Sicily
5
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Five days in Sicily lets you explore the island's extraordinary full range. More civilisations have left their mark here than almost anywhere else on earth. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish and Bourbons all ruled and all built, leaving a layered culture of extraordinary complexity that rewards slow and curious exploration. This route covers the full sweep of Sicily. Palermo's chaotic genius, the Valley of the Temples at dawn, the perfectly preserved Baroque cities of the southeast, the ancient island city of Syracuse, Europe's most active volcano, and Taormina's Greek theatre with Etna as its backdrop. Every day a completely different Sicily.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Palermo (PMO) or Catania (CTA)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 80 to 130 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
PALERMO
MORNING
THE BALLARÓ MARKET AND CAPPELLA PALATINA
The Ballaró is the oldest street market in Palermo, a tightly packed labyrinth selling Sicilian produce and extraordinary street food. Eat arancini, pane ca meusa (spleen sandwiches) and panelle directly from the stalls. Then walk to the Cappella Palatina, the 12th-century royal chapel of Roger II with Byzantine mosaics covering every surface in breathtaking gold. Entry approx 12 euros combined with the palace. Drive: 10 min walk to Arab-Norman churches
MIDDAY
ARAB-NORMAN CHURCHES AND HIDDEN QUARTERS
San Giovanni degli Eremiti has five Arab domes over a Norman structure in an extraordinary garden. The Cathedral has been Arab mosque, Norman cathedral and Baroque church simultaneously in its extraordinary hybrid architecture. The Fontana Pretoria, a 16th-century fountain so indecent when unveiled that locals called it the Fountain of Shame. Drive: 15 min walk to Vucciria
AFTERNOON
VUCCIRIA AND THE ORATORIO DI SANTA CITA
The Vucciria transforms by afternoon into one of the most extraordinary street party scenes in Italy. The Oratorio di Santa Cita is a Baroque masterpiece by Giacomo Serpotta containing the finest stucco work in Sicily, hidden in a side street and visited by almost nobody.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Palatine Chapel ceiling is the most extraordinary ceiling in Italy. A wooden muqarnas honeycomb ceiling from the Islamic tradition, painted with Norman and Arab figurative scenes from the 12th century. An entirely unique fusion of two cultures in one extraordinary space.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Spinnato, Palermo Finest traditional cafe in Palermo since 1860. Extraordinary pastries and granita di caffè. | Lunch: Street food in Ballaró Eat standing up. Arancini, panelle and local wine for under 10 euros. The most authentic lunch in Sicily. | Dinner: Osteria dei Vespri, Palermo Finest restaurant in Palermo in a beautiful courtyard. Outstanding Sicilian cuisine.
DAY 2
VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES
MORNING
MIDDAY
SCALA DEI TURCHI, THE WHITE STAIRCASE
A gleaming white marl rock staircase descending directly into the turquoise sea. The colour contrast between chalk-white cliffs, golden sand and deep blue sea is extraordinary. Arrive before 10am for the finest light. Drive: 45 min drive to Agrigento museum
AFTERNOON
REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF AGRIGENTO
The finest Greek sculpture collection in Sicily, including the extraordinary Efebo di Agrigento, a young athlete from 480 BC. Entry approx 8 euros and vastly undervisited relative to its extraordinary contents.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The archaeological museum holds the Telamon of the Temple of Zeus, an enormous 8-metre stone figure from the largest Greek temple ever built, now reconstructed lying on the museum floor. The Temple of Zeus would have been the biggest building in the ancient world. Entry combined with the museum ticket.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar at Valley of Temples Coffee before the site opens at 7:30am. Leave before tour buses at 9:30am. | Lunch: Trattoria dei Templi, Agrigento Outstanding traditional restaurant. Local lamb, ricotta and Nero d'Avola wine. | Dinner: Osteria Il Molo, Agrigento Excellent seafood restaurant with views of the coast. Local catch and Sicilian white wine.
