We spent 8 glorious nights in Sicily in late May. We started with 2 nights in Catania. Then 3 in Modica (our base to visit the baroque towns and Ortigia) and 3 in Cefalu outside Palermo. Sincere thanks to everyone who provided feedback to my queries.

To anyone planning a trip, I recommend watching Sicily Unpacked on YouTube.
In addition to the fantastic restaurant recommendations on these forums, Katie Parla’s online guides to Sicily and Palermo were also helpful.
https://katieparla.com/city-guides/sicily/


Catania
We landed in Catania close to noon. The recommended Palazzo Marletta hotel was full, so we stayed at Duomo Spa and Suites. Great location right outside the market and just off Piazza del Duomo. It’s not luxury, but works well when one has limited time in town. The downside was that it is noisy as it’s right outside the market annd one could hear various delivery trucks unloading produce in the early morning and the street becomes an al fresco bar area by night. I’ll admit I enjoyed being up early, sipping coffee on the balcony keenly observing the bounty of stunning produce being brought to the market. There were giant Cucuzza squashes, some as long as 8 feet propped up as displays (the leaves of this squash are called tenerumi and are a delicacy in Sicily in soup or pasta form)next to boxes of ruby red fragola (tiny strawberries), various tomatoes like datterini and ciliegino di Pachino and oh so much more! Then there are the seafood vendors with glittering fish and little bivalves so fresh they put on a spectacle of mini-fountains as they squirted water within their storage trays. There are vendors selling bites of fresh fish, oysters, clams and so on. Many vendors were happy to give us a free taste; a crunchy-fresh anchovy or two, expertly filleted and deboned right in front of us with the vendor’s thumbnail! Of all the markets we visited during our trip, Catania’s was perhaps my favorite—smaller and less hectic and touristy than Palermo’s, which allows you to linger and sate your excitement and curiosity.


Tomatoes in Catania market.

Shellfish and bivalves.

A glimpse of Osteria Antica Marina’s seafood display.


After checking in, we walked straight to Osteria Antica Marina for lunch, a seafood focused restaurant right next to the fish market. Good service, good food, casual. We had various crudi (raw slices of fish and seafood) for starters and a couple of pastas. In Sicily they prefer to let the seafood shine and in general, preparations are simple. There are a couple of other places just next to Antica Marina that are also recommended.
Scirocco is popular for its variety of fried seafood.
Trattoria Mmm is another one.

After lunch, we did a guided walking tour of the town center, which got us quickly oriented and familiar with the monuments, food specialties and history of the city. During the tour, we tried our first Seltz limone e sale, a simple but very refreshing drink of seltzer, fresh lemon juice and sea salt prepared fresh at various kiosks around town. It was a welcome refreshment during our 3 pm walking tour. We also tried our first gelato and learned about a cookie place next to the Duomo called Arena Biscotti dal 1880 that’s said to make cookies with the original cookie/biscotti recipes of the nuns in town renowned for baked goods. At the end of the tour we tried the ice-cold almond milk (now I know why one should never ever turn down almond milk at a cafe in Sicily!) with Biscotti Piparelle (delightful chocolate and almond biscotti with hints of orange peel, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, maybe some star anise too!) , pistachio cookies, and Catania’s biscotti Della Monaco cookies, so called because of their squiggly S shape. I wish I had bought a bag or two of the biscotti as I never got around to buying or saw these particular Piparelles later.

We also learned about Bar Mazzini’s Cipolline, a square puff pastry filled with caremelized onions, a local favorite and endorsed by Jamie Oliver. Probably the most famous pastry from Catania is the Cassatella di sant’Agata from Pasticceria Savia Catania, which is also said to have the best arancini in town. The pastry has an interesting history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassatella_di_sant'Agata

On to dinner. La Tre Bocche is an EXCELLENT seafood restaurant, a taxi ride away from the market area. Thanks ekscrunchy I’d emailed them and booked an 8 pm table a month in advance. I thought I’d received a confirmation as their reply started with “Okay” with the rest being a sentence in Italian. There’s not much else in this area like a bar etc where one can have an aperitif while waiting for Bocche to open at 8 pm. To my dismay, the manager informed me that I had no reservation. When I showed him the confirmation email I had received, he said it simplest said “okay. Please call us to make a reservation as we do not take reservations through email. Grazie.”
The huge display of spectacularly diverse seafood by the entrance was doing nothing to calm my panic. Luckily the very competent manager who didn’t want my shocked wife to lose all faith in her husband’s ability to make reservations and surely because he didn’t want La Tre Bocche to become tres botched , he extended an olive branch (DOP Trapanese, I’m sure) 😄 We would be given a table from 8-9 pm and no more.

