It should come as no surprise that Sicily was named the greatest island in the Med in a number-crunching survey carried out by Telegraph Travel in 2023 (it also topped the accompanying reader poll). This ancient cultural crossroad’s sheer wealth of art, ruins, landscapes, wines, beaches, craft traditions, tasty street food and irresistible cakes has even its closest competitor struggling to keep up.
For many years, Sicily was viewed as an adventurous, not to say risky, destination by many international travellers, influenced perhaps by all those Godfather clichés. And yet, in a 2022 survey carried out by Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, supposedly safe Italian cities like Milan, Turin, Rome, Florence and Venice scored higher on the crime index than any Sicilian city.
Until around the turn of the millennium, there was a more substantial deterrent. Great places to stay and eat were thin on the ground compared with, say, Tuscany or the Italian Lakes. This has all changed, powered partly by outside investment (including Rocco Forte in Sciacca and Palermo, Belmond and Four Seasons in Taormina) but even more encouragingly by a new generation of locals, some of them returnees from lucrative careers in Milan or further afield, some of them potential emigrés persuaded to stay in Sicily by the island’s new energy.
Minareto resort in Siracusa, Donna Carmela, Zash and Monaci delle Terre Nere on Etna’s eastern slopes and coast, the Planeta wine dynasty’s La Foresteria Menfi near Selinunte – today, these are among Sicily’s most desirable boutique hotels, yet none existed 15 years ago. The island’s villa rental scene has also come on apace, and here much of the credit should go to British-Sicilian operation The Thinking Traveller (formerly Think Sicily), who believed in Sicily’s vocation for holidays at the very highest end of the self-catering spectrum back when the idea was heresy.
![Mount Etna](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Taormina.jpg?imwidth=350)
Culturally, too, there is much that is new on an island that can boast almost 3,000 years of traceable, viewable history. Palazzo Butera in Palermo, which opened to the public in 2021, places a London-based Italian couple’s contemporary art collection inside a sensitively restored 18th-century palazzo. In Catania, a city that is still under the visitor radar, a former hospital is currently being transformed into a hi-tech Museum of Etna. And there was good news for lovers of the island’s ancient sites too in July 2023, when one of Sicily’s most stunning Greek temples, Segesta, became accessible for the first time in 20 years following structural reinforcement work. The temples of Agrigento are also justly famed, but in 2025 this southern city will get the chance to prove that it has more than ruins to offer, when it becomes the Italian Capital of Culture.
One should never underestimate the sheer size of Sicily. Even in the generous two-week tour outlined below, something had to give – so you won’t find Erice, Trapani and Marsala, a fascinating trio of towns in the far west, or the island’s agricultural heartlands, or any of the mothership’s satellite islands, from the Aeolians to Pantelleria. Car hire is essential for this itinerary – you’ll find international car-hire brands Hertz and Sixt at Catania’s Fontanarossa airport plus a handful of Italian outfits, including Noleggiare and Italy Car Rent. But, take heart: another thing that’s improved in the past 30 years is the roads – with a few pot-holed exceptions, left there, perhaps, for old time’s sake.
Modern art and sunset views
Volcanic activity and vineyards
Begin with a burst of seismic energy on Mount Etna. If you’re lucky, you may even get a glimpse down into the smoking crater before landing at Catania’s Fontanarossa airport. A Muntagna, as the locals call it, may be one of the most active volcanoes in the world, but all that lava makes for fertile soil further down the mountain.
![Monaci delle Terre Nere](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Monaci%20delle%20Terre%20Nere-RelaisChateaux.jpg?imwidth=350)
Etna’s eastern and northern slopes are a patchwork of kitchen gardens, olive groves and vineyards (dubbed “the Burgundy of the Mediterranean”, Etna Rosso is a rising star of Italy’s wine scene). The wine zone is also where you’ll find some of the coolest rural boutique hotels – like Monaci delle Terre Nere, a laid-back, eco-friendly place on an ancient Sicilian country estate, with an excellent farm-to-table restaurant, or Palazzo Previtera, a new option in Linguaglossa centring on a historic antique- and art-filled family house. Alternatively, base yourself amid the citrus groves of the coastal area around Riposto, in either of two compelling boutique hotels with superb seasonal cuisine: Zash or Donna Carmela.
