221 Best Sights in Sicily, Italy

The main Norman cathedral of Caccamo, the original church was built in the 1400s by the Chiaramonte family and filled with artwork from many Sicilian Renaissance masters. The building was expanded and rebuilt in the 1600s in the elaborate Sicilian Baroque-style and still houses all the paintings from the previous structure and other artwork from abandoned or destroyed churches in the area.

Termini's main cathedral is dedicated to St. Nicholas and, like most Sicilian churches, is filled with precious artwork. The interior chapel and altar are from the 17th century and are decorated with precious inlaid colored marble. The Duomo also has an on-site museum of sacred art, filled with silverwork, vestments, religious relics, and liturgical objects of great value.

The entrepreneur Ignazio Florio played a leading part in the regeneration of Favignana's tuna fisheries in the 19th century, a tale told in his company's former fishery, a huge complex located on the outskirts of Favignana town, now converted into a museum. Hour-long guided tours take you through the fascinating history and gruesome methods of bluefin tuna fishing, including the ritualistic and bloody culmination of the fishing process, La Mattanza, or "The Killing." These traditional methods died out with the growth of modern industrial practices and overfishing. Tours must be booked a least a day in advance. There's also a separate section focusing on the Battle of Egadi (241 BC), which saw the defeat of the Carthaginians by a Roman fleet and their subsequent expulsion from Sicily.

Park in the car park (waymarked 974 Favare Grande) just off the main inland road that leads from Tracino to Rekale. From here a really lovely path leads up to lush upland meadows (carpeted with wildflowers in spring) where favare, natural emissions of sulphurous steam, billow through crevices in the rock. If you want a longer walk, a path continues from here to the Grotta del Bagno Asciutto. Alternatively you could continue and climb one of Pantelleria’s two main peaks, Montagne Grande (1 hour, 40 minutes) or Monte Gibele (50 minutes).

Each February 3–5, the Festa di Sant'Agata honors Catania's patron saint with one of Italy's biggest religious festivals. The saint herself was first tortured, had her breasts cut off, and then killed, when she spurned a Roman suitor in favor of keeping her religious purity. Since then, the Catanesi have honored her memory by parading her relics through the streets of Catania on an enormous silver-encrusted carriage. Throughout town, you'll see the minne di Sant'Agata in pastry shops. These supersugary confections (sponge cake with sweetened ricotta, candied orange, and chocolate chips, covered in fondant, and topped with a candied cherry) are meant to symbolize Agata's breasts. The entire festival is highly affecting, even for nonbelievers, and is not to be missed by February visitors.

This outdoor sculpture park is filled with contemporary art and is especially gorgeous against the stunning Tyrrhenian coastline. One of the park's most spectacular permanent installations is the Monument for a Dead Poet by Tano Festa, a giant blue framed window that looks out towards the sea and can be seen from miles away. Other fascinating pieces include a bronze pyramid placed precisely on the 38th parallel of latitude and the labyrinth of Arianna, which recalls the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur.

Central Sicily is peppered with sulfur mines, most abandoned since the 1980s, and testaments to one of the most horrific aspects of Sicily’s history. Many children ended up working in the mines, most of them orphans, and if they died at work, no time was wasted in burying them. Conditions for men were hardly better—they worked naked underground in 98°F temperatures, and thousands died of respiratory diseases. The Floristella Mine near the town of Valguarnera Caropepe is overlooked by a splendid villa, built, with chilling insensitivity, as a summer residence by the mine’s noble owners, and later used as offices. A path leads down to the minehead where a winching mechanism lowered the lift to nine different levels, giving access to tunnels that stretched for over 3 miles. The small ovens where the extracted rock was heated for a week until liquid sulfur emerged are still evident, as are the tracks along which small trains hauled the rock to the surface.

The best way to explore the haunting history of Valguarnera is with local guide Paolo Bellone, who has interviewed many of the miners and their families. He will meet you at the mine, then take you to see the town’s powerful and moving private museum collections, which include documentary footage of the sulfur miners at work in the 1960s and rooms furnished to demonstrate everyday living conditions for the poor and the better-off in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Tours culminate with a visit to the Casa Museo, where one woman lived for her entire life, from her birth in 1911 until her death at the age of 89 in 2000, rarely throwing anything away, including her father’s Fascist party membership card and a 1922 water bill. The house has been kept as it was found, down to the garlic, herbs, and sugar in the ancient kitchen, cigarette butts in an ashtray, and a packet of American Black Jack chewing gum.

A freshwater spring, the Fountain of Arethusa, sits next to the sea, studded with Egyptian papyrus that's reportedly natural. This anomaly is explained by a Greek legend that tells how the nymph Arethusa was changed into a fountain by the goddess Artemis (Diana) when she tried to escape the advances of the river god Alpheus. She fled from Greece, into the sea, with Alpheus in close pursuit, and emerged in Sicily at this spring. It's said if you throw a cup into the Alpheus River in Greece, it will emerge here at this fountain, which is home to a few tired ducks and some faded carp—but no cups. If you want to stand right by the fountain, you need to gain admission through the aquarium; otherwise look down on it from Largo Aretusa.