Hurriedly, gulping down an Aperol spritz, while surveying the extensive menu and the seafood display, I asked the manager to just send us a sampler platter for apps, all gluten free for my Celiac companion. The seafood display had fish like Pandal, Pettine blue colored fish, Spadola, Cernia a dark big fish like grouper, Occhi di bue (abalone), Spigole/branzino, various shrimp, shellfish etc. etc. It was a thing of beauty. Very gf friendly as they fry frito misto etc. in a separate fryer and with rice flour. The app sampler alone had 10 plates. Then some frito mistook and a couple of pastas. My sea urchin and sea-bean pasta was stellar. In our rush to order, we hadn’t taken the time to read the menu carefully, largely leaving our fate in the hands of our waiter. I wish we had taken a few minutes as the menu is wonderful. Here’s the menu:
https://www.leggimenu.it/menu/trebocche

Note: at 8 pm the fish display was full. When we left soon after 9 pm, maybe 2/3rds was already gone! Go early!

La Tre Bocche seafood display

La Tre Bocche Sampler of apps.

Sea urchin pasta with sea beans.

this post is getting loooong! I’m still on day 1. Will pick up the pace.

The next day, we strolled through town, went back to the market to whet our appetite and to buy a variety of pestos: Brontese, Taorminese, Trapanese, di pistachio, creama di pistachio, DOP pistachios de Bronte, etc. We also tried various arancinis and pastries from Pasticceria Savia.

Lunch was at Mi Cumpari Turiddu, featured on Stanley Tucci’s show. It was fine, but there were only Americans in the place. Pasta alla Norma was good, but it felt weird that there were only Americans in the place. I suppose they were looking and listening to us and wondering the same. 🤷

Vuciata Kitchen Market on a restaurant lined street in the market has good service and an excellent eggplant parmigiana, very different from the cheese laden American eggplant parm. Thanks to eks for this recco as well.

That was our final dinner in Catania. The next morning, a Sunday when most markets are closed, we went for a jog and then into the botanical gardens from where one has a nice view of Mt. Etna. We had intentionally skipped Taormina and had wondered if we were making the right choice. But if we could go back to Catania, a city built from black volcanic rocks, I absolutely would!

We met our punctual and courteous driver, Dario ( [email protected] ), to take us to Modica.
That’s coming up next, with perhaps a celebrity pirate thrown in for good measure!

This was the seafood display as we were leaving La Tre Bocche about 75 minutes after opening! It was selling out fast!

La Tre Bocche’s gems selling out fast

MDN..How can I thank you enough?

I will ask Palazzo Marletta to book us in Le Tre Bocche the night of arrival....that was recommended to me by Dario, our driver last spring (So glad you liked him!!). and you have cemented my desire to eat there.....I get there are about 100 places we would love in that city, if not more, but if you give it a thumbs up....that's good enough for me....

That is disappointing, but I guess inevitable, that Mi Cumpari Turridu was filled with Americans after the Tucci program. I will skip it next time, although we had some good dishes there..I hesitate to mention but we loved the donkey.. Us foreigners interested in food, as I know you are, need to get over our prejudices and at least sample the local dishes, and donkey meat is sweet and delicious..... I bet we can cross that place off off the list for now...we seemed to be the only foreigners when we were there last year so imagine how fast things change. On the one hand, you wish them well for having their place featured on tv, but for us "normal" tourists, it's not always a good thing......but again, that city must be filled to the brim of great restaurants, not to mention the fast food arancini bars....

We arrive about noon (from JFK,connection in Munich) and I still want to go to the Sbarcco Museum, but I think I will be too tired that day....every time we go to that city either its closed or I am too tired after flying in the same day.

Ever since we hired Roberto Alabiso from Licata, I became even more interested in the Allied invasion of Sicily and that museum gets such great review!!! who knew that the Allied landing took place near Licata and Gela..not me, for sure!

But we are there only one night before and after Marina di Ragusa, so maybe I can make it the second stay, before Dario drive us to the hydrofoil in Milazzo, to Salina!!

You know the food info never bores me!!! Do tell all, at your own pace!!

For your next trip, this might be good.....If we have time maybe we will try this year:

https://www.acqualavica.it

Thank you again for writing this report.. the longer the time goes by after the return home, the more difficult it is to get started so we so much appreciate the xtra effort!!!
I am embarrassed by the number of trip reports I began after coming home, and abandoned after a few posts1

Remember to check www.HUNGRYONION.ORG for food travel!!!

