Taormina
Created by Englishwoman Florence Trevelyan in the late 19th century, these stunningly sited public gardens offer breathtaking views of the coast and Mt…
Must-see attractions in Sicily
Basilica Santuario di Santa Lucia al Sepolcro
Syracuse
This 17th-century basilica occupies the site where Syracuse's patron saint, Lucia, an aristocratic girl who devoted herself to saintliness after being…
Southeastern Sicily
The heart of Palazzolo Acreide is Piazza del Popolo, a striking square dominated by the ornate bulk of the 18th-century Chiesa di San Sebastiano and the…
Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi
Marsala
Marsala's finest treasure is the partially reconstructed remains of a Carthaginian liburna (warship) sunk off the Egadi Islands during the First Punic War…
Trapani
Tucked away in the atmospheric cloister of a 14th-century Carmelite monastery, this wonderful decorative-arts museum dating from 1906–08 houses the…
Palermo
Officially titled Piazza Vigliena, the elegant intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda is better known as the Quattro Canti. Marking the…
Palermo
This lovely, wheelchair-accessible museum is housed in a 15th-century palazzo, which metamorphosed into a convent in the 17th century. Divided over three…
Palermo
The current Chiesa di San Domenico was built in 1640 following the design of architect Andrea Cirrincione; the facade was added in 1726 after the…
Modica
In Modica, the Duomo di San Pietro plays second fiddle only to the Cattedrale di San Giorgio. The original 14th-century church was damaged in the…
Erice
Erice's Royal Cathedral – a golden mirage of sculpted buttermilk stone and Carrara marble – was built in 1314 by order of a grateful Frederick III who…
Palermo
Palermo's Diocesan Museum is home to an important collection of artworks. The basement hosts a medley of sculptures from the 15th to 18th centuries,…
Southeastern Sicily
Accessed via a 20-minute uphill walk from Piazza del Popolo (or an easy drive up Via Teatro Greco), the archaeological park of Akrai is one of the area's…
Agrigento
Fans of Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936) will appreciate this small museum 5km southwest of Agrigento, set in the family villa where the author was born. One…
Palermo
Just off Piazza Marina, this palazzo is one of the few in Palermo open to the public. Dating back to the 17th century, the building served as the Palermo…
Catania
It's not difficult to see how Catania's main shopping street got its name – on a clear day you can see Mt Etna rising majestically at the end of it. Via…
Catania
Inside the vaulted interior of this cathedral, beyond its impressive marble facade sporting two orders of columns taken from the Roman amphitheatre, lie…
Vulcano
On the island's southern coast, down a sinuous, narrow paved road, Gelso is a minuscule but picturesque port with a pair of family-run restaurants and a…
Enna
The Duomo is the most impressive of the historic buildings that line Via Roma, Enna's showpiece street. Built over 200 years after the original Gothic…
Southeastern Sicily
Sporting a relatively restrained neoclassical facade, this church took shape in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among its numerous notable artworks is 18th…
Southeastern Sicily
The 18th-century Chiesa di Santa Teresa has numerous points of interest, among them a striking geometric floor made of white Cosimo limestone and black…
Central Sicily
You can spot the dramatically sited dome of the huge cathedral from a few kilometres away. It rises majestically from the hilltop and the terraced houses…
Basilica & Catacombe di San Giovanni
Syracuse
The city's most extensive catacombs lie beneath the Basilica di San Giovanni, itself a pretty, truncated church that served as the city's cathedral in the…
Milazzo
Originally the site of a Greek acropolis, then an Arab-Norman citadel, Milazzo's enormous castle was built by Frederick II in 1239, expanded by Charles V…
Southeastern Sicily
It's in this church that a warrior-like Madonna delle Milizie (Madonna of the Militias) crushes two hapless Saracens on her white horse. Made of wood and…
Southeastern Sicily
The convex balcony railings of this 18th-century aristocratic pad were cleverly designed to accommodate the era's hooped gowns. One can imagine the gentry…
Area Archaeologica di Cave di Cusa
Western Sicily
Most of the buttery yellow stone used to construct the great temples of Selinunte was hewn at these ancient Greek quarries. The setting is charming –…
Museo Internazionale delle Marionette
Palermo
This whimsical museum houses around 4000 marionettes, puppets, glove puppets and shadow figures from Sicily and Naples, as well as from further-flung…
Southeastern Sicily
To fans of the popular TV series Commissario Montelbano (Inspector Montalbano), Scicli's Town Hall – completed in 1906 – is better known as police…
Palermo
One of Palermo's grandest aristocratic palaces is now an impressive, multi-faceted cultural centre. One-hour guided tours (email ahead for English…
Ragusa
Biagio Castilletti and Damiano Rotella are two of only a handful of master artisans still making carretti siciliani (traditional Sicilian carts) the…
Tyrrhenian Coast
Originally known as the Castello del Buon Aere (Castle of Good Air), the enormous castle that soars above Castelbuono's golden patchwork of houses gave…
Messina
Piazza del Duomo is home to Messina's cathedral and its curious campanile (bell tower). Soaring 60m into the sky, the tower incorporates an astronomical…
Palermo
A showcase of Liberty architecture, set in a 9-hectare (22-acre) formal garden planted with rare and exotic species, this villa is most notable for its…
Messina
Messina's one great sight is the Norman Duomo (or at least a faithful replica of it). One of Sicily's finest cathedrals, its treasures include an…
Noto
Inspired by French palace architecture of the 17th century, graceful, porticoed Palazzo Ducezio is one of architect Vincenzo Sinatra's finest works. The…
Central Sicily
This small archaeological museum in Aidone, a 10km drive northeast of Piazza Armerina, is worth a stop on your way to the nearby Greek ruins at Morgantina…
Palermo
Also known as Casa Professa, this is one of Palermo's most breathtaking churches. The Jesuits first built a church on this site between 1564 and 1578…
Museo del Motorismo Siciliano e della Targa Florio
Tyrrhenian Coast
This unique museum is a labour of love for owner-founder Nuccio Salemi, whose amazing collection of original sports cars from the famed Targa Florio race…
Salina
Three kilometres south of Santa Marina Salina, the tiny village of Lingua is a popular summer hang-out, with a couple of hotels, a few trattorias and a…
