Places to Visit in Sicily

Due to feedback from several people, I am in the process of creating separate lenses for each of the towns/destinations in this lens. By the time this transfer is complete, I hope that this will be a 'Sicily' lensography, which will allow people to go more in depth into looking at the towns they like, while keeping this lens relatively convenient.

While this lens is 'under construction,' I will be moving some of my content to its new lens, and updating this lens accordingly. While this might disrupt the flow of the lens, the intent is to keep this down time to a minimum.

Once the 'construction' project is complete, this disclaimer will disappear. Please feel free to give me a) encouragement, b) feedback, c) support, d) constructive criticism, or e) all of the above.

Taormina is such as beautiful place. Nestled in the cliffs high above the Ionian Sea, just north of Catania, Taormina is a tourist resort for everyone--from locals to world-famous stars, such as Tom Cruise & Robert De Niro. If you'd like to learn more about Taormina, check out my Taormina lens.

My in-laws were in town, visiting our twins for the second time since they were born in Catania. We had done a lot of the local trips where we lived just outside of Catania, and now it was time to head to one of the most beautiful places on the island-Cefalu.

After our two and a half hour drive, we finally got to the hotel in Cefalu-only to find out that we had been overbooked. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the hotel made arrangements for us to stay at another Cefalu property-on the beach along the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Our original reservations were in town, which would have been a hike to Cefalu's beautiful beaches. Not only that, but instead of all of us being cramped in one apartment, they made available an apartment and a separate room for my in-laws-bonus (I love my in-laws. However, we have a huge family, and I think everyone was dreading having to live in the same apartment). Both rooms had picturesque views of the beach (really a man-made patio area, but one that was excellently designed right on the water).

Of course, with it being October, only the German tourists would truly appreciate swimming in the water. Well, the Germans and my 4-year-old son, that is. So, we spent a lot of time swimming (a lot being defined as many 2-3 minute intervals of going in the water & coming back out to dry off), and skipping rocks in the water.

We went exploring in Cefalu, which warrants a day trip to see the churches & buildings. There are a lot of nice restaurants-it's designed for tourists, so you'll see more mainstream Italian & Sicilian fare than you will in smaller towns. You'll also see a lot of seafood, since Cefalu is situated approximately one hour from Palermo, Sicily's largest port & largest fish market.

Probably the most beautiful part of Cefalu is the drive. You can drive in any direction, and you will hit a beautiful view. Along the A-19, the view of the Madonie mountains, is just gorgeous. The drive from Cefalu to either Palermo (west) or Messina (east) along the SS113 rivals that of the Amalfi coast, near Naples. I would venture to say that it's better, since there is much less traffic.

If you go to Cefalu, be prepared to spend tourist money-but even Sicilians will tell you that it's one of the most beautiful places in Sicily.

For two and a half years, waking up at our housing unit in Sicily meant being able to walk out to our car port, and have the world's greatest view of that landmark most Sicilians refer to as part of their identity, their culture, their heritage: Mt. Etna.

The only active volcano in Europe, Mt. Etna is the most iconic geographic feature in Sicily, as you can see it from satellite. It is constantly erupting (it is the most continuously active volcano in the world), and entire towns have existed for centuries on its slopes. For those who live on the mountain, it is their life. There are Sicilians who generally will never travel outside of their view of Mt. Etna-such is its impact on the Sicilian people.

For our family, Mt. Etna represented a lot of interesting things. First, there is a train, called the Circumetnea, that goes from Catania (the largest town in its vicinity & second largest city in Sicily), almost completely around the mountain, stopping at beautiful towns along the way. Cities such as Bronte, Randazzo, Zafferana, and Adrano are just a handful of towns you can reach via Circumetnea. Any of these towns is worth a morning or evening visit (be aware of riposto-the Sicilian equivalent to a Spanish siesta, in the early to mid-afternoons), especially during festival season or the holidays. Every town celebrates a festival based on a patron saint, or during the harvest of a crop that is associated with that town, such as honey, artichoke, or pistacchio. They are all fun, much in the way a small county fair is fun.

Skiing. Yes, Mt. Etna has snow almost year round, and Sicilians flock there to go ski in the winter. I'm not a ski expert, but we did buy a bottom of the mill sled for the kids to play with, and we have had lots of fun. Not sure about skiing-if you're from the Alps or Tahoe, expect a letdown. But, who knows, you might be surprised.

Hiking. There are plenty of places to hike on Etna. You can go on any number of arranged tours, or you can just set up your own. One time, my son asked me, "Dad, what is that smoke?" The smoke was actually steam coming up from volcanic vents in the ground. So, I pulled over, and we hiked over to where the steam was coming out, and had a great time (Disclaimer-there is no regular park service, so proceed at your own risk. On Etna, everyone has an equal right to fall in the lava or find their own demise in any number of ways). It was such an eerie experience-imagine walking around on the moon. Really neat.

I've only mentioned a few of the many things you can do on Mt. Etna-there are so many more. If you ever go to Sicily, Mt. Etna is a must-you won't be disappointed.