Sicilian pastries and treks to the crater
In summer, spend the cooler mornings exploring some of the towns and villages that cling to the lower skirts of the mountain. In Santa Venerina, a visit to Pasticceria Russo is a must, as much to see its exquisite antique interior as to sample its delicious cannolis, cassatas and other Sicilian pastries. Kids will love the donkey rides offered by simpatico Salvo of Etna Donkey Trekking out of Linguaglossa, but there’s plenty for mum and dad too in excursions that traverse a wild landscape scarred by lava flows as recent as 2002.
![sicily souvenirs](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Ceramic%20of%20Sicily.jpg?imwidth=350)
In the afternoon, explore the higher slopes with an experienced guide from Ashara, which offers treks to the summit crater when conditions are favourable. The happy marriage between volcanic soil and vineyards is the core subject at the Etna Wine School, where you can sign up for a wine tasting and cellar visit, paired perhaps with a ride on the Circumetnea narrow-gauge railway line. Dine at one of two north-slope restaurants beloved by wine trade clients: Cave Ox in the hamlet of Solicchiata, where good-value pizzas help to absorb a stellar wine list, or top-notch trattoria San Giorgio e il Drago in Randazzo.
![Taormina](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Taormina.jpg?imwidth=350)
Dazzling views and local favourites
Until the White Lotus effect wears off, aim to book well in advance to secure a room at Taormina’s ultra-luxe San Domenico Palace, the Four Seasons hotel that was the main location for the second series of the HBO TV series. Even a stay at the town’s most modest B&B requires some serious forward planning. This has all happened before: those White Lotus fans are just the latest in a long line of stranieri entranced by the sheer beauty of a town perched on a volcanic spur above the Mediterranean, with views of the puffing cone of Etna behind.
Venerable Taormina institutions like the British Pharmacy date back to a time when it was watercolours rather than TV that drew travellers; this older, linen-suit spirit can still be felt if you visit out of season, from October through to March, or any time of year if you splash out on cocktails on the terrace of the elegant Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, with its dazzling views over the Teatro Greco and distant Etna. Mid-range accommodation options include two family-run places that date back to the first years of the 20th century, both with sea views: Villa Belvedere, with its elegant fin-de-siècle décor, and Villa Schuler, whose standout feature is a lush botanical garden full of exotic species.
![The Greek theater in Taormina](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-square-Greek%20theater%20in%20Taormina.jpg?imwidth=350)
Perfect piazzas and a Roman edifice
Taormina is all about the art of il dolce far niente. Stroll along the pretty, pedestrianised main street, lined with Renaissance palazzos, cafés and boutiques, opening onto little piazzas where gelato, Sicilian pastries and iced coffee lie in ambush.
The one unmissable sight is the Teatro Greco, a tribute to the Greek and Roman instinct for location, location, location, with its weathered caves (auditorium) facing a stage behind which Etna – snow-capped for much of the year – provides a backdrop no scene painter could match. Eat at Le Naumachie, a place run by two brothers (one handles the excellent creative Sicilian food, the other the wine) in the atmospheric setting of an ancient Roman edifice. Or push the boat out with a meal on the romantic, sea-view terrace of the St George Restaurant by Heinz Beck, currently Taormina’s most fully convincing gourmet option. It’s attached to the Ashbee Hotel, a handsome classic-contemporary five-star house in a villa designed in 1907 by a British Arts and Crafts architect.
