Sicily

There is no sand on the best beach in Sicily. It is a strand of tiny pebbles, shining black, pink and grey at the sea's edge, and bigger stones, hot and smooth as eggs below the cliffs. Above rises thick greenery, bright with flowers; the air smells of rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme. The cliffs climb up to crests and peaks. There are eagles up there, peregrines and mouflon, long-horned wild sheep which move in flying leaps through the rocks and flowers.

If you’re looking for the best time to visit Sicily, we recommend avoiding at the height of summer, when the dusty scirocco winds blow in from North Africa. In July and August, you’ll roast – and you’ll be jostling for space on the beaches, in restaurants and at the archaeological sites when Sicily’s tourism is at its heaviest. Hotel availability is much reduced and prices will often be higher. If you want the heat but not the crowds, go in May, June or September – swimming is possible right into November.

There is no road, no hotel, though people still come, especially in the summer. The water is properly cold in May; you gasp with pleasure and your fingers tingle. The sun is always properly hot. The water is so clear you can see the changing seabed all the way along the path from the tiny port where you arrived. The seaways here are full of wrecks: Punic, Roman, Greek.

This wild place was once famous for pirates; everyone else stayed away. Say what you like about pirates (quietly! They are still here, their descendants sit under umbrellas on the quay, repairing fishing nets) but they know a perfect island when they see one. And a perfect beach.

On an early summer morning you will have it all to yourself. The piers of rock on either side make it feel exclusive. You sit on the hot stones with your feet in the water and think of Odysseus: Samuel Butler and Robert Graves believed this was Ithaca, his island home. And you know, as you dream, that you have slipped through a hole in the world, through a gap in the net of time. You are on a little mountain in the sea, one of the Isles of the Blessed. You are on Marettimo.

One of the top 10 things to do in Sicily is to go shopping! Taormina is definitely the place to go shopping in Sicily. It has a fantastic mix of classic Italian names you know like Furla and Coccinelle and super cute local stores filled with handmade shoes and handbags. The main street is really one of the best places to visit in Sicily – I didn’t find as many good stores in the back streets. Handbags and purses are the things to buy here. My favourite was Serapian where I got a stunning matching handbag and purse. The upside of visiting Taormina in the heat of August was that there were quite a few sales on. There are also many places to stock up on tasty Sicilian food products such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

The Aeolian Islands, or Isole Eolie, are a mysterious apparition when glimpsed from Sicily’s northern coast. Sometimes it’s clear enough to pick out the individual white houses on their rocky shores; at other times they’re murky, misty and only half-visible. The sleepy calm that seems to envelop this archipelago masks a more dramatic existence: two of the islands are still volcanically active, and all are buffeted alternately by ferocious storms in winter and a deluge of tourists in summer. But their unique charm has survived more or less intact, fuelled by the myths associated with their elemental and unpredictable power.

If you’re coming from Italy’s mainland, Messina may be your first taste of Sicily. The city has had suffered heavily from earthquakes and second world war bombings, so doesn’t make for much of a spectacle up close, but the area down by the harbour is atmospheric.

Taormina, dominating two grand, sweeping bays from high on Monte Tauro, is Sicily’s best-known and classiest resort. Although it has no beach of its own – they are all sited quite a way below town – the outstanding remains of the classical Teatro Greco and the sheer beauty of the town’s site, framed by a distant Etna, amply compensate. Beloved of writers, artists and celebrities across the decades, it’s an expensive place, but the air of exclusivity at least is only skin-deep – at heart, what was once a small hill-village still can’t seem to believe its good luck.

One of the largest volcanoes in the world, Mount Etna dominates much of Sicily’s eastern landscape, its smoking summit an omnipresent feature for travellers in the area. The main crater is gradually becoming more explosive and more dangerous, with recent eruptions far eclipsing those of the preceding decade.

Bang in the middle of the Ionian coast, with Mount Etna looming high above it, Catania is Sicily’s second-largest city, a major airport, port and transport hub and a thriving commercial centre. Within the periphery of shabby apartment blocks and edgy urban wasteland is a vibrant city, its small historic centre full of jaunty Baroque buildings of black lava and creamy white limestone built in the wake of the 1693 earthquake that wrecked the whole region. 

From Palermo, the whole of the rugged Tyrrhenian coast is hugged by rail, road and motorway, and for the most part, pretty built up. The first attraction is Cefalù, a beach resort and cathedral town. Beyond Cefalù, there are several resorts tucked along the narrow strip of land between the Nebrodi mountains and the sea, most of them not worth going out of your way for. 

