7 Things to Know Before Visiting Sicily in Italy

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It’s not too often that I find myself spending a month in a region and feeling disappointed by how much there is still left to see. That’s a long time to travel anywhere and an opportunity that few get to enjoy. But that doesn’t change how I felt after visiting Sicily, because all I wanted was more time to experience everything I’d yet to see. Yes, you could craft a quicker itinerary that covers the best places to go in Sicily, but I tend to travel with a little less focus.

Ask me what the most beautiful place in Sicily is and I’d have a hard time deciding. The same goes for what to do in Sicily, because we all have our own interests and preferences, and there’s just so much you can do around the island. Answering the question of where to stay in Sicily is one that I can do and have already kind of done.

What I can share with you here are a selection of things I think you may benefit from knowing. Some may seem obvious, but if I were visiting Sicily for the first time all over again, these are the things I’d want to know.

1. Different to Mainland Italy

One of the wonderful things about spending time travelling in Italy is that you realise just how different each part of the country is. That’s definitely the case with Sicily. I constantly found myself thinking “I’ve never seen anything like this in Italy before” which says it all really, doesn’t it?

Many of the reasons why Sicily is so special I’ll cover in more detail below. But they follow the usual lines of history, food, culture etc. One of my favourite though is the architecture, which I know isn’t something that will excite others in the same way. But look at the sheer beauty of the Val di Noto, a UNESCO-recognised region full of Baroque architecture, with places like Noto and Ragusa, and you’ll see what I mean in.

My point though is that if you’re expecting or dismissing Sicily because “you’ve done Italy” then stop that thinking right now. Because Sicily is definitely its own thing.

2. How to Get There

As with most of Italy, you shouldn’t have much trouble getting to Sicily to start your trip. The island is extremely well connected with the rest of the country, not to mention Europe in general. Since we are talking about an island, your two options to get there are either flying in or taking a ferry, although taking the train is technically a third way to go.

For most tourists, flying is going to be the most obvious solution to get there. Sicily has three airports to fly to: Catania, Palermo and Trapani. Budget carriers and national airlines fly to all three, but Catania and Palermo are the bigger two. Flights to Sicily can be insanely cheap sometimes which was part of the reason I finally went when I did.

Next we have ferries to Sicily, both domestically and internationally. Naturally, there are ferries to the mainland, with Naples and Villa San Giovanni the main places to go from. The latter sits on the narrow Strait of Messina between Sicily and the mainland and is the quickest sea crossing if you don’t like boats. But there are also ferries to neighbouring islands and even a ferry to Malta if you want to combine Sicily and Malta in a trip.

As for the train, you can buy train tickets from the mainland direct to Sicily. What happens is that the train actually uses a special train ferry to cross the Strait of Messina, which honestly sounds like a special experience.

3. Getting About

One bit of hard won advice from my time travelling in Sicily is that getting around isn’t as easy as it seems. I used public transport in Sicily throughout my trip to get about and ran into plenty of troubles along the way. In hindsight, having a rental car in Sicily would have helped, although that naturally brings the challenge of driving in Italy. Alternatively, you could cede control completely and take a guided tour of Sicily.

No matter though, as now I get to warn you about what its like taking trains and buses here. And really, I never had any trouble with the trains in Sicily. Trains are mostly useful for travel along the coasts, but not so much in the island’s interior. In some parts they’re also not super fast due to the weaving, winding routes they need to take through the hilly terrain.

No, it’s the bus travel where things got tricky. At first it was just people pushing ahead of me in the line so that there was no room by the time I stepped aboard. The real problem though is trying to reliably plan your bus trips. Buses in Sicily belong to a mess of different companies, many of which you can’t get accurate timetables of online.

Timetables for large companies like Interbus are pretty good, but for smaller regional ones you can forget about it. And I’m not just talking about online here. I got given completely wrong information twice trying to get from Piazza Armerina to Agrigento, once from the actual bus ticket office. My advice is to try to stick to major routes as much as possible and seek local help otherwise.

4. Fantastic Sicilian Food

If you’re looking for a reason to visit Sicily that’s not simply “why not?”, then may I suggest its awesome cuisine? That’s usually one of the reasons people go to Italy anyway, but Sicilian cuisine is its own thing and it is phenomenal. Even if you’ve spent a month travelling through mainland Italy, you’re bound to find new and exciting things to try when you reach Sicily.