MDN, Thanks for the very evocative description of your time in Catania. It was already on my must visit list (I couldn’t get there during earlier trips to Sicily). Your description and photos have moved it up on my always expanding list. Thank you!

Just got back from a busy visit in country to see family, and have discovered that mdn has forsaken us as he leaves Catania.

Having stayed in Modica about 10 years ago, I would love to hear your impressions, and also if the restaurant scene has improved. At the time we were there, the Michelin star had just closed, and the remaining choices were okay but not fantastic. Hoping you enjoyed your time there.

Also, using Cefalu as a base... is something I am interested to know if this worked out well. Although we did love Palermo, it was very busy with traffic. I believe that there are more pedestrianized streets than previously. Hope you bless us with a few more memories. Thanks for what you have written.

So sorry. Not forsaken! It’s been hectic. On the road, then playing host and now in CA for a couple of days. I got the Modica draft started and will post within the next couple of hrs. Sorry to leave you hanging.

No pressure! Summer time has been busy for everyone, and I hope you are enjoying yours. Thanks in advance for the next installment.

On to Modica. We had debated whether our base for this region of baroque towns should be Ragusa, Modica, Ortigia or something else. For 3 nights we picked Modica and stayed at Casa Talia that was recommended on this forum. The owners are a wonderful architect couple from Milan who procured and stitched together a parcel of adjacent properties to create this serene boutique property that sits on a hillside with a beautiful view of Modica’s Duomo of San Pieteo and Duomo of San Giorgio. Over breakfast in the hotel’s garden, we learned about the challenges of such a project as many families have left these small towns for opportunities elsewhere. For the new owners, finding the deeds to these properties in order to acquire them was an ordeal in itself. It started in 2004! The pool’s foundations were in place when we visited and the pool has recently opened. A restaurant will also open soon. In fact, from the Instagram of the hotel, I believe Johnny Depp stayed here soon after our stay. This is no small development per an Italian American friend as Sicily wouldn’t have been on any celebrity’s itinerary until not too long ago.


As we walked to our room we noticed caper berry plants all over the hillside that were in full of purple blooms. The view of Modica from each room is spellbinding and evolves throughout the day as the light scintillates across the Duomos. Highly recommended.

We checked in and walked to lunch at Accursio right by the Duomo San Pietro. I was skeptical about it because we prefer to eat “local” food rather than mystifying flavors at Michelin places that elevate the local to lofty. But how does a novice find the beauty in lofty if one’s unfamiliar with the basics of the local flavors. Accursio’s service was down to earth, polished with a very friendly chef, somm and waiter. Every course could be customized to accommodate our gluten intolerance without compromising on the integrity of the dish. The food itself was delightful.

Modica is also renowned for its chocolate and the most famous purveyor is Bonajuto , the oldest in Sicily that’s been making chocolate since the 1800s. The chocolate is different from say Swiss chocolate. It is denser, less sweet and often with new-world spice flavors.

For those who want a lively base with more restaurant options, I think Ortigia is a better base. Lots to do and see, with its own market and a lovely marina. For us, Modica fit our needs as we spent our days day-tripping to nearby towns. The early mornings in Modica were for jogs through town and the evenings to wander around.

The first day trip with our driver Dario was to the baroque towns (Ragusa, Noto, Scicli) and the second one was to Ortigia.



Ragusa, divided into the upper and lower parts of the city, is known for its cheeses. We tried the scaccia Ragusana from Paneficio Giummarra, a type of pizza with thin layers of dough. Dario was more than happy to pick up some local cookies and a couple of flavors of the acacia Ragusana for us while we visited the local duomos and strolled through town.



Noto was next. We had gelato with GF brioche and a cannoli at Caffe Costanzo. Just up the street, Cafe Sicilia’s gelato is renowned as it was featured on Chef’s Table on Netflix. As per Dario, the lines at Cafe Sicilia can get long since it found fame on TV, but the offerings at Costanzo are just as good. Lunch was simple and fairly quick. It was also a Monday when many of the popular restaurants are closed. While Noto’s Main Street is pretty, it was far more touristy than Modica. All the food and pastries were starting to make us a bit tired and sleepy. Thus, we skipped our last stop in Scicly and returned to our hotel for some rest.



