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Travel Guide To Taormina

The dramatic resort town of Taormina - high on Monte Tauro - boasts Mount Etna as its backdrop and an ancient Greek theatre as part of the scenery, and has been likened to a Sicilian Monte Carlo.

The views from the town have inspired visitors for centuries, including DH Lawrence, who lived here between 1920 and 1923. One of the charming things about Taormina as a long-weekend destination is that there's no real need to sightsee once you've seen the Greek theatre, and despite the proliferation of tourists, the town retains much of its late medieval character, dotted with intimate piazzas and 15-century palazzi . (See also our guide to Sicily)

Where to stay in Taormina

Taormina is at its best when the day-trippers leave; so stay in the town rather than in Giardini-Naxos, its satellite.

THE GRAND HOTEL TIMEO

Via Teatro Greco 59 (00 39 0942 23801; www.framonhotels.com ). This luxury hotel has the most spectacular position, just below the Greek theatre, with a panoramic terrace that fills up with movers and schmoozers during the film festival (in mid-June). Inside, it has antique style in bagfuls. £££

THE SAN DOMENICO PALACE

Piazza San Domenico 5 (00 39 0942 613111; www.thi.it ). This hotel wins the hotel-garden contest, its parterres are ablaze with hibiscus, bougainvillaea and japonica, and - unlike the Timeo - it has a pool. The rooms, though comfortable, are reminiscent of the hotel's convent past.The San Domenico Palace hotel was voted Best Overseas leisure hotel in Europe in The Readers' Travel Awards 2002. £££

VILLA DUCALE

Via Leonardo da Vinci 60 (00 39 0942 28153; www.hotelvilladucale.it ). This is an attractive, affordable villa conversion. The reception area doubles as library and salon-bar and bedrooms have cast-iron beds and frescoes. The gardens are a riot of colour; and although there's no pool, there are a couple of outdoor Jacuzzis. £

VILLA BELVEDERE

Via Bagnoli Croci 79 (00 39 0942 23791; www.villabelvedere.it ). This affordable, lovely pale-yellow villa has a decent pool and an old family-style hotel atmosphere with a personal touch. £

LE CASE DEL PRINCIPE

Near Trappitello (00 39 0942 577 137; www.alliatadivilla franca.it ). This is an exception to the 'don't-stay-out-of-town' rule, consisting of a group of four-room cottages, on Prince Gabriele Alliata di Villafranca's estate on the coastal plain 8km south of Taormina. Self-catering rooms are basic but attractive, with bamboo roofing and naïve paintings; each has a veranda overlooking olive and citrus trees. At quiet times, guests can use the Prince's swimming pool. ££

Where to eat out in Taormina

This corner of Sicily is a land of strong flavours, as featured in perhaps the only pasta dish to be named after an opera, spaghetti alla Norma , with its sauce of tomatoes, fried aubergine and pecorino . There are plenty of restaurants in and around Taormina that serve this and other Sicilian classics such as pasta con le sarde (macaroni with fresh sardines, sweet cicely, raisins and pine nuts) and grilled or fried seafood secondi .

LA BOUGANVILLE

Via Bagnoli Croce 88 (00 39 0942 625 218). Ideal for a decent, low-budget meal, this unpretentious trattoria is situated opposite Taormina's public park, the Villa Comunale. The decor is standard southern Italian, but the atmosphere is friendly, the Sicilian food tasty and the bill astonishingly low.

CASA GRUGNO

Via Santa Maria de' Greci (00 39 0942 21208; www.casagrugno.it ). More exalted fare, decor and service are on offer at this restaurant carved out of an aristocratic, Catalan-style townhouse dating from the 16th century, with a garden patio for summer dining. Austrian-born but Taormina-adopted chef Andreas Zangerl is ambitious, but dishes such as lasagne with grouper, seafood and mozzarella don't always come off.

Graniti (00 39 0942 47047). Located in the village of Graniti, a few kilometres up the Alcántara valley from the coast, A Casitta offers authentic Sicilian food at a reasonable price. Host Pippo Lembo keeps the antipasti coming and after a couple of pasta tasters and a secondo of lamb or rabbit, you're entitled to loosen your belt.

PASTICCERIA ETNA

Corso Umberto 1 112. This jewel of a cake shop is on Taormina's main street. Ask for a te freddo (cold tea), which comes with a dollop of lemon sorbet and fuel up for the walk to the (closed) castle with a torta di mandorla (almond cake).

What to see in Taormina

IN THE TOWN

THE MUSEO SICILIANO DI ARTE E TRADZIONI POPOLARI

Try to see the entertaining exhibition of wacky folklore in the modest Museo Siciliano di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari, housed in the 14th-century Palazzo Corvaja in the centre of town. These naïve paintings, offered in thanks to the Son of God or His Mother for help in averting a tragedy, are charming. In one, a nun is stabbed by the sacristan in what looks suspiciously like a crime of passion. Even more intriguing is the ex voto offered up by a certain Santa Verga after she survived being thrown off a bridge by her husband and her lover (an eminently Sicilian solution). Best of all, though, is the ex voto that manages to spin a miracle out of the devastating eruption of Etna on 11 March 1669. Next to the volcanic fireworks and the glowing lava we read: 'The lava flow, after having buried 18 villages, came to a halt, miraculously, in the sea'. Open Tues to Sun, 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm.

OUTSIDE THE TOWN

Down below, the islet of Isola Bella is connected by a thin strip of sand to the mainland: no more than a beach towel across at its narrowest point. The coves below Taormina, north of the resort of Giardini-Naxos, are connected to the town by cable car, and in summer most visitors spend the day down there, returning for the evening passeggiata through the town centre.

THE ALCANTARA VALLEY

Spring or late autumn is also a good time to explore the Alcántara valley, which curls inland from Taormina around the northern edge of Mount Etna: a place of handsome, crumbling hill villages such as Castiglione di Sicilia, low gorges bordered by shiny gunmetal-grey rocks and invitations to buy local products such as Etna honey and a fiery, sulphuric red wine.

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THE TEATRO GRECO

This is signposted from just about everywhere and can be found at the end of Via Teatro Greco. The theatre is carved out of the hillside and the magnificent views give a complete panorama of southern Calabria, the Sicilian coastline and snow-capped Etna. Despite its name, the existing remains are almost entirely Roman. Although it was founded by Greeks in the third century BC, it was rebuilt at the end of the first century AD, a period when Taormina enjoyed great prosperity under Imperial Roman rule and the reconstruction completely changed the theatre's character. Open daily from 9am to one hour before sunset.

The view from up on Mount Etna is startling. Around you is a heaving sea, a vast congealed flow of dull brown-black fragments. The lava swallows light and sound, so you have to strain to hear your guide. The last eruption, in July 2001, warped some of the pylons of the cable car that carried summer visitors up to the 2,500-metre-mark and made Etna one of Europe's more unusual winter-sports destinations. Visitors are now ferried in huge four-wheel-drive minibuses up to a point just below the Torre del Filosofo - supposedly built by the philosopher Empedocles just before he leapt into the crater to convince his followers that he was a god.

FILM FESTIVAL

Taormina's annual film festival takes place in June, when films are shown on a giant screen and stars such as Tom Cruise and Greta Scacchi turn up to receive their awards.

GIARDINI-NAXOS

Giardini-Naxos was an obvious stop for ships sailing between Greece and southern Italy, and there was a settlement here by 734 BC, named Naxos after the Greek island from which the colonists came. The resort constitutes a wide, curving bay, south of Taormina, and is a particularly good spot for swimming. The town of Giardini which backs the beach, is excellent for those after cheaper accommodationa and food that that found in Taormina. The beach is one of the most popular in Sicily, and large sections of it are sectioned off as private areas where sun loungers and umbrellas can be rented. There are also numerous water-sports facilities here.

