday. So we can see Palermo too… our flight leaves at 9.00pm on Sunday. My questions are as follows: 1. Should we go to Siracusa and what is the best way to go? We are not renting a car.

2. Should we base in Siracusa? How should we go to Taormina?

Kind regards, Manisha

Hello Manisha,

If you don’t plan to rent a car, you will have to take the train or bus to get around Sicily. You can check the timetables and fares on this website: OMIO

All the visits you want to do are quite far from Palermo. For example it takes more than 4 hours to go from Palermo to Syracuse by car (even more by bus/train). You will already lose a whole day to go there and back. And to go from Syracuse to Taormina by public transport, it takes about 2 hours. To do what you planned, it’s much better to land at Catania airport.

If you arrive in Palermo, I really advise you to visit the west of Sicily (San Vito, Trapani, Erice, Zingaro, temple of Segeste, Favignana).

I am already booked to fly into Palermo since that was the only airport with a direct flight. I was thinking of going to Siracusa and staying there for 2 nights and doing a day trip to Taormina. How do I get to Taormina from Siracusa and how long does it take for a day trip?

You can take the train or bus as I have mentioned in my previous comment, simply click on the Omio orange link above to check the timetables and book a ticket. For Syracuse Taormina, the train is a bit faster than the bus. (With the bus, you generally need to take 2 buses: 1 from Syracuse to Catania and then another one from Catania to Taormina. The train that goes to Taormina from Syracuse takes 2h45. Considering you need time to go to from your hotel to the train station, need to arrive a bit in advance etc… Round trip, that’s more than 6 hours of transport in 1 day. It’s a lot!

You have 4 full days in Sicily (roughly 40 hours of day time), and you plan to spend:

6 hours to go from Palermo to Syracuse 6 hours to go from Syracuse to Taormina and back 6 hours to get back to Palermo for your return flight

That’s 18 hours (and I am being very conservative, in real it can end up being quite more if you include train station to hotel transfert time, waiting time etc.), almost half your visit time in Sicily, in the public transports. That’s why I said I couldn’t recommend you this itinerary, it won’t even be enjoyable. After you do as you please, but really, it’s a question of ethics: I can’t recommend you do organize your stay like this (but after, you do as you please of course!)

Have a nice trip!

Hello Vincent I have just discovered your blog and it’s really helpful. My husband and I are flying into Palermo in April and have 9 nights in Sicily. We want to see as much of the island as possible and are contemplating multiple sites dotted around the coast to spend 1/2 nights at each. We are hiring a car. It all looks so beautiful but can you offer some advice. Thank you, Anna

Hello Anna,

To give you an idea of what you can do in 10 days with an arrival in Palermo, I recommend you to read my other article: 10 days itinerary in Sicily .

During this trip, you will discover all the must-see places in Western Sicily: Palermo, Agrigento, Selinunte, Trapani, Scopello, Castellammare. As Sicily is a really big island, in 10 days, it’s better to focus on the Western part of Sicily. And come back another time to visit the East!

My husband and I are planning to go to the Amalfi Coast and Sicily (east side) for 14 days at the end of August 2022. I am 70 years old and my husband is 73. WE are both in good shape. Can you please tell me, do you think this is too much. Also, we were not planning to rent a car. Could you please suggest an itinerary for us along with accomodations.

I read your blog and found it very interesting.

Much appreciated.

Neil Katz (Toronto, Ontario CANADA)

Hello Neil,

Unfortunately, I can’t help you for your trip to the Amalfi Coast as I didn’t have the chance to visit it yet.

About Sicily, if you only want to do the East Side, you can have a look at this itinerary: One week in Sicily detailed itinerary Here you can find all the things to do and my selection of accomodations.

For this itinerary I recommend to rent a car, but if you don’t want too, you can do it by bus and train. In that case, maybe you can spend 9-10 days there and do a similar itinerary at a slower pace.

Enjoy your trip in Sicily!

Hi Vincent, Thanks for the great info about 2 weeks in Sicily 🇮🇹 My husband and I are going to Sicily for 3 weeks in September 2022. We have rented a car for the whole period, and we are planning to drive around the island. We have a few questions, which we hope you will kindly answer 😊 1) Your trip goes clockwise, we are thinking about doing the opposite starting in Catania driving to Taormina, Palermo etc. Is there a good reason why you suggest to go clockwise around the island? 2) We would like to rent a bike 2 or 3 days during the vacation. Is there 2 or 3 areas on the island you can recommend for mountain and race bike? 3) We have seen photos on Instagram of a new hotel called Villa Saraceni at Scala Dei Turchi that should open in 2022, but we haven’t been able to find further information. Any chance you can help? We are looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you in advance. Kind regards Marc and Ulrikke 🕺🏻💃

Hi Ulrikke,

That sounds like a nice trip!

1) You can definitely do it in reverse, this is really up to your preferences.

2) For biking, the first place that comes to my mind is Favignana island, as it can only be visited by bike. Then, you can also probably rent bikes around the Parco delle Madonie (near Cefalu) and the Parco dei Nebrodi (north east of Sicily).

3) this hotel doesn’t exist, the picture you saw is a 3d render.

It’s not possible to build anything there, as it’s a protected area.

Enjoy your trip to Sicily, and if you have other questions, don’t hesitate!

Wow what a brilliant article. I am off to Sicily for five days late next week and this has been extremely helpful. Thanks so much!

Hello Vincent! Thanks a lot for your articles about Sicilly, I guess I’ve read all of them 🙂 Could you please help me and answer several specific questions? Small backround info: travel time – end of March-beginning of April, we are traveling with 2 kids (2 and 8 y.o.) by a rental car. We love more nature beauty than historical sights. So, back to the questions: 1) Alcantara gorges – is it possible to walk there to see te beauty of the place, since I am not sure that it is possible to do kayaking with a small child. 2) Zingaro natural reserve. Is it worth a visit in April when the water is to cold for swimming. I really want to go there, but if we do, we need to change the itinerary a lot, since we will have 8 full days on Sicilly arriving and departing from Catania. I am hesitating between 2 options now: – stay in the eastern part without rush -skip Syracuse and Taormina and try to make a bigger circle including Etna vulcano, Cefalu, Zingaro reserve, Marsala and Erice, Agrigento-Catania. Do you think second option is doable if we have 8 full days (+2 days for arrival and departure)

Hello Daria,

Thanks a lot! I’m glad that my articles on visiting Sicily are helping you prepare for your trip.

Regarding your questions: 1) Yes there is a small part of the Alcantara Gorges accessible on foot. 2) The Zingaro reserve is beautiful in all seasons. Even if you can’t go swimming, it’s worth taking a walk along the way to enjoy the scenery. But it’s a long way from Catania.

As for your hesitation, that’s really up to you. If you don’t mind doing a lot of driving every day, it might be possible to do a loop. You can look at the journey times on Google maps to give you an idea of the distances.

But of course it would be more relaxing to visit only the east of Sicily if you’re arriving and departing from Catania.

I’d recommend visiting the west by arriving and departing from Palermo, as it’s much more practical. I hope this helps.

Enjoy your family trip to Sicily!

Thanks a lot for your pompt answers, it helps a lot. One more question about Zingaro natural reserve. You wrote that it’s 7 km long and that you did a round trip in 4 hours? Looks like it is nor a round trip, judging by time. Is there some public transport that helps you get back to the southern entrance, if you started from the southern part and reached the northern part?

You’re welcome!

Yes, that’s right, it took us 4 hours to walk there and back (including the photo breaks). There’s no mistake. No, there’s no public transport, you have to do the round trip.

One more question from me:) It is very subjective, but still. If you had a choice between Taormina and Ortigio, which one would you choose, what impressed you more?

Taormina feels more special as the setting of the town is quite unique (the view, the roman theater). But keep in mind it’s also more turistic. Ortigia feels more like an italian old town where italian people actually still live.

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Your Name (required)

Your Email (required)

Your Website (optional)

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• 1.4K shares
• Middle East
• North America
• Cheap car rentals: my best advice
• Back to Homepage

• Media kit | Following The Rivera
• Following the Rivera Privacy Policy
• Following the Rivera Disclaimer

When to visit Sicily 

Last updated on March 18th, 2024.

When someone asks me ‘when is the best time to visit Sicily’, I usually respond ‘not in August’. 

August is the height of the summer vacation season in Italy. It doesn’t just get extremely hot but it’s the busiest time of the year to travel.

So knowing when to visit Sicily (and when not to) can be incredibly helpful.

In this post, I’ll be sharing information on the best time to visit Sicily as well as other practical travel tips. 

Use this post to help  plan your trip to Italy .  

My Sicily travel tips and/or when to visit Italy also contains more useful planning advice. 

When to visit Sicily 

Many Italians book their getaway to islands like  Sicily or Sardinia meaning these destinations are much busier than usual.  

The following section provides a month-by-month breakdown of the kind of weather (average temperatures) you can expect when visiting Sicily. 

With the weather becoming unpredictable, it’s always wise to check beforehand and to be prepared for any eventuality. 

January and February in Sicily 

From our experience of traveling frequently, and living, in Sicily , we rarely visit Sicily in January or February.  

Our reasons are personal rather than anything related to the weather. But if you’re thinking of traveling to Sicily in January and February, here’s what you may expect. 

Average daily highs can reach 12°C (53.6°F) and can drop to 7°C (44.6°F) at night in Sicily in winter. And while temperatures are milder than in the north, the humidity makes it feel much cooler. Because of this, make sure to pack the right clothes and appropriate outerwear.  

Rainfall is also more likely in Sicily in January and February, with an average of 14 days during both months. 

Other factors to consider when to visit Sicily 

In winter in Sicily, you may find that some services may be closed or offer a limited service. This includes hotels, restaurants and attractions. You may find the same situation if you visit Venice in winter .  

Because of this, it’s always best to check this information beforehand to avoid any disappointment.  If you plan on visiting Catania in February, you can’t miss seeing the Feast of Sant’Agata . Taking place from 3 to 5 February, it’s a big and lively celebration in honor of the city’s patron saint. 

March in Sicily 

The weather sees an improvement when March arrives in Sicily. However, like the previous 2 months, the humidity can make it feel colder. 

Average temperatures in March in Sicily can range from lows of 8°C (46.4°F) at night to maximum highs of 15°C (59°F). Speaking from our own experience, we visited IUTA Glamping & Farm in Noto, southern Sicily and experienced very strong winds. So bitter was the wind that I’d to keep my winter coat on all the time. 

But with an average of 8 hours of sunshine and 19 dry days, March can be good for certain activities. For instance, the temperatures are ideal if you plan to go hiking on Mount Etna. 

April in Sicily 

April isn’t a bad month to visit Sicily.  

Maximum temperatures hover around 17°C and fall to average lows of 10°C (50°F) at night. The water temperature at around 17°C (62.6°F) won’t be quite warm enough for swimming but general temperatures aren’t bad. 

Bringing appropriate outerwear and even an umbrella won’t go amiss if visiting Sicily in April. It’s a month that you may consider visiting sites like Valley of the Temples in Agrigento or Segesta . These large archaeological sites can be hard work in temperatures of 30°C+ (86°F). 

It’s also in April that many hospitality services begin to open again. Many hotels re-open either before, or after, Easter. The same can apply to restaurants (in smaller cities and towns across Sicily). 