DAY 3
NOTO AND RAGUSA IBLA
MORNING
NOTO, THE GOLDEN BAROQUE CITY
Noto is the most beautiful Baroque city in Sicily and one of the finest in the world. Rebuilt entirely after the 1693 earthquake in a single architectural style using warm golden limestone, the entire city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cathedral of Noto, the Palazzo Ducezio and the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata are the finest buildings. The extraordinary Palazzo Nicolaci balconies with their grotesque carved supports are extraordinary. Walk the main Corso Vittorio Emanuele at dawn for the golden light. Drive: 40 min drive to Ragusa
MIDDAY
RAGUSA IBLA, THE BAROQUE CITY ON THE VALLEY EDGE
Ragusa Ibla is the old town of Ragusa, a perfectly preserved Baroque city on a rocky spur above a deep valley, separate from the modern upper city. The Cathedral of San Giorgio is the finest Baroque facade in Sicily. Walk the extraordinary viewpoints along the valley edge for the panoramic view of the old city and the surrounding limestone gorges. The Inspector Montalbano TV series was filmed here. Drive: 30 min drive to Modica
AFTERNOON
MODICA AND THE ANCIENT CHOCOLATE
Modica is famous throughout Italy for its extraordinary chocolate, produced using a recipe brought by the Spanish from the Aztecs in the 16th century. The chocolate is made without sugar, only ground cacao mixed with spices, producing a grainy, intensely flavoured product entirely unlike modern chocolate. The Antica Dolceria Bonajuto has been making it since 1880. Buy several bars and try every flavour.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Cava d'Ispica gorge between Modica and Ispica is one of the most extraordinary archaeological landscapes in Sicily. A 13km limestone gorge containing cave dwellings, rock-cut churches and catacombs from prehistoric, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Arab periods. Partially free to explore and almost entirely unknown.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Noto old town Several beautiful cafes on the Corso. Breakfast in the golden morning light before the tours arrive. | Lunch: Ristorante Duomo, Ragusa Ibla Two Michelin stars in a beautiful palazzo. Outstanding modern Sicilian cuisine by Ciccio Sultano. Book weeks ahead. | Dinner: Osteria dei Sapori Perduti, Modica Outstanding traditional Sicilian restaurant. Local rabbit, pork and the finest Nero d'Avola wines.
DAY 4
SYRACUSE AND ORTIGIA
MORNING
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF SYRACUSE
Syracuse was the greatest city in the western world in the 5th century BC. The archaeological park contains the finest Greek theatre in Sicily, still used for performances in May and June, and the extraordinary Ear of Dionysius, a 23-metre artificial cave with extraordinary acoustic properties. The adjacent Roman amphitheatre and the Altar of Hiero II are extraordinary. Entry approx 13 euros. Drive: 15 min drive to Ortigia
MIDDAY
ORTIGIA, THE ANCIENT ISLAND OLD TOWN
Ortigia is the extraordinary ancient island city connected to the modern mainland by a bridge. The Duomo is a Greek temple converted to a church, the original Doric columns still visible in the exterior walls. The Fonte Aretusa freshwater spring on the island waterfront was sacred to the Greeks and is still surrounded by papyrus reeds. The extraordinary Baroque streets contain hidden courtyards and palaces. Drive: 10 min walk around island
AFTERNOON
ORTIGIA HIDDEN TREASURES AND THE MARKET
The Ortigia morning market in the Piazza Cesare Battisti is the finest food market in eastern Sicily. Buy local bottarga, Sicilian anchovies in salt and blood orange marmalade to take home. Then find the extraordinary Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, a Baroque palace with an extraordinary courtyard, and the hidden Jewish quarter with the remarkable underground mikveh (ritual bath) from the Norman period.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The underground Jewish mikveh below a Baroque palazzo in Ortigia is one of the most extraordinary hidden sites in Sicily. Dating from the Norman period when a large Jewish community lived on the island, the ritual bath was fed by two natural springs and is extraordinarily well preserved. Guided visits only, entry approx 7 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe del Duomo, Ortigia Beautiful cafe in the shadow of the Duomo. Excellent espresso and local granita al limone. | Lunch: Trattoria Archimede, Syracuse Most beloved traditional restaurant in Ortigia. Fresh pasta, swordfish and local white wine. | Dinner: Ristorante Don Camillo, Syracuse Finest traditional restaurant in Syracuse since 1953. Outstanding fresh fish and Sicilian pasta.