How to get to Taormina

The nearest airport is Catania Fontanarossa International airport, about an hour's drive from Taormina. There are six buses a day to Taormina's centre.

AIRLINES FROM THE UK

Alitalia (08705 448259; www.alitalia.co.uk ) flies daily from Heathrow to Catania, via Milan or Rome. From the airport, there is a bus to Taormina every two to three hours, from 8.30am to 8.30pm.

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Old secrets, new surprises on a trip through Sicily

By Erin Florio

For Conde Nast Traveler' s Iconic Itineraries , we partner with our travel specialists to create classic trips through our favorite destinations that showcase the difference it makes to travel with the help of an expert.

Two hours after arriving in Palermo, I am standing under centuries-old chandeliers and surrounded by gold-gilded everything inside the Galleria degli Specchi at the Palazzo Gangi. The mirrors on the walls and the ceilings, the velvet curtains, and cumulative opulence of it all draws—and deserves—comparison to Versailles’s Hall of Mirrors. Gangi isn’t a place I could have discovered alone. Like many of the quiet moments in this wild city, this 300-year-old palace appears suddenly and magnificently, found around the corner from a nondescript alleyway. Its discretion is fitting for a city whose walls feel thick with the stories of millenia-worth of conquests and scandal.

Palermo's ornate Chiesa del Carmine Maggiore, a Catholic church

Approaching Mercato Ballaro in Palermo

Palermo’s buildings carry the visible scars of World War II but its doors reveal palaces still owned by princesses descending from the House of Bourbon, which ruled here for over a century. Underneath the city, a network of tunnels have been both a playground of sin for naughty nuns and monks and escape routes for Mafia-precursor the Beati Paoli. Suffice it to say, it’s a cunning, clever city that requires a decent amount of know-how to crack. Fortunately, I’m with Marcella Amato, a whip-smart, quick-tongued Palermitana guide with eyes so knowing they could carry centuries of urban tales and wisdom. It is her long and trusted relationship with the princess who lives at Gangi that got me through the door. Being here is the first of many moments that let me get closer to Sicily than I have been able to on any previous trip.

I’m traveling with Authentic Explorations , a specialist travel agency run by Gary Portuesi in New York City . The son of Sicilian immigrants, Gary has spent the last two decades bringing Americans to Sicily and the boot, on tailored itineraries that he designs after careful talks with would-be clients; Marcella is one in his army of specialised guides all over the island. He and I made this trip official six weeks ago, on a phone call to discuss factors that would help him assemble a version of Sicily just for me. I let him know this would be my sixth trip to this largest Italian region. That yes, Palermo was important, as were artisans and history and the southeast corner of the island, home to Noto and Ragusa, which I had never explored. He ended our call with the words: “Be prepared for improv” and the heads up that an itinerary would be in my inbox in the coming weeks.

For millennia, Palermo was conquered and passed between the Phoenicians, Greeks, Arabs, Vandals, Normans, and Spanish before becoming the capital of Sicily, which would become part of an Italy unified under Garibaldi in the 1800s. It’s a no-brainer as a starting point to the Mediterranean’s largest island, itself closer to Tunis than Rome , and occupied by one Med power or another for over 10,000 years—meaning that cultures from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa have influenced everything from its food to its architecture to its dialect. As the gateway to western Sicily, Palermo is where I spend my first two nights and where I meet for the first time with Peppe, Gary’s business partner who would play driver, Sicilian encyclopaedia, and dinner companion for me for the week.

On our first full day we hit the road early, driving along the coastal highway toward the seaside town of Trapani, the industrialised suburbs of Palermo thinning out along the hills and coastlines the farther west we get. It’s a clear and mild late September morning, one that must feel like relief for locals after the long and suffocating heat of summer. Our destination is the Trapani salt pans that trace their origins to the arrival of the Phoenicians 2,700 years ago. Squint, and the silhouettes of Favignana and Levanzo, two of the three Egadi islands off of western Sicily, appear faint like shadows against the blinding Mediterranean sunlight. I’ve been here before, on a drive-by 10 years earlier while road tripping around Sicily with friends. I told Gary I could pass this time around. But he kept it in the program.

The last time I came here, all I did was glimpse the pink and blue salt pools on the shoreline from the car window. But on an actual tour, I discovered that a visit to these salt pans is a window into artisan cultivation. Here that means a choreography of men, bare-chested, in shorts and gumboots, shoveling tidy piles of sea salt into wheelbarrows that they then roll, wobbly atop the saline-inflected earth where a thin layer of water reflects with such sharpness that it looks like a sheet of ice, to a large mound at the edge of the pools. These workers, leather-skinned, with thick beards and faces hardened by a life’s work in the sun, will probably be the last to work in this way. Peppe says kids don’t come here looking to follow in their boot-steps. To visit the salt pans is to observe a centuries’ old practice, whose time, due to technology and opportunities elsewhere, may soon be up.

Natural reserve of the Saline dello Stagnone, near Marsala and Trapani

“I love improvisation!” says Peppe. It’s roughly 10 a.m. on day three and he and I have left Palermo for eastern Sicily, driving through lush meadows with tall green grasses stretching in the winds toward the horizon every direction you look. In April and May, Peppe tells me, these fields are a profusion of wildflowers. Today, we don’t pass a single vehicle on the road, which makes these seemingly endless expanses feel all the more Elysian. Peppe mentions a multi-gen client whose patriarch left these valleys nearly 80 years earlier for Texas, and who got out of the car and onto his knees to kiss this earth when Peppe drove him and his 20 family members through it.

Of the estimated 5.4 million Italians who emigrated to the United States in the three big immigration waves of the 20th century, roughly a quarter were Sicilian. That’s translated into a decent chunk of hereditary travel business for Gary and Peppe, who’ve become masters in reconstructing a Sicilian-American’s origin story with very little information. (“Give me a name and a date of birth and I’ll find the house they were born in,” claims Peppe). Our destination is Agrigento, off Sicily’s southern coast, which is Peppe’s hometown and location of the mythical and ancient Valley of the Temples. But Peppe scratches his improv itch and makes a few detours first—to the spellbinding Cretto di Burri di Gibellina, an art project to preserve a town in these valleys destroyed by an earthquake; a whistle-stop tour through the chic seaside village of Sciaccia; and a glimpse over the famed Scala dei Turchi, a natural marvel of white stone cliffs seemingly sliding into the sea.

Favignana, one of Italy's Egadi Islands

A vendor arranges his fare at a fish market

Exploring Sicily means a lot of time in the car. There is no way around it. The local government hasn’t gotten its act together to finalise the long talked about high-speed regional rail which would be a game changer for exploring the island. On our drives Peppe and I chat—about the mythical winds that blow in from the south, Sicily’s humanitarian role in the African immigration crisis, the fact that, so strong were the Mafia ties between Sicily and the United States, Lucky Luciano had a seat at FDR’s table to discuss annexing the region at the end of World War II. Outside Palermo, Peppe points out the spot where an assassin triggered the bomb that killed anti-Mafia judge Falcone in the '90s, whose death marked a turning point in the war against the mob. “To not talk about how life was under the Mafia wouldn’t be fair to those who died trying to change it,” says Peppe, when I ask if Sicilians prefer to avoid the topic with foreigners.