The next day was in Ortigia, a beautiful town! In Ortigia we went to Osteria da Seby, family owned. Nice, unfussy food. We tried going to Don Camilo, a Michelin recommended place. We had reserved it in advance with notes indicating our gluten free needs. Alas, Don C was a terrible disappointment. (I should have listened to @HappyTrvlr warning!) Strict rules about the whole table ordering the same prix fixe menu, no exceptions. No gf options but for a gf pasta pomodoro and so on. We had to walk out after understanding the inflexibility of the menu, which I wish had been communicated to us earlier as we had let them know about our limitations. Luckily our lunch at Osteria da Seby recommended by Dario was unfussy and delightful. A family-owned, local spot with traditional food!



On the drive from Modica to Cefalu, we stopped in Licata for lunch at La Madia, said to be “the best” restaurant in Sicily. Ekscrunchy has detailed her experience at La Madia and so I won’t go into the details. Suffice to say it was really fantastic. The chef is so nice and humble, almost shy despite his fame throughout Sicily and perhaps beyond. The only question he asked us after getting seated was about any food preferences we had and then the feast was on! I’ll upload a few pics shortly

Cefalu and Palermo coming up next!

Wow!! Just found this fascinating TR! We hope to visit Sicily in the next couple years so this is very helpful and interesting! Looking forward to more.

I felt the same about Noto, beautiful but staged, almost.

And the views in Modica! The changing light made for some beautiful photos. But definitely there’s more to do in Ortigia. We had a car so spent some time exploring the local area and the seaside around Marina do Ragusa while staying in Modica.

I too agree about Noto, it reminded me of some of the streets you see at Universal Studios where period movies were filmed. We went in April, so luckily there weren’t many people.

However, nothing can detract from the magnificent baroque palazzi and churches on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the golden yellow limestone especially luminous in the late afternoon when the buildings are bathed in a red-gold glow.

We actually found the gelatos at Café Constanza much better than the ones at Café Sicilia, their pastries were particularly dry and most disappointing.

We absolutely loved Sicily and would go back in a heartbeat, thanks for this delightful TR!

Lovely photo of Modica. We have a few very similar from way back when we stayed at Casa Talìa in 2011 or 2012. On that trip we stayed both in Ortigia and Modica (with a car) and preferred Modica for its more "workaday" vibe, but I guess if Johnny Depp visits its maybe no longer so workaday. The price of success!

Looking forward to your next stop.

Enjoying your report! We were in some of the same places just a week or two before you. We spent three nights in Modica and four in Ortigia - so time to enjoy both. We visited Noto during Infiorata, which drew much more than typical tourist crowds - so hard to form a clear impression. I did think the four Baroque towns that we visited - Noto, Ragusa, Modica and Caltagirone - were all different. We never felt we were seeing more of the same. That said, Modica was our favorite (we also like hiking and climbing).

ekscrunchy It was fascinating to learn about the Allied Landing beginning in Sicily. We read about it and although the museum was on our list jet lag interefered with those plans.
I have Valencia coming up next month and I know you have started a post about that region. I’ll be in touch there.

Thanks to all the others for your encouragement and thoughts. Sicily impressed in ways that I hadn’t thought of. It was not grimy, it wasn’t where NJ got its “Jersey” (I love NJ, but just addressing the stereotype here), there wasn’t dog poo everywhere… All these were things I’d heard from people or read about before our trip. Yes, Palermo has areas that may be unkempt, and relics of a couple of families doing unsavory things, but those are outside the tourist areas, only visible from the train window as one approaches the city. Indeed, Sicily was more savory and delicious that I imagined, cleaner than parts of Rome and friendlier with a humility that can only be forged through their lived experience.

before moving on to the last leg of our trip in Cefalu/Palermo, I’ll add that Katie Parla’s guide as well as the Gambero Rosso site’s restaurant recommendations were what I relied on in addition to these forums.

In Ortigia, do stop by the Ortea Palace hotel’s rooftop for a drink and beautiful views. Fratelli Burgio is a nice cafe at the far end of Ortigia market where one can buy jars of caponata and other regional treats.

Now for Cefalu: after a sensational lunch at La Madia to celebrate a big landmark birthday, we were dropped off at our beautiful and luxurious hotel Le Calette. It’s a 5 minute taxi ride away from Cefalu town center, a beach town near that’s a 45 minute train ride from Palermo. We were tired from our long day getting to the hotel and still full from lunch. so we simply enjoyed the hotel in the evening.

