Things to see in Sicily
84 places in Sicily you should see at least once in your life.
The Valley of the Temples
The Doric temples of ancient Akragas on a ridge facing the sea
ArchaeologyEraclea Minoa
A Greek theatre on a white cliff above a beach of dunes and pines
SeaLampedusa and Rabbit Beach
One of the most beautiful beaches in the world, at the southern tip of Italy
NatureLinosa
A volcanic island of black lava and pastel-coloured houses
NatureThe Scala dei Turchi
A dazzling white cliff of marl shaped like a giant staircase
VillagesSambuca di Sicilia
The Arab quarter of the seven alleys and the houses sold for one euro
SpasSciacca and its spas
Ceramics, a carnival of giant floats and thermal waters known since antiquity
FaithHoly Week in Caltanissetta
The Vare, Mysteries and processions of the city of sulphur
CastlesThe Castle of Mussomeli
A fortress that seems to grow out of a rock in the heart of Sicily
VillagesSutera
A village clinging to a gypsum mountain in the heart of Sicily
SeaAci Trezza and the Cyclops Rocks
The rocks hurled by Polyphemus and Verga's fishing village
Food & wineBronte and its pistachio
The green gold of Etna, grown among the lava fields
Art · UNESCOCaltagirone and the Staircase of Santa Maria del Monte
142 steps covered in hand-painted majolica
Food & wine · UNESCOCatania and the Pescheria
The fish market behind the cathedral and the black baroque of lava stone
Art · UNESCOPiazza del Duomo and the Elephant
The lava stone elephant and the cathedral of St Agatha
Nature · UNESCOMount Etna
Europe's highest active volcano, between craters, lava and vineyards
VillagesRandazzo
A medieval town built of black lava on the northern slopes of Etna
ArchaeologyMorgantina and its Venus
A Greek city in the hills and the goddess returned from America
CastlesEnna and the Castello di Lombardia
The belvedere of Sicily, from the highest provincial capital in Italy
LakesLake Pergusa
The lake of the myth of Persephone, surrounded by a racetrack
Archaeology · UNESCOVilla Romana del Casale
The largest and most beautiful Roman mosaics in the world, with the bikini girls
CastlesSperlinga
A castle and cave houses carved into the sandstone rock
VillagesCastelmola
The village above Taormina and its almond wine
NatureThe Nebrodi Park
Sicily's largest forest, with lakes, black pigs and wild horses
Sea · UNESCOLipari
The main Aeolian island, with its castle, its museum and the pumice quarries
Sea · UNESCOPanarea
The smallest and most fashionable of the Aeolian Islands
Nature · UNESCOStromboli
The lighthouse of the Mediterranean, a volcano that erupts every few minutes
Spas · UNESCOVulcano
Mud baths, steaming fumaroles and the climb to the Gran Cratere
ArtCaravaggio at the Museum of Messina
Two late masterpieces by Caravaggio and the art of Antonello da Messina
CuriositiesThe astronomical clock of Messina
Every day at noon, a show of gilded bronze figures on the cathedral bell tower
SeaCapo Milazzo and the Piscina di Venere
A natural pool in the rocks at the tip of the peninsula
CastlesThe Castle of Milazzo
The largest fortified citadel in Sicily, above the port for the Aeolian Islands
VillagesMontalbano Elicona
Frederick II's castle and the megaliths of the Argimusco plateau
NatureThe Alcantara Gorges
A canyon of basalt columns with an icy river at the bottom
FaithTindari
The sanctuary of the Black Madonna and the lagoons of Marinello
Nature · UNESCOSalina
The green island of the Aeolians, of malvasia, capers and Il Postino
CuriositiesSavoca and Bar Vitelli
The village of The Godfather, on a hill above the Ionian coast
SeaIsola Bella
The pearl of the Ionian, joined to the beach by a thin strip of sand
ArchaeologyTaormina and its Ancient Theatre
A Greek theatre with Etna and the sea as a backdrop
CuriositiesBagheria and Villa Palagonia
The villa of monsters and the summer residences of the Palermitan nobility
Villages · UNESCOCefalù
A Norman cathedral under the rock and a beach in the old town
VillagesCorleone
Waterfalls in the town and a museum against the Mafia
