62 Best Sights in Sicily, Italy

In all of Sicily there may be no spot more scenic than atop Castello Normanno, reached by a set of steep staircases rising out of the town center. From here you can gaze upon two coastlines, smoking Mount Etna, and the town spilling down the mountainside. The area was fortified by the Byzantines in the 9th century and was later rebuilt by the Normans, but all that stands today are the remains of the 16th-century castle walls. Come during daylight hours to take full advantage of the vista.

For a walk on the moonlike surface of Etna, visit the Silvestri craters on the southern side of the volcano, near Nicolosi. Located at an altitude of roughly 6,200 feet, these five extinct craters formed during the 1892 eruption. Just a few meters away, across from Rifugio Sapienza, you'll find the Funivia dell'Etna (€30 round-trip), a cable car that carries you 8,000 feet up to Monte Montagnola, where you can hike further with a guide or go skiing in winter. 

It's best to hire a guide to explore the over 5,000 tombs covering limestone cliffs that make up this Iron and Bronze Age burial site. Located on a huge plateau over the Anapo River, the necropolis dates back to between the 13th and 8th centuries BC. If you decide not to hire a guide, be prepared to drive to get here. There are two main entrances: one near the town of Sortino, and the other from the town of Ferla. The entrance by Sortino involves a good walk down the sides of the gorge while the Ferla entrance is more of a gentle stroll along a well-beaten path. Set aside a minimum of two hours for your visit, but it is better to allocate at least half a day; be sure to wear a good pair of walking shoes and bring plenty of water.

Castelbuono is located just outside this 80,000-acre regional park of the Madonie Mountains, which means it is a perfect spot to explore the splendid natural reserve. There are walking paths, camping areas, horse-riding, mountain biking, and caving activities to experience. You can even just simply take a scenic drive out into the park for a picnic.

A very old place of worship, the Santuario di Tindari has been an important place for religious pilgrims since the Middle Ages, after a mysterious statue of the dark-skinned Madonna was retrieved from a nearby beached ship and claimed to be a miraculous image by locals. Today Tindari is still popular with religious visitors and the clergy in general; Pope John Paul II even visited to perform mass in the 1980s. The stunning modern cathedral has been built around the original tiny medieval church, and you can access the old church from a side gate near the front altar. The newer church is filled with mosaic art, stained glass windows, an impressive church organ, and an elaborate building that still houses the famed Madonna statue.

Located high up in the mountains, Tindari has lovely views along the coast in both directions. Along a side road from the church, past a collection of tourist shops, you will find the archaeological area that includes an ancient Roman theater and several ruins of bathhouses and villas that once accommodated Roman visitors.

Below the Church of Tindari, there are also the natural lakes of Marinello and the pristine Spiaggia Mongiove, which are popular places for local beachgoers to explore. Even though the beaches are devoid of facilities, the spot is secluded and quite stunning.

After the active volcanoes of Mount Etna and Stromboli, the tilted white "staircase" of the Scala dei Turchi cliff is the most stunning geological site in Sicily. Formed by eroded strata of pure white marl, with a silken gold sandy beach below, the cliff was allegedly named after the so-called Turkish (actually Saracen) pirates who plagued the Sicilian coast in the 16th century. The Scala and its beach are extraordinarily popular, so try if you can to visit in low season. The best access is from the signposted paid car park just to the south of the cliff (follow the sign to Majata Beach/Ingresso Scala dei Turchi).

Stroll down Via Bagnoli Croce from the main Corso Umberto to the Villa Comunale to enjoy the stunning views from the seaside city's best terrace walkways. Also known as the Parco Duca di Cesarò, the lovely public gardens were designed by Florence Trevelyan Cacciola, a Scottish lady "invited" to leave England following a romantic liaison with the future Edward VII (1841–1910). Arriving in Taormina in 1889, she married a local professor and devoted herself to the gardens, filling them with native Mediterranean and exotic plants, ornamental pavilions, and fountains.