May in Sicily 

(Late) May is probably my favorite time to visit Sicily. It’s a period when spring comes into full force bringing temperatures that are warm but not overbearing. The crowds are also fewer in Sicily in May, meaning you really get to enjoy attractions. 

Daily average temperatures in May can reach maximum highs of 21°C (69.8°F) and average lows of 13°C (55.4°F).  

While the temperatures are perfect for general sightseeing, May weather may not yet be warm enough for water activities. Water temperature can reach a peak of around 20°C (68°F) which may be warm for some, but cool for others. 

For the most part, May in Sicily is a dry month. However, there are always exceptions to the ‘norm’ and May 2023 was one of them. Italy was showered with torrential rains and thunderstorms throughout the month. We experienced this downpour during our trip to the Amalfi Coast . 

Another great reason to visit Sicily in May is for the Infiorata di Noto . A colorful floral festival that takes place over a weekend, it’s unique and one you won’t find elsewhere.  

Map of Sicily

June in Sicily 

Summer arrives early in Sicily in June, but it’s still the quiet part of the season. Daily maximum temperatures can reach a nice 25°C (77°F) and drop to just 17°C (62.6°F) at night. 

It means you can leave any heavy outerwear and sweaters at home and exchange these for lighter alternatives. Average water temperatures can also arrive at 25°C (77°F). It’s a good temperature to swim or bathe at the beaches of Lipari or at Isola delle Correnti .  

June is also the start of the 3-month school summer holidays in Italy. While many Italian families usually wait till August to vacation together, you may notice some taking their vacations earlier. 

July in Sicily 

Things begin to really heat up in July in Sicily, both literally and figuratively. Average temperatures can range from 22°C (71.6°F) to 34°C (93.2°F) and the risk of rainfall is low (3 days). But while the weather may be sweltering, the water temperature in Sicily at 29°C (84.2°F) is perfect for cooling off. 

Sicily in July will mirror other popular visitor destinations not just in Italy but worldwide. Attractions will be busier lines will be longer and accommodation will typically cost more. 

If you plan on visiting Sicily in July or August, book your accommodation a few months in advance. There will be more availability and you may get lucky bagging a reasonable price. 

August in Sicily 

Visiting August in Sicily is like entering the belly of the beast.  

It’s extremely hot, crowded and overpriced. Take the town of Marzamemi . While we’ve visited several times before, August was unbearable. Though by the coast, there was zero respite from the extreme daytime heat.  

In August 2022, maximum daytime temperatures in Sicily reached a scorching and very uncomfortable 41°C (105.8°F).  

Another thing to be aware of in August in Sicily is the lack of fresh fish and seafood. You may think that the island has an endless supply of fresh seafood but it’s not the case.

In August, Sicily receives an extremely large number of visitors, both Italians and foreigners. This means there’s a lower chance of eating fresh fish and seafood over frozen.  

The upside to visiting Sicily in August is the water temperature. It can reach 30°C (86°F) and is ideal for swimming, snorkeling and bathing.  

If you do plan on visiting Sicily in August, try booking after the middle of the month. After the Italian holiday of Ferragosto on 15 August, many Italians usually leave Sicily to return home. 

September in Sicily 

We breathe a big sigh of relief when September arrives in Sicily. The Italian school year resumes (around the second week of September) and activity is noticeably quieter.  

This may not be the case in larger Sicilian cities like Palermo , but you’ll notice a difference in coastal towns and islands. 

The weather’s still warm, with average temperatures ranging from 22°C (71.6°F) to 30°C (86°F). September in Sicily is also still ideal for swimming and water activities as water temperatures reach around 27°C (80.6°F).

There’s a chance of rain in September but it’s low compared to earlier months of the year. 

October in Sicily 

As the island heads into autumn, temperatures begin to cool. Sicily in October has average temperatures that can range from 17°C (62.6°F) to 22°C (71.6°F). October is like the last-chance saloon for a warm Sicilian vacation. 

Water temperatures can reach a still warm 23°C (73.4°F) and many hotels are still open.  

Booking a getaway to Sicily in October makes an ideal fall getaway and a warm one at that. 

November in Sicily 

Things start to cool down in November in Sicily. Minimum temperatures can range between 12°C (53.6°F) to 13°C (55.4°F) while maximum figures can range from 16°C (60.8°F) to 23°C (73.4°F). There’s an average of 11 days of rainfall and 6 hours of sunshine each day. 

One of our Sicilian relatives told us he still likes to go to the beach and swim in November. And if you think you’d enjoy water temperatures of 20°C (68°F) in Sicily in November you might just share his mindset. 

November also means much fewer crowds. Couple this with the still good weather and November could be a month to consider when to visit Sicily. 

December in Sicily 

The build-up to Christmas in Sicily sees many Sicilians returning home for the holidays. This can inflate flight costs and hotel prices so book ahead if you plan to visit Sicily in December. 

We’ve spent Christmas at our home on the east coast of Sicily several times and the weather has always been pleasant. Average maximum temperatures reached around 19°C (66.2°F) during the day and fell to around 9°C (48.2°F) at night. 

Like January, the humidity in Sicily in December makes it feel much colder. While it may be tempting to pack summer attire, the reality is you’re going to feel cold.  

Many Sicilian locals are wrapped up in December and hardly anyone goes out without a jacket.  

What are your thoughts on this post on when to visit Sicily? Is there anything else you’d like to know? Let me know in the comments. 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I’ve recommended. Thank you for your support.

Like this post? Pin it!

You Might Also Like

• Things to do in Scicli, Sicily in 1 day
• A road trip from Sicily to Perugia
• 16 most beautiful places in Sicily

LET'S CONNECT

Get your free Sicily eBook when you sign up today. Plus regular practical and helpful Italy travel guides and resources straight to your inbox.

Grazie mille! Welcome to the Italy travel tribe

Welcome to my site. I'm Lisa, an Italy-based travel and lifestyle blogger behind Following the Rivera. Find out more about me and my story.

42 thoughts on “ When to visit Sicily  ”

We are headed to Sicily this year for September into October. It looks like there are many great times to visit. And I would definitely avoid the summer heat and crowds. Great to know that the temperatures will still be warm when we visit in the Fall.

You’re visiting at my favourite time of year 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Pin It on Pinterest

A MODESTO LUXURY PRIVATE TRAVEL COMPANY

+1 209 404 2605

[email protected].

• May 23, 2023

Unforgettable Experiences: Your Guide to Travel to Sicily in 2023

Updated: Aug 24, 2023

Hello and welcome, future travelers! If you're planning to travel to Sicily in 2023, you've come to the right place. Here at Redwood Cafe Tours, we're committed to creating unforgettable experiences filled with fun, adventure, and cultural immersion. In this blog post, we'll delve into why 2023 is the perfect year to explore this Mediterranean gem.

A Journey through Time: Sicily's Rich History

When you travel to Sicily in 2023, you'll be stepping back in time. The island's history dates back thousands of years and has been shaped by many different cultures, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Arabs and Normans. Each has left its mark, from the breathtaking Greek temples in Agrigento to the ornate Norman palace in Palermo. Immerse yourself in history as you wander the ancient streets of Syracuse or marvel at the stunning mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale.

Indulge in Sicilian Cuisine: A Food Lover's Paradise

Sicily is a paradise for food lovers, and as part of your 2023 Sicily travel experience, you'll get to taste some of the island's most delicious offerings. From the famous Sicilian cannoli, filled with sweet ricotta cream, to the savory arancini, deep-fried rice balls oozing with cheese and meat sauce. And let's not forget about the fresh seafood, straight from the Mediterranean. Enjoy these delights in 2023, paired with some of the finest wines from the island's vineyards.

Discover Sicily's Unique Heritage

Sicilian culture is a captivating blend of influences, reflecting its rich history. When you travel to Sicily in 2023, you'll experience this firsthand. Visit the puppet theatres of Palermo, where age-old stories come to life, or marvel at the intricate designs of Sicilian ceramics. Explore the island's beautiful baroque architecture, especially in the city of Noto, or join in the vibrant festivals, which are a feast of music, dance, and tradition.

Fun Facts: What Makes Sicily Unique

Sicily is full of surprising and fascinating facts that make it a unique travel destination. Did you know that Sicily is home to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Mount Etna? Or that the island has more vineyards than any other region in Italy? Or how about the fact that Sicilian dialect differs significantly from standard Italian, with its own unique words and phrases? These are just a few of the fun facts you'll discover when you travel to Sicily in 2023.

Exploring Sicily’s Natural Wonders in 2023

When you travel to Sicily in 2023, you’ll be treated to a showcase of natural beauty. From the majestic Mount Etna, which is not only the tallest active volcano in Europe but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to the sparkling beaches of Cefalù and Taormina. The Zingaro Nature Reserve is another must-visit, with its unspoiled landscapes and spectacular coastal views. Hiking, cycling, or simply picnicking in these beautiful natural settings can be a highlight of your 2023 Sicilian adventure.

Immersing in Local Life: The Sicilian Way

Traveling to Sicily in 2023 isn’t just about seeing sights; it’s also about immersing yourself in the local lifestyle. Spend an afternoon people-watching in a bustling market, such as Palermo’s historic Ballarò, where you can also sample the street food and buy local products. Visit the charming town of Modica, famous for its unique chocolate, or participate in a cooking class and learn how to make traditional Sicilian dishes. And don’t forget to enjoy a leisurely passeggiata (evening stroll) followed by a refreshing gelato – it’s the Sicilian way!

With Redwood Cafe Tours, you'll get a deeper understanding of the Sicilian culture and way of life. Book your 2023 Sicily Tour today by clicking HERE and start anticipating a trip filled with history, culture, food, fun facts, natural wonders, and memorable local experiences.

• Travel Destinations and Guides
• Luxury and Personalized Travel

Recent Posts

The Cultural Aspect of Adventure

Exploring the World in Style: The Benefits of Luxury Private Tours

The Insider's Guide to Planning the Perfect Private Tour

TTC family of brands

My Trafalgar

Destinations

Get Inspired

866 513 1995

Colours of Sicily

Deals available

Save up to $289

Available Dates

Your itinerary

Dates & prices

9 Day Sicily Sightseeing Tour

9 days, 1 country and 10 cities

Accommodation

8 Breakfasts, 4 Dinners

View day-by-day trip itinerary

Sicily’s vibrant palette of colors comes alive on this trip. Sip local wine on the slopes of Mount Etna, wander the chic streets of Taormina and meet the locals in colorful fishing villages. Top it all off with a sweet treat – all the Modican chocolate you can lay your hands on.

Looking to book in a group of 9 or more?

Deals, savings and exclusive private touring options available plus if you need a different date or itinerary change we can create a custom trip. Contact us for more details

Trip code: 

Low deposit from $200

Deposit protection

Free booking changes

Trip map & itinerary

Day by day itinerary

9 days itinerary trip from Palermo to Catania visiting 1 country and 10 cities

Download itinerary

Print itinerary

Expand all days

About this trip

Sightseeing highlights.

Explore Palermo, Monreale, Valley of the Temples, Ragusa, Syracuse and Taormina with a Local Specialist

Discover Modica and Catania

Visit Monreale Norman Cathedral, Erice, Infersa Mill in Marsala, Valley of the Temples, the Syracuse Archaeological Museum, Ortygia and the Greek Theater in Taormina

View Mount Etna (optional)

Travel highlights

Specific transfer information can be found here:

Airport Transfers

An expert Travel Director and professional Driver

Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted

All porterage and restaurant gratuities

All hotel tips, charges and local taxes

Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals

Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras

Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing

Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)

Optional Experiences and free time

On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized.

MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences

Every one of our tours includes at least one conscious travel experience that supports one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Look out for yours within the day-by-day trip itinerary.

Find out more

Net-zero by 2050

Travel knowing our 4-point climate action plan will ensure net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Support Local

Your tour directly supports local communities by visiting family-run businesses, UNESCO sites and places of cultural significance.

Sustainable Practices

Every part of our business, from trip design to how we run our offices, aligns to our 5-year sustainability strategy which ensures a positive impact on people, the planet and wildlife.

Philanthropic Efforts

Our not-for-profit, the TreadRight Foundation, invests in nature-based solutions to address climate change.

You’ll make a positive impact to people, planet and wildlife on this tour

LIVE, UNEDITED & INDEPENDENT TRAVELER REVIEWS

Colours of Sicily trip reviews

#ttcoloursofsicily.

Real moments from real travelers, creating the greatest travel stories they’ll ever tell

Or search for something else

Help & Info

WE MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®

Unedited Reviews

Our Destination Management Companies

Frequently Asked Questions

Travel Updates

Media & Press Room

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Travel Planning

Get Your Free Brochure

Travel Insurance

Booking Conditions

Trip Deposit Level

Recommendations

Trafalgar Tours Limited is a proud member of  The Travel Corporation  family of companies.

#SimplyTrafalgar

Travel House, Rue du Manoir St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2JH

Selected Region

United States

United Kingdom

New Zealand

South Africa

Copyright 2024 Trafalgar. All rights reserved.

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Europe Chevron

Italy Chevron

Sicily Chevron

11 Best Villas in Sicily, From Palermo to Noto

By Lauren Burvill

With all the hallmarks of a dream getaway—warm weather, azure waters, a rich and storied history, a distinct culinary scene—the seductive allure of the Mediterranean Sea’s largest island is an enduring one. Its distinct Italian flavor has long been coveted in popular culture; it was practically a character in The Godfather film trilogy. More recently, it starred as the mysteriously beautiful backdrop in season two of The White Lotus . Suddenly, the Sicilian attraction is stronger than ever. For a taste of its sweet, cannoli-filled life, these are the villas in Sicily that have caught our eye for their grandeur, location, and charm. And for a stay with room service, see our pick of the best hotels in Sicily .

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Il Faro, Brucoli

Located in the small southern seaside village of Brucoli, this smart villa has an unbeatable location—jutting out of a rocky outcrop, overlooking the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna in the background. The spectacular seafront spot comes courtesy of the villa’s previous life as a lighthouse—the beacon still tops the villa, while the rest of the building has been meticulously restored and modernized into a sleek three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa. Inside, the mood is minimalist and monochrome, with an airy open-plan living room and sea views to be spied at every turn. In one of the bedrooms, a chocolate velvet bed frame sits within steps of a freestanding bath, while white teste di moro (Sicilian ceramic heads) are perched above on the window sills. Up on the roof terrace, a spacious lounge area sits on beautiful turquoise majolica tiles, while the wraparound terrace has everything you could need for a dream Sicilian holiday—sun loungers, a covered dining area, and a hot tub. The villa has direct access to the shore, where guests can use the deckchairs by the water. A small sandy beach is a short walk away.

Price: from about $786 per night, or $131 per person per night, seven nights minimum

Villa Tasca, Palermo

If you’re here to live out the White Lotus fantasy, you’re in luck— the dazzling Italian palazzo Harper Spiller and Daphne Sullivan (played by Aubrey Plaza and Meghann Fahy) stayed in is available to rent on Airbnb . Villa Tasca is an exquisite neoclassical palazzo with all the trimmings—romantic trompe-l’oeil frescoes, Murano chandeliers, high ceilings, tall windows, and gilt-framed paintings. The time warp continues in all four bedrooms, beautifully kitted out with vintage furniture and freestanding bathtubs in the en suite bathrooms, along with much-needed modern features include mini fridges and air conditioning. Outside there are 20 sprawling acres of manicured gardens, including a swimming pool, alfresco dining area, and even a swan lake.

Price: $5,937 per night, or $742 per person per night, three nights minimum

Sognante, Val di Noto

In terms of location, it doesn’t get much better than this secluded beach house in Val di Noto. While much of the UNESCO towns in this historic region are Baroque in style, this house is modern coastal cool with blue shutters, wooden beams, white walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows to make the most of  that view. The two-bedroom setup is ideal for a family, with plenty of outdoor space for little ones to roam, along with a private saltwater pool. The biggest highlight is the prime position on the beach with private direct access straight onto the sand.

Price: $688 per night, or $173 per person per night, seven nights minimum

Rocca delle Tre Contrade, Santa Venerina

The only property on this hill near Santa Venerina on Sicily’s east coast, Rocca delle Tre Contrade has some of the most jaw-dropping views on the island—on a clear day, you can see Mount Etna as well as the glittery Ionian from its carefully manicured garden. The house is staffed with a housekeeper and a chef who will pick up the freshest produce from the market for late lunches by the horizon-pushing pool or suppers on the terrace. There are 12 bedrooms and as many bathrooms, with reclaimed furniture and vintage finds beneath triple-height vaulted ceilings. Plus the water is heated with solar panels, and the vegetable garden supplies many of the ingredients used in the kitchen, making this a villa to book for those keen to lessen their ecological footprint.

Sleeps : 24

Price : from $36,642 for a one-week stay, or $1,526 per person for a week

Harrison Pierce

Alex Erdekian

Charlie Hobbs

Rustic villa, Noto

Noto is one of our favorite towns in Sicily, and this renovated house is a brilliant base from which to explore it. Huge glass doors lead from the pastel-hued bedrooms to the rugged garden, where a little pool has panoramic views of the treetops below. Back inside, there’s a farmhouse-style kitchen for long breakfasts of local pastries (pick them up from Caffè Sicilia in town) and strong coffee.

Price: from about $636 per night, or $90 per person per night, seven nights minimum

Cozzo Coniglio, Noto

If you’re travelling with little ones, Sicily’s ornate neoclassical villas, while incredible, aren’t the most family-friendly when it comes to sticky fingers and fragile antique furniture. An ideal alternative is this modern and minimalist house that’s a short drive from San Lorenzo beach. Instead of frescos and chandeliers, Cozzo Coniglio is all clean lines, minimalist decor and block colors—a cheery egg yolk yellow kitchen and a bold olympic blue lounge room. The six bedrooms are washed in breezy white, with two located in the separate guest house, each with their own en suite bathrooms. Just outside, there’s room for the whole crew to gather in the courtyard, with two separate dining tables, beanbag seating, and an inviting turquoise pool.

Sleeps : 12

Price : from $1,326 per night, or $552 per person per night, 5 nights minimum

Casa Grande di Santo Pietro, Torrenove

Not a palazzo, nor a slick modern box, but what this seven bedroom farmhouse lacks in grandeur or minimalism, it makes up for in charm. This is an authentic taste of Sicilian life, at an accessible price (split between 13 people, it works out to around $183 each for the five nights). Home cooks will love the rustic kitchen, well equipped with all the pots and pans you could need to cook a traditional Sicilian pasta dish. There’s the option to have cooking lessons from the host, or have them take care of supper all together by firing up the outdoor pizza oven. For the full experience, serve it in the dining room—the long wooden table seats 10—followed by drinks overlooking the sea from one of the three terraces. The home is surrounded by 123 acres of gardens, with much of the action happening around the swimming pool, lined with loungers and a shaded pool house.

Sleeps : 13

Price : from $648 per night, or $50 per person per night, minimum 5 nights

Masseria Cardinale, Syracuse

The southeastern corner is a gorgeous honey-hued part of the island with wonderful countryside and quick day-trip nipping between the ancient artifacts of Syracuse and the wild beaches of Noto, via the world’s best cannoli and ice cream at Caffè Sicilia. This lofty masseria will swallow up families and friends in its cool spaces and shady courtyards. Its meticulously restored cane-vaulted hall is lined with Picasso-style frescoes illustrating Ovid’s Metamorphoses, great for inspiring GCSE revision, and the seven bedrooms are neutral, with lots of knocked-back grays and off-whites. Whip up pizza in the woodburning oven or leave the in-villa cook to it—there are all sorts of pretty tables around the grounds for suppers under the stars before everyone retreats to the cinema room for a late-night movie.

Sleeps : 14

Price : from $13,591 per week, or $970 per person per week

Villa Dell’oca, Syracuse

Rustic charm meets eclectic interiors at this five bedroom villa overlooking the famous Vendicari nature reserve. The serene spot is further enhanced by the beautifully designed garden—all set low with various sculptural cacti and a flourishing meadow. To make the most of the beautiful spot there’s an open-air kitchen with a barbecue, two shaded terraces—one flanked by a serene pond, the other overlooking the infinity pool —and a roof terrace that’s prime for a yoga session at sunset. Inside, there’s a lot to look at, from the supersized picture windows in the sitting room to the artwork adorned checkerboard walls in the hallway, and the classic Sicilian majolica tiles in the bathrooms. Most of the bedrooms have direct access to terraces, as well as TVs and air conditioning.

Price : from $7,288 per night, or $810 per person per night, 5 nights minimum

Villa Valguarnera, Bagheria

The Sicilian seaside town of Bagheria was once where Palermo’s high society disappeared for the summer, staying in neoclassical mansions along the coast. Villa Valguarnera is one of these former escapes, now owned by Princess Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca, whose ancestors built it in the 18th century. The piano nobile , or first floor, of the vast building is available to rent—it has its own entrance via an external staircase, and encompasses three frescoed reception rooms, a ballroom, a huge kitchen, and three terraces that overlook the impeccable gardens. The place comes fully staffed with a cook and a butler, and guests can explore the whole house, where Vittoria will regale them with stories of the famous people who have stayed here over the years ( Salvador Dalí is likely to be name-checked).

Price: from about $10,590 for a one-week stay (fully staffed), or $252 per person per night

Villa Di Sole, Messina

This warm and homely three-bedroom house is ideal for a family stay, especially if you have little ones. The setup includes a bedroom, bathroom, and studio with a double sofa bed on the ground floor. Cots and high chairs can be provided. Parents should make a beeline for the upstairs bedroom with patio doors that open up onto a private balcony —although you don’t even need to get out of bed in order to admire the azure blue views of the Mediterranean. Outside, if you can bear to pull yourself away from the infinity pool, the beaches and charming towns of Capo d’Orlando are a short drive away.

Price : from $4,189 for 7 nights, or $698 per person per week

This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK .

Is Sicily Safe To Visit In 2024?

If you have a trip to Sicily coming up then you might be wondering is Sicily safe to visit?

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, is a beautiful and fascinating destination that attracts millions of visitors every year. With its stunning coastline, rich history, and delicious cuisine, it’s easy to see why Sicily is such a popular place to visit.

However, like any destination, safety concerns can arise, and visitors may wonder if it’s safe to travel to Sicily.

Before our six months living in Sicily this was something I researched, and reading horror stories about the mafia certainly made me a little concerned! But in the time we were there we never once felt unsafe, and I wish I had looked a little more into the facts rather than a few overdramatised and old stories on the internet!

