A Tour of Sicily

This terrible Covid-19 situation has given me an immense gift this year: the opportunity to discover my own beautiful country, Italy. This summer, since travel restrictions were present in almost every country, I had to reformulate my plans and I decided to explore Italy from the top to the bottom, since I had never really done it before. From Liguria (have a look at the past blog), to Tuscany, to Venice and to Sicily, I was able to discover all the amazing places that I have right here in my home. This is why I am now guiding you through a whole tour of Sicily, the land of flavors and fragrances, in 5 stops.

Premise: I went down by car, and, for this itinerary, you absolutely need one, so I’d recommend either renting one or driving there as well (there are ferries to take you to the island, I can guide you through the process if you need help).

1. Cefalù & Castelbuono

My first stop after entering the island was Cefalù, the town of the fashion inspiration of Domenico Dolce, co-founder of Dolce&Gabbana. Personally, I stayed at Le Calette n5, which is a 5-star hotel, but there are many other stays for much less if you don’t want to spend too much, starting from the subsidiary of the ladder: Le Calette Garden & Bay.
Other than the accommodation, I 100% recommend visiting this place! The city center is super cute, and you can see ceramic tiles here and there with D&G designs, which make the town even more beautiful. From Cefalu, in addition, there is one small trip you absolutely need to take. Roughly 30 minutes away from the town, there is an even smaller village, Castelbuono, home to the absolutely best patisserie in the whole country: Fiasconaro. The shop even has a collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana, which creates their Panettone’s packaging. A must try? The Sicilian Cannolo.

Fiasconaro's section of D&G panettone

Cefalù's typical ceramic tiles

2. Eolian Islands (Panarea, Vulcano, Lipari)

Unfortunately, I was only in Cefalu for 3 days, so I couldn’t go on any of the trips to the Eolian Islands, namely Panarea, Vulcano and Lipari. Panarea is the more exclusive of the three; usually VIPs go there as there is only one hotel, and the whole island in general is pretty expensive. Vulcano is home to an active volcano, and therefore destination to those adventurers who want to go and hike up to the crater. Finally, Lipari is the largest and more accessible island in the group, making it also the more touristic. However, definitely worth a visit for its amazing clear water. All three of them can be reached by ferry from many places in Sicily island, Cefalu being one of them, and day trips can also be done.
Note: in Panarea, cars are not allowed because of its small size, so just take the ferry and you can walk your way around there.

3. Palermo

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is definitely worth a day visit. From its incredible food to its street life, the city is full of life even during its hottest days. Personally, I didn’t spend too much time in Palermo, as I said you can see enough in a day, but I definitely recommend stopping there for lunch, and try an Arancino (or Arancina, it depends where you go haha) or Panzerotto, Sicilian delights in any of the small restaurants you find around.

Palermo's cathedral

Fish market

4. Favignana

Alternatively, to the Eolian Islands, there are the Egadi Islands, which are located Western to the big island. However, if I was to pick between one or the other, I would choose the Eolian, as they are more organized for tourists and you can appreciate them more. Having been to Favignana this summer, I can tell you that yes, the beaches are beautiful, but the disorganization of the island makes things too messy. Therefore, only go there if you like confusion and don’t mind having plans change at last minute. For an organized person like me, this was the only place of my itinerary that I didn’t enjoy. Also, make sure to get an AirBnb in the middle of the town, as the hotels are all in terrible locations for a place in which it is so hard to go around. And make sure you book your boat, restaurant and scooter in advance!

Lido Burrone Beach

Cala Azzurra Beach

5. Taormina

Lastly, my absolute favorite destination of the whole trip was Taormina. Having never been to Sicily before, I didn’t know what to expect from any of these places, but I was positively surprised with Taormina as I found it very alive and organized, differently from all the other places I went to. I stayed at UNAHOTELS Capotaormina, and I have to say that there I had everything I needed. The hotel has an elevator that goes from your room directly to the private beach, or the pool, so there is no need to rush in the morning to get your spot in a public beach or even take the car to go there. Once, however, you need to go see Isola Bella, a super small island reachable by feet in the morning, when the water level is low, or even by boat if you decide to rent one for the day.
The city center is also beautiful, full of bars and stores, where you can enjoy your evening or even go shopping. I will link below a couple of restaurants that deserve a mention, as I found the food really good there and would recommend you to have a look at them if you go to Sicily.