During the heat wave of July 2023, I finally visited Sicily again for the first time since I was a small child. I have a special connection here because my father’s side is from Sicily and we still have a close bond with our cousins who live there. For this trip, I spent time in a few different parts of Sicily, spent time with my lovely family – and I can’t wait to keep coming back and seeing more.

My Itinerary

Day 1- Fly to Catania, transfer to Siracusa (night arrival)

Day 2- Siracusa- Explore Siracusa Ortigia island: churches, ruins, beaches

Day 3- Siracusa- Day trip to Noto

Day 4- Siracusa- Last day to relax in Siracusa, island boat tour

Day 5- Palermo to Sciacca- Spend the day visiting Palermo with cousins, then go to Sciacca to visit with family

Day 6- Sciacca- Beach morning, evening in Sciacca center

Day 7- Sciacca- Beach morning, evening excursion to Erice

Day 8- Sciacca- Beach morning, evening excursion to Selinunte

Day 9- Palermo- Bus from Sciacca to Palermo, visit Cathedral and street food markets

Day 10- Palermo- Visit sites such as churches, Normanni Palace, markets

Tips & Highlights

This trip didn’t fully go according to plan… but that’s the kind of thing you have to always be ready for during a trip. Be ready to make the best of a bad situation, go with the flow, and let the little things go so it doesn’t ruin your time. Anyway, this summer was facing extreme weather and heat. There was a fire at Catania airport which rerouted my flight to Comiso, then we boarded shuttle buses to Catania. By the time I arrived in Catania, it was too late to get any public transportation to Siracusa (Ortigia island, specifically), so I had to spring for a very expensive cab ride and I didn’t arrive until after 10pm. Instead of letting it start my time in Sicily on a sour note, I found a place by the water to enjoy some bruschetta and a spritz and moved on. It’s all you can do.

I stayed at a B&B by the marina in Ortigia Siracusa which had a balcony overlooking the water. Unfortunately, the heat wave made it nearly impossible to spend time outdoors during the day. I wasn’t able to make it to a day trip, but I went for a few swims, read my books and waited for the sun to go down, then went out to try wine or cocktail bars- there’s a bunch of cool spots like BOATs, Barcollo, and Mikatu. One day, I took a boat ride on a cruise around Ortigia island. I’m not a boat person and found this particular boat ride a little scary, but I definitely have a pretty low tolerance for boats.

I left after a few days to take a bus to Palermo and meet my cousins. Note that cab rides are a small fortune here- I should have walked to the bus station. Taking the bus across Sicily really showed how vast and rural much of the land still is here. It’s such a beautiful place, and really different from mainland Italy. Anyway, my cousins took me to tour the grand and dramatic Palermo Opera House, (which was especially cool after seeing it as a setting in White Lotus!) We tried yummy street food snacks from I Cuochini and explored some of the neighborhoods. It was a great introduction to Palermo, a city that I’ve come to truly love.

In Sciacca, I spent time with my cousins. I loved the summer routine of heading to the relaxing nearby San Marco beach in the mornings, eating lunch back at the house, taking the nap, then going out to town or an excursion in the evening. I loved having dinner and walking around Sciacca, staring at the beautiful view from the Piazza Scandaliato. Another highlight was our excursion to Erice, a hilltop Medieval town that we had to take a funicular to reach.

After four nights with the family, I boarded a bus to spend two more nights in Palermo before heading home. I stayed at the Eurostars Centrale Palace hotel, which is ideally located in the center. (I liked the hotel, but in recent years the prices have spiked, so I’ve found other places to stay.) After checking in, I went to a traditional Sicilian lunch at the Trattoria Al Vecchio Club Rosanero, a casual spot serving an extensive menu of homemade Sicilian specialties. My other Palermo food highlight was trying the octopus salad at al Tentacolo in the Vucchiria street market. During my stay, I visited the beautiful Palermo Cathedral and Normanni Palace and checked out some of the colorful shops- there were lots of great options to pick up some gifts before wrapping up my trip. There are an unbelievable amount of churches that are covered in amazing art – in Palermo, and all over Sicily, in general.

Next time?

It’s my goal to visit Sicily on a yearly basis- to spend time in beautiful Sciacca with my family, and also add new destinations each time. From Sciacca, I’d like to next time day trip to Marsala and Agrigento. I’d also like to spend more time in Palermo because I just love it’s lively and beautiful-gritty city vibe. I’d also like to go to Cefalu which is a beach destination that can be reached from Palermo, 50 minutes by train. I’d also like to see experience other parts of the island, like the Baroque architecture in Ragusa, or wine tasting near Mount Etna. So much to do, and so much beauty is packed into Sicily!