In this blog post, we’ll explore the question “Is Sicily Safe?” and provide tips and advice for staying safe while traveling in this beautiful region.

From understanding the potential risks to taking basic safety precautions, we’ll cover everything you need to know to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip to Sicily.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn from other affiliate programs. This means we may receive a small commission on products purchased through our links at no extra cost to you.

Table of Contents

Crime in sicily, avoiding bad neighborhoods, riots and protests in sicily, dangerous animals in sicily, natural disasters in sicily, travel insurance in sicily, frequently asked questions, top tips for staying safe in sicily, is sicily safe.

Sicily in Italy is generally a safe place to visit, but like any destination, there are some safety concerns that visitors should be aware of.

The crime rate in Sicily is lower than in many other parts of Italy, and violent crime against tourists is rare. However, petty crimes such as pickpocketing, bag snatching, and theft from parked cars can occur, especially in crowded tourist areas.

It’s also important to note that there are some areas in Sicily that are known for Mafia activity, particularly in some of the larger cities. However, as a tourist, you are unlikely to encounter any problems related to the Mafia.

As with any destination, it’s important to take basic safety precautions, such as being aware of your surroundings, keeping your valuables secure, and avoiding poorly lit or deserted areas at night.

Overall, if you exercise common sense and take basic safety precautions, your visit to Sicily is likely to be safe and enjoyable.

Sicily has a reputation for being associated with organized crime, specifically the Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra. While it is true that the Mafia has a presence in Sicily, it is important to note that the level of organized crime activity has decreased in recent years due to the efforts of law enforcement.

The Mafia has traditionally been involved in illegal activities such as extortion, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Not things that typically affect tourists. In recent years, law enforcement efforts have led to the arrest and prosecution of many Mafia members, which has contributed to a decrease in their criminal activities.

We were in Sicily for 6 months and although the locals were very eager to tell stories of the mafia, we never saw any evidence of them.

In terms of street crime, while Sicily is generally safe, visitors should be aware of the risk of petty crime such as pickpocketing and theft. Tourist areas are often targeted, so it is important to keep valuables secure and be aware of your surroundings.

Overall, while there is a history of organized crime in Sicily, it is important to note that the situation has improved in recent years, and visitors can take steps to ensure their safety while enjoying the beauty and culture of this fascinating region.

Like any region, Sicily has its share of neighborhoods that may have higher levels of crime or be considered less safe than others. However, it is important to note that Sicily is generally a safe place to travel to, and most neighborhoods are safe for visitors.

That being said, it is always a good idea to research the areas you plan to visit and take basic safety precautions, such as avoiding isolated areas at night and not flashing expensive items.

Additionally, it may be helpful to consult with locals or hotel staff for advice on safe areas to visit and areas to avoid.

By taking these precautions, you can minimize the risks associated with traveling to any unfamiliar destination.

While riots and protests are rare in Sicily, they can occur. It is important to be aware of the situation and take appropriate precautions if you plan to attend an area where a demonstration or protest is taking place.

Keep the following tips in mind:

• Stay informed: Keep up to date with the latest news and information about the protest, including the location and timing of the event.
• Stay away from violent behavior: Avoid any violent behavior, both from the protesters and the police. Keep a safe distance from any clashes or confrontations that may occur.
• Avoid confrontations: If you see any signs of violence or confrontation, move away from the area immediately.
• Follow the instructions of the authorities: If the police or other authorities issue instructions or orders, follow them immediately and without question.
• Have a plan: Make sure you have a plan in case the situation becomes dangerous. Identify safe places you can go to, and have emergency contact information on hand.

Overall, while protests and riots are rare in Sicily, it is important to stay informed and take precautions to ensure your safety.

Sicily is home to a variety of wildlife, but there are only a few dangerous animals to be aware of. These include:

Scorpions: Sicily is home to several species of scorpions, some of which can be venomous. While scorpions are not usually aggressive and will only sting if threatened, it’s important to be aware of their presence, especially in rural areas.

Vipers: Sicily is home to several species of venomous snakes, including the common European viper. Snake bites are rare, but just stay a little cautious if you’re off the beaten track.

Jellyfish: During the summer months, jellyfish can be found in the waters surrounding Sicily. Some species can be dangerous and deliver a painful sting.

Wild boar: While wild boar are not usually aggressive, they can be dangerous if provoked or if they feel threatened. It’s important to keep a safe distance from these animals and to avoid feeding them.

Overall, while there are some potentially dangerous animals in Sicily, the risk of encountering them is low.

Sicily is prone to several natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and flash floods. Here is some information on each:

• Earthquakes: Sicily is located in an active seismic zone, and earthquakes are a frequent occurrence. While most earthquakes are minor and cause little damage, major earthquakes can occur.
• Volcanic eruptions: Sicily is home to Mount Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world. While volcanic activity can be unpredictable, authorities closely monitor the situation and issue warnings if necessary. It is important to follow the advice of local authorities in the event of a volcanic eruption.
• Flash floods: Heavy rains can cause flash floods in Sicily, especially in areas with poor drainage. These floods can be dangerous and cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.

If you’re planning a trip to Sicily, it is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Travel insurance can provide valuable protection in the event of unexpected situations, such as medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost or stolen luggage.

Here are some things to consider when purchasing travel insurance for your trip to Sicily:

• Medical coverage: Make sure that your travel insurance policy includes adequate medical coverage, including emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage.
• Trip cancellation coverage: Look for a policy that includes trip cancellation coverage in case your trip is cancelled or interrupted due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness or extreme weather.
• Lost or stolen luggage coverage: Make sure that your policy includes coverage for lost or stolen luggage, as well as any personal belongings that may be lost or stolen during your trip.
• Adventure activities coverage: If you plan to participate in any adventure activities, such as hiking or scuba diving, make sure that your policy includes coverage for these activities.
• Pre-existing conditions: If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, make sure that your policy includes coverage for these conditions.

We use Safety Wing who have an excellent reputation among frequent travelers.

Buy your travel insurance before your trip

We’ve answered some of the questions we get asked the most regarding whether Sicily is a safe place to visit.

Is It Safe For A Single Woman To Travel To Sicily?

Sicily is generally a safe place for solo female travelers, but as with any destination, it is important to take some basic precautions to ensure your safety. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Dress appropriately: Sicilian culture is conservative, and it is recommended to dress modestly and avoid revealing clothing. This can help you avoid unwanted attention.
• Avoid walking alone at night: While Sicily is generally safe, it is recommended to avoid walking alone at night in quiet or poorly lit areas.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Be aware of your surroundings and avoid walking around with headphones or staring at your phone. It’s important to stay alert and aware of your surroundings at all times.
• Use reputable transportation: It is recommended to use reputable transportation services such as taxis or ride-sharing services, especially at night.
• Avoid sharing too much personal information: Be cautious about sharing too much personal information with strangers, especially if you are traveling alone.

Overall, as long as you take basic precautions and use common sense, Sicily can be a safe and enjoyable destination for solo female travelers and I never once felt threatened when travelling here alone.

Is Palermo Safe At Night?

Palermo, like any other major city, has some areas that are safer than others, and it’s important to take some precautions when visiting at night. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Stick to well-lit areas: Stick to well-lit streets with plenty of people around. Avoid walking in dark alleys or deserted areas.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash or valuables: Leave your valuable items and large amounts of cash in your hotel safe. If you need to carry a purse or bag, make sure it is closed and kept close to your body.
• Use reputable transportation: Use reputable transportation services such as taxis or ride-sharing services, especially at night.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Stay alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Avoid walking around with headphones or staring at your phone.
• Trust your instincts: If something doesn’t feel right or you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts and find a safe place.

Are People Friendly In Sicily?

Yes, people in Sicily are generally friendly and welcoming to visitors. Sicilian culture is known for its warmth and hospitality, and locals are often eager to share their traditions and culture with visitors.

It is important to note that like in any place, there may be some individuals who are less friendly or welcoming. However, in general, most people in Sicily are friendly and helpful to visitors and we were always greeted with warmth by the locals.

It can be helpful to learn a few basic phrases in Italian or Sicilian dialect to help you communicate with locals and show your appreciation for their culture. Additionally, being respectful and courteous can go a long way in building positive relationships with locals.

Overall, if you approach people with an open and respectful attitude, you are likely to find that people in Sicily are friendly and welcoming.

What Is The Safest Place In Sicily?

Sicily, like any other place, has areas that are safer than others, and it’s important to research and take precautions when traveling to any new destination. That being said, some of the safest places in Sicily include:

Taormina: This is a popular tourist destination with a low crime rate. It is known for its stunning views, ancient ruins, and beautiful beaches.

Cefalù: This is a small, charming coastal town with a low crime rate. It is popular for its beautiful beaches, historic center, and cathedral.

Syracuse : This is a historic city with a low crime rate. It is known for its ancient ruins, including the Greek Theater and Roman Amphitheater, as well as its beautiful beaches.

Ragusa : This is a picturesque town with a low crime rate. It is known for its Baroque architecture, stunning countryside, and charming cafes.

While these places may be considered relatively safe, it is still important to exercise caution and follow common-sense safety measures when traveling, such as being aware of your surroundings, avoiding isolated areas, and not leaving valuables unattended.

Do They Speak English In Sicily?

English is not widely spoken in Sicily, especially outside of major tourist areas. Italian is the official language, and it is the language spoken by the majority of the population. We found Sicily to be one of the harder places to communicate in in Europe, but it still wasn’t an issue most of the time.

In tourist areas and larger cities, you can find many people who speak at least some English, especially those who work in the tourism industry.

Additionally, younger generations in Sicily are more likely to speak English, as it is often taught in schools as a second language.

If you are traveling to Sicily and do not speak Italian, it is a good idea to learn some basic Italian phrases or bring a phrasebook with you to help you communicate with locals.

Here are some tips for staying safe while traveling in Sicily:

• Be aware of your surroundings: Like any place, it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings and be aware of any potential dangers. Avoid walking alone in deserted areas, especially at night.
• Keep your valuables secure: Keep your passport, money, and other valuables in a secure location, such as a hotel safe or a money belt.
• Use reputable transportation: Use reputable taxis or car rental companies, and avoid getting into unlicensed taxis or accepting rides from strangers.
• Dress appropriately: Sicily is a conservative area, so dress modestly, especially when visiting religious sites.
• Avoid scams: Be cautious of anyone who approaches you with an offer that seems too good to be true, and avoid giving money to people who approach you on the street.
• Stay alert when driving: If you plan to rent a car and drive in Sicily, be aware of local traffic laws and customs. Sicilian drivers are known for their aggressive driving style, and roads can be narrow and winding!
• Be respectful of local customs: Sicilians are proud of their traditions and customs, so be respectful of local customs, such as dressing modestly in religious sites and not taking photographs of people without their permission.

By following these tips and using common sense, you can help ensure a safe and enjoyable trip to Sicily.

Conclusion: Is Sicily Safe?

Sicily is generally a safe place to travel to, but like any destination, there are areas that may have higher levels of crime or potential danger.

You are very unlikely to experience any dangerous crime, but pickpockets in major cities and at popular tourist attractions are the main things to look out for.

It’s important to respect local customs and traditions, dress appropriately, and be respectful of the local community. If you’re travelling in areas you don’t know well then use the same caution that you would in any unfamiliar place.

