©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Sicily
POPULATION: 5 MILLION
Why Go?
Palermo......................... 746
Around Palermo............ 759
Cefalù ............................760
Lipari ............................. 763
Salina ............................ 766
Stromboli ...................... 768
Taormina ....................... 769
Catania .......................... 775
Syracuse ....................... 782
Noto .............................. 788
Ragusa ...........................791
Agrigento ...................... 792
Marsala ......................... 799
Trapani ......................... 800
Erice ..............................804
Segesta .........................805
More of a sugar-spiked espresso than a milky cappuccino,
Sicily rewards visitors with an intense bittersweet experience. Here it seems the sun shines brighter, the shadows are
darker, and life is lived full-on and for the moment. Overloaded with art treasures and natural beauty, undersupplied
with infrastructure and continuously struggling against
Mafia-driven corruption, Sicily’s complexities sometimes
seem unfathomable. To really appreciate this place, come
with an open mind – and a healthy appetite. Despite the
island’s perplexing contradictions one factor remains constant: the uncompromisingly high quality of the cuisine.
After 25 centuries of foreign domination, Sicilians are heirs
to an impressive cultural legacy, from the refined architecture
of Magna Graecia to the Byzantine splendour and Arab craftsmanship of the island’s Norman cathedrals and palaces. This
cultural richness is matched by a startlingly diverse landscape
that includes bucolic farmland, smouldering volcanoes and
kilometres of island-studded aquamarine coastline.
Best Places to Eat When to Go
» Trattoria Ai Cascinari
(p756)
Palermo
°C/°F Temp
Rainfall inches/mm
30/86
8/200
20/68
6/150
» Il Gallo e l’Innamorata
(p800)
10/50
4/100
0/32
2/50
Best Places to
Stay
-10/14
» Quattro Gatti (p791)
» Il Liberty (p789)
» Isoco Guest House (p772)
» Pensione Tranchina
(p804)
» Villa Athena (p797)
0
J
F
M
February Almond
blossoms float
over temples and
orchard-covered
hills during Sagra
del Mandorlo.
A
M
J
J
A
Easter Impassioned religious
processions and
marzipan lambs
in every bakery
window.
S
O
N
D
May Spring
weather, wildflowers and fewer
crowds; a dreamy
time for coastal
walking.
744
History
Sicily’s most deeply ingrained cultural influences originate from its first inhabitants –
the Sicani from North Africa, the Siculi from
Latium (Italy) and the Elymni from Greece.
The subsequent colonisation of the island by
‚
Ferries to
Naples
Ferries to
Naples
‚
‚
Ferries to Genoa;
Livorno
the Carthaginians (also from North Africa)
and the Greeks, in the 8th and 6th centuries
BC respectively, compounded this cultural
divide through decades of war when powerful opposing cities, such as Palermo and
Catania, struggled to dominate the island.
Tyrrhenian Sea
Ferries to
Cagliari
‚
5 Aeolian Islands
#
Ustica
Stromboli
‚
/
¼
/
¼
À
8
/
¼
Mediterranean Sea
Golfo Vittòria
#
]
di Gela
#
^
Pantelleria
#
Modica ]
SS287
#
\
^
#
6
Noto
#
÷
Syracuse
Ionian
Sea
: Riserva
#
Pozzallo \
Naturale di
Vendicari
50 km
20 miles
Ferries to Pelagic
Islands
‚
e
#
0
0
8
À
À#
8
Ragusa
À
8
le
Ib
#
^
‚
SICILY
Malfa Panarea
# Santa Marina Salina
Filicudi \
#
\
Alicudi
Salina \
# Lipari
#
Quattropani \
Canneto
Ferries to
Villa
Vulcano
Cagliari
San
FalconeRiserva NaturaleBorsellino
Giovanni
#
#
\
Milazzo \
dello Zingaro –
t
# \# Mondello
s
#
^
a
o
1 Palermo
Erice
#
#
^
7
#
nC
Messina
a
#
\
#
\
i
#
\
Trapani ^
en
Montreale Parco \
#
# Cefalù Tyr rh
Scopello
Marettimo
A18
Naturale Regionale
# Castelbuono
\
Favignana
ä
#
# Calatafimi
\
i
delle
Madonie
#
÷
#Birgi
–
Nebrod Linguaglossa
3 Segesta
# Taormina
\
4
#
#
#
\
#
\
Egadi Islands \
#
Parco
#
\
#
Polizzi Petralia \
÷R
Corleone
Naturale #
Marsala
A29
Generosa Sottana
MtEtna
dell'Etna
#
Mazara del Vallo \
#
Rifugio Sapienza \
A19
SS189
# Nicolosi
\
ä
#
#
^
Enna
# Sciacca Caltanissettà
Selinunte \
2 Catania
#
#
#
]
Fontanarossa ^
#
–
Villa
Piazza
#
\
Ionian Coast
ä
#
Romana del
Armerina
Agrigento ^
#ä
#
Casale
SS194
Valley of the
Golfo di
Mo
nt
Augusta
Temples
i
Gela
SS514
Ferries to
Malta
Sicily Highlights
1 Join the ranks of
impeccably dressed operagoers at elegant Teatro
Massimo in Palermo (p757)
2 Bargain with the fish
vendors at dawn, climb
Europe’s most active
volcano in the afternoon and
enjoy Sicily’s best nightlife in
constantly buzzing Catania
(p775)
3 Marvel at the majesty
of Segesta (p805),
whose Greek temple and
amphitheatre sit in splendid
isolation on a windswept
hillside
4 Shop till you drop in
Taormina (p769), or ply
the turquoise waters in the
sparkling coves below
5 Soak up the sun,
watch Stromboli’s volcanic
fireworks and hike to your
heart’s content on the
stunningly scenic Aeolian
Islands (p762)
6 Wander aimlessly in
Ortygia’s atmospheric alleys
before settling in for an
evening of classical drama at
the fabled Greek theatre in
Syracuse (p785)
7 Hike the rugged,
undeveloped coastline and
scan the sky for eagles at
Riserva Naturale dello
Zingaro (p804)