Sicily itinerary

1. 1

   Mount Etna - Europe's Most Active Volcano

   Mount Etna towers 3,357 m above eastern Sicily, the tallest active volcano in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. Mount Etna erupts somewhere between dozens and hundreds of times each year - usually mild…

   Address

   Rifugio Sapienza, SP92, 95030 Nicolosi CT (south-side base station)

   Nearest transit

   AST bus from Catania Centrale to Rifugio Sapienza, daily 08:15 (returns 16:30), ~6.60 EUR each way; Funivia dell'Etna cable car from base

2. 2

   Valley of the Temples (Agrigento) - Best Greek Temples Outside Greece

   The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is the most complete surviving Doric temple complex outside mainland Greece - and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Eight temples line a 1.5 km ridge above the…

   Address

   Contrada San Nicola 12, 92100 Agrigento AG

   Nearest transit

   TUA city bus 1, 2, or 3 from Agrigento Centrale station (Piazzale Rosselli) to the Tempio di Giunone or Porta V entrance, 1.20 EUR

3. 3

   Taormina - Sicily's Most Photogenic Hilltop Town

   Taormina sits on a Monte Tauro spur 200 m above the Ionian Sea, the most photogenic small town in Sicily and the destination that put the island on the international tourism map in the 19th century. The Teatro Antico -…

   Address

   Via Teatro Greco 1, 98039 Taormina ME (Greek Theatre)

   Nearest transit

   Train to Taormina-Giardini station, then Interbus shuttle to Taormina centre (10 min, 2 EUR each way)

4. 4

   Syracuse and Ortigia - Ancient Greek City and UNESCO Old Town

   Syracuse was, in Cicero's words, the largest and most beautiful Greek city in the Mediterranean - and the archaeological park together with the offshore island of Ortigia have formed a UNESCO World Heritage Site since…

   Address

   Via del Teatro Greco, 96100 Siracusa SR (Parco Archeologico della Neapolis)

   Nearest transit

   Train Catania to Siracusa station (1h20m, ~7.50 EUR), then AST bus 1 to Neapolis park or 15-min walk to Ortigia

5. 5

   Palermo - The Capital and Its Arab-Norman Heart

   Palermo is Sicily's chaotic, food-obsessed capital, founded by the Phoenicians around 734 BC and shaped most spectacularly by Norman and Arab rulers between 1072 and 1194. UNESCO listed nine of the city's Arab-Norman…

   Address

   Via Vittorio Emanuele 490, 90134 Palermo PA (Palermo Cathedral)

   Nearest transit

   AMAT bus 101 or 104 from Stazione Centrale; or 10-min walk from Quattro Canti crossroads

6. 6

   Cefalù - Norman Cathedral Town with Sicily's Best City Beach

   Cefalù sits 70 km east of Palermo on the Tyrrhenian coast - a small fishing town with a Norman cathedral that is one of three Sicilian buildings sharing the Arab-Norman UNESCO listing. King Roger II commissioned the…

   Address

   Piazza del Duomo, 90015 Cefalù PA (Cefalù Cathedral)

   Nearest transit

   Trenitalia regional train from Palermo Centrale to Cefalù station (45-60 min, 5.60 EUR), then 5-min walk to old town

7. 7

   Aeolian Islands - Volcanic Archipelago Off the North Coast

   The Aeolian Islands are seven volcanic islands strung off Sicily's northern coast, listed by UNESCO in 2000 for their textbook volcanic geology. Lipari is the largest and most populated, with the small but excellent…

   Address

   Via dei Mille, 98057 Milazzo ME (Milazzo ferry port - main embarkation)

   Nearest transit

   Liberty Lines hydrofoil or Siremar ferry from Milazzo (1h to Vulcano, 1h45m to Lipari, ~22 EUR each way); SAIS bus from Catania to Milazzo (~2h, 9 EUR)

8. 8

   Noto - Late Baroque Showpiece of the Val di Noto

   Noto is the showpiece of the late-baroque towns of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 covering eight south-eastern Sicilian towns rebuilt in honey-coloured limestone after the 1693 earthquake…

   Address

   Piazza Municipio, 96017 Noto SR (Cathedral of San Nicolò)

   Nearest transit

   Train from Syracuse to Noto station (35 min, 4.30 EUR) or AST bus from Syracuse, then 10-min uphill walk to historic centre

9. 9

   Monreale Cathedral - Sicily's Greatest Norman Mosaic Church

   Monreale Cathedral, 10 km southwest of Palermo, is the third Sicilian Arab-Norman UNESCO monument - and it holds the largest cycle of Byzantine gold mosaics in Italy. King William II commissioned the church in 1174; the…

   Address

   Piazza Guglielmo II 1, 90046 Monreale PA

   Nearest transit

   AMAT bus 389 from Palermo Piazza Indipendenza (35 min, 1.80 EUR for a 90-min ticket)

10. 10

    Villa Romana del Casale - Roman Mosaics on a Grand Scale

    Villa Romana del Casale outside Piazza Armerina holds the most extensive set of Roman mosaics anywhere in the world - around 3,500 square metres covering 50 rooms, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The…

    Address

    SP15, 94015 Piazza Armerina EN

    Nearest transit

    SAIS bus from Catania to Piazza Armerina (1h45m, 11 EUR), then taxi or local navetta to the villa (5 km, ~10 EUR each way)

From the trip1 travel guide “10 Top Places to Visit in Sicily, Italy” · trip1.com