These two gems on the Riviera dei Ciclopi (Cyclops Riviera), the coastline between Acireale and Catania, fill with city dwellers in summer. Heading south from Acireale on the litoranea (coastal) road, you'll first reach Aci Trezza, said to be the land of the one-eyed Cyclops in Homer's Odyssey. Aci Castello has its own fish houses plus the imposing Castello Normanno (Norman Castle), which sits right on the water. The castle was built in the 11th century with volcanic rock from Mt. Etna.

Located between Monte Gorna and Monte Ilice, Pierluca Beneventano guides visitors up the steep slopes of his vineyard for a tasting (featuring red, white, and rosé) among the vines. From there, you can see the other ancient craters of the southeast and all the way down to the Ionian sea. In addition to traditional Etna grapes, Pierluca is working to recultivate grape relics, varieties that were historically found on Etna, such as Moscatella dell’Etna, Muscatetuni, and Terribbile. Young and endlessly energetic, he’s embracing the winemaking traditions of the volcano while forging his own path. Keep an eye on his Nubivago wine, a white made with Carricante, Catarratto, and Moscatella dell’Etna in which he freezes the grapes before pressing them.

Designed by Rosario Gagliardi in 1738, the duomo is a fine example of the Sicilian Baroque.

This church and UNESCO World Heritage site dominates the main square in Palazzolo Acreide. The interior is worth a visit not only for its ornate decorations but also for the interesting information on the town's annual procession in celebration of the local saint.

This rustic piece of coastline juts out from the naturally formed port of Milazzo, showing off classic Mediterranean scrub, a kind of coastal vegetation common to Sicily. The road leading to the cape is perfect for a scenic drive, and there are rustic beaches you can stop to enjoy along the way. Follow the signs from the city center to reach the cape or follow the main local road toward Palermo.

This church is a lesson in Palermitano eclecticism—originally Norman (1182), then Catalan Gothic (14th to 15th century), then fitted out with a Baroque and neoclassical interior (18th century). Its turrets, towers, dome, and arches come together in the kind of meeting of diverse elements that King Roger II (1095–1154), whose tomb is inside along with that of Frederick II, fostered during his reign. The exterior is more intriguing than the interior, but the back of the apse is gracefully decorated with interlacing Arab arches inlaid with limestone and black volcanic tufa. It's possible to visit the cathedral's roof for some fabulous city views.

Black lava stone from Etna, combined with largely Baroque architecture, give Catania's historic center a very distinctive feel. After Catania's destruction by lava and earthquake at the end of the 17th century, the city was rebuilt and its informal mascot "U Liotru" (an elephant carved out of lava balancing an Egyptian obelisk) was placed outside the cathedral as a kind of talisman. This square also marks the entrance to Catania's famous pescheria (fish market) and is one of the few points in the city where you can see the Amenano River aboveground. Another point of interest is Via Garibaldi, which runs from Piazza del Duomo up toward the impressively huge Porta Garibaldi, a black-and-white triumphal arch built in 1768 to commemorate the marriage of Ferdinando I. Also of note in the center are Castello Ursino, which is now a museum, the Greco-Roman theater off Via Vittorio Emanuele II, and the Roman amphitheater in Piazza Stesicoro.

It is more than worth the short detour from the lively Ballarò Market to step into the serene Baroque perfection of Chiesa del Gesù (Church of St. Mary of Gesù). The ornate church was built by the Jesuits not long after their arrival in Palermo in the late 16th century, and was constructed at the site of their religious seat in the city, so the chuch is also sometimes known as Casa Professa (mother house). The interior is almost completely covered with intricate marble bas-reliefs and elaborate black, tangerine, and cream stone work. The splendid church was severely damaged in World War II, but careful restoration has returned it to its shiny, swirling glory.

The second-largest church in Caccamo, the Chiesa dell'Annunziata holds just as much precious artwork as the main cathedral and dates back to the 1700s. The rooftop frescoes are by Giambecchina while stunning stucco wall decorations are by the famous Sicilian master Giacomo Serpotta and the front altar's design of the Annunciation is by Guglielmo Borremans.

Located right in front of the main square at the heart of Caccamo, the Chiesa dell'Oratorio is one in a series of splendid Baroque monuments in the center of the city. Together with the Chiesa dell'Oratorio, the palace of Monte di Pietà, and the church of the Anime Sante del Purgatorio, it makes up the historic heart of the city's art and culture. The square is used as a majestic open-air stage for events and concerts, and what better backdrop than these splendid examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture.