By Arundhati Ail

By Sophie Knight

By Noor Anand Chawla

The Valley of the Temples sits on a hilltop, unobstructed and glorious, like the world’s most magnificent welcome sign. For the past 2,500 years, anyone, be they conqueror on horseback or journalist in Audi, has marked their arrival to Agrigento by the valley’s seven doric temples built by the Ancient Greeks. As a boy, Peppe would play hide-and-seek behind its towering pillars. Today, entry into the valley is controlled and the monuments are roped off. In the late afternoon, I meet Lorenzo, a 42-year-old Agrigentino with 35 years of guide experience; he insisted on giving his parents a tour of the valley the day he learned about it in elementary school.

The Valley of the Temples sits on a hilltop, unobstructed and glorious, like the world’s most magnificent welcome sign.

We are at the base of the Temple of Juno at the valley’s western end. As we walk its path, passing the Temple of Zeus and Hercules, Lorenzo explains that this area was selected by the Greeks for its strong bedrock, which could support these colossal houses for their Gods, and tells me of the Arab influence on Agrigento and of Sicily as the original melting pot. We arrive at the towering Temple of the Concordia, the valley’s best-preserved and most awesome monument, just as the setting sun turns the sky into swirls of neon pink, which backlight the temple with an otherworldly glow. I realise then that Lorenzo timed everything so that I would hit this very spot as this all came together. It’s the type of moment whose magic is to expose your own insignificance in this powerful, old world.

Capo Bianco, near Argrigento, Sicily

Temple of Concorde at the Valley of Temples near Agrigento

We would cover equally great distances and historical depths in the days that follow. In Ortigia, the Old Town of Siracusa located on an island in the western Mediterranean, I observe a wedding inside a synagogue in the town’s Jewish Ghetto and speak with one of the last remaining makers of i pupi di Sicilia, a type of puppet popular in theatres throughout the island in the 1800s and whose cultural inheritance is protected by UNESCO. In the beautiful baroque village of Noto , I stroll the streets after the sun goes down, fascinated that the electric street lights, built long after the town’s centerpiece 18th-century cathedral, coat the entire place in a dreamy, amber hue.

In Modica, a few towns over, the reach of the Spanish empire is tasted in the local chocolate, made by techniques plucked from the Aztecs and brought here 400 years ago. Ten minutes away in Ragusa the petite Maria Guastella talks me through the intricacy of traditional sfilato siciliano , or Sicilian lace, as one of its last remaining makers. Her studio is on the outside bend of a hairpin turn on the road into the town, with a sign so discreet you would already have to know to come here to notice it at all. Inside, she describes the delicate work, and demonstrates with crooked fingers that navigate the needle and thread with the nimbleness of someone 50 years younger. I stay longer than planned, scooping up her bookmarks and place mats to take home with me.

When I emerge into the main piazza, Peppe ushers me down the sloping Old Town that is laid with magnificent flagstones and punctuated with regal cathedrals, and through a door under a swinging wooden sign that says “Rosso Cinabro.” It is the last remaining workshop of the Sicilian carretierri , or cart makers. While I was with Maria, Peppe arranged the workshop to open for me, which would otherwise be chiuso in the afternoons. Stepping into the studio is to step in a world which could be from two centuries earlier. Wood is whittled by hand, and wagons, which were ubiquitous up until the 1950s, are painted in shades of brilliant red, yellow, and blue, in patterns as distinct as fingerprints.

Ragusa Ibla at dusk

Grilled fish at Anciovi Restaurant in the San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel

On my last full day, I wake up in Taormina on Sicily’s west coast, and tip toe into the sea as the sun rises and the rest of the town sleeps. A few fishermen have rowed out just beyond the rockline and the water is calm and clear as glass. On a good day here, you can see mighty Etna, the smoking volcano that could destroy much of the area’s centuries-old antiquities in a matter of minutes. By the grace of all the gods who have been worshipped on this island, Etna’s destruction has so far been largely contained to the mountainside. A bonus from the centuries of lava flows is an alluvial, mineral dense soil that has been catching the attention of some of Italy’s top winemakers for the past 20 years. Later that afternoon I'm in the modern glass and timber tasting room at the vineyard Cottanera. Sipping Nerello Mascalese on leather sofas with views of the vineyards tumbling down the mountain slope is a different side of Sicily, the beginning of something new.

Yet change doesn’t always mean an end to what has always been here. In the crumbling hilltop village of Motta Camastra, which clings stubbornly like a mountain goat to the cliffs north of Etna, a group of local women are taking preservation into their own hands. Urban migration and economic downturn have hit the village hard. To create jobs and bring people back, Mariangela Curro and other local women launched Le Mamme del Borgo, which is creating a super-local farmed food movement to help sustain the town agriculturally, and offering good old-fashioned cooking to bring in travelers. Mariangela is a cheery and proud ambassador, guiding me to the local museum that displays antique olive presses and to the town square, which looks over the valley and across to Etna. We climb up a footpath and crouch through a door that leads to a kitchen. Inside, the Mammas, in aprons and house dresses, are frying arancini, moulding eggplant parmigiana, and stuffing crescent-shaped pastry with ricotta. Typical Sicilian food is their currency; every tour with the Mammas ends at the table outside this kitchen, under the shade of a canopy in an ivy-draped courtyard.

It’s the kind of experience a traveler would book an entire trip around, bridging sustainability, local interactions, and extremely good food. At the lunch table, Mariangela explains the mission of the Mammas between platters of pasta alla Norma, sausage, and stewed greens. Sicily is nothing if not a study in endurance and evolution, having inherited, fostered, grown, and preserved influence from so many forces throughout history to create a place unlike anywhere else. But Sicily’s magic is knowing when to let change in. For the Mammas, change is a means of conservation rather than the beginning of something totally new. If done properly, their work will help to keep Motta Camastra ticking.

Mount Etna and the Ionian sea, seen from the town of Taormina

Mariangela clears the lunch dishes and offers coffee. Peppe and I have to get back to Taormina and should get going. But under that canopy, surrounded by these women, on top of a valley that’s been inhabited in one way or another for thousands of years, time seems to move at its own pace. We don’t need to rush. So we stay at the table a little longer.

Florio Restaurant at Villa Igiea in Palermo

The pool at Villa Igiea

Where I stayed

Gary’s connections to exactly the types of the places you want to stay secured me the top rooms all over the island. In Palermo, I stayed at the Villa Igiea in Palermo, Rocco Forte’s new and stunning takeover of a storied turn-of-the-century resort right on the water. Over in Agrigento, the sweet eco-retreat Fontes Episcopi may have left the biggest impression on me, with its orchards and pinch-yourself-perfect farm kitchen where all the meals are made. Across in Noto, Seven Rooms is discreet and perfect, located in an old palace right off one of the main drags. Taormina has been popular for years and has the strongest hotel scene on the island. For me, that meant a seafront room at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea and an overnight at the beautifully redone San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel , in the middle of the town.

Gary and his team at Authentic Explorations can pull off week-long Sicily itineraries starting at around $12,000 for two, depending on services and accommodations. All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission .

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A long weekend in... Taormina

By Emily Wright

Don't just take the G7's word for it: this polite, manicured enclave on the wild and energetic island of Sicily is the perfect base for an Italian adventure. It's easy to see why Ernest Hemingway once said Taormina is "so pretty it hurts to look". Crates overflowing with local citrus fruit are stacked on street corners and the crumbling ruin of the third-century amphitheatre injects some authentic, rough charm. It even delivers when you turn your back, thanks to unbroken views over the Ionian Sea and the imposing volcanic behemoth that is Mount Etna. True, Taormina is not the real Sicily - the rest of the island is rugged, raw and complex - but for visitors hoping for a true Sicilian experience, it is a gateway to a beautifully imperfect island.

