Honestly, I was not sure what to expect when we were planning to visit Sicily. I knew there were some beaches, some nice cities to see and of course…the stereotypical, film-like version of mafia. What I found was much more beautiful, versatile and complex than I thought.

Is Sicily worth visiting?

Definitely! Sicily superseded my expectations in every way. Sicily is full of ancient stories, so if you are a history buff even in the slightest, this is THE place to visit. I think I have never seen so much history, jammed together in one place, especially from so many different time periods.

If nature is more your thing, Sicily has a lot to offer as well. The colours of the beaches, the views of Mount Etna, the meadows, plains and flowers. So many flowers! Mind you, we did visit Sicily in early May, so the luxuriance of nature might not be as high the whole year round as in May. But Sicily in spring is just dressed in countless colours of flowers, blooming at the side of the road and in the vast meadows.

If you are just more of a foodie and would to like try delicious meals, Sicily has you covered too. Cannoli, arancini and other typical Sicilian dishes are found almost at every corner.

The land of varieties

If I had to describe Sicily in one word, then it would be VARIETY. Sicily is various beyond imagination. Buildings have influences from so many different time periods – the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabic and the Normans. More often than not you will see influences merged from all these times in one building in Sicily. Greek columns that were integrated into churches from later Catholic or Byzantine periods; edifices that carry Arabian external structures but house simple Norman interior – Sicilian buildings could be held as a trademark for combining historical legacies in one.

But the variety does not end there. Sicily can capture in just one sight the meeting of opposites – mountains and the sea; hills and plains; farming fields and wild nature. Street food and fine dining. Chaos and order (you will especially experience the latter if you drive a car through the streets of Palermo). But somehow, everything works so well together, one cannot imagine it could be any different.

Sicily is Italian, but with its history of being under so many different rulers, it carries its own unique identity. It blends the various influences so well and yet it maintains its own unique character.

What about the Mafia?

A lot of tourists ask “what about the Mafia?” – is it still there, is it active, is it dangerous to be in Sicily? I have to admit, with seeing the Godfather and so many Mafia-related American movies, I also had my preconceived notions about Sicily and Mafia. I can only say two things about Sicily and Mafia. One, I felt completely safe in Sicily and never felt any danger at all. Two, the history with Mafia in Sicily is complicated and painful. No matter how many stories we have heard about famous Mafia bosses, there are twice as many or more stories about all the heroes in Sicily who fought against them.

Mafia does not have the same notoriety and influence as it had in the 1980s, so the climate is very different than it was in the previous century. But one thing that one can find at every corner are the heroes that fought against them, in the likes of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. If you have not yet heard of these two amazing men, then I suggest you read about them!

If you are in Sicily and want to find more about the topic, then I suggest visiting the CIDMA museum in Corleone and the No-Mafia memorial in Palermo. I have not had time to visit the latter, but the former gives you great insight into Mafia in Sicily and how it affected everyday people.

Things to do in Sicily in one week

We were in Sicily just one week and I can tell you that is not enough to see everything. Nevertheless, here is our itinerary for 7 days. We found the tempo was active, but not exhausting.

Day 1: Spend a day in Palermo

We spent our first day in Palermo. You can simply walk around the historical city center and see the most famous places. We started at Teatro Massimo di Palermo, then walked through the noisy streets to churches San Cataldo, Mortorana, Santa Caterina (they are all on the same square!). Santa Caterina has a nice bakery with great cannoli and other desserts that are definitely worth a try! From there, we continued our way through the Mercato Ballarò that is just a heaven for the senses! So many scents, sounds, colours! We did not buy anything because we were full from the cannoli, but if you go through, you should definitely try some food!

From the market we headed towards Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti finished our day at Palazzo dei Normani (the Royal Palace) and Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel). Most of these buildings are under protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marked in UNESCO as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale. These buildings date from the Norman Kingdom (1130-1194), but with later rulers, blend also Western, Islamic and Byzantine elements.

Day 2: Monreale and Castellamare del Golfo

Day 2. From Palermo we headed towards Monreale to see the Cathedral (go to the roof!) that is worth every penny. I have to say that from all the religious objects I saw in Sicily, the Monreale Cathedral (Duomo) was the most mesmerizing. The motifs within have a specific calming religious atmosphere that give off a sense of something eternal and transcendental. Behind you, you can visit the gardens of the Benedictine Cloister, which is a great stop if you love just walking around beautifully cultivated grounds.

In the afternoon, we headed towards Castellamare del Golfo, had a lovely dinner and spent the night.

Day 3: Corleone

On day 3, we set our way towards Corleone that took us through quite a serpentine road through the country but with magnificent views. If you want to see the interior of Sicily and just enjoy the scenery, travelling from Castellamare del Golfo through Corleone to Agrigento is really lovely and worthy of the sights. In Corleone, we went to see the CIDMA museum, which I believe is a MUST SEE in Sicily if you are at least slightly interested in the history of Mafia. There, you will get a lot of information about the struggles of Sicilians and how Mafia affected their lives, as well as about the heroes, who fought against Mafia. We also saw the Godfather’s House (Corleone Museum) but I do not think it is worth the visit. Maybe we were just unlucky and got a weird guide, but basically it is just a house with a lot of items. No connection to the Godfather whatsoever. But if you see from the reviews that it might interest you, go ahead! It only takes an hour. From there, we headed to Agrigento, where we spent the night.

Day 4: Valle dei Templi and heading to Noto

I have to admit, we did not see the city centre of Agrigento, so I cannot comment on the city. We headed straight to the Valle dei Templi, which for me, was one of the highlights of the trip. Websites suggest you should see it in the afternoon or the evening with the sun setting, but we were there in the morning. Nevertheless, it was beautiful. Valle dei Templi is basically a group of Greek structures and one of the best kept pieces of Doric architecture. The monuments, especially the Temple of Concordia and Temple of Hera, are really majestic and give off an atmosphere of being in ancient times.

