Strait of Sicily
Sicily
An island that never let one master stay long enough.
This is Sicily
An island that never let one master stay long enough.
Sicily carries the marks of Greeks, Arabs and Normans, with a volcano that keeps having the last word.
In Palermo, Byzantine mosaics stand next to Arab domes and Norman vaults, sometimes in the same building. In Trapani, the market smells of cumin and dried fish, a legacy of centuries of trade with Tunis. The island never settled on one identity. It piled them on top of each other and left them standing.
Travelling here isn't about one story but the friction between stories: baroque towns rebuilt after an earthquake, temples older than the Colosseum, and a volcano that keeps smoking right in the middle of it all as if nothing were the matter.
The regions
Six faces, no two alike.
Sicily is too big and too layered to fit into one route. Every region has its own pace and its own layer of history on top.
capital
Palermo and the Conca d'Oro
A capital that's loud at street level and quiet inside its palaces, with markets that have stood on the same spot for centuries.
baroque
Val di Noto
Noto, Modica and Ragusa were rebuilt in the same honey-coloured stone after the earthquake of 1693. Baroque as a collective restart.
antiquity
Agrigento and the south coast
The Valley of the Temples isn't kept behind glass: the columns simply stand in the grass, with the sea as a backdrop.
view
Taormina and the east coast
A Greek theatre with a view of an active volcano. The east coast combines classical antiquity with a landscape that never stands still.
salt and wind
Trapani and the west
Salt pans, a medieval Erice perched on the hill, and a cuisine closer to Tunis than to Naples.
volcanic
The Aeolian Islands
Seven islands off the north coast, each with its own character, from Stromboli's smoking cone to Salina's caper fields.
At the table
Where North Africa and Naples meet
Couscous alla trapanese with fish sits on the same menu as pasta con le sarde with fennel and pine nuts. Not a contradiction, just Sicily. Panelle and arancini are already frying in hot oil by morning, meant to be eaten standing up in the street.
Granita with a brioche counts as breakfast here, not dessert. On Salina, capers still dry in the sun the way they have for generations, while in Modica chocolate is still worked cold, following an Aztec method the Spanish once brought with them.
Verder kijken dan de highlights
Why we don't treat Sicily as a coastal destination
The interior is not a stopover The hills around Enna and Caltagirone rarely get attention, yet that's where the slow, agrarian Sicily lives, the one the coast lost long ago.
Layers, not a timeline We show Greek, Arab and Norman influences side by side rather than as a museum timeline. That's how the island actually works.
Local experts know the roads outside the season Our contacts live there year-round and know when a village is truly alive and when it only opens up for tourists.
Etna sets the pace, not the guidebook A route built around an active volcano needs flexibility. We build that margin in as standard, rather than cramming a day full.
Rugged and unpredictable
Nature that couldn't care less about a beach towel
Etna
Europe's most active volcano literally changes shape after every eruption. On its black slopes grows wine that tastes like nowhere else.
Riserva dello Zingaro
Seven kilometres of coastline with no road, just a footpath between agaves and hidden coves. This is what the Sicilian coast looked like before tourism.
The Egadi Islands
Favignana and Marettimo are barely a boat ride from Trapani, yet feel like a different speed of life, still organised around the tuna catch.
Ragusa Ibla, rebuilt in honey-coloured stone after the earthquake of 1693.
Possibilities
What a trip to Sicily can include
Not a fixed day-by-day programme, but a set of starting points from which we build a route that suits you.
Etna on foot
With a volcanologist guide across the black flanks, past craters that don't yet appear on every map.
Cooking with a nonna
An afternoon in a kitchen in the interior, with vegetables from the garden and recipes written down nowhere.
Wine on volcanic ground
A visit to a winemaker who explains why grapes grown on lava taste different from anywhere else.
Around the Egadi Islands
A day sailing between coves only reachable by boat, with time to swim without hurry.
Breakfast at the Ballarò
Out early with a guide who knows which stall is already open at seven, and why.
What we don't plan: a day packed with museums. Sicily works better slow.
A market stall beneath a volcano, a temple column in dry grass.
Sicily isn't an island with one story.
It's an island where every story stayed.
Wanneer reis je?
When to visit Sicily
Summer is hot and busy, especially around Taormina and the Egadi Islands. The interior can easily climb past 35 degrees.
Spring brings almond blossom to the temples of Agrigento and wildflowers to the Riserva dello Zingaro. In autumn, the grape harvest comes in around Etna and the coast cools just enough to make walking pleasant again.
Jan
Feb
Mrt
Apr
Mei
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Okt
Nov
Dec
Top: mild weather, almond or wine harvest, and crowds that are still manageable.
Good: pleasant travelling, with the occasional busier spot in the big cities.
Fair: heat inland, or a quieter, cooler island outside peak season.
Goed om te weten
Praktisch, zonder ruis.
A few things that make travelling in Sicily easier.
- Arrival
- Flights to Catania or Palermo, two airports that naturally split the island into an eastern and a western trip.
- Getting around
- A hire car is the practical norm outside the cities; coastal roads and the interior aren't well connected by train.
- Documents
- A valid ID card is enough for EU citizens.
- Health
- No special vaccinations needed; summer heat inland calls for a relaxed pace.
- Pace
- Expect late dinners and a siesta rhythm outside Palermo and Catania.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sicily suitable for a trip without a car?
Partly. Palermo, Catania and Taormina combine well on foot and by train, but the interior and the west coast call for a car or a private driver.
How hot does it get in summer?
The interior can climb well above 35 degrees; along the coast, the wind usually brings relief, especially around the Egadi and Aeolian Islands.
Do you combine Sicily with the Aeolian Islands?
Yes, that's a natural extension. By boat from Milazzo, Stromboli or Lipari fits well into a route along the north coast.
Or perhaps this
Other destinations
Still weighing it up? That is no problem at all. The right country often only becomes clear once the conversation starts.
Centrale Himalaya
Nepal
Valleys and temple towns that reveal as much about the country as its mountains do: there is far more here than Everest.
Zuidoost-Aziatische stadstaat
Singapore
Order and jungle blend here with ease, and the food comes closer to the country's true character than its skyline does.
Zuidoost-Azië
Thailand
From busy Bangkok streets to quiet mountain villages in the north, this country has as many faces as it has provinces.
The next step
What draws you to Sicily?
Tell us whether you dream of smoking volcanoes, baroque towns or a long table in the interior. We work out which layers of the island fit best.