Where to stay in Taormina

Villa Carlotta

Due to its precarious position on a hairpin bend high up a winding cliff road, parking at this boutique hotel is a case of sticking the handbrake on and hoping for the best as the valet makes a mad dash to whisk the car away. But it's worth it. Through the tiny entrance, the 23-room property opens up, Tardis-like, into a hidden gem. Built into the cliff-face, the hotel has unrivalled sea views, with mainland Italy to the left and Mount Etna to the right. From the restaurant terrace to the garden rooms that twist and turn down to the pool, Villa Carlotta balances rustic Italian charm with relaxed luxury.

From £255 a night. 81 Via Luigi Pirandello, 98039. +39 094 262 6058. hotelvillacarlottataormina.com

Where to eat and drink in Taormina

A ten-minute taxi ride from the town centre, Villa Ducale ( villaducale.com ) is perched along one of the many hillside roads on the outskirts of Taormina. The views are something else, but it is the food that makes this boutique hotel unmissable. The chef, Lino Capitano, has created a menu inspired by his Sicilian childhood and has had the courage to keep his dishes so simple there's little room for error. The meatballs cooked in lemon leaves are a must-try, as is the signature tuna steak and the homemade fusilli pasta with pistachio pesto. Osteria Rosso Divino ( osteria-rosso-divino.com ) is a good casual option and don't miss O'Sciality ( osciality.it ) for ice cream. As for drinks, the bar at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo ( belmond.com ) just next to the ancient amphitheatre is perfect for truly special sundowners.

All about Etna

From the coiffed beauty of Taormina to the moody, jet-black moonscape of Mount Etna, there's a reason travellers clamber over the old lava flows, caves and craters that pepper this vast volcano. A powerful reminder of the destructive force of nature, the Etna experience is worth signing up for. Or learn about the 700 bee keepers of Zafferano, a village on the mountain under the active volcano. Wine tours are also available for those keen to take things at a more leisurely pace. ( legendarysicily.it )

An excursion you can't refuse

You could easily fall on the hilltop village of Savoca without ever realising its significance. North of Taormina, it is the home of Bar Vitelli, which is as famous for being the bar where scenes from The Godfather were shot as it is for its lemon granita. The church here is also where Michael Corleone's wedding was filmed and, in the year that marks the film's 45th anniversary, it's worth a visit.

**Next stop **

How about an entire volcanic archipelago? For a different perspective and a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Aeolian Islands are just a hydrofoil sailboat away from mainland Sicily. Out of the eight, which include Lipari and Stromboli, Vulcano is the easiest to get to - around 40 minutes by boat from the port of Milazzo. Don't be too alarmed by the sulphuric smell as you dock, it doesn't pervade the entire island and it doesn't reach Therasia Resort. With a view of all seven other islands from its bar and infinity pool , this 96-room hotel offers a combination of deep blue waters as far as the eye can see and an iconic rock formation on the horizon that really does take the breath away. There are two restaurants on-site, one of which, Il Cappero, has a Michelin star.

From £274 a night. Isola Di Vulcano, 98050. +39 090 985 2555. therasiaresort.it . British Airways flies from London to Heathrow to Catania, Sicily, from £53. ba.com

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The Bazaar guide to Taormina, Sicily

Taormina's mediaeval piazzas, smoking volcano and crystal-clear coves are best enjoyed in low season

A diminutive town with a glittering history, Taormina is a Sicilian gem that occupies a rocky promontory on the island's east coast, overlooking the beaches and the ancient bay of Giardini Naxos. Ghosts of icons past flit at every corner, which are all infused with faded glamour: the café that Greta Garbo frequented each morning, the bar where Truman Capote threw his parties that continued long into the night, the Greco-Roman theatre where Elizabeth Taylor was fêted at the town's film festival that still draws the A list today. The breathtaking views of the Ionian Sea, smoking Mount Etna or even the mediaeval buildings have been admired by DH Lawrence, and will be celebrated for years to come. In terms of when to go, Sicily is warmer than mainland Italy, and Taormina can become incredibly hot in high summer, so visit in the spring or autumn to miss the soaring temperatures and the crowds that come with them.

The hotel: San Domenico Palace Hotel

This former 15th-century monastery is more than a sanctuary of introspection. While the cloisters once worked to the beat of puritanical footsteps, the hotel now abounds with a luxury that entices stars including Scarlett Johansson and hosted Dolce & Gabbana's first couture show several years ago. Guests can choose to stay in Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's room, which – apart from the Nespresso machine – is almost as they'd left it. The balcony overlooks the flourishing garden, resplendent with orange-trees and jasmine; on a clear day you'll be rewarded with the appearance of Mount Etna.

The restaurant: Tischi Toschi

Luca Casablanca, the chef and owner of Tischi Toschi, commands this two-storey trattoria with an idiosyncratic wit, and can be spotted on most nights eating here, accompanied by his diminutive dog. His intelligent menu is a panoply of modern Sicilian fare, from whole artichoke, crisp with just a smattering of flour, to his take on the traditional local aubergine dish caponata, but with almonds and seasoned with a little cocoa powder. Every morsel of pecorino baked with garlic, oregano and parsley was mopped up with bread. Rarely do I return to a restaurant on short breaks, but I ate here three times. No wonder Yotam Ottolenghi previously declared on Instagram that "Everything's superb at Tischi Toschi".

Visit tischitoschitaormina.com .

The bar: Morgana

Taormina may be small, but there is still much to enjoy after dusk. Morgana is the town's hotspot, especially during the film festival, when it attracts starlets with its extensive drinks selection and mixologist's skill. The proprietor Guido Spinello changes the garden every year, which becomes a big event in the town's calendar, and is an intimate space in which to enjoy an expertly made gin and tonic, or a Negroni against the dying embers of sunset. Go early, as queues will form from midnight, when the dancing begins.

Visit morganataormina.it .

The breakfast: Bam Bar

Sicilians abroad grow misty-eyed at the mention of granita, but what is a snack for us is in fact their breakfast, and served with a generously sized brioche bun. Bam Bar is the local's favourite hangout, where grown men sit under the awning, surveying the piazza, while tucking into the town's best granita – coffee-flavoured, with whipped cream and a fluffy brioche (although it would be churlish not to try the other 15 fruity flavours on offer).

Bam Bar , Via Giovanni di Giovanni, Taormina.

The service: Sicily Lifestyle

This boutique concierge based in Taormina should be the lynchpin of any luxury experience in town. Its unparalleled insider knowledge means that your holiday can be tailored to your needs, whether you'd like a private tour of the Greco-Roman theatre, recommendations for the best place to eat arancini, family fishing trips or helicopter rides over the crater of 'Mama Etna'. One essential is wine tasting on the foothills of the volcano at Terrazze dell'Etna where, after a guided tour around the undulating vineyards and 1,000-year-old olive-trees, you will be rewarded with a flight of seven wines accompanied by a fresh Sicilian meal.

Visit sicilylifestyle.com .

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Taormina travel guide

What do Goethe, Alexander Dumas, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Klimt, D.H. Lawrence, Richard Wagner, Oscar Wilde, Truman Capote, John Steinbeck, Ingmar Bergmann, Francis Ford Coppola, Leonard Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Federico Fellini, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Elisabeth Taylor and Woody Allen have in common?

Simple - they have all sojourned in Taormina, the pearl of the Mediterranean.