DAY 5
ETNA AND TAORMINA
MORNING
MOUNT ETNA, EUROPE'S LARGEST ACTIVE VOLCANO
The cable car from Rifugio Sapienza ascends to 2,500 metres for an extraordinary landscape of black lava fields, volcanic bombs and views over the entire east coast of Sicily. Authorised guides lead walks to the summit craters from the cable car station. Even without the summit, the Gole dell'Alcantara, a narrow basalt gorge carved through an ancient lava flow below the volcano, is extraordinary. Entry to the gorge approx 6 euros. Drive: 45 min drive to Taormina
MIDDAY
TAORMINA, THE MOST DRAMATICALLY SITED CITY IN SICILY
The Teatro Greco is a Greek theatre from the 3rd century BC with an extraordinary backdrop of Etna and the sea, still used for performances. Entry approx 10 euros. Walk away from the Corso Umberto to find the Villa Comunale gardens with extraordinary views and the medieval quarter with Byzantine and Arab fragments. Drive: 30 min drive to Castelmola
AFTERNOON
CASTELMOLA, THE VILLAGE ABOVE TAORMINA
Castelmola sits 350 metres above Taormina with the finest view in eastern Sicily. A medieval castle ruins, a tiny village square with one extraordinary bar serving almond wine and views stretching from Etna to the Calabrian coast. Almost entirely unvisited despite being one of the great views in the Mediterranean.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The vineyards on the lower slopes of Etna produce some of the finest and most distinctive wines in Italy, from Nerello Mascalese grapes grown in volcanic soil. The Etna DOC bodegas of Benanti, Cornelissen and Terre Nere are among the most extraordinary wine producers in Italy. Most offer visits and tastings by appointment from approx 15 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar at Rifugio Sapienza, Etna Coffee on the volcano slopes before the cable car ascent. The most dramatic morning coffee in Sicily. | Lunch: Ristorante Corsaro, Etna Finest restaurant on the slopes of Etna. Local porcini, volcanic soil wine and spectacular views. | Dinner: Ristorante La Giara, Taormina Most celebrated traditional restaurant in Taormina. Fresh fish, pasta alla Norma and Etna wine. Book ahead.
Where To Stay
Palermo, Night 1 Hotel Palazzo Conte Federico, a 12th-century palace still inhabited by the count. Approx 130 to 200 euros. Agrigento or Noto, Nights 2 to 3 Hotel Villa Athena with temple views, Agrigento, or Masseria Ottocento near Noto. Approx 110 to 200 euros. Syracuse and Taormina, Nights 4 to 5 Hotel Gutkowski, Ortigia, and Hotel Villa Schuler, Taormina. Approx 100 to 180 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Valley of the Temples opens at 7:30am. Arrive at opening and leave before the tour buses at 9:30am.
2. Scala dei Turchi is best before 10am. The white cliffs glow in the morning light. Bring non-slip shoes.
3. Etna summit visits require a licensed guide above 2,900 metres. Book in advance from the cable car station.
4. Pane ca meusa (spleen sandwich) in Ballaró market is the true test of commitment to Sicilian street food.
5. Taormina Corso Umberto is beautiful but touristy. Walk left or right off it immediately.
6. Sicily's Nero d'Avola red wine is extraordinary and costs almost nothing at local trattorias.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day