![Taormina](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-day3-Taormina.jpg?imwidth=350)
![Cefalu](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Cefalu.jpg?imwidth=350)
Mountains and fishing villages
Make the amazing drive to Cefalù count by taking the inland route from Taormina via the northern slopes of Etna and remarkable Gangi (three hours’ drive), a medieval town that spills down the side of a hill, like a lava flow. From here the route leads up and over the ruggedly beautiful Madonie mountain range (90 minutes). Stop for lunch at Nangalarruni, a rustic trattoria with great mountain food including wild pig, rabbit and a dizzying range of mushrooms.
Without Roger II, the modest fishing port and beach resort of Cefalù would be no more than a pleasant gelato-stop on the road to Palermo. But the emperor of the European-Greek-Arabic cultural crucible that was Norman Sicily ennobled the town by giving it one of Sicily’s great cathedrals, its apse mosaic of Christ Pantocator perhaps the most striking single Byzantine image in Italy.
![Cefalù](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicliy-bodt-Cefalu%20Sicily.jpg?imwidth=350)
Nearby, don’t miss the absorbing little Museo Mandralisca, with Antonello da Messina’s deliciously enigmatic Portrait of an Unknown Man. Stay right on the beach at Le Calette, a stylish family-run place with a fantastic restaurant helmed by young Sicilian chef Dario Pandolfo. If you’re looking for a classy local fish and seafood trattoria in the centre of town, head for Locanda del Marinaio.
![Palermo](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Palermo.jpg?imwidth=350)
Sicily’s creative hub
If you can attune yourself to its colour and chaos, and avoid its baking summer heat, Palermo is immensely rewarding. Churches like La Martorana, or Roger II’s private chapel the Cappella Palatina, fuse Norman, Spanish, Greek and Arabic influences in a style that looks like a 12th-century premonition of the Renaissance, and the city’s bustling Vucciria market distils the essence of Mediterranean.
![villa igiea](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Villa%20Igiea-Palermo.jpg?imwidth=350)
Palermo is also full of new creative energies. London-based art patrons Francesca and Massimo Valsecchi restored the crumbling Baroque pile Palazzo Butera to house their extensive contemporary art collection, opening it to the public in 2021. Keep the modern vibe going at MEC, the cutting-edge Michelin-starred restaurant of a museum of digital technology housed in a 16th-century palazzo, or tuck into refined versions of Palermo street food (don’t miss the panell chickpea fritters) at historic Antica Focacceria San Francesco. Stay above the fray in leafy luxury at Villa Igiea, a Belle Epoque hospitality icon that Sir Rocco Forte saved from decline and reopened in June 2021, or be close to the downtown action at stylish, new-for-2024 Palazzo Cartari, a twenty20-room boutique charmer just off central Via Roma.
New heights and lush gardens
On your way up to lofty Monreale Cathedral on the heights ( 20 minutes’ drive) above Palermo – another refulgent Norman masterpiece of mosaic art – stop off at Villa Tasca, an aristocratic residence belonging to the Tasca d’Almerita winemaking family. The verdant park – a bulwark against Palermo’s suburban sprawl – is open to all for a small entrance fee, but you’ll need to book a private tour to access this grand 16th-century villa’s lush inner garden and sumptuous interiors (you can even stay overnight in one of its frescoed suites, like Daphne and Harper in The White Lotus).
![Villa Tasca, mid-15th century.](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-palermo-Villa%20Tasca.jpg?imwidth=350)
Ancient ruins and beachside dining
It’s a day for ruins – magnificent ones, dating back to the Greek settlers who colonised Sicily from the eighth century BC onwards. First stop is Segesta, just off the A23 motorway, where a splendid, unfinished Doric temple stands in glorious seclusion. Reopened to the public in July 2023 after a 20-year closure, it’s a magical place, an ideal fusion of architecture and nature.