Despite being one of Sicily’s busiest international beach resorts, Celafù has a parallel life as a small-scale fishing port, tucked onto every available inch of a shelf of land beneath a fearsome crag, La Rocca. Roger II founded a mighty cathedral here in 1131 and his church dominates the skyline, the great twin towers of the facade rearing up above the flat roofs of the medieval quarter.

Sicily’s eastern Ionian coast draws the largest number of visitors, attracted by Taormina, most chic of the island’s resorts and famed for its remarkable Greco-Roman theatre, and Mount Etna, Europe’s highest volcano. Further south, out of the lee of Etna, Siracusa was formerly the most important and beautiful city in the Hellenistic world, its enchanting centro storico surrounded by water. 

Under ancient Greek rule, Siracusa was the most important city in the Western world. Today it is one of Sicily’s main draws, thanks to its extensive archaeological park, a Greek theatre where plays are still performed and a charming historic centre occupying an offshore island where Greek, Roman, medieval and Baroque buildings of mellow golden limestone tangle along a labyrinth of cobbled streets. In between the two, is modern Siracusa, a busy and functional city of undistinguished apartment-lined boulevards.

One of my favourite things to see in Sicily is the nightly promenade. I love how the Italians frock up and look fantastic – immaculately groomed and tailored and with such attitude. They seem to treat the main streets like a catwalk – and it is all ages.

Oh my gosh the ricotta in Sicily! I made it a goal to have ricotta at every main meal and I did pretty well in delivering! Hotel Gutkowski will help you get started with fresh ricotta on the breakfast buffet. Try it with some of the fresh honey and mix it up with some eggs. Then at lunch try it on pizza with some Sicilian aubergine – fantastic combination. Dinner means ricotta cannoli – one of the best things that I have ever eaten. The food is amazing in Sicily – it is one of the best food places I have ever been. But don’t limit yourself. Make sure you have every possible flavour of cannoli – chocolate, vanilla, pistachio. It is a genuine tourist experience so don’t be shy! When it comes to things to do in Syracuse Sicily eating the local Cannoli should be high on your list!

Mt Etna is stunning and definitely, a Sicily must-see. I originally planned to climb Mt Etna – however, the August weather put me off. Having said that I had of course forgotten that you start the climb quite a bit above sea level where it was much cooler and this would have been fine. Indeed I saw many people climbing from the cable car. However, it looked very steep and the scenery quite same same so not sure how interesting a trek it would have been.

Boat Trips are number one Sicily points of interest when it comes to what to do on the Aeolian Islands! You can visit all the islands, you can hop on the main ferry, you can pretty much go anywhere – again spoilt for choice is the theme of these islands! I had recently done a full-day boat trip in Corsica which was rather crowded so was in the mood for something that wasn’t a 9-5 commitment with 100 other people. 

I ended up eating at Hotel Signum twice. First was a bit of a lunch recce visit to check it out – and it looked amazing and did a mean simple lunch. So we all headed back for a big 3-course dinner extravaganza at Hotel Signum and it was fantastic! The restaurant atmosphere is wonderful – we sat outside and it is quite magical. The service as fantastic. 

Lingua is a tiny town on the island of Salina. There is a bus that goes around the island and leaves once an hour so we hopped on this for the scenic 30 minute trip to Lingua from Malfa. I have to say there isn’t a lot in Lingua – a cute little waterfront that is worth a stroll. But we had heard all about the famous Granite so we, of course, had to go! And it was fantastic! There were SO many flavours! Again the first world problem of too many fantastic options in the Aeolian Islands reared its head!

When it comes to what to see in Sicily a sunset is key – and this is THE bar to go to for a sunset drink! The view is absolutely stunning. It is a lovely outdoor bar with cocktails and a nice wine list. And best of all they put on some very tasty snacks! It is usually quite busy but you should still score a seat – definitely the place to go and watch the sun come down in the Aeolian Islands! The perfect final activity of anyone’s Sicily holidays.

Some of the best nightlife you can find in Sicily is in Catania and Palermo. Catania is well known among Sicilians for its plentiful bars, pubs, and discos. Many of these places stay open every day of the week. Best of all, many of these places are clustered together, making it even easier to go from place to place.

Palermo has also got a good nightlife as well, but it is different from Catania. Palermo is bigger, and you need a car when moving from one bar to another. You will also find students going out from Tuesday until Thursday, so there’s a younger crowd that frequents the area.

Hope this helped !!!