Yet another beautiful historic church in Castelbuono that is well worth visiting, even for only a moment, Chiesa della Natività di Maria was constructed in the 14th century and is characterized by its typical Sicilian limestone stonework and elegant bell tower. Inside it is filled with delicate pieces of art, but don't miss the one above the central altar. The decorative painted altarpiece, with intricate wooden carved details and paintings of various saints, dominates the church. The images on the polyptych are from the 1500s, created by Antonio di Sabila, the nephew of the famous early Renaissance Sicilian master Antonello da Messina.

The fabulously voluptuous facade makes a stunning contrast with the limestone cliffs soaring above. An enchanting fusion of the Baroque and rococo lies behind the lace grate doors of this church on the edge of the town's historic center. Inside the single-nave church is a wooden nativity scene that dates back to the 16th century.

As is usually the case in Sicily, this church is one of the best places in town to see some incredible art. The Chiesa di San Benedetto is decorated with an elaborate and remarkably well-preserved maiolica ceramic floor designed and crafted by 18th-century Palermo artist Nicolò Saranza. The decorative gold highlighted stucco wall decorations make the church glow in the sunlight.

This impressive church occupies an entire block of the main street in the medieval area of town, and it also houses the local library (Biblioteca Comunale) and the Civico Museo Archeologico, an archaeological museum. The church has the standard Greek cross structure. It is filled with marble vaults that host the statues of various saints and is decorated with floral embellishments typical of the extravagant Sicilian Baroque style.

Polizzi is full of churches, each one filled to the brim with fascinating artwork, but this church is probably the most gorgeous of all. Its centerpiece is an astounding Renaissance painting of the Madonna and Child, attributed to the 15th-century Flemish painter Rogier Van Der Weyden. It is astonishing to see this priceless work of art from northern Europe housed in a church in Polizzi Generosa and gives you a sense of how much wealth was brought to the town thanks to its royal patrons.

In the Middle Ages, Petralia Sottana was under the dominion of the Ventimiglia family, whose immense wealth left behind many stunning public works and buildings in the town. The concentration of this architecture is focused in and around the central square of Piazza Umberto I, which is dominated by this 16th-century parish church, an impressive cathedral dedicated to the Madonna of the Assumption. The interior is filled with sculptures from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, including details from Antonello Gangini, a famed Sicilian sculptor who decorated many important churches with his artwork.

On the town's Piazza Duomo, you'll find the parish church of the apostles of St. Peter and St. Paul. The church's dominating structure is in the Catalonian Gothic style, with 12 elaborate columns representing the apostles. The interior is relatively simple, but there is a remarkable life-size wooden crucifix in a side chapel. The extensively detailed carving was handmade by local monks in 1623.

Castelbuono's main cathedral, located on the central square of Piazza Margherita, is a 16th-century elegant Romanesque church filled with various religious art and paintings. The Gothic Catalan bell tower reflects a similar Andalusian style to Palermo's Duomo, and it is a prominent feature of the town's landscape.

Opposite the Museo del Satiro Danzante, the exuberant Baroque Jesuit College, with its portal framed by hefty male caryatids, was once the center of the Catholic Inquisition in town during the 18th century, charged with rooting out and punishing anything they deemed to be heresy. In 1824, the Jesuits clashed with Sicily’s Bourbon rulers, and were kicked out (probably missed by few). The damaged church of Sant’Ignazio next door is sometimes open; it's an evocative elliptical space, framed by red-gold sandstone and marble columns, and open to the sky. It is occasionally used for open-air concerts and exhibitions.

This lively street that runs the length of Lipari Town from the port blends the tourist and local worlds. You'll find the requisite souvenir shops selling trinkets and postcards, but it's also where residents go to visit their butcher, to pick up daily bread, and to buy fishing tackle. During summer evenings, it's closed to cars and becomes the primary stretch for making the evening passeggiata (evening stroll) past cafés that reverberate with energy late into the evenings.