Forty-five minutes to the south, overlooking the island’s south-west coast, lie the tumbled ruins of Selinunte (the only standing temple is a reconstruction). You’ll get the most out of this evocative site if you visit with a guide – like one of the highly qualified art, archaeology and history specialists from island-wide network Passage to Sicily. If you decide to go it alone, don’t miss Cava di Cusa a short drive away – the former Greek city’s abruptly-abandoned quarry, where part-hewn and carved column sections stand in a romantic flower-strewn landscape.
![Verdura Resort](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-La-Verdur.jpg?imwidth=350)
It’s a 20-minute drive from here to La Foresteria Menfi, a bright, contemporary hotel surrounded by the vines of the Planeta estate. Don’t miss chef Angelo Pumilia’s cooking classes – as fun for kids as they are for grown-ups – or the hotel’s recently-opened cousin, barefoot-chic Insula Beach Club. The other great accommodation option in the area is Verdura Resort, but this huge, super-stylish Rocco Forte resort is the kind of place you move into for a week (and never leave).
There are good places to eat in the lively seaside town of Sciacca (try Hostaria del Vicolo) or in nearby Porto Palo (go for Da Vittorio, a simple but special beachside restaurant whose fans include chef Giorgio Locatelli).
![Juno Temple, Valley of temples, Agrigento, Sicily.](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Temples-Agrigento.jpg?imwidth=350)
Unesco sites and gourmet delights
Start early for the longest driving day of the trip, taking in two of Sicily’s most awe-inspiring Unesco World Heritage sites. A 7am departure from Menfi will allow you to arrive at the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento in plenty of time for the 8.30am opening. Park at the Temple of Juno entrance at the top to beat the crowds. Don’t bother with the uninspiring official audio guides; you’ll get all the context you need from the first chapter of John Julius Norwich’s erudite yet entertaining 2015 book Sicily.
![Selinunte Archaeological Park Sicily Italy](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Selinunte-day-nine.jpg?imwidth=350)
On arrival at Piazza Armerina, gourmet restaurant Al Fogher makes for a suitably decadent lunchtime prelude to the vast archaeological site of Villa Romana del Casale a few miles south, with its marvellous Roman mosaic floors (including those much-reproduced female gymnasts working out in their bikinis). Note that you can download the official guidebook for free at villaromanadelcasale.it. If you opt to stick around rather than press on towards Ragusa, stay in cute four-room B&B Giardino delle Zagare, with its lovely walled garden. Dine on local cold cuts, cheeses and tasty small plates at wine bar Siciliartegusto.
![Modica, Italy](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Modica.jpg?imwidth=350)
The Baroque triangle
Welcome to the Baroque triangle of Sicily’s deep south, its honey-coloured sandstone towns the result of enlightened reconstruction by the island’s Spanish rulers after a devastating 1693 earthquake.
There are plenty of handsome old towns in Sicily, but Ragusa Ibla – the ancient part of a city that was devastated by the earthquake – looks as if a team of masons had carved the place out of a whole hill, like the world’s biggest sandcastle. It’s no less ravishing on the inside, with its picturesque warren of lanes, scenic Baroque cathedral and shady Giardino Ibleo public park. No wonder Ragusa was chosen as the main setting for the TV adaptation of writer Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano detective yarns.
![ragusa](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Ragusa.jpg?imwidth=350)
In town, stay at good-value four-room B&B La Casa del Gelsomino, and treat yourself to a wallow in the heated garden jacuzzi after a long day’s sightseeing. Those on a more generous budget should head for the discreetly luxurious Eremo della Giubiliana, a former Knights of Malta farm estate in the wild pasturelands south of town. If ultra-gourmet Michelin-starred fare is your thing, you’re in for a treat at Il Duomo, the old town fiefdom of Sicilian uber-chef Ciccio Sultano. For genuine but high-quality home cooking, make a beeline for Cucina e Vino . Many of the ingredients come from the Cilia family’s own kitchen garden.
Sweet treats and dramatic scenery
If Ragusa piles its treasures on a rocky spur, nearby Modica drapes its splendours across two valleys and their confluence, but the effect – of a landscape magically transformed into a honey-hued Baroque town – is similar.