And with so many Sicilian specialities to experience, my advice is to dive right in. Don’t make the mistake of just eating the typical dishes of Italy while in Sicily because you’ll be missing out if you do. I personally spent much of my time in Syracuse and Catania experiencing the food scene and was far from disappointed. Another way to discover the food scene is with a food and wine tour like this one out in the countryside.

Now, some Sicilian dishes are better known internationally than others. Arancini are a quite well-known dish in other countries and cannoli are the island’s most famous sweet treat. But even these recognizable foods come in a dizzying array of styles and flavours; especially all the types of stuffing you can find in arancini from one place to the next.

Then there are the less instantly recognizable foods found across Sicily that you’ll soon find are just as common, like Pasta alla Norma with its tasty eggplant sauce and granita, the refreshing icy dessert you can get from kiosks everywhere. One of my favourite new experiences was trying busiate pasta in Agrigento, a spiral pasta from Sicily I’ve yet to find elsewhere.

5. Remarkable History

Followers of the blog will know that learning about a destination’s history is one of my favourite things to do. And I have to say that Sicily is just awesome for those interested in history. The island has had such a layered, diverse past and that means you get to see all sorts of historical sites when you travel in Sicily.

Sicily’s notable history stretches back thousands of years. With the incredible ruins of Agrigento you can learn about the island’s settlement by ancient Greeks. Over at the mosaics of Villa Romana del Casale you can learn more about Sicily during the time of the Romans. At Syracuse you can see both. The Arabs and Normans defined the medieval history of Sicily and many of the best places to visit in Palermo are tied to that era.

Then there are the destinations that feel absolutely trapped in time, offering a window into what 17th-18th century Sicily was like. For that you need to head to the Val di Noto, which I mentioned earlier. These may be the most picturesque places to explore that era, but trust me there’s many more. The point is you’ll be spoiled by the end of your Sicily trip, that’s for sure.

6. Surprising Mountains

With its location right at the heart of the Mediterranean, you might think that the beaches in Sicily are the island’s best natural asset. And if that’s your kind of thing and what you want from your trip then you won’t be disappointed. But in my books, the most interesting natural attraction of Sicily is its mountains.

Certainly the most famous mountain on the island is Mt Etna. The volcano near the popular tourist town of Taormina is one of the best places to go in Sicily, even if I chose not to during my visit. Its looming, sometimes smouldering, presence adds so much drama to the island’s east coast. I can’t wait to see it up close one day.

But a place that equally appeals to me now and is far less well-known is the Madonie Mountains. These mountains sit within a natural park at the centre of the island’s north coast. While planning my trip to Sicily I didn’t even know about them, and by the time fellow travellers had recommended them as a great place to go hiking it was too late to change plans.

Then I chatted with a man with family near there who said how beautiful it is there. A little bit of research later and the mountains are very high on my list for next time. Which is why I mention them now, so you can know before you go and maybe factor them into your plans.

7. Sicilian Pride

While it shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise, it’s hard to describe just how proud of Sicily the people of the island seem to be. You definitely notice the fervent pride in Sicily and everything Sicilian, even when doing the most generic touristy things. Sicilian flags are everywhere, as are the island’s distinctive ceramics, but that’s just the start.

It truly becomes clear when you talk to Sicilians about Sicily. During my stay in Piazza Armerina I met and dined with an Australian/Sicilian guide who been showing tourists around for decades. I was genuinely taken aback by just how much he raved about how great everything to do with Sicily was, from its heritage and culture to the produce and the people. Even when he talked about the dark history of the past related to the Sicilian Mafia, he found positives to focus on.

Were he talking about a country, you’d call it unwavering patriotism. But Sicily isn’t a country, at least nowadays. But I’ve never really experienced this sort of regional pride in a place without a strong modern separatist movement like Catalonia.

I personally find that sort of intense, passionate pride hard to swallow because everywhere has flaws, but it did make me reflect on everything I’d seen and realise just how strong the Sicilian identity is. And what is more interesting when you travel than exploring the identity of a destination?

Resources for Visiting Sicily

• Getting There: To find the cheapest and most useful flights to Sicily make sure to check Skyscanner.
• Accommodation: Here you can find hotels, apartments and guesthouses throughout Sicily, plus don’t forget Airbnb.
• Tours: There are countless day trips and sightseeing tours available for exploring Sicily, plus longer Sicily tours.
• Car Hire: If you want to travel more independently, consider renting a car to drive yourself about.
• Guide Books: Lastly, if you’re after a physical guide to take with you then you can’t beat a Lonely Planet Guide.

Have you had the opportunity to visit Sicily during your travels? What advice do you have for people spending 7 days in Sicily or longer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.