Idyllicly perched on a rocky promontory high above the sea, Taormina has been the most popular tourist destination in Sicily for a couple of hundred of years, ever since it became an integral part of the Grand Tour. Beautifully restored mediaeval buildings, breathtaking views around every corner and a giddy network of winding streets strewn with shops, bars and restaurants make for a perfect holiday spot.

Taormina's history

Tauromenium, built on Monte Tauro, was founded by Andromacus at the behest of Dionysius the Tyrant of Syracuse in 392 BCE. The first Punic War saw Taormina falling to the Romans in 212BCE and the town became a favourite holiday spot for Patricians and Senators, thus starting Taormina’s long history as a tourist resort.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantines came only to be ousted by the Arabs in 962. They changed the name to Almoezia and set about introducing new agricultural practices (irrigation and citrus fruit farming) and other more cerebral pursuits such as philosophy, medicine and mathematics. Taormina continued to prosper both culturally and economically with the arrival of the Normans in 1079, who, under King Roger de Hautville, threw the Arabs out of Sicily.

After a brief period of Swabian rule, under Frederick II, Charles of Anjou was pronounced King of Sicily by the Pope. The people of Taormina refused to recognise this interloper as their king and, along with a great many other Sicilian towns, joined in the revolt against French rule during the Sicilian Vespers of 1282.

A hundred years of uncertainty followed before the Spanish took over affairs. Evidently impressed with Taormina, they chose Palazzo Corvaja as the seat of the Sicilian Parliament.

The rest, as they say, is storia .

What to see in Taormina

Today, Taormina lives on tourism. Visitors flock from all over the world to see its Greek-Roman theatre, amble along its perfectly preserved Mediaeval streets, admire its dramatic views of Mount Etna and immerse themselves in the archetypal Mediterranean atmosphere.

The main attraction is, without a doubt, the theatre. Now home to all manner of events , including plays, fashion shows, concerts, and cinema festivals, the Teatro Greco, as its name suggests, started its life in the 3rd Century BC hosting performances of works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Originally quite small, it was enlarged by the Romans to accommodate their own particular brand of theatrical extravaganza. The views from the theatre are spectacular, taking in a (usually) smoking Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos down below.

Another testimony of Taormina’s ancient origins is the Odeon. Right in the middle of the old Roman town, just below Palazzo Corvaja, this small theatre was built by the Romans when the town became a military colony in 21 BCE. It was used both for theatrical and musical performances organised for the cream of local society. Strangely, at some point it disappeared, only to resurface again in 1892 when a blacksmith hit upon something that turned out to be red bricks while digging his land. He dug a little deeper and called in the experts who uncovered first the cavea, then the orchestra and finally the scene.

Taormina is centred around its main thoroughfare, Corso Umberto I. At the beginning of this charming street is perhaps the greatest symbol of Taormina’s long varied history: Palazzo Corvaja. Its architecture is a sublime mix of Arab, Norman and Gothic and includes battlements, mullioned windows and shady courtyards. The Arabs built the original tower as part of the town’s defences. Its cubic structure, which is typical of many Arab towers of this period, is thought to have evoked that of the Ka’aba in Mecca. In the 13th Century, the tower was enlarged by the Normans who added a wing containing a hall and some wonderful artwork. The Spanish followed suit, adding another wing at the beginning of the 15th Century to house the Sicilian Parliament. Its present name recalls one of the town’s most important noble families who owned the building from 1538 to 1945.

For the first half of the 20th Century, until after the 2nd World War, Palazzo Corvaja became a kind of lodging house for poor families and fell into disrepair. After the war, it was restored to its former glory and in 1960 another section was added to house the local tourism offices. The main part now houses the Sicilian Museum of Art and Popular Traditions.

At the other end of Corso Umberto I is Piazza del Duomo, complete with 13th-century Cathedral and Baroque fountain. As with many churches of this period in Sicily, the Duomo, dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari, has a distinctly fortress-like quality thanks to its robust structure and the battlements that delineate the roof. Its Renaissance doorway belies an essentially Gothic interior complete with a rose window at the west end.

Taormina is served by its very own cable car which ferries tourists to and from the seaside resorts down along the coast. Extensive beaches , rocky coves, tiny islands (such as the famous Isola Bella) and sea stacks abound, making this enchanting coastline a firm favourite with Sicilians and visitors alike.

Villas in Sicily near Taormina

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Forget Taormina—Here’s Where You Should Really Be Going in Sicily

By Rosalyn Wikeley

2021’s dark and desperately funny HBO hit The White Lotus has shifted its gaze from Hawaii to Sicily’s Slim Aarons-worthy coastline in Taormina for season two. Serving up the same satirical take on the gilded and often grim lives of the tone-deaf elite as Succession (just with marginally fewer private jets and expletives), the cult series returned on October 31, just as we began longing for sun-doused coastlines… and more drama. One episode in, and we can confirm that the Sicilian setting has plenty of both.

Against the menacing backdrop of a snow-capped Mount Etna, Taormina’s sprawling San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel strikes a rather splendid note as the setting for the hotly anticipated season. Counting royals, literary legends, and silver screen fixtures such as Audrey Hepburn among its past guests, the grand hotel clings to Amalfi-style cliffs, with knockout views of the Ionian Sea. Inside, grand arches, gargoyles, and antiques, honoring the building’s previous life as a medieval convent, converse fluidly with sharp modern furniture and contemporary art. The resulting blend of old-world Italian glamour and modern luxuries sets the ultimate stage for the self-destructive capers of a privileged few.

Spectacular though it is, the hotel and the historic town in which it’s set are not the only must-see attractions in Sicily. Here, find our insider guide of seven other under-the-radar cultural spots to make a beeline for on the island.

Lesser-known Palermo

In Palermo, a honey-hued maze of churches and crumbling palazzos bears the scars of frequent invasion and conquest in its layered architecture, food, and the trinkets lining the tables of antique markets. A scruffy sensibility of loose telephone wires, flapping sheets, and mottled stone settles into the once splendid bones of this ancient city, whose rhythms are dictated by tradition. Mornings are sweet—head to Prestipino Café for brioche con il gelato and granita, or dive into the animated Mercato del Capo, the city’s lesser-known market where locals go and where irresistible wafts of zucchini fritti, panelle, and arancini greet clued-up wanderers. Like most of Palermo, the loveliest spots remain hidden, including I Segreti del Chiostro—a fervently traditional cake and pastry shop in the Santa Caterina convent courtyard, known for its cannoli (try the pistachio topping)—and Camera delle Meraviglie, a recently discovered secret chamber with beautiful Arabic inscriptions and art lining the walls.

Folk, Catania

The city of Catania, a disheveled beauty of dark volcanic stone and faded palaces, has, in recent years, become something of an incubator for foodies and artisans. Native boutique owner Magda Masano, founder of Folk, is one of them. The third-generation artisan fashions decorative home pieces from lava stone, marble, and ceramics, all of which (like Magda) are deeply connected to the island, whispering stories of its tumultuous past and showcasing a rich heritage of craftsmanship. Come here for pudding plates honoring Minnuzze di Sant’Agata (sweet cakes prepared each February by Catanians as a symbol of fertility), glazed lava stone chess sets, and the Testa di Moro (a ubiquitous Sicilian symbol), as well as pastel-hued bummulu jugs nodding to a history of Arabic influence.

