Journey to the discovery of a unique island: rich in natural beauty, immense cultural heritage, crystal clear sea and culinary delights.
Why choose to go to Sicily? This island is truly an extraordinary beauty, both from an artistic and cultural point of view, from a naturalistic point of view, so it is very suitable for a beach holiday and for a touring trip.
The mild climate makes it open almost all year round. The best times to organize a traveling trip are spring and early autumn when the temperatures are not as bitter and lower prices than the high season. The best times to enjoy instead the sea are the summer and early autumn, when temperatures are still mild and warm sea. All year round instead is the right time to taste the Sicilian cuisine.
The island is then easily accessible from Italy with a domestic or international flights that allows to contain costs. Many companies offering flights with destination Palermo, Catania and Trapani ( Ryanair , Easyjet ).
We have decided to make a touring trip in September and so we were able to give us a few wonderful bathroom.
We bought a ticket to Trapani destination and booked, always online, a car with Hertz.
The first stop was Erice, reachable in less than an hour’s drive. From here you can enjoy incredible views of the Piana di Trapani, the lagoon of the Stagnone and San Vito Lo Capo. The visit to the village full of narrow streets and small shops well worth an hour or so. Excellent pastry: undisputed queen of the almond paste. From here we headed to San Vito Lo Capo and we treated ourselves to a bit of the sea and a fantastic iced pistachio!
The second day we dedicated to the Zingaro Nature Reserve, 14 km of ups and downs on a path by the sea. It is a fairly challenging hiking trail, because everything under the sun, but with breathtaking views, charming coves and crystal clear waters in which to do wonderful bathrooms. Along the way you must have with them food and water. The route ends at the tuna Scopello. A bath in these blue waters will make you forget all the hot suffered during the trek. Highly recommended!
Scopello Beach
After a bit of nature we are dedicated to the culture, and we move towards Segesta. Here is a majestic and intact temple and a beautiful Greek Theater where you can enjoy a very beautiful landscape that repays the effort made to arrive. After covering a stretch of highway we arrive at the archaeological site of Selinunte, which proves to be very attractive and larger than the first. The many ruins of its temples are doing us a trip into the past, and we can imagine what could be powerful this city.
Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
After a good night’s sleep and a calorie breakfast we are ready for a visit to the famous Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. The 5 Doric temples were built on a ridge and the context is truly majestic. It is one of the most famous archaeological sites of Sicily, World Heritage of Unesco. In addition to the daytime also we recommend a visit in the evening to see the passage illuminated temples. Really impressive! If you visit the valley during the months of February and March you can admire it with the almond trees in bloom. After so much culture stop in Modica to buy a littl chocolate and do some photography to glimpses of the city is a must. We spend the night in Noto, a nice town, completely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake that razed. The uniform architectural style and its quietness makes it a very pleasant one. The Caffè Sicilia where you can enjoy a cassata and granita makes the evening even sweeter. In this town it then watches the famous floral display on the third Sunday of May, with a carpet of flowers welcomes the spring.
Broken down by Noto we head to Syracuse. Our visit focuses island of Ortigia, which is the heart of the city. Wander the streets and there seems to be an outdoor museum: the testimonies of Norman times, Baroque and Greek accompany our walk. In the late afternoon we visit Taormina, well known resort with breathtaking views, although very touristy.
On the sixth day we devoted entirely to the sea. We stopped in Letojanni, a town close to Taormina, but with more reasonable prices, hotels directly on the beach and excellent restaurants.
We spend the morning at the Alcantara Gorges and fisherman boots go up a bit between the river gorges simple and fun Hike you can admire in a different way the conformation of the territory and basaltic rocks. After the river trip we prepare batteries and heavy jackets to go see Mount Etna. We park at Rifugio Sapienza and the cable car we arrive at 2,500 mt. From there, walk, we get to 2,900 mt. The route is Charmful, it looks like a lunar landscape. The smell of sulfur and fumaroles in the crater makes it even more impressive.
Landscape from Trapani
After sleeping in Enna, we head to visit the island of Mozia, reported by our guide as the Phoenician site best preserved in the world. The visit has been poor, so we decided to visit the salt pans of Trapani. The visit will not take long but it is really interesting and the play of colors and lights are ideal for making many photographs.
We end our holiday in Sicily with two days of beach in San Vito Lo Capo. This seaside resort is famous for its beautiful beach and the fish couscous. In September, it takes even “The international couscous festival”.
Ten days in Sicily were enough to visit only half island .. it will mean that we will have to come back!
As for the delicacies we give one advice … tasted everything .. you will not regret!