VillagesGangi
A village of stone houses spiralling around a hill in the Madonie
Art · UNESCOMonreale Cathedral
Over six thousand square metres of golden mosaics above Palermo
CuriositiesThe Capuchin Catacombs
Thousands of mummified Palermitans dressed in their best clothes
Faith · UNESCOPalermo Cathedral
Royal tombs, a mix of styles and a walk on the roofs
Food & wineBallarò market
The oldest market of Palermo and its street food
SeaMondello
The beach of the Palermitans and its Liberty-style bathing pavilion
Art · UNESCOArab-Norman Palermo and the Palatine Chapel
Gold mosaics and an Arab wooden ceiling in the palace of the Norman kings
ArtThe Quattro Canti and the Fontana Pretoria
The baroque crossroads of Palermo and the fountain of shame
Faith · UNESCOSan Giovanni degli Eremiti
Red domes and a cloister among palms and citrus trees
ArtTeatro Massimo
The largest opera house in Italy and the steps of The Godfather
MountainsThe Madonie Park
High mountains, beech woods and stone villages between Palermo and Cefalù
ArchaeologySolunto
A Hellenistic-Roman town on a headland above the sea
SeaUstica
Italy's first marine reserve, on a black volcanic island
Food & wine · UNESCOModica and its chocolate
Baroque churches in a valley and chocolate made with an Aztec recipe
CastlesThe Castle of Donnafugata
A noble residence of the nineteenth century, with a stone labyrinth
Art · UNESCORagusa Ibla
A baroque town on a hill, crowned by the dome of San Giorgio
CuriositiesPunta Secca
The fishing village and Inspector Montalbano's house by the sea
Villages · UNESCOScicli
Baroque churches, caves and the police station of Inspector Montalbano
NatureCavagrande del Cassibile
Emerald pools at the bottom of a canyon in the Hyblaean mountains
Art · UNESCOBaroque Noto
The capital of Sicilian baroque, a stage set of golden stone
NatureThe Vendicari Nature Reserve
Golden beaches, an old tuna fishery and flamingos in the lagoons
VillagesMarzamemi
A fishing village grown around a tuna fishery on the southern tip of Sicily
Archaeology · UNESCOPalazzolo Acreide
A baroque town and the Greek theatre of Akrai on the Hyblaean plateau
Art · UNESCOSyracuse and Ortigia
The island of the Greek city, with a cathedral built into a temple
Archaeology · UNESCOThe Greek Theatre and the Ear of Dionysius
The great theatre of Syracuse and an artificial cave with incredible acoustics
Archaeology · UNESCOThe Necropolis of Pantalica
Five thousand rock-cut tombs in the gorges of the Anapo
ArchaeologyThe Temple of Segesta
A solitary Doric temple on a hill, never finished
ArchaeologyThe Cave di Cusa
The ancient quarries where the columns of Selinunte were cut
SeaScopello and its faraglioni
An old tuna fishery and the most photographed sea stacks in Sicily
ArchaeologySelinunte
The largest archaeological park in Europe, with temples by the sea
VillagesErice
A medieval village in the clouds above Trapani, with almond pastries
SeaFavignana
The butterfly-shaped island of the Egadi, with Cala Rossa and the Florio tuna factory
ArchaeologyLevanzo and the Grotta del Genovese
The smallest Egadi island and its prehistoric cave art
NatureMarettimo
The wildest of the Egadi, a mountain of sea caves and trails
ArtGibellina and Burri's Cretto
A white concrete shroud over the ruins of a town destroyed by the earthquake
Food & wineThe Marsala wineries
The fortified wine created by English merchants in 1773
ArchaeologyMotya
A Phoenician island in the Stagnone lagoon and the Youth of Motya
NatureThe salt pans of Trapani and Marsala
Windmills, pink pools and white salt pyramids at sunset
ArtThe Dancing Satyr and the Kasbah
A Greek bronze from the sea and the Arab quarter of Mazara del Vallo
NaturePantelleria
Dammusi, passito and the Lake Specchio di Venere on the black pearl of the Mediterranean
NatureThe Zingaro Nature Reserve
Seven kilometres of coast without roads, coves and dwarf palms
Food & wineSan Vito Lo Capo and couscous
A Caribbean beach under Monte Monaco and a festival of couscous