Rosso Cinabro, Ragusa Ibla

By Liam Hess

By Leah Bhabha

Unlike Sicily’s other baroque towns (Noto or Scicli), Ragusa Ibla has a medieval Brothers Grimm flamboyancy to it, where shutters are ritually flung open at sunrise and pastel-painted cafés, palazzos, and workshops, such as Rosso Cinabro, line the cobbled streets. Here, Damiano Rotella and Biagio Castilletti proudly present their craft, not in a gallery but in action. It’s within this cave-like bottega that this remarkable duo carve, chip, and paint various wooden marvels, most famously the traditional Sicilian cart, preserving centuries of Sicilian craft tradition. You’d think that, having been commissioned by Dolce & Gabbana to create bespoke carts and paint various kitsch appliances in traditional Sicilian strokes, they’d have moved to the city for more high-fashion hobnobbing. But here they are, doing what they do best and—crucially for Sicilians—what they love.

Galleria Lo Magno, Modica

Yes, Modica is all about chocolate—a relic of three centuries of Spanish rule, where they pinched Aztec chocolate-making nous and concentrated it in the honeyed and church-heavy town, with its striking Hyblean backdrop. But amid its chocolate cachet, and imposing and impossibly lovely churches (see: St Peter’s pastel ceiling), the baroque town is a petri dish of creativity, where a burgeoning modern art and design scene is afoot. For a tangible sense of it, head to Galleria Lo Magno, where curations support young, emerging artists as well as showcasing the works of a more established coterie. Works on display include Francesco Balsamo’s juxtaposed prints and verse, and Rossana Taormina’s exploration of memory through an intriguing mix of photography and embroidery. Even the culture snobs pay Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, a visit, where the odd queue is worth it for wildly delicious bars of “cold” crumbly chocolate and cannoli.

Sergio Fiorentino, Noto

Known as the “cradle of Sicilian Baroque,” Noto never fails to stir a whole raft of emotions with its imposing limestone architecture and resplendent (and truly enormous) Roman Catholic cathedral. The sand-hued beauty stole the heart of Catanian artist Sergio Fiorentino, who now lives and works in a reimagined refectory of an 18th-century convent right in the heart of Noto. His paintings evoke a contemporary classicism, featuring religious-inspired portraiture with splashes of abstract-style color, then scratched and buffered to create a weathered effect. The choreography of his studio and living space personifies Sicily’s old-meets-new appeal—where a contemporary mobile structure, mid-century furniture, and touches of minimalism inhabit the grand bones of a historical building. Email Sergio well in advance for a viewing.

Vendicari beaches

Google is awash with secret guides to Sicilian beaches, but, once you smugly pull up at one, towel in hand, you’ll soon discover that the secret is well and truly out. Venture to the southeastern coast, however, and the car-free Vendicari Reserve spanning the island’s tip from Noto to Marzamemi is a protected paradise of secluded coves and glorious blonde beaches. The wildlife rises to this extraordinary setting of endless dunes, glassy water, and saline lagoons, with migratory birds and pink flamingos filling the sky in spring and autumn. Marianelli, with its bath-warm shallows, and Calamosche’s wild stretch of beach are both a little tricky to reach—but the best things in life usually are.

Sanbartolomeo Casa e Putia, Scicli

Dwarfed by its namesake church, Sanbartolomeo Casa e Putia is a guesthouse with the spirit of an artists’ residency and the design choreography of a committed aesthete. The owners pulled the plug on city life in Milan and mobilized their dreams of breathing new, contemporary life into historical buildings, while honoring local craft and traditional materials. Minimalist, modern rooms with concrete flooring and white-washed walls are layered with traditional mahogany furniture, wrought iron chandeliers, and elaborate lace bed toppers—a consummate marriage of classical Catholicism and modern restraint. A balcony lined in joyful Sicilian tiles is the front-row seat at breakfast for a knockout view of San Bartolomeo and the town’s comings and goings below. Even if you don’t stay here, pop into the owner’s antique store directly underneath (you won’t find it listed anywhere online), where lace toppers, brass figurines, and costume jewelry recall Sicily’s golden age.

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Essential Blog

Eight of the best restaurants in taormina.

Posted on 27 August 2019 in Italy , Sicily

The picturesque Italian town of Taormina is idyllically-situated on a stunning clifftop over the Ionian Sea. Surrounded by ancient architecture, it is home to an amazing Greek theatre, which displays beautiful coastal views behind the stage. The town has an appealing and energetic reputation, scattered with charming bars and restaurants throughout its enchanting streets. Here at Essential Italy, we have selected our top restaurants for you to enjoy while absorbing the fun atmosphere of this beautiful Sicilian town.

Il Barcaiolo

The fact you have to book five days in advance for this popular restaurant speaks for itself. The incredible setting for this trattoria is worth visiting for that alone. Nestled in a gorgeous cove in Mazzarò Beach, it is the ideal for a romantic treat with your partner. With regards to dining, the restaurant is heralded for its delicious and freshly caught seafood selection. The stuffed sardines and the Mazzara shrimps are both hugely-acclaimed dishes and must be tasted.

This stunning restaurant is set just off the bustling streets of Taormina old town. Choose to either relax on the stylish white sofas or take in the breath-taking view on the gorgeous balcony that overlooks the vast Ionian Sea. Enjoy the lavish wine menu while listening to some soothing jazz music as the attentive staff help you through the five-star menu.

A place that perfectly balances chic fun with delightful delicacies is Bam Bar. It is decorated in the most alluring, Mediterranean style. Gorgeous sunny yellow tiles adorn the exterior, encouraging you to step inside and meet the friendly staff. More of a café than a restaurant, it should not be missed as the delicious granita served there is one of the most delightful recipes in the area. It is a destination that deserves attention.

Tischi Toschi

This gorgeous little restaurant is the ideal place for relaxed dining. The unique location of this trattoria removes you from the busy tourist spots of Taormina. Praised for its attention to detail, this restaurant has been commended by Slow Food and is admired for its ever-changing seasonal menu.

Red and White Hostaria

Located in a very tranquil setting, this restaurant solely focuses on delivering delectable food which explodes with unpredictable flavour. Not known by many, it is a real treasure to come across while in Taormina. The restaurant proprietor, Gianluca Savoca, takes immense pleasure in designing his menu for his much-loved restaurant. He maintains his high standards by selecting the most exceptional products in the area, changing his menu regularly in parallel with the food on offer.

Osteria Pizzeria le Tre Vie

For some authentic Italian cuisine, this beautiful restaurant is perfect for pizza and seafood. Hidden amongst the winding streets of the town, it is a short walk from Porta Messina. It is a delightful place for an evening meal; the staff are on hand to welcome you with the warmest of greetings upon arrival. The presentation of the food is superb and the tastes are incredible. The wine menu is especially acknowledged due to its vast range, and assortment of flavours.

Ristorante Mirage Pizzeria

Situated by the Botanical Gardens, this restaurant is surrounded by awe-inspiring views of the mountainous and coastal landscape. Ideal for a quick pitstop after strolling around the neighbouring gardens, this restaurant excels at producing the finest and most delicious pizzas at an exceptional pace.

Villa Antonio

This Italian and Mediterranean-style restaurant is perfect for everyone. Offering food for gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diets, it is an all-round winner. The staff provide excellent service, ensuring you are having the best experience possible. This delectable restaurant takes pleasure in the finer details of taste, presentation and service.

There are many lovely restaurants to choose from in Taormina, from authentic trattorias to five-star dining. For a guide on how to make the most out of this gorgeous town, read our blog on two days is Taormina. If you need inspiration on where to stay, make sure to take a look at our stunning luxury villas in Sicily.