We found Sicily to be a beautiful, welcoming country with a whole lot of charm and never once felt in any danger. Obviously this was just our experience, but exercise the usual levels of caution when travelling and we’re sure you’ll have the most amazing time here.

• The best time to visit Sicily

Similar Posts

111+ Couple Travel Quotes For Instagram 2024

Visiting Ragusa Ibla 2024: The Ultimate Guide

Visiting Syracuse’s Archaeological Park 2024

The Valley Of The Temples In Sicily: The Ultimate Guide 2024

Marina di Ragusa In Sicily Over Winter

Europe In December: 33 Awesome Places To Visit In 2024

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Search Search Hi! We’re Emily, Adam and Tiny Cat, liveaboard sailors travelling the world on our 38ft sailboat and writing about it as we go. We hope we can inspire you to live the life you’ve always dreamed, whether that’s exploring the world or living a more simple way of life in a tiny home. Find out more. Patreon
• Privacy Policy

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos

Food & Drink

• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Where to visit in Sicily: 9 best places for beaches, architecture and Italian charm

The southern italian region is a year-round holiday destination, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts

Get simon calder’s travel email, thanks for signing up to the simon calder’s travel email.

Thanks in part to the “ White Lotus effect “ (the country featured in season two of the hit show), Sicily has become increasingly popular with travellers over the past few years. As the largest Mediterranean island, located just off the main peninsula of Italy , the country is home to beautiful beaches , quaint hilltop towns, and impressive Baroque architecture.

The summer months can get very hot – July and August are probably best spent sipping an Aperol spritz by the beach – while the less stifling temperatures in the low seasons are ideal for visiting festivals, exploring the many archaeological sites and maybe even taking a hike up Mount Etna.

Europe’s tallest active volcano is one of seven Unesco sites, which also include Roman palace Villa Romana del Casale near the central town Piazza Armerina, and the eight late Baroque towns of the Val di Noto in the southeast.

Planning a Sicilian holiday soon? We’ve rounded up the best places to visit and where to stay during your Sicily trip.

Capital city Palermo is a diverse destination with architectural nods to the Phoenicians, Normans, Turks, Egyptians, Arabs, and Spaniards, who have all inhabited the area throughout its history. One of these buildings is Palermo Cathedral, dating back to the 12th century. Ballaro market and Vucciria market are both popular for street food, and there are various culinary-based walking tours where you can tuck into gelato , arancini , and cannoli .

The city is home to impressive street art, including a wall near Ballaro market, in the Albergheria district, where you’ll see a tiny hummingbird picking up a huge rock with its wings. There are theatres and cinemas in the industrial area Cantieri Culturali della Zisa, and the Old Town is a hub for nightlife with Piazza Rivoluzione and Piazza Sant’anna both offering a buzzy atmosphere. For a more relaxing outing, head to Mondello Bay to take a boat tour.

Where to stay

Mercure Palermo Centro is situated in the centre of Palermo, only 350 metres from the Teatro Politeama theatre, a 10-minute walk from the harbour and a 15-minute walk from Palermo Cathedral. It has a bar, restaurant, 24-hour front desk and private parking. Family rooms are available, too.

Rooms available from {{#price}} {{price}} per night {{/price}} {{^price}} Check availability for dates and prices {{/price}}

Rates provided by Booking.com

Hotel Amenities

Health & wellbeing.

Agrigento in the southwest is built on a hilltop and is home to the archaeological wonder of the Valley of the Temples. The ruins are an impressive site to behold. Excavations uncovered a network of aqueducts below the area, and there are also thought to be further areas of unexcavated archaeological significance in the fields below. The Petro Griffo Archaeological Museum is in modern Agrigento, where you can view Hellenistic and Roman artefacts, ancient coins, and Attic and Italiot pottery dating back to 430 BC.

Just a 25-minute drive from the city you’ll find Scala dei Turchi – a dramatic white, rocky cliff overlooking a sandy beach where you can soak up some sunshine and swim in the azure waters.

Colleverde Park Hotel is a 15-minute walk from the Valley of the Temples. Amenities include a fitness centre, airport shuttle and a bar.

Read more on Europe travel :

• Best destinations in Italy for a city break
• Best hotels in Europe 2024
• Best budget European city break destinations

Castellammare del Golfo

Castellammare del Golfo translates into English as “sea fortress on the gulf” because it is built around an Arab fortress constructed in the 11th century (and later developed by the Normans). This history makes the coastal destination an incredibly interesting place to explore. Further appeal lies in it being a relatively quiet coastal town known for its pretty harbour filled with restaurants offering a picturesque view.

There are two sandy beaches nearby, while nature reserve Lo Zingaro is just a 15-minute drive. For boat trips and watersports, head to Scopello, a coastal town 12km away.

Hotel Cetarium is close to the town’s fortress and just a short walk to a sandy beach. It has a terrace and outdoor pool for enjoying the scenery too.

Medieval town Erice is in the province of Travani, and is best known for its Norman castle and ancient temple. The town is set 750 metres above sea level on Mount San Giuliano, and the ruins of the Venus Erycina temple suggest that the town was a tribute to the Roman goddess of love, Venus. Along the quaint cobbled streets, there are craft shops and bakeries selling cannoli. Tourists can visit the medieval church Chiesa Madre, which was built in 1312 and overlooks the main square.

For those seeking an even better view, a cable car links Erice with nearby city Travani.

Former monastery Il Carmine Dimora Storica is unique accommodation situated beside the town walls, with an airport shuttle and family rooms available. Most rooms have their own balcony.

A city located in the southeast, Modica is set within the Hyblaean Mountains. It’s one of the eight Val di Noto Baroque towns with Unesco world heritage site status and was originally all carved into rock. The city boasts classic Sicilian charm, with narrow, winding streets and stairs. This means the climb to Upper Modica is a steep one – or you can catch a bus.

You’ll find boutique shops and 19th-century theatre Teatro Garibaldi on Corso Umberto. Meanwhile, nearby museum Museo Civico is situated in Palazzo della Cultura and is home to archaeological pieces from the Neolithic period. The town is also known for its chocolate, made using a traditional Sicilian technique where ingredients are never warmed to more than 45C, meaning the sugar doesn’t dissolve so it has a unique taste.

Pietre Nere Resort & Spa is a luxurious hotel on the outskirts of Modica, and nearby beach Cava di Ispica can be reached by car in less than five minutes. Spa facilities include a fitness centre, sauna, sensory showers, Turkish bath and relaxation room.

Taormina is a coastal hilltop town in the east of Sicily. One of its most impressive attractions is the ancient Greek and Roman theatre, Teatro Antico di Taormina, which is carved into rock – as well as being a tourist attraction, the venue still hosts performances, including concerts and festivals. From the theatre, there’s a view across to Mount Etna, which is just 56km away.

Mazzaro Funivia is a cable car running down to Isola Bella Beach, a strip of pebbled beach linked to the Isola Bella nature reserve that is particularly popular with Instagrammers. Meanwhile, Mazzaro Beach on the other side of Isola Bella Beach is a small bay with sand and shingle, close to bars and restaurants.

Well-located Hotel Ariston and Palazzo Santa Caterina are situated near the city centre, main bus terminal and just beside a cable car taking you to the beach. The hotel has a swimming pool, garden and two restaurants.

Catania is an ideal base for making a trip to Mount Etna and you’ll find plenty of choice for guided tours up to the volcano. Other tourist attractions include the Cathedral of Saint Agatha, which features Baroque details. It has been rebuilt several times since being originally constructed in the 11th century, courtesy of earthquakes and eruptions.

Like other Sicilian towns, you can expect to find delicious street food on offer. Fish market La Pescheria is a weekly event known just as much for being a fun and rowdy spectacle as it is for supplying seafood to nearby restaurants.

Katane Palace Hotel is situated close to the train station and features classic Sicilian decor. It’s just a 20-minute walk from the cathedral, and trips to Mount Etna can be arranged with the hotel, too.

Golden Noto, a Baroque city in the southeast, has airy aristocratic squares laden with carved gargoyles, opulent palaces and elegant alleyways. Noto’s reconstructed 18th-century cathedral dominates the skyline with its elaborate domes and facades – visit during the annual feast of San Corrado in February to attend mass alongside a lively procession through the city.

Visit the king of pastries, Caffe Sicilia, opposite the cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele for famed sweet Sicilian classics including  cannolo  ricotta pastry tubes and  cassata  marzipan cake.

At Seven Rooms Villadorata on the 18th-century Palazzo Nicolaci, soaring ceilings, chandeliers and Baroque frescoes greet guests. There are also tasty buffet breakfasts of cakes, eggs and almond brittle, all just a 15-minute drive from the fine sands of Lido di Noto.

On the northern coast, medieval Cefalu balances some of Sicily’s finest sands with impressive Baroque architecture. Celebrated for its Unesco-listed Arab-Norman cathedral, the antiquities of Mandralisca Museum and laid-back beach culture on  spiaggias  Mazzaforno and Settefrati, Cefalu rivals Palermo for a Sicilian holiday.

Try local delicacy  pasta a taianu  (pasta in a pan) for flavours of aubergine, meat and pecorino cheese served in an earthenware pot, or hike to the mountaintop ruins at Rocca di Cefalu for views over the sparkling Tyrrhenian coast.

Coastal hotel Le Calette is just a shuttle bus away from the sandy swathes of Cefalu. With whitewashed Sicilian-style rooms, a restaurant serving sea urchin spaghetti and five rocky coves complete with a beach club, it’s a dream for swimming and tasting sumptuous local cuisine.

Read more on why you should wait until the off season to visit Venice

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Sicily Sold Homes for One Euro. This Is What Happened Next.

For more than a decade, sicily has been trying to revive its villages by selling vacant houses. writer lisa abend heads to the largest island in the mediterranean to see how life has changed..

• Copy Link copied

Mussomeli is roughly 60 miles from Palermo.

Photo by Julia Nimke

Like any small town that isn’t yours, Sambuca di Sicilia, located about an hour’s drive south of the Sicilian capital, Palermo, feels a little intimidating at first. Stroll its perimeter on a late afternoon in winter, when the sun sets the buildings alight, and eyes follow you. Order the town’s signature minni di virgini —breast-shaped cakes filled with cream, chocolate chips, and squash jam—and a hush silences the chatter in the local bakery. It’s not unfriendly, this exaggerated alertness, but it does make you, the visitor, feel a bit self-conscious.

By the time I walk into a small restaurant that first evening seeking dinner, my self-consciousness has reached an uncomfortable peak. The restaurant’s only other guests, a middle-aged couple, fall quiet as I make my way to a table. After the waiter and I stumble through my order, impeded by his poor English and my worse Italian, I pull out a book to hide my awkwardness while I wait for the food. But when the first course arrives—a heap of ocher-tinted pasta topped with crimson shrimp and shards of pistachios—I am so clearly delighted by the dish that the waiter then decides we are friends. He introduces himself by name, Giovanni, and when two women with their children enter the restaurant, he seats them next to me and introduces them as well. “ La famiglia ,” he says—his own, and that of the chef, who, stepping out from the kitchen to kiss his wife, also comes over to greet me.

Two hours later, I walk out into the night air, aloft on a wave of bonhomie and sturdy Sicilian wine. Oh yes , I think to myself. I could live here .

