Sicily is one of the most beautiful places to explore in Italy. One of the best ways to experience Sicily is to take one of the Sicily Tours, sampling the region’s famously tasty flavors along with its many popular highlights, but if you want to explore it independently or perhaps enjoy a bit of both, don’t miss these favorite spots.
These are the Best Places to Visit in Sicily
Palermo
Sicily’s capital and oldest city, Palermo is home to lots of notable architectural and historical delights as well as some of the best street food in Italy which can be found at its three main markets, Il Capo, Ballaro and the famous Vucciria, lined with especially aromatic stands. Check out the Norman Palace with its Byzantine Palatine Chapel, the archaeological museum Museo Archeologico Regionale and the Catacombs, which includes some 8,000 mummies that are buried underground from the late 16th-century to the mid-19th-century.
Mount Etna
The highest active volcano in Europe can be found in Sicily, soaring at 10,900 feet high. It also has a long written record of eruptions than any other volcano, contains over 400 craters and is in a constant state of activity, which means you’re likely to see it spewing lava. If you’re adventurous, you can hike up the mountain though most choose the easier and more scenic route, taking the cable car to the midway point and then a four-wheel-drive bus to the top.
Villa Romana del Casale
Located in south central Sicily, the Villa Romana del Casale is a not-to-be-missed attraction in Sicily. A 4th-century Roman villa, it hosts one of the best-preserved and largest collections of ancient mosaics in the world, with the one that depicts the Olympic games the most famous, featuring the first image of women wearing what’s known today as the bikini.
Siracusa
Situated near Sicily’s southeast corner on the Ionian coast, Siracusa was built on an ancient Greek settlement that was founded in 734 BC. It’s home to a sprawling archeological site, jam-packed with well-preserved Greek and Roman remains, including a Greek theatre that dates back to at least the mid-5th-century BC. Its 59 rows could accommodate as many as 15,000 spectators.
Valley of the Temples
Just outside the city of Agrigento is the Valley of the Temples, a series of 5th-century Doric temples that sit on a ridge that faces the sea. The western section is home to the largest Doric temple ever unearthed, the unfinished Temple of Zeus, while the eastern section features the most well-preserved temples which are attributed to the goddesses Juno Lacinia and Concordia.
Cava Grande Natural Reserve
Cava Grande Natural Reserve is one of Sicily’s best-kept secrets. It’s home to one of the biggest canyons in Europe, about 985-feet-deep and over six miles long. The area is filled with lush greenery, freshwater ponds, natural pools, waterfalls, and precipitous limestone walls. You can also see several tombs carved in the rock and traces of dwellings.
If you want to get the most out of your trip to Italy, then be sure to add these best places to visit in Sicily to your itinerary. Be sure to check out more of my Italy travel tips here, and if you want to explore something on the darker side of travel, check out these creepy places in Italy while you’re at it.
