Sicily Itinerary

1. ~9:00aGranita & brioche breakfast

   The Sicilian summer breakfast — almond or coffee granita with a soft brioche col tuppo for dipping, on a sun-warmed terrace.

   
2. ~10:00aThe Greek Theatre

   Taormina's spectacular ancient theatre, carved into the hillside with Mount Etna and the sea framed perfectly through its ruined stage — one of the world's great views.

   
3. ~11:30aCorso Umberto & the old town

   Taormina's elegant main street — a pedestrian promenade of medieval palazzi, panoramic piazzas, ceramic shops, and bougainvillea-framed sea views.

   
4. ~1:30pA Sicilian lunch

   Pasta alla Norma — the island's signature dish of fried eggplant, tomato, and salted ricotta — or fresh seafood pasta, on a terrace with a view.

   
5. ~3:30pIsola Bella & a swim

   The cable car down to the sea and the tiny nature-reserve islet of Isola Bella — a pebble-beach swim in clear water beneath the cliffs of Taormina.

   
6. ~7:30pAperitivo at the magic hour

   A panoramic terrace for a Sicilian spritz or an Etna wine as the sun sets behind the volcano and the town lights come on.

   
7. 8:30pDinner in TaorminaAnchor table

   A refined Sicilian dinner — seafood, island wines, and perhaps a Michelin-level table — the marquee meal, with the coast glittering below.

   

Taormina is Sicily's clifftop showpiece — the ancient Greek theatre with its Etna-and-sea view is unmissable, and the town is loveliest early and at the evening passeggiata. The cove of Isola Bella below offers the swim. Sicilian food and Etna wines are a highlight throughout.

Day 1 in photos

1. ~8:30aUp Mount Etna

   Onto Europe's largest active volcano — a cable car and 4x4 up the lava-blackened slopes toward the summit craters, smoke drifting and the whole island falling away below.

   
2. ~12:00pLava caves & old craters

   A walk to a lava cave or one of Etna's silent extinct craters on the lower slopes — solidified lava rivers, black sand, and pioneering plants reclaiming the rock.

3. ~1:30pLunch at an Etna winery

   A long lunch at a volcano-slope wine estate — local salumi, cheeses, and pasta paired with Etna's mineral reds and whites, vineyards on black soil all around.

4. ~4:00pMore tasting or a vineyard walk

   A cellar tour and tasting at a second estate, or a walk among the ancient bush-trained vines and lava-stone terraces of the Etna wine road.

   
5. ~8:00pDinner back in Taormina or a wine-town trattoria

   A relaxed dinner — Sicilian cooking and more Etna wine, either back on the coast or in a village on the volcano's slopes.

   

Etna is a full, thrilling day — go up the volcano with the official mountain guides (dress warmly), then descend into its acclaimed wine country, where old vines on black volcanic soil make some of Italy's most distinctive reds and whites. Access up high varies with the volcano's activity.

Day 2 in photos

1. ~9:30aOrtigia, the heart of Syracuse

   The island old town of Syracuse — a honey-stone maze of baroque palazzi, a Greek temple reborn as a cathedral, and a freshwater spring where papyrus grows.

   
2. ~11:30aThe Neapolis archaeological park

   Syracuse's great ancient site — a vast Greek theatre, the cavernous 'Ear of Dionysius' grotto, and Roman remains in an olive-shaded park.

   
3. ~1:30pA seafood lunch in Ortigia

   Fresh seafood at a market or trattoria in Ortigia — raw red prawns, pasta with sea urchin or sardines, and a crisp Sicilian white.

   
4. ~3:30pNoto, the baroque jewel

   Inland to Noto — a town rebuilt entirely in golden baroque after a 1693 earthquake, its main street a procession of glowing palaces and church façades.

   
5. ~6:30pGranita & Modican chocolate

   A pause for an almond granita and a square of Modica's ancient, grainy chocolate — Aztec-method cocoa worked cold, a Sicilian specialty.

   
6. ~8:00pDinner in the southeast

   A relaxed dinner in Noto or back in Ortigia — Sicilian cooking, local wine, and the warm baroque-town evening.

   

The southeast is Sicily's baroque heartland — ancient Syracuse (Ortigia and the Greek theatre) and the golden rebuilt town of Noto are the highlights, with superb seafood, almond sweets, and Modica chocolate. The honey-colored stone glows best in late-afternoon light.

Day 3 in photos