I’m not the only person to arrive at that revelation. In fact, I had come to Sicily to investigate a program that has attracted thousands with the same notion. A program that allows people, although they may not have the financial wherewithal to go full-bore Tuscan-villa-with-frescoed-ceilings-and-private-vineyard, to nevertheless live a different version of the dream. A program that promises them a house for a single euro.

About the size of New Hampshire, Sicily has 4.8 million residents.

Photos by Julia Nimke

Since the 19th century, large numbers of villagers in the poorer parts of Italy have migrated to more prosperous regions and countries. The migration continues; in some places, populations have shrunk so dramatically that there are no longer enough patients to keep the local doctor in business, or enough children to fill the school. Young people who moved away to study or work didn’t want to return, and when their parents died, the family homes stood empty, sometimes for decades. Around 2010, the village of Salemi in western Sicily was one of the first towns to come up with an idea: What if you could fill them again by offering the properties for sale at a ridiculously low price?

I wasn’t in the market for a house, one euro or otherwise. But I wanted to know if the program worked. Though the rumors I’d heard about driving in Sicily gave me pause—highways that suddenly turn into rutted cow paths; drivers whose chosen passing method involves achieving the closest possible proximity to the fender of the car in front of them—I decided to set out in a rental car through villages in various stages of implementing the initiative. Were once-sepulchral towns reinvigorated by newcomers eager to put down roots? Were the new residents integrating into small-town life, or was an influx of new blood bringing unintended side effects? And did a town that drew enough newcomers lose the qualities that had attracted said newcomers in the first place?

From left: The population of Sambuca di Sicilia has declined because of a low birth rate, but the town gained media attention after The Sopranos actress Lorraine Bracco bought a home there; The Valley of the Temples has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.

The morning after my dinner in Sambuca di Sicilia, I leave my home base to see my first one-euro house. Before that, I stop in the Valley of the Temples. Located in a national park, the valley preserves the remains of a Greek colony founded in the 6th century B.C.E. on land inhabited by the indigenous Sicani. A couple of millennia later, the original temples to Hercules and Hera survive, but so does evidence of Carthaginian rampage and Roman reconstruction. Those peoples would in time be followed by Vandals from northern Europe and Muslims from Africa, to say nothing of the French and Spanish. Standing there, looking at the gold-colored columns of once-grand temples set against the sparkling sea and flowering almond trees, time seemed to bend. Outsiders, I realize, have been making their homes here for a long time.

They’ve also been leaving. When I arrive in Cammarata, a steep jumble of a village whose mountains are dusted with snow, I can feel an absence. In the winter sunshine, it’s beautiful, but it’s also empty. In the 15 minutes I spend standing in front of a very sleepy-looking town hall, where I’ve arranged to meet architect Martina Giracello, not one person passes by.

The members of StreetTo want to rejuvenate Cammarata.

Finally, Giracello arrives, her corkscrew curls bobbing, and explains the silence. “People here wanted to live in larger, more modern apartments,” she says. Many moved to neighboring San Giovanni Gemini, about half a mile away, where the gentler topography allows for larger buildings and better conveniences. Now, Giracello tells me, “the one real estate agency in the area doesn’t even handle houses in the historic center.”

Like other young people from the region, Giracello and her boyfriend, Gianluca, moved away for university and to start their professional careers. But as they approached the end of their 20s, they returned to Cammarata, yearning for a quieter life. They also wanted, however, some kind of cultural scene, and neighbors their own age. “We studied other towns with one-euro programs, saw that for a lot of buyers, once they are there, the house is just a vacation home, and they don’t have a relation to the people there,” she tells me. “We wanted to do something different. We wanted to create a community.”

As we slowly make our way up Cammarata’s steep streets, the silence gives way to the sound of hammers and saws. ‘Hear that?’ Giracello asks. ‘It’s working.’

They banded together with other professionals to form a volunteer association called StreetTo, which convinces the owners of abandoned properties to sell, then helps foreigners find their houses and navigate the inspections, paperwork, and renovations that follow. And, in the hopes of forging community, they also organize exhibitions, concerts, and gatherings for townspeople old and new. Driven by their desire to revive the Cammarata they love, StreetTo’s members offer these services free of charge. (“At the moment, it is a project geared toward foreigners, but what we want is to also bring Cammarata’s citizens back, just as Gianluca and I have come back,” Giracello says.)

It’s not pure altruism, though. Their town gets something in the way of revitalization. As we slowly make our way up Cammarata’s steep streets, the silence gives way to the sound of hammers and saws. “Hear that?” Giracello asks. “It’s working.”

Panting from the climb, we reach the first property, where Giracello introduces me to the reality of what one euro buys you: not much. The home, more vertically challenged shed than house, has what real estate ads might call “significant structural issues” and what I might call “a massive hole in the roof.”

For an extravagance like a ceiling, Giracello says, you’ll need to spend a bit more. We press on to another house. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, she mentions its price—just over $10,000. The tall, narrow home is built, like many older Sicilian dwellings, with a single room per floor, its stairwell is carpeted in debris, and the battered sink and laminate countertops make it look like the kitchen was outfitted sometime around World War II. But the floor is adorned with beautiful geometric tiles, and a view of the valley spills through the windows. “We try to find houses in not really good condition,” Giracello says. “Because the purpose of the project is to help the town get better.”

StreetTo has helped negotiate the sale of 18 houses so far, but contract negotiations and renovations are still in progress, and none of the buyers have been able to move into their homes yet. But Giracello is confident it won’t be long before her village swells with new life. She pulls out her phone to show me a video.

“When a German nurse and her husband bought a place, a local couple were so happy to see new people that they held a dinner for them, and invited us,” she says. “Even though the Germans didn’t speak Italian and the Italians didn’t speak German, now they are all friends.” She pauses. “ We are all friends.”

Today a church and monastery, Santa Caterina d’Alessandria was home to nuns from 1311 to 2014.

My next stop is Mussomeli, located nearly in the center of the island. Unlike many Sicilian towns, which drape themselves seductively across a ridge, Mussomeli is all about the vertical. On the morning I approach, the craggy volcanic outcroppings that rise from the valley below have trapped pools of mist, making the town appear to be floating on clouds. It feels like entering Middle Earth.

The illusion doesn’t last: With a population of nearly 11,000 people, Mussomeli is large enough to support a Carrefour supermarket and even a mini traffic jam. But as I push on to the town’s core, the fantasy returns. Mussomeli’s heart holds ancient churches, tiny squares where kids play ball, and views from its tangled streets of that mystical valley and a hilltop with the ruins of a 14th-century castle.

Streets so tangled, in fact, that I get lost, and ask for directions in a dark, tiny bakery selling nothing but focaccia. I pay for an oily square, and ask the elderly man behind the counter what he thinks about the foreigners moving to town. “There aren’t so many here now,” he says. “But in summer they buy a lot of focaccia.”

Seems a fair trade. Mussomeli doesn’t cater to tourism, but between its services and charm, more than 200 inexpensive homes have been bought by foreigners in the past few years. Australian Danny McCubbin owns one of them. Ready for a quieter life after 17 years of working in London for the chef Jamie Oliver, McCubbin was recruited by producers late in 2019 for a television show that planned to follow people on their one-euro adventures in Mussomeli. The pandemic intervened and the show was never finished, but McCubbin had found his purpose. By the end of 2020, he had decided to move permanently to Mussomeli and turn his home into a community kitchen to help people with inadequate access to food.

From left: The Good Kitchen rescues surplus food from supermarkets to provide for people in need; Australian Danny McCubbin moved to Mussomeli in 2020.

After I make several wrong turns, I find McCubbin, clearing dishes from a long, communal table. He’d just served lunch to local residents and Ukrainian children welcomed by the town after fleeing the war. These days, the Good Kitchen also supplies weekly meals for the elderly and has taught some of Mussomeli’s youth to cook. A clutch of older men use the space as an afternoon hangout, and there’s also a free Sunday afternoon lunch. (The only requirement for those with means is that they bring something to share.) Not long ago, Mussomeli’s mayor told McCubbin that he had planted a seed, and that more in Mussomeli were now thinking about social projects. “My whole way of living is so simple and joyful now,” McCubbin says. “I don’t know where else I could have done this.”

Rubia Andrade Daniels has also adjusted her expectations. One of the earliest buyers in Mussomeli, she fell in love with a vibe that reminds her of the Brazil where she was born and spent her childhood, but that also seems open to the kind of diversity she’s found in California, where she has lived for the past 30 years. “For the first few days, I couldn’t figure out why people here were being so nice to me,” she says with a laugh. “Then I realized they’re like that to everyone.”

Andrade Daniels, who works for a renewable energy company, loved the town so much she purchased three one-euro houses on her first visit in 2019. Four years later, her enthusiasm remains undimmed, but her timetable has shifted: The kitchen in the house where she plans on living part time once she retires wasn’t finished until August 2023, and progress on the other two—an art gallery and a wellness center—has been pushed to an undetermined future, in part due to the pandemic and the delays in its wake. “You can’t have American expectations,” she says. “Here, things take the time they take.”

I think about that pace each day when I return to my base in Sambuca di Sicilia. There, too, there’s been such demand for the listed houses that one euro is no longer the final sale cost but rather the opening bid in an auction that could see prices rise into the thousands. Even then, the campaign was so popular that the municipality launched a second round in 2021, with an increase in the starting price—to two euros.

Margherita Licata, who has been summering in Sambuca since childhood and eventually settled here full time about 20 years ago, says that “99 percent” of Sambucans welcome the newcomers. The other 1 percent? “They worry they have been invaded by Americans,” says Licata, who works for a real estate agency in town. “If Sambuca one day has a thousand outsiders living here, of course it will change our lives. But it will maybe mean the young [people] can find a job and not go somewhere else. If we want that change, we must accept other changes too.”

Of course, it’s possible that Sambuca could become transfigured by take-out coffee joints and big-box stores and other supposed comforts that the town’s new residents like. Already, some Americans have complained about the local teenagers who cruise the streets on their motorbikes at night. And imported class divisions are also emerging: Among the more free-spirited DIYers who have purchased homes, rumors circulate that some of the wealthier buyers want to build an exclusive, members-only swimming pool.

From left: Margherita Licata has lived in Sambuca for roughly 20 years; Pasticceria Enrico Pendola is one of few bakeries in the small town.

But for now, there’s little evidence of a non-Sicilian presence in Sambuca, and it remains difficult to find anyone who speaks English. What I did find was an archaeology museum where, after I inquired if it was open, a woman rushed out, turned on the lights, and marched me at breakneck speed through the antiquities on display while barking descriptions of them at me in Italian. I also found a market that popped up alongside the traffic circle where the fishmonger told me how to cook the sardines I bought from the back of his van, as well as a café whose arancini made me finally understand why anyone would want to eat fried balls of rice, and where the elderly man who glared at me as I drank my breakfast cappuccino turned out not to be annoyed with the foreigner invading his morning sanctuary, but just waiting for the opportunity to ask me if I knew his cousins in New Jersey.

I’d arrived in Sicily wondering if the one-euro initiative would ruin the towns that adopted it, replacing their traditional culture with more consumerist ones and destroying their lifestyle and easy sociability. And when that turned out not to be the case, I also wondered if it wasn’t simply a matter of time: Perhaps the pandemic had slowed an already slower way of doing business, and the reckoning would still surely come.