Be careful to plan enough time to see everything. We did a quick tour but nevertheless spent three hours there! You can park next to the site, so it is quite comfortable.

From Valle dei Templi we headed to Noto to spend the night. The suburbs were a bit empty as it was a holiday, but still a lively city centre. Noto really has a Baroque vibe, especially with its main Cathedral and the Town Hall, all dressed in white. Unfortunately, we saw it only at night, so maybe we will take more time next time we will be in Sicily.

Day 5: Syracuse

Day 5 started with a relaxed drive from Noto to Syracuse. I will be honest – there we were mainly on the Ortigia island, where Syracuse was founded in time of the Ancient Greeks. There are many things to see there, such as Palazzo dell’Orologio, Fountain of Diana, Temple of Apollo and many others.

The highlight of our day was, however, the Syracuse’s Feast of the Patronage of Saint Lucia, which we accidentally stumbled upon as we were wandering around Ortigia. Lucia of Syracuse was a Roman Christian martyr from Syracuse, who died during the Diocletianic Persecution in 304 AD. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and is the patron saint of Syracuse.

The town of Syracuse hosts the Feast of the Patronage of Saint Lucia (different from Feast of Saint Lucia in December) – on the first and second Sunday of May. The feast is a commemoration of a miracle that happened in May 1646, when the city was saved by a miraculous grain delivery that ended a long famine in Syracuse.

We were right in the Piazza Duomo square, when a few minuted before noon the Cathedral bells started ringing and a river of people started flooding inside the Cathedral. As curious tourists, we naturally followed the flock. After a quick Google search, we learned that we are right in the midst of preparation for Festa re Quagghie (Saint Lucia of the pigeons) – the Feast of the Patronage of Santa Lucia. Why pigeons? According to the legend, a dove entered the Cathedral in 1646, signalling that ships have arrived in the port.

On Saturday, one day before the first Sunday of May, the simulacrum of Santa Lucia that resides within the Cathedral, is taken from the chapel to the high altar of the Cathedral. And this is what we witnessed as we accidentally arrived to the Piazza Duomo at quarter to 12. A wave of people hurrying into the Cathedral to witness this 8-ton heavy silver statue of Santa Lucia being moved from one place to another.

Santa Lucia means a great deal to the people of Syracuse. If you ever happen to attend this festival, do not be surprised if you see people in tears, ecstatic or any other emotional display as they see Santa Lucia. The moving of the simulacrum evoked many deep emotions within the attendees and we felt extremely humbled to be able to share this experience with them. So if someone ever mentions Santa Lucia in Syracuse, be respectful. She carries a lot of meaning for the people of Syracuse.

Last but not least, do try to make the time to see the Arethusa spring and the Street Market, whilst in Ortigia! Arethusa spring is very beautiful, but even more extraordinary because you have the views of the sea right next to it!

The Ortigia Street Market is a feast for the eyes, ears and mouth. If Palermo street market was the prince, the Ortigia Street Market is the king.

You can try freshly made seafood, smell sea air mixed with grilled octopus, admire colors of spices you have probably never seen before and just let yourself be swallowed by the noise. Let yourself immerse. Because when you will come out on the other side, you will feel you had so many experiences to last for a lifetime.

I don’t have more pictures of the market, because I was too busy looking at everything!

Day 6: Taormina

Taormina is supposedly one of the biggest attractions of Sicily and no doubt, it is very beautiful. The old town has its distinctive charm that old Italian villages tend to have. But be warned: Taormina is really full of tourists, so if you expect to wander around cozy, charming streets, it’s not gonna happen. Teatro Antico di Taormina is probably the most famous sight and it is nice to see. We were not so impressed but it might be that we are prejudiced as we saw the Colosseum a few times. If nothing else, the views from the Teatro Antico are amazing and most of my pictures from there consist of the beautiful coastlines and nature around it. Just for that, it is worth visiting.

So one icecream, two T-shirts and two perfumes later, we simply strolled through the old city centre and felt that was enough. The day concluded in a bar with a cocktail and some people watching as you do on holiday.

Day 7: Mount Etna and Isolla Bella

Day 7 started early. We booked a tour for Mount Etna because you cannot even enter the National Park without an authorized guide. And honestly, if you went alone, all you could see are black rocks and roads. Therefore, you need someone to show you around and explain exactly what you are looking at.

The tour we picked was the right mix of some hiking, but without any strenuous climbing that would require additional gear. We walked around two craters, looked at a cave, drove around some exhibits of the latest eruptions and the 4 hours were gone!

Mount Etna is so Sicily specific, not to mention the spectacular dark soil that it is almost impossible to skip it. At least I would not recommend to skip it. There, I really got the feeling that I am actually in Sicily and I knew this is an experience I cannot get anywhere else.

I can walk around shops, cities, monuments, forests somewhere else, but I cannot walk on such an active vulcano and the scenic nature behind it anywhere else.

We went up to 2600m but that was the most we could go because of the vulcano. Nevertheless, it was really warm, so on the way back as we were driving towards Palermo, we were looking for a beach and somehow ended up on Isola Bella. Truth be told, Isola Bella really looks nice, but it also looked warmer than the rest of the sea, since it is in a bay. After lunch and some time in the sun, I finally took a deep breath and plunged myself into the water. I had to take a few deep breaths after the first few strokes as the water had only 17 degrees Celsius. Maybe wait a little later than early May for the first swim, expect if you will cold water.

Spent the night in Cefalu and headed towards Palermo the next morning.

And that was our Sicily trip!

What do you think? Anything we missed? Let me know in the comments!