![Bonajuto, the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Bonajuto-day11.jpg?imwidth=350)
The town is celebrated for its grainy-textured cold-pressed chocolate, made according to what locals claim is an Aztec recipe brought back by the conquistadors. Sample it by booking a tasting at the oldest and best producer, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, which also takes in the town’s other unusual sweet speciality, “mpanatigghi” biscuits, filled with chocolate and minced beef.
If you decide to base yourself here, stay at Casa Talìa, a delightful design-hotel conversion of a series of partly rock-hewn dwellings and terraced gardens that eye downtown Modica from across a gorge. After lunch at Taverna Nicastro – an old-school trattoria in the high town, where the delicious antipasto (starter) spread is a meal in itself – head seawards towards Marina di Ragusa for a breezy jaunt through Inspector Montalbano landscapes. Fields of gnarled olives and prickly-pears criss-crossed by drystone walls lead down to a series of family resorts – among them Punta Secca, where you’ll find the house (now a B&B) used as the location for the fictional cop’s waterfront abode. Dine on fresh-off-the-boat seafood at gourmet beach club Lido Azzurro 1953 Da Serafino, the more affordable progenitor of upscale Ragusa Ibla restaurant Locanda Don Serafino.
![Noto](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-noto.jpg?imwidth=350)
Gelato and rooftops views
You just wish they made new towns like this today. Noto is the most perfect and most visionary of southern Sicily’s resurgent Baroque burgs – because it was built ex novo on a site miles away from the earthquake-struck old town. Soak up the early 18th-century atmosphere with a guided tour of Palazzo Castelluccio, an aristocratic townhouse painstakingly restored by its French TV-journalist owner, then refuel with a cake, gelato or better still an almond, lemon or coffee granita (water-ice) at historic Caffè Sicilia in Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Stay in one of the 11 fresh, elegant rooms or suites at the reasonably priced Gagliardi Boutique Hotel, whose roof terrace bar feels like a dolce vita raft floating over the Baroque city, and dine at Crocifisso, a stylish creative restaurant with the heart of a genuine Sicilian trattoria.
![ortygia](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-portrait-Ortygi.jpg?imwidth=350)
Enchanting city
Chiudere in bellezza, as Italians say: end on a high note with three nights in and around one of Sicily’s most absorbing and attractive cities, Siracusa, a.k.a. Syracuse. As you approach the end of your trip, you’re probably in need of some downtime, so treat this as a rest day and hang out by the pool at your chosen hotel. Borgo Pantano, a smart rural hotel just a 10-minute drive out of town, has a particularly impressive example, set amid citrus groves; alternatively, head for chic Minareto, an upscale resort stunningly located on a promontory within a marine reserve across the bay from the old town – which can be reached via the hotel’s shuttle boat.
![Ortigia Island and Siracusa city at sunset. Landmark in Sicily, Italy.](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Siracusa%20city%20at%20sunset.jpg?imwidth=350)
Archaeological wonders and local tours
Try to arrive at the Neapolis archaeological park by 10am at the latest (it opens at 8.30am) for a 90-minute tour with enthusiastic local guide and archaeology graduate Enrica de Melio, who brings alive the Greek theatre and surrounding quarries (like the echo-chamber known as the Ear of Dionysius).
Then head for the sea-girt old town, Ortygia, wandering through its tight warren of lanes and piazzas, admiring a cathedral that was built simply by filling in the spaces between the columns of the Greek temple of Minerva, and joining the queue for a made-to-order gourmet panino at popular deli and cheesemaker Caseificio Borderi. Ortygia is enchanting, but it’s also one of those touristy places where it’s difficult to trust review aggregator sites when it comes to eating out. Join the locals at Latteria Mamma Iabica, a cool vintage-style trattoria and café that does a range of well-priced local specialities like lolli (a short pasta from Modica traditionally served with broad-bean purée), or treat yourself to dinner at Don Camillo, an old-school classic, housed in the cellars of a 15th-century monastery, with impeccable service and a formidable wine list.