But as I sat again in that same restaurant from the first night, it seemed to me that Sicily would be just fine. Maybe the slower pace was not a flaw that would eventually be overcome, but instead a feature that would ensure Sicily remains alluringly and unequivocally itself. After all, I thought, as I remembered the Valley of the Temples, different peoples have been arriving on these shores for millennia. They may leave an imprint; they may shape the culture. But it’s clear that a distinctively Sicilian spirit still dominates.

From left: Mussomeli is one of the most popular towns in Sicily for one-euro home programs; Sambuca di Sicilia was a prominent trading hub centuries ago.

And so, just before my departure from the island, I went to visit Margherita Licata again, but this time for reasons slightly more personal. Because I had seen enough one-euro homes to know that my powers of imagination were no match for their state of decrepitude, we skipped right to a “premium” home. As soon as she pushed open the doors to the arched courtyard, I was entranced. The rooms were rundown and furnished with old-fashioned chandeliers and faded wallpaper. But they were also large and bright, with intact walls and floors covered with gorgeous patterned tiles. Downstairs, there was an attached space that would make a perfect rental apartment. Upstairs, two rooftop terraces offered views of the town center in one direction, and a lake in the other.

“Fifty thousand euros,” Licata told me with a wink. “But that’s just what the owner’s asking.”

The money in my bank account had not magically grown during my time in Sicily. But my imagination must have. Because in that moment, it all seemed possible.

Can using VPN save you money on hotels, car rentals? I tested it out.

As I planned a trip to Mexico for this summer, my search for a bargain took me over the border without ever leaving my desk.

A recent study commissioned by cybersecurity company NordVPN found that U.S. travelers were being charged significantly more than those overseas for accommodations and rental cars.

"There's no need to overpay for a holiday abroad," the company said in a blog post about the research. "Using a VPN can save you a lot of money – and it's easy to get started."

Perennially drawn to finding a deal with minimal effort, I used that approach to plan three hypothetical trips and put the strategy to the test. Here's what I learned by using two different VPN services.

What if summer travel isn't as hectic as expected?: Why last-minute plans could work out

Learn more: Best travel insurance

Can you use ChatGPT as a travel agent?: Here's what I learned about AI vacation planning

Can you find travel deals by using a VPN?

NordVPN researchers found some major price differences when booking travel in the U.S. versus using a VPN, a virtual private network  that hides your IP address and physical location.

A two-week stay for a family of four at Zoetry Casa del Mar Los Cabos in Mexico, for instance, was priced at $84,929 on Hotels.com when booking in the U.S., but just $27,514 when using a VPN set in Mexico, according to the blog post.

In another case, renting a Peugeot 5008 from Budget – via Expedia – at London's Gatwick Airport for a little over a week costs $2,157.32 in the U.S. compared to $1,166.33 using a VPN set to the United Kingdom.

But the searches didn't strictly yield deals. "When conducting the research, there were cases when prices offered to consumers in different countries were similar," the company said in a news release.

In my own hunt for bargains using NordVPN, I came up mostly empty-handed. I compared hotel and rental car bookings in Mexico, the U.K. and Italy to U.S.-based prices and most were almost identical regardless of my virtual country of origin.

A June weekend stay at Fairfield Inn Los Cabos ran $334 via Hotels.com in the U.S. for one room, for example, and just a few cents more with my location set to Mexico, while renting a Chevrolet Aveo or similar car from Hertz in Mexico City cost about $49.50 per day in both cases.

Story continues below.

My luck didn't turn around across the pond, either: The Westin London City cost me $948 in the U.S. and about $949.50 with my location set to the U.K. In one case, the U.S. price was noticeably cheaper: when I priced out a rental car from Budget at London's Heathrow Airport, I stood to pay $278.82 in the U.S. and $364.65 with the help of a VPN set to the United Kingdom.

I did find one deal on a Fiat Panda 1.2 – or similar-sized vehicle – at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome from Sicily by Car via Expedia. The U.S. price was $146 compared to $101.98 when I set my location to Italy.

I tried the same approach the next day using another VPN service, ExpressVPN, but got similar results.

Costco Travel: What travelers should know about booking a trip with Costco Travel

"Typically, you can find great deals by looking at local sites (in the place) you are traveling to, but it's not always consistent and other locations can sometimes present a cheaper price, so it does take trial and error to hunt down the best price," Lauren Hendry Parsons, ExpressVPN privacy advocate and global head of communications, told USA TODAY in an email.

A spokesperson for Expedia Group – which operates Expedia and Hotels.com, among others – said the company did not have any information to add. Hertz and Avis Budget Group did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Can you get cheaper flights by using VPN?

While NordVPN's study didn't include flights, I went ahead and checked fares from New York to each country, too.

The lowest fares were about the same in most cases, but I found a slight price difference on round-trip flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Mexico City, which would have cost me $602 booking in the U.S., but the same itinerary was around $586 with the VPN set to Mexico (the same was true with both NordVPN and ExpressVPN).

Does using a VPN to book travel work?

It depends. Different rate structures can be applied to different distribution channels and geography, according to Robert Cole, Senior Research Analyst, Lodging and Leisure Travel at Phocuswright.

A hotel might give a third-party booking site a cheaper rate but request that the site only list that price in a specific place, for example.

"They go, 'That's great, but do not sell that in the U.S.,'" Cole said. "You know, 'We are Miami Beach resort or we're a resort in Cancun (or) the Dominican Republic, we want German business.'"

Prices can vary on a host of other factors, too, including timing and availability, he said, and the best deal for a given booking may be on a U.S. site. A website might also require travelers to provide a home address or, in the case of rental cars, a driver's license from that country in order to access a given rate, Cole added.

He recommended proceeding with caution, particularly if you are booking with a foreign site you aren't familiar with, where help may be hard to track down if a problem occurs.

"My words of warning are, yes, you can do it, but that you have to be very careful knowing who you're dealing with," Cole added. "So, it's very much traveler beware."

Is using a VPN to book travel worth it?

My largely fruitless bargain hunt may have been due to bad luck, or perhaps travelers looking to find the kinds of deals NordVPN researchers did have to exercise more patience.

And while I may not have saved much on the hypothetical trips, the experiment did cost me money. I paid just over $14 for a one-month NordVPN subscription and nearly $13 for a monthly subscription to ExpressVPN.

Saving money for trips: Here's how some of those friends who are always traveling can afford it

Summer travel is expensive: Here's why flight prices heat up when the weather does

Along the way, I ran into roadblocks, too.

After checking prices on hotels and rental cars in Mexico, I clicked my way to the U.K., but Hotels.com repeatedly asked me to prove I was not a robot by choosing the penguin in a series of graphics. Several attempts later, the site would not let me out of penguin jail and I switched over to Expedia.

Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, said in an email that its researchers ran into the bot identification issue and fixed it "by effectively disconnecting from the VPN, clearing the browsing data/cache/cookies etc and then going into the site again."

Parsons also said banks and credit card companies have varying policies regarding international transaction fees. "So if a person were to make a purchase in a currency outside their home market it would depend on the terms and conditions of the bank or credit card company they use whether they would be charged a transaction fee for this purchase or not," she said.

As he put it, when it comes to using a VPN to book travel, there are "inherent risks that may not be worth the potential reward."

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].

From Albaugh Family Stables to West Paces Racing, meet Kentucky Derby 2024 owners

The opportunity to win the prestigious events is a key factor in many owners taking the plunge and investing in horse racing. Few races are more cherished than the Kentucky Derby , which will hold its 150th running May 4 at  Churchill Downs .

This year's  Run for the Roses features 16 horses with owners (or part owners) who will make their debuts in the race, while only one owner is affiliated with multiple starters: West Paces Racing .

Here's a look at the owners lineup, listed in alphabetical order by horse's name:

Owners:  Tami Bobo, Julie Davies and George Isaacs

What to know: This will be Bobo's second Derby, as she owned Simplification , who finished fourth in 2022. But Bobo, who began her career with quarter horses before moving to thoroughbreds, has a connection with another former Derby horse: Take Charge Indy . She owned the colt before selling him to Chuck and Maribeth Sandford prior to the 2012 Run for the Roses . (Take Charge Indy finished 19th in the 20-horse field that year after suffering a hairline fracture during the race.) She has a graded-stakes victory as an owner: Simplification's triumph in the 2022 Fountain of Youth Stakes , a Grade 2 event, at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

Davies is still looking for her maiden graded-stakes win as an owner, be it on her own or as a part owner. (She's been involved in five ownership groups, including this one with Bobo and Isaacs.) But Catalytic is Davies' best horse to date, marking the first one in which she's had a share to eclipse six figures in earnings.

Per Equibase , Isaacs had made a shade under $67,000 as an owner entering this year. In two starts in 2024, Catalytic has won $192,825 on the strength of a pair of second-place finishes.

Catching Freedom

Owner:  Albaugh Family Stables (Dennis Albaugh)

What to know: Albaugh, who owns Albaugh Family Stables, has won 13 graded-stakes events, including five Grade 1s. Four of those triumphs came at Keeneland : two in the Breeders' Futurity ( 2015 and 2017 ) along with the 2016 Blue Grass Stakes and the 2021 Darley Alcibiades Stakes ; Albaugh's other Grade 1 victory was last year's Arkansas Derby (with Angel of Empire , who finished third in the 2023 Run for the Roses). Despite the success in graded-stakes races, Albaugh Family Stables is still looking for its first victory in a Triple Crown event. His entrant in this year's Derby, Catching Freedom , will enter as one of the favorites after accumulating the third-most points (125) in the standings , highlighted by a come-from-behind triumph at the Louisiana Derby .

A billionaire, Albaugh made his fortune after founding Albaugh LLC , a pesticide and fertilizer company. An avid car collector, Albaugh has one of the largest assortments of classic Chevrolet convertibles in the country.

Domestic Product

Owner:  Klaravich Stables (Seth Klarman)

What to know: Friends Seth Klarman and Jeff Ravich founded Klaravich Stables — combining the first three letters of Klarman's last name with Ravich —  in 1993 , with both growing up in the Baltimore area. Per America's Best Racing , Ravich left the partnership years later "to start his own stable on the West Coast." Klarman and Klaravich Stables have excelled in the past two decades, with more than $47 million in earnings and 500-plus victories. That includes a pair of triumphs in the Preakness Stakes, first in 2017 (with Cloud Computing , owned in partnership with William Lawrence ) and then in 2022 (with Early Voting ). Klaravich Stables is winless in three Derby tries, though, with a best finish of fifth (by Practical Joke) in 2017. Domestic Product , who won this year's Tampa Bay Derby, enters the Run for the Roses 14th in the Derby standings. Klarman is a billionaire ( worth $1.3 billion as of April 27 , per Forbes). He is a fan of the Boston Red Sox and a minority owner of the team .

Owners:  West Paces Racing (Larry Connolly), R.A. Hill Stable (Raymond Hill), Belmar Racing and Breeding (Vito Cucci), Two Eight Racing (Jayson Werth) and Pine Racing Stables (Mark Pine)

What to know: West Paces Racing owes its name to West Paces Ferry Road , a street in Buckhead (a district north of Atlanta) where Cherokee Town and Country Club is located. "Most of the founding members (of West Paces Racing) were golf friends and affiliated with Cherokee,” WPR general partner Connolly told The Buckhead Paper . West Paces Racing is the only ownership group in this year's Derby with multiple starters in Society Man and the aforementioned Dornoch. With a 33% stake, per The Buckhead Paper , WPR is Dornoch's majority owner.