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Forget Taormina – Here’s Where You Should Really Be Going In Sicily

By Rosalyn Wikeley

2021’s dark and desperately funny HBO hit The White Lotus has shifted its gaze from Hawaii to Sicily’s Slim Aarons-worthy coastline in Taormina for season two. Serving up the same satirical take on the gilded and often grim lives of the tone-deaf elite as Succession (just with marginally fewer private jets and expletives), the cult series will debut on 31 October, just as we long for sun-doused coastlines… and more drama. The glimpses fans were offered in the HBO Max trailer and the odd Instagram morsel from the cast confirms that the Sicilian setting has plenty of both.

By Radhika Seth

Against the menacing backdrop of a snow-capped Mount Etna, Taormina’s sprawling San Domenico Palace, A Four Seasons Hotel strikes a rather splendid note as the setting for the hotly anticipated season. Counting royals, literary legends and silver screen fixtures such as Audrey Hepburn among its past guests, the grand hotel clings to Amalfi-style cliffs, with knockout views of the Ionian Sea. Inside, grand arches, gargoyles and antiques, honouring the building’s previous life as a medieval convent, converse fluidly with sharp modern furniture and contemporary art. The resulting blend of Old World Italian glamour and modern luxe sets the ultimate stage for the perverse idiosyncrasies and self-destructive capers of a privileged few.

Spectacular though it is, the hotel and the historic town in which it’s set are not the only must-see attractions in Sicily. Browse our insider guide below for the seven other spots to make a beeline for.

Lesser known Palermo

By Lauren Murdoch-Smith

This honey-hued maze of churches and crumbling palazzos bears the scars of frequent invasion and conquest in its layered architecture, food and the trinkets lining the tables of antiques markets. A scruffy sensibility of loose telephone wires, flapping sheets and mottled stone settles into the once splendid bones of this ancient city, whose rhythms are dictated by tradition. Mornings are sweet – head to Prestipino Café for brioche con il gelato and granita, or dive into the animated Mercato del Capo, the city’s lesser-known market where locals go and where irresistible wafts of courgette fritti, panelle and arancini greet clued-up wanderers. Like most of Palermo, the loveliest spots remain hidden, including I Segreti del Chiostro – a fervently traditional cake and pastry shop in the Santa Caterina convent courtyard, known for its cannoli (try the pistachio topping) – and Camera delle Meraviglie, a recently discovered secret chamber with beautiful Arabic inscriptions and art lining the walls.

Folk – Magda Masano, Catania

Catania, a dishevelled beauty of dark volcanic stone and faded palaces, has, in recent years, become something of an incubator for foodies and artisans. Native boutique owner Magda Masano, founder of Folk, is one of them. The third-generation artisan fashions decorative home pieces from lava stone, marble and ceramics, all of which (like Magda) are deeply connected to the island, whispering stories of its tumultuous past and showcasing a rich heritage of craftsmanship. Come here for pudding plates honouring Minnuzze di Sant’Agata (sweet cakes prepared each February by Catanians as a symbol of fertility), glazed lava stone chess sets and the Testa di Moro (a ubiquitous Sicilian symbol), as well as pastel-hued bummulu jugs nodding to a history of Arabic influence.

Rosso Cinabro, Ragusa Ibla

Unlike Sicily’s other baroque towns (Noto or Scicli), Ragusa Ibla has a medieval Brothers Grimm flamboyancy to it, where shutters are ritually flung open at sunrise and pastel-painted cafés, palazzos and workshops, such as Rosso Cinabro, line the cobbled streets. Here, Damiano Rotella and Biagio Castilletti proudly present their craft, not in a gallery but in action. It’s within this cave-like bottega that this remarkable duo carve, chip and paint various wooden marvels, most famously the traditional Sicilian cart, preserving centuries of Sicilian craft tradition. You’d think that, having been commissioned by Dolce & Gabbana to create bespoke carts and paint various kitsch appliances in traditional Sicilian strokes, they’d have moved to the city for more high fashion hobnobbing. But here they are, doing what they do best and – crucially for Sicilians – what they love.

Galleria Lo Magno, Modica

Yes, Modica is all about chocolate – a relic of three centuries of Spanish rule, where they pinched Aztec chocolate-making nous and concentrated it in the honeyed and church-heavy Modica, with its striking Hyblean backdrop. But amid its textured chocolate cachet, and imposing and impossibly lovely churches (see: St Peter’s pastel ceiling), the baroque town is a petri dish of creativity, where a burgeoning modern art and design scene is afoot. For a tangible sense of it, head to Galleria Lo Magno, where curations support young, emerging artists as well as showcasing the works of a more established coterie. Works on display include Francesco Balsamo’s juxtaposed prints and verse, and Rossana Taormina’s exploration of memory through an intriguing mix of photography and embroidery. Even the culture snobs pay Sicily’s oldest chocolate factory, Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, a visit, where the odd queue is worth it for wildly delicious bars of “cold” crumbly chocolate and cannoli.

Sergio Fiorentino, Noto

The “cradle of baroque”, Noto, never fails to plumb deep into the most seasoned traveller and stir a whole raft of emotions with its imposing limestone architecture and resplendent (and truly enormous) Roman Catholic cathedral. The sand-hued beauty stole the heart of Catanian artist Sergio Fiorentino, who now lives and works in a reimagined refectory of an 18th-century convent right in the heart of Noto. His paintings evoke a contemporary classicism – a religious strain of idolism and portraiture, with splashes of abstract-style colour, that is then scratched and buffered to weathered effect. The choreography of his studio and living space personifies Sicily’s old-meets-new appeal – where a contemporary mobile structure, mid-century furniture and an aloof minimalism inhabit the grand bones of a historical building. Email Sergio well in advance for a viewing.

Vendicari beaches

Google is awash with secret guides to Sicilian beaches, but, once you smugly pull up at one, towel in hand, you’ll soon discover that the secret is well and truly out. Venture to the southeastern coast, however, and the car-free Vendicari Reserve spanning the island’s tip from Noto to Marzamemi is a protected paradise of secluded coves and glorious blonde beaches. The wildlife rises to this extraordinary setting of endless dunes, glassy water and saline lagoons – with migratory birds and pink flamingos filling the sky in spring and autumn. Marianelli, with its bath-warm shallows and Calamosche’s wild stretch of beach are both a little tricky to reach – but the best things in life usually are.

Sanbartolomeo Casa e Putia, Scicli

Dwarfed by its namesake church, Sanbartolomeo Casa e Putia is a guesthouse with the spirit of an artists’ residency and the design choreography of a committed aesthete. The owners pulled the plug on city life in Milan and mobilised their dreams of breathing new, contemporary life into historical buildings, while honouring local craft and traditional materials. Minimalist, modern rooms with concrete flooring and white-washed walls are layered with traditional mahogany furniture, wrought iron chandeliers and elaborate lace bed toppers – a consummate marriage of classical Catholicism and modern restraint. A balcony lined in joyful Sicilian tiles is the front row seat at breakfast for a knockout view of San Bartolomeo and the town’s comings and goings below. Even if you don’t stay here, pop into the owner’s antique store directly underneath (you won’t find it listed anywhere online), where lace toppers, brass figurines and costume jewellery recall Sicily’s golden age.

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Why You Should Ditch the Short-Haul Flight for an Overnight Train

By Ross Kenneth Urken

As I boarded the Caledonian Sleeper with my family at Edinburgh Waverly on a cool Scottish summer night, it was difficult not to get caught up in the romantic quality of this eight-hour journey to London . The train's midnight teal exterior reflected the hue of the sky, and coupled with the vintage-y copperplate gothic font emblazoned on it, the scene felt spliced from the celluloid of a Wes Anderson film. That a kindly bellhop from The Balmoral , our hotel adjacent to the station, loaded our valises off a trolley cart did little to rein in these trappings.