We had planned to do day trips into Palermo on both the following days. We were so exhausted, but also content on our final day (this was almost a whole month after being on the road in 3 continents) that we stayed put in Cefalu and enjoyed the town’s center.

On our first day in Palermo, we loved the frenetic Balaró market. Many guided tours etc move through the market, but it’s a lively place, various vendors break into animated singing to make a sale, and the offerings are innumerable! Didn’t try the offal at various stalls, but tried a few bites.

Then we meandered by Kalsa and to Gran Hotel et des Palmes and then Enoteca Picone. The Enoteca has an eclectic and extensive collection of Amari, digestives, and drinks from around the world. Family owned for a few generations and the proprietor is a genial and informed fellow.

Enoteca Picone

What is this???

Blue blooded shrimp at Corona Trattoria

Pasta con sarde and a pasta with the Tenerumi leaves (leaves of the long Sicilian squash).



Lunch at Corona Trattoria was really excellent! Great service, GF friendly pastas, they source their own seafood directly. Has a special pasta of busciate con cozze e tenerumi (pasta with mussels and greens of the long green squash called tenerumi, a seasonal delicacy), pasta con sarde and a fantastic caponata. All delicious with attentive service.

Then came maybe our favorite activity of this whole trip, which had so MANY highlights! We had booked a tour of Palermo in vintage Fiat 500 convertibles! Two immaculately maintained vintage 500s picked us up at the restaurant after lunch. They took us through the old town, to the various sites, stopped wherever we needed, then to the top of mount Pellegrino and even to the nearby seaside towns like Mondello etc. The car’s owner and his cousin run the company. They were very informative and super nice. It was a GREAT way to see Palermo!https://500tourwestsicily.com/?lang=en





In Cefalu, we liked Locanda dell Marinaio, A seafood focused place which also had separate fryer for gf frito misto etc. We also tried Tinchité Taverna, which is more meat focused and has a few old, old Sicilian dishes like Pasta a Taianu. The restaurants at La Calette hotel are also good.

All in all, it was a magnificent trip that exceeded all our expectations. Indeed, Sicily may have become my favorite area of Italy. We will certainly go back again as there are so many places we couldn’t visit on this trip. My take-away is that if a place has been conquered again and again, it forges an amalgam of cultures, cuisines unique to its own history and destiny. It’s never bland. That is what we seek when we travel and Sicily delivered in spades. Grazie assai!

Mdn, Thanks so much for your TR-photos and prose were so enchanting. I love your travel style. You seem to have planned out a short trip to Sicily beautifully-it seems you saw and experienced a great deal, but yet were unhurried and engaged with a lot people. I did a daytrip to Cefalu during a previous trip and never got to Catania. I’ll surely plan them as bases in the future. The Fiat experience-what a way to end a trip to Italy in great style!!

Absolutely stellar report!

We've booked Dario again for a few transfers, and I am treating my partner for his birthday for dinner at LA MADIA!!! We are staying at SILVA SURI and not sure if I want to attempt the drive in the rental car after dark.....have to investigate that, or else will hire Dario or Roberto Alabiso, who lives in Licata. Isn't it lovely how humble Pino Cuttaia is???? I'm not sure if I posted any photos on my Sicily report from last May.....will try to add some if anyone has interest in a particular restaurant...

Your photos are astounding!

We leave next week and reading this has made me even more excited than I am already!!!!!!

AND, just asked my hotel in Catania to book LE TRE BOCCHE for our first night in Sicily!!!


We never got to see Modica except from the observation point...we have a week at Silva Suri next month, with a car, so can at least visit the city on one day....oh, those chocolates!! I think I ate an entire bar every night once I bought MANY in Ragusa! Inevitably I awoke each morning to find my pillowcases stained with chocolate since I often fell asleep reading while basking in those chocolate bars! Odd that I gained weight on that trip!!

For next year??? Lampedusa??? Plus????? Certainly Palermo since I've not been in about 18 years or so.... But then there is Sardinia!!!!!

Late to the party, but enjoyed your report. We were in Sicily back in 2022, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Just reading this wonderful report and great recommendations!

We plan to be in Sicily for a few days next April; had to cancel a RS 11-day tour due to DH's bad knee, but I've been crafting a modified plan going to Palermo, Piazza Armerina/Villa Romana, and Ortigia. Happy these any any other recs you have.

Great report! I'm thinking about planning a trip to Sicily, so more information is always good!

Wonderful, mdn! Thanks for sharing all your amazing meals. You gave me a bit of a giggle about the taste of donkey...I won't tell a certain politician about it...😇