![Neapolis of Syracuse](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-Syracuse%20in%20Sicily.jpg?imwidth=350)
Homeward bound
Catania’s Fontanarossa airport is just a 45-minute drive away, so flight time permitting, you may even have time for a final swim before easing yourself back into real life.
When to go
Late spring and early autumn are the best times to visit Sicily. Summers are hot and getting hotter, with peaks of over 40 degrees – though this hasn’t (yet) brought down accommodation rates, which are sky-high in July and August.
Winters are generally mild, although it can get chilly inland and around snow-capped Etna. In low season, prices are generally lower and sights less busy, but be aware that some hotels close for the winter and even restaurants may shut for a month or two.
What to book
For those interested in taking a deep dive into the island’s past, Martin Randall offers a comprehensive 13-day “Civilisations of Sicily” tour across the length of the island and through three thousand years of its history. The price, from £5,940pp, includes flights, transfers, expert lecturers, hotel accommodation, admissions, breakfasts, five lunches and seven dinners.
Passage to Sicily’s Flavours of Sicily tour takes you on a three-day guided romp through the tastes and sights of Palermo, with a guided tour to Selinunte on day three. It includes cooking lessons, wine tastings and plenty of cultural highlights. Prices start from €420pp (£360) and include guided tours, transfers, wine tastings, cooking classes and local taxes. Accommodation, admission fees and dinners are not included.
![sicily road](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy/Sicily/sicily-body-forestSicilyItaly.jpg?imwidth=350)
What to pack
In summer, you’ll want to dress light and shield yourself from the roasting sun (linen shirts, hats and plenty of factor 50). If you’re planning a trip to Etna, make sure to pack walking boots and warm clothing, even in beach season. Sicilians, like most Italians, are elegant dressers when the opportunity arises; going shirtless anywhere but on the beach is frowned on.
Holiday reading
Topping almost every Sicilian-themed reading list, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s unfinished masterpiece, Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), traces the death throes of Sicily’s quasi-feudal aristocracy as captured in its most famous quote, “everything must change so that everything can stay the same”. Andrea Camilleri’s famous Montalbano books about a southern Sicilian police inspector are both entertaining and culturally revealing, as are Leonardo Sciascia’s more bracingly acerbic novels, many (like The Day of the Owl) about how the Mafia works not only on the streets but also in hearts and minds. Children should pack a copy of Dino Buzzati’s The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily, a beautifully illustrated magical realist dive into Sicilian history and humans’ interaction with the natural world. For a more conventional but no less fascinating look into the island’s eventful history, read John Julius Norwich’s Sicily: A Short History from the Ancient Greeks to Cosa Nostra. The Normans in Sicily books by the same author shine a light on the extraordinary time of cultural and social enlightenment ushered in by the island’s crusading rulers.
Expert tips
- When it comes to hiring a car, shop around, but bear in mind that whichever provider you choose, it’s always best to book direct rather than through a third-party agency to avoid complications in the case of an accident, breakdown or claim.
- Find a shady café and order a refreshing latte di mandorla, a gluten- and lactose-free powdered almond "milk" supposedly popularised by Sicilian monks in the Middle Ages. Cool down in summer with a granita di limone (lemon water ice) and a tè freddo (iced tea) – locals often put a dollop of the former in the latter.
- Sicilians know how to throw a party, so make sure to check the festival calendar before planning your visit. Catania’s Festa di Sant’Agata in February is a particularly spectacular multi-day extravaganza of pyrotechnics, religious processions and, er, barbecued horse meat.
- The island’s telecommunications network has made a great leap forward in recent years, with fibre-optic cable giving even the smallest village faster internet than many of Europe’s big cities.
For more advice on how to plan the perfect holiday in Sicily read our expert guide.
This story was first published in August 2023 and has been revised and updated.