America's Best Racing notes New Jersey native Hill (of R.A. Hill Stable ) "grew up going to Monmouth Park with his mother. When a Wall Street deal paid off 17 years ago, Hill bought his first thoroughbred and was off to the races." He's the only member of the ownership quintet who previously has had a horse in the Derby; in 2019, Vekoma placed 12th, while Tax came in 14th.

Per the Park Savoy Estate , which Cucci ran for more than a decade, his parents immigrated from Carini, Sicily, at 19 years old and settled in New Jersey. They ran their family-named restaurant, which Vito eventually took over. After college, Vito moved to Italy to study under Luigi Bugialli , a renowned chef. After moving back to the U.S., he worked in multiple hotels and got into the equine industry.

Werth , who played 15 MLB seasons before retiring in 2018, became involved in horse racing three years ago. "Horse racing picked up where baseball left off," Werth told Thoroughbred Daily News. "Its's a great industry for me to be in." Werth's horses run under the name Two Eight Racing, which was his jersey number in the major leagues.

Pine Racing Stables reportedly owns a 10% stake in Dornoch.

Owner:  Amerman Racing (Jerry and Joan Amerman)

What to know: Amerman Racing doesn't have a win in the Derby, Preakness or Belmont Stakes yet. But it's no stranger to success in some of the sport's other prestigious races, with 18 victories in Grade 1 stakes events, highlighted by three Breeders' Cup wins (2001 Breeders' Cup Handicap , 2003 Breeders' Cup Distaff and 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf ). John Amerman is a former CEO of the Mattel toy company. He's the father of Jerry Amerman. Together, the father-and-son duo founded Amerman Racing more than 25 years ago.

Owner:  Repole Stable (Mike Repole)

What to know: Repole Stable , which is No. 4 among North American owners in 2024 earnings (more than $1.5 million year to date), is annually among the most successful stables in the nation. But despite being a consistent Derby entrant — Fierceness is set to be the stable's eighth starter in the Run for the Roses — Repole only has left Churchill Downs frustrated. Repole's best finish in the Derby was a fifth by Mo Donegal in 2022. Mo Donegal gave the stable its first Triple Crown victory in that year's Belmont Stakes , winning by 3 lengths as the race's prohibitive favorite (5-2 odds) in the eight-horse field.

Forever Young

Owner:  Susumu Fujita

What to know: Fujita will make his first appearance in the Derby — and first start as an owner in a North American-based event . He founded Cyber Agent , which, according to BloodHorse , provides "internet advertising services and media services, including internet, TV, and smartphone games." One of the most popular games created by the company is Uma Musume (which, in English, translates to "Horse Girls"), which features horse breeding and horse racing. 

Grand Mo the First

Owner:  Granpollo Stable

What to know: Granpollo, which is making its Derby debut this year, has no graded-stakes wins as an ownership group. The stable has one victory and a 37.5% win-place-show rate (1-2-3) in 2024.

Honor Marie

Owners:  Ribble Farms (Alan Ribble), Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, Kenneth Fishbein and Dave Fishbein

What to know: After becoming a race horse owner in 2015, Ribble Farms earned its first graded-stakes triumph last year, when Honor Marie placed first in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. Per BloodHorse , Ribble Farms is the majority owner of the group, with "Eiserman, Silver, and the Fishbeins buying in for a percentage after" Honor Marie won his stakes debut. This is the first Derby for all five parts of the ownership group.

Just a Touch

Owners: Qatar Racing (Sheikh Fahad Al Thani), Resolute Racing and Marc Detampel

What to know: Qatar Racing has been around for a dozen years. It is a subsidiary of QIPCO Holding "and represents the racehorse ownership interests of the brothers who own QIPCO ," per Qatar Racing's website . Prior to the formation of Qatar Racing, Sheikh Fahad owned and raced horses under the name " Pearl Bloodstock ." (Sheikh Fahad's brother, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani , is QIPCO's CEO.

John Stewart , the founder and managing partner of MiddleGround Capital , owns Resolute Racing . Last month, Keeneland had an announcement involving Stewart, MiddleGround and Resolute Racing and a pair of its dirt sprint stakes races. MiddleGround served as the sponsor for the Grade 2 Beaumont on April 7, while Resolute Racing was the title sponsor for the Grade 1 Madison a day earlier.

A Chicago native, Detampel works for Felix Global , a human resource consulting company. According to Thoroughbred Daily News , Detampel was "introduced to horse racing by his neighbor, John Wade, a co-owner in Hunter Valley Farm " in Versailles. After watching races together in Chicago, Detampel's interest in thoroughbred ownership was piqued after a visit to Lexington with Wade.

This year marks the first Derby appearance for all three factions of the ownership group.

Owner:  BC Stables (John Bellinger and Brian Coelho)

What to know: This will be the first Derby for Bellinger and Coelho, who founded BC Stables together . Coelho is president and CEO of Central Valley Meat Company , which is based in Hanford, California. According to Thoroughbred Daily News, Bellinger and his wife "own several companies, the biggest of which is a laboratory business that tests food products." BC Stables' first (and to this point, only) graded-stakes win came in 2019, when Here's Hannah won the Grade 3 Ballerina Stakes at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver (British Columbia), Canada.

Owners:  Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing (Brent Gasaway) and Daniel Hamby

What to know: All three of Mystik Dan's owners are based in Arkansas. And all three are in the Derby for the first time as owners.

Lance Gasaway is part of the University of Arkansas at Monticello's athletics Hall of Fame after a stellar career as a wide receiver, hauling in 113 passes for 1,605 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned honorable-mention NAIA Division I All-American honors in 1985 and also was a two-time first-team All- Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference selection (1984 and 1985). Per Daily Racing Form , he bought his first race horse "about 15 years ago" at his home track, Oaklawn .

Brent Gasaway runs 4G Racing with his wife, Sharilyn.

And Mystik Dan gets his name from Hamby's father. Hamby's father's name is Dan, and his first business was selling Mystik Tape .

Owners:  Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman

What to know: Bushnell is the executive director of Endeavor Therapeutic — as well as a therapeutic riding instructor and a mentor. Endeavor Therapeutic, located in Bedford Corners, New York, has programs "for veterans, at-risk youth, incarcerated women and children and adults with disabilities," serving 125 people a week, according to Trainer Magazine .

A Louisville native, Waldman has an extensive résumé in the equine industry, beginning his career at Fasig-Tipton in 1973 and becoming general manager in 1981. He served as Airdrie Stud 's business manager from 1981 to 1984 and was a consultant and syndicate manager of Overbrook Farm from 1986 through 2009. He also was the vice president of operations and syndicate manager for Windfields Farm from 1987 through 2008.

This is the first Derby appearance as an owner for Bushnell and Waldman.

Sierra Leone

Owners:  Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Brook Smith and Peter Brant

What to know: The colt, among the Derby favorites, boasts the most experienced ownership group.

Tabor has been in the Derby 20 times, winning with Thunder Gulch in 1995 . Magnier has appeared in the Run for the Roses on 13 occasions. Derrick Smith has 11 appearances. While Brant is listed as winless in three tries in the Derby media guide, he owned a share of 1984 Derby winner Swale . Westerberg has had one Derby starter. Brook Smith is the only member of the partnership making his Derby debut.

Society Man

Owners:  West Paces Racing, Danny Gargan and GMP Stables

What to know: West Paces Racing is the only ownership group in this year's Derby with multiple starters in Society Man and the aforementioned Dornoch.

A Louisville native, Gargan is the son of the jockey with the same name; his father won the 1973 Kentucky Oaks  aboard  Bag of Tunes . The younger Gargan once was a jockey agent and a former assistant to  Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito  before he decided to become a trainer himself. This will be Gargan's first appearance in the Run for the Roses as an owner.

The same is true for GMP Stables, which is owned by Anthony Melfi. Per BloodHorse , in 2019, "Melfi sold his environmental hazardous waste company which did business in 47 states and was responsible for the cleanup after disasters such as 9/11, hurricanes, oil spills, and train derailments." He then dove headfirst into the equine industry, between breeding and owning. Last year, he opened the 100-acre GMP Farm , which BloodHorse called "a state-of-the-art equine rehabilitation center that boasts an impressive menu of therapeutic modalities."

Owners:  Eric and Sharon Waller

What to know: The Wallers entered the industry as breeders and owners in the mid-1990s . But this year marks the first time they have a horse in the Kentucky Derby. And it comes amid its share of pain. The Wallers have had two mares die while giving birth, including Stronghold 's mother, Spectator . One of the top contenders in the Run for the Roses, Stronghold has provided the Wallers two of their three graded-stakes wins, capturing the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby and the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby earlier this year.

T O Password

Owner:  Tomoya Ozasa

What to know: This will be the first Derby appearance for Ozasa; all of his race horses carry "T O" as part of their name, a nod to his initials. Ozasa's horses have won more than half (9 of 16; 56.3%) their starts in the Emirates Racing Authority , which is the governing body for horse racing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Track Phantom

Owners:  L and N Racing (Lee Levinson), Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom and Breeze Easy (Mike Hall)

What to know: America's Best Racing notes that L and N Racing is "a four-way partnership comprised of Tulsa, Okla. lawyer Lee Levinson; his sons Andy and Michael; and family friend and prosecutor Don Nelson." L and N has one prior Derby appearance, taking runner-up honors in 2017 with Lookin at Lee .

It will be the first Derby showing for the other three factions in the ownership group, though.

Brewster, who also has served as Bob Baffert's attorney , has a long history as an owner but still is vying for his maiden graded-stakes win. Caroom also is seeking his first graded-stakes victory but has won more than 100 races since 2000 , with a win-place-show rate of 40.3% (142-112-108). Hall is now the sole owner of Breeze Easy after his co-owner, Sam Ross , died in 2022. Breeze Easy has multiple Grade 2 and 3 stakes wins, but a Grade 1 triumph, to this point, has eluded the stable.

West Saratoga

Owner:  Harry Veruchi

What to know: The 71-year old Veruchi won his first graded-stakes race —  after decades of ownership , which, per BloodHorse, dates back to 1982 — earlier this year thanks to his Derby entrant, West Saratoga , who captured the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes . Veruchi bought West Saratoga at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for only $11,000. "I'm not looking for a Kentucky Derby horse," Veruchi told BloodHorse. "Obviously, that is the ultimate. But I'm not looking for a graded-stakes horse. I'm looking for a horse I can have fun with, make some money with, maybe win a small stakes race somewhere. I just want to have fun."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

• Places and cities
• Attractions
• Map of museums and parks
• LIVING SICILY
• Itineraries
• Travel proposals
• How to reach Sicily
• Tourist information
• Safe Holidays

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT – SICILY

Via Notarbartolo, 9 – 90141 – Palermo

Tourist Informations

This website is not for profit, anyone who sees a possible infringement of copyright can report it and we will promptly remove the specific content.

VISIT SICILY

ACCESSIBILITY

• Toggle High Contrast
• Toggle Font size

© 2022 Regione Siciliana – All rights reserved

VAT number: 02711070827 – Tax Code: 80012000826 – Privacy

DATA PROCESSING

Privacy preview.