Taormina Mare and the Bay of Mazzarò are accessible by a funivia, or suspended cable car, that glides past incredible views on its way down to the beach at Mazzarò. It departs every 15 minutes, until 8 pm. In June, July, and August, the normal hours are extended until 1 am.

Palazzo Bellomo looks unlike any other palace in Ortigia, a formidable 13th-century building, whose austere minimalist facade (with scarcely a window) could almost seem contemporary but dates from a time when Sicily was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Conflicts between Emperor Frederick II and the Pope were rife—the Pope was encouraging the mercantile cities Venice and Genoa to make war on Sicily, promising Siracusa as prize. That defense was paramount is not surprising. The Gothic upper floor was added, along with the courtyard—a perfect Shakespearean film set—in the 15th century. Highlight of the collection is an Annunciation by Antonello da Messina, painted for a church in Palazzolo Acreide, with the Hyblaean mountains visible through the windows behind the angel and the Madonna. Early Christian sculpture and a fine collection of altarpieces and icons are fascinating evidence of the enduring Byzantine and Gothic influence in Sicily. While the rest of Italy was swept by the Renaissance, Siracusa’s artists were still painting heavily stylized Byzantine or Gothic works.

Easy to miss behind the Temple dei Dioscuri, the Giardino della Kolymbetra is a sunken garden created within what was once a huge "tank" excavated in the stone on the orders of the Tyrant Theron in 480 BC. In time, it was transformed into a lush garden, irrigated by a series of little channels, a technique brought to Sicily by the Arabs, who had learned this craft in the deserts of North Africa. Now planted with citrus, olive, almond, pistachio, pomegranate, and even banana trees, it forms a true oasis, where often the only sound is that of running water.

Set on the edge of the old town, Giardino Ibleo is a tranquil public garden lined with palm trees and dotted with fountains and churches along stone paths. The ambling walkways skirt the cliffside and offer dramatic views of the valley below.

The name translates literally as "the custodians of the vineyards of Etna," and Mario Paoluzi and his team take their roles as guardians quite seriously. From the low-intervention management of one of the oldest producing vineyards on Etna to the use of the alberello trellis system, this winery specializes in producing elegant expressions of Etna wines that pay homage to the history and culture of the area.

Salvo Foti, the patriarch of this family-run winery, has been called the most important Sicilian agronomist and winemaker. In fact, his work cultivating native grapes is part of the reason Americans have even heard of Nerello Mascalese or Carricante. His conscientious methods, which honor both the land and cultural traditions of Etna, have been passed on to his two sons (Simone and Andrea) who now manage the winery and lead tastings in the historic Palmento Caselle (c. 1840). In the fall, they still use the palmento to stomp grapes and press wine the way it was done centuries ago on Etna.

Located on Levanzo's rugged northwestern coast, Italy's most important example of cave art, the Grotta del Genovese, displays a stunning set of paintings and incised drawings dating from the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. The guide explains in fascinating detail how the small red and black figures of animals, fish, and insect-like humans were created here between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, and how they were discovered by a holidaymaker in 1949.

Transport to the grotto, which is privately owned, is included in the price of the ticket. Arriving by sea, a 20-minute ride, allows you to experience Levanzo's beautiful coast, but is not possible when the sea is at all rough as the boat must negotiate a narrow inlet in order to disembark passengers. The alternative is overland via Jeep, though this involves a downhill walk along a track for the last half mile. The whole excursion by boat or Jeep takes around 90 minutes. You can also make your own way here on foot along inland paths from Levanzo town, a walk of around one hour each way.

Visits to the site must be booked online, by email, or by phone at least 48 hours in advance, but ideally several days ahead during the busy summer months. Note that neither touching the engravings nor photographing them is allowed, and sturdy shoes are advised.

There's no doubt that the highlight of Castel di Tusa is its beaches, which stretch out from the beginning of the Tusa Cape in the east and end on the other side of the town at the Lungomare di Tusa. The beaches here vary from rocky, pebbly ones to golden sandy ones. Generally, Sicilian beaches are rustic with minimal facilities. Sicilians like to find a secluded spot to swim and sunbathe and might bring something for a picnic along with a simple beach umbrella. The same can be said for Tusa beaches: very basic but with crystal clear waters. Amenities: None. Best for: swimming; walking.

This late Roman villa was accidentally unearthed during construction work for the nearby Autostrada in the early 1980s, and the archaeological area has since recovered a complete Roman aristocratic home. The villa is filled with fascinating details, including mosaic tiled floors, walls, and doors.

A little bigger than a square mile, this lake, along with the nearby Lake Faro, is fed by groundwater mixed with seawater that flows in from a pair of canals built by the British around 1830. As a result, the waters are particularly great for growing mussels, one of the most iconic foods of the area. You'll see little sticks poking up from the water to indicate various aquaculture plots. And on sunny days, it's common to see people rowing crew in the lake.