And yet, by all measures, sticking my wife, Tiffan, and three-year-old daughter, Odella, on the top bunk while I climbed into a claustrophobic twin bed beneath is an insane proposition. Some might deem it a divorce wish. And though I’m typically the first to celebrate the soporific effect of a train’s gentle rocking, the suck-it-in narrowness of our compartment was giving more coffin than cradle. In fact, the train is fairly modest and it’s a far cry from Belmond's Royal Scotsman . (Next time. Next life!)

Still, while easyJet can get you from Edinburgh to London in an hour flat for $25 a pop, I would wholeheartedly advocate for this adventurous snail-paced travel option—never mind my bruised forehead and ego, lasting crick in my neck be damned.

The Caledonian Sleeper train offers two routes with stops in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, and Fort William.

Train travel, you see, allows for more organic and immediate integration into a city—without commuting in from the exurban airport. By going overnight, you don’t lose a day Ubering out to the airfield and then shuttling back into your destination’s city center—it’s an efficient method of getting someplace while you’d otherwise be sleeping instead of burning an afternoon on short-haul travel. You also spare yourself the indignities of airport security lines , and in minimizing your pre-departure arrival, you maximize your time in the city: before hopping on our charming, if flawed, little choo-choo, we enjoyed a full day at the National Museum of Scotland, a memorable brunch at Gleneagles Townhouse , a stroll through Princes Street Gardens, an evening visit to Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, and a civilized local dinner (not at airport prices). Despite the fact that my wife bumped her head on the ceiling when sitting up and the mediocre Lorne sausages and weak tea-bagged coffee come morning, the togetherness our little family experience proved more memorable than the logical budget option.

Truth be told, I’ve always been a train enthusiast. An erstwhile fear of flying in my teens necessitated some wildly impractical itineraries for study-abroad experiences that took me from London to St. Petersburg and New York to Guadalajara (the final stretch I completed by bus). I grew to enjoy writing reflective, if treacly, entries in a Moleskin or just zoning out while gazing at the passing countryside, imagining the lives lived in this or that orange-roofed house.

It’s immersive—going through, not over.

As a younger man, I welcomed serendipitous encounters with fast friends: a gregarious group of Swiss guys on a gap year crammed in a sitting compartment with a two-meter-tall gentleman opposite me named Wolfgang (whose knee prints are still impressed upon mine two decades later). Another memorable railroad companion: a gorgeous woman in Helsinki with jet-black hair and a bear-like dog who invited me upon departure to stay with her instead of a hostel before catching the last leg of my trip to Russia (I naively declined). Now in my late 30s, I enjoy the quietude of train travel and the way time seems to stand still even in motion. It’s a bit of a freeze frame. A way of cheating the incessant ticking of time, especially when traveling overnight to avoid squandering a day of precious PTO in transit. Waking up in a new city relatively rested (massive cowlick inevitable) without much effort or doing in the journey allows for a seamless continuation of the adventure.

But in these formative voyages, like the time I mistakenly added spirulina to a smoothie a decade ago, I was accidentally ahead of the trend.

Train travel has surged in popularity, with no signs of slowing down. The global number of train travelers has risen from 850 million people in 2019 to more than 967 million in 2023, almost a 14% uptick, per Statista. That total is expected to reach 1.1 billion come 2028. In the EU in particular, passenger rail travel rose 50% from 2021 to 2022, per Eurostat . Efficiency is not the end-all, be-all. Amid eco-conscious travelers’ flight-shaming, eschewing air travel and its enormous carbon footprint for train travel has grown all the more in popularity.

The train's overnight accommodations range from reclining seats in coach to personal rooms with bunk beds, or a standard double.

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Some railcar warriors just appreciate the simple charms of this mode of travel. For instance, Sandra Mayernik and her husband are retiree nomads who, since selling everything they owned last spring, have become acolytes of train travel, recently journeying from Lisbon to Faro on Comboios de Portugal, from Seville to Barcelona on TGV Renfe, and from Barcelona to Paris on TGV SNCF.

“For us, it’s not just getting from point A to B,” Mayernik tells Condé Nast Traveler . “It's about the experience. Traveling by train allows us to see the countryside, rather than just flying overhead. Our flexible schedule and budget allow us to prioritize the journey itself, not just the destination.”

When it comes to air travel, she doesn’t enjoy waiting in airport security lines or jockeying for space to place her carry-ons . It’s a paradigm shift.

“Once aboard the train, it’s a chance to truly unwind,” she says, touting the extra leg-room compared to most airplanes and the porousness of the train, allowing passengers to move between cars without the confines of an aluminum tube flying through the air. “As the landscape unfolds, we have the opportunity to relax, watch the scenery, and enjoy a leisurely lunch together."

Two summers ago Alicia Cintron, an American consultant based in Mexico City , opted to take a train solo from Barcelona Sants to Dijon Ville, France via SNCF instead of flying, despite the $175 price tag and eleven-hour journey (including a two-hour stop-over in Lyon).

“Train travel is more relaxed, more free, more humane,” she says. She didn’t have to worry about bringing her liquids on board and showed up just half-an-hour before departure. There was another clear advantage : “I wanted to see the French countryside.”

That provided Cintron with the perfect blood-pressure lowering backdrop to decompress after five busy weeks in Paris, a hectic day in Barcelona, and a week-long Mediterranean cruise with her family.

“I wanted to slow things down, even if just for a few hours,” she says. “And I wanted to be alone in my thoughts and back on my laptop. I tried catching up on the work I ignored while on holiday but that was a pipe dream. I spent most of the ride staring out the window, watching the world go by, and reflecting on life, work, family, everything. The picturesque countryside was relaxing and helped me reset and refocus. I remember the sky being so big and blue; the earth was green and mostly flat in this part of France.”

Norm Bour and his wife have embraced train travel since they became full-time nomads in their mid-60s in 2019—whether on an overnight train from Luxor to Cairo or Rome to Ancona. “From zipping along between Barcelona and Madrid at 300 kph, to slower trains that took us from Budapest, Hungary to Brasov, Romania—which took 15 hours over just 400 or so miles—the Iron Horse has become a device that I employ whenever possible,” Bour says.

“The relaxing views that pass before me cause me to imagine,” he says. “I sometimes ask myself, ‘How many people have seen this exact same view over the decades? Why did they take this particular journey? Were they alone? On vacation? Or maybe secret agents rendezvousing with their associates at the end of the line!’”

For my own part, once our fair Caledonian Sleeper pulled into London Euston at 7 a.m., we were a seven-minute cab-ride from our hotel, One Aldwych , in the beating heart of Covent Garden. Had we had fewer bags, we could have easily walked. But the efficiency was pronounced. There was no waiting at the luggage carousel. No expensive taxi on traffic-snarled highways or time-consuming Tube trip on the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow. There’s something so comforting about bookending the train journey with hotels that are essentially a stone’s throw from each station, the train threading a through-line between them. Having left Edinburgh at 11 p.m., we hadn’t lost any non-sleep time in our location change upon arriving here at the top of the morning in London. After resting and freshening up, we were immediately ready to start our day with a walk to the Tate Modern to maximize our time in London .

Logistical wins aside, my daughter’s giddy joy around the adventure—reading bedtime stories by flashlight in the top bunk—made the cramped discomfort of this trip all worth it. In other words: want to travel right? Make the wrong decision. It’s a true instance where the journey is as important as the destination.

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