4 Best Sights in Sicily, Italy

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 (€50 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. 

Also known as the faraglioni, these ancient volcanic islets are so dramatically stunning they have inspired writers throughout the centuries. Homer set Odysseus's battle with the cyclops here in the Odyssey, contending that the angered and freshly blinded cyclops Polyphemus hurled giant hunks of rock from Etna to the sea to destroy Odysseus and his ship. Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga set his most famous novel, I Malavoglia, on the island of Lachea, the largest of the isles. Today the area is a protected marine preserve. You can kayak or swim the waters or take a short boat taxi to Lachea to visit the Lachea Island Museum of Sea Studies, which highlights the flora and fauna of the area in a tiny museum perched near the top.

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 to visit in the low season. If you don't want the hassle of going to the beach on a busy day, you can also catch some beautiful views from several lookout points along the road. Another option is to see the rock formations from the sea, with several tour operators offering boat rides. The best access is from the signposted paid car park just south of the cliff (follow the sign to Majata Beach/Ingresso Scala dei Turchi). 

Park in the car park just off the main inland road from Tracino to Rekale. From here, a lovely path leads up to lush upland meadows (carpeted with wildflowers in spring) where favare, natural emissions of sulfurous 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 climb one of Pantelleria’s two main peaks, Montagne Grande (1 hour, 40 minutes) or Monte Gibele (50 minutes).