Near the southern tip of Filicudi, you'll find a small crescent beach of large rounded pebbles with a perfect view of nearby Alicudi. During the summer, there's a lido service that rents beach chairs and umbrellas and even offers basic concessions, such as drinks and cold salads.

At the base of the pylon at Capo Peloro, where the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas meet, this little beach club stays open year-round. From the white-sand beaches you can see the Calabrian town of Scilla just across the strait. Because of the convergence of the seas, the waters are known for strong currents and whirlpools, which the ancient Greeks referred to as the sea monster Charybdis who would swallow ships whole. But the clear waters immediately hugging the coast are shallow and perfect for a dip. At the lido, you can rent chairs and umbrellas for the day or just pop in for a quick bite of lunch, a coffee, or a sunset aperitivo.

Capo d’Orlando has a long strip of beachfront to explore, stretching out in both directions along the coast. The Lungomare is the town's main strip, with plenty to entertain tourists in the high season, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and kiosks where you can buy anything needed for a day on the beach.

Below the main city of Taormina is Mazzarò, where summertime beachgoers jostle for space on a pebble beach against the scenic backdrop of the aptly named Isolabella. The first section of beach is reserved for expensive resorts but the far end, next to Isolabella, has a large free area. The tiny "beautiful island" of Isolabella was once a private residence but is now a nature preserve reached by walking along a narrow rocky path and visited for a small fee of €4. Amenities: none. Best for: walking.

Located high above Mistretta are the ruins of this Arab-Norman castle. At over 3,000 feet above sea level, the location offers some spectacular views out to the coast and the highest peaks of the mountains from Santa Croce down to Santo Stefano di Camastra. The remaining structure of the castle gives you an idea of its original dimensions, which were built to defend the city and look out all along the coast. The castle was also connected to an extended walled perimeter that encircled the original town.

Even though the outside of this church seems a little run-down, taking a step inside reveals intricate details and explosions of excessive ornamentation. The old monastery dates back to 1450 and is a testament to the wealth and luxury that the church acquired from the lands and agricultural wealth of Polizzi Generosa. The church is filled with elaborate stonework, decorations, and a well-preserved and vibrant majolica ceramic floor.

First built in 1299, these cloisters and courtyard, up the hill above the Valle dei Templi near the modern city, are open to the public. However, most visitors stop by the adjacent abbey for a treat and tour of the church, so be sure to ring the doorbell and try the chewy almond cookies. On special occasions, there may be kus-kus dolce—a sweet dessert dish made from pistachio nuts, almonds, and chocolate—that the Cistercian nuns learned from Tunisian servants back in the 13th century.

The town's beach is a 2-km (1-mile) stretch of sand, unusually clean for its proximity to the city. You can choose between public areas or private lidos where you can rent sun-loungers and a parasol and gain access to washing facilities with hot showers and changing rooms (expect to pay €15–€20 for an entire day, though afternoon rates may be reduced). The private beaches are also noticeably tidier and are patrolled by lifeguards. All the beaches get very busy on weekends but you should always be able to find space. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; washing facilities. Best for: water sports; swimming; walking.

A sense of Marsala's past as a Carthaginian stronghold is captured by the well-preserved Punic warship displayed in this museum, along with some of the amphorae and other artifacts recovered from the wreck. The vessel, which was probably sunk during the great sea battle that ended the First Punic War in 241 BC, was dredged up from the mud near the Egadi Islands in the 1970s. There's also a good display of maritime and archaeological finds, as well as some Roman ruins with mosaics just beyond the museum's doors.

Though it's located across the Strait in Reggio Calabria, this fantastic museum delves into the shared archeological and geological history of these sister regions and is worth a visit. You'll find incredible examples of fossils from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods (including the fossilized bones of a Neanderthal child), tools from the Bronze Age, insight into the military organization of the Iron Age, and details of Greek settlements on both sides of the Strait. Don't miss the bronze Riace warriors, a pair of impressive statues that were cast about 460 BC and found in the sea in 1972. To get there, take a 30-minute hydrofoil from the Messina port (€6.50 round-trip,  www.blujetlines.it).

The impressive collection of Siracusa's splendid archaeological museum is organized by region and time period around a central atrium and ranges from Neolithic pottery to fine Greek statues and vases. Compare the Landolina Venus—a headless goddess of love who rises out of the sea in measured modesty (a 1st-century-AD Roman copy of the Greek original)—with the much earlier (300 BC) elegant Greek statue of Hercules in Section C. Of a completely different style is a marvelous fanged Gorgon, its tongue sticking out, that once adorned the cornice of the Temple of Athena to ward off evildoers.

This archaeology museum is the oldest public museum in Sicily, with a small but excellent collection, including a marvelously reconstructed Doric frieze from the Greek temple at Selinunte, which reveals the high level of artistic culture attained by the Greeks in Sicily some 2,500 years ago. There are also lion's head water spouts from 480 BC, as well as other excavated pieces from around Sicily, including Taormina and Agrigento, which make up part of an informative exhibition on the broader history of the island. After admiring the artifacts, wander through the two plant-filled courtyards, and be sure to check the website for special culture nights, when the museum is open late to host musical performances.