Europe's largest island offers travellers an incredible variety of landscapes: mountains, rolling hills, coastal shores, plains… and volcanoes! You have two great options: plan a tour of the island for the full picture, never staying twice in the same place, or settle along one of its coastlines, in the north around Palermo or in the east near Catania.
Enchanting landscapes
If you head east, you can travel along the entire coast to Messina and its strait, starting from magnificent Syracuse, which Henri Salvador so dreamed of visiting. You will pass through the charming town of Taormina, perched on the slopes of Mount Etna, of which Guy de Maupassant wrote: “Should a man have only one day to spend in Sicily and ask: ‘What must I see?’, I would answer without hesitation: ‘Taormina’. It is only a landscape, but a landscape in which you find everything that seems made on earth to seduce the eyes, the mind, and the imagination.”
Fragrant citrus fruits… for the most delicate citrus tea
Another major charm of Sicily in early spring: orange and lemon trees are in full bloom, offering a feast for the eyes and an exotic scent that instantly transports you. A little later in the season, bougainvillea and its endless purple cascades will drape the facades, alongside palm trees and oleanders…
Getting back to citrus fruits, Sicily is truly the island of oranges (irresistible blood oranges), lemons, mandarins and grapefruits, produced in vast quantities (60% of Italian citrus fruits hail from Sicily) and of exceptional quality. This excellence has earned them prestigious European Union certifications: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for Ribera oranges, and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for Syracuse lemons and Sicilian blood oranges, among others.
Nut lovers are in for a treat too! Anyone who has never tasted Avola almonds has never truly experienced an almond… A perfect oval, an incomparable flavour! The same goes for the famous pistachios of Bronte, nestled at the foot of Mount Etna, as well as the island's renowned walnuts and hazelnuts. They feature prominently in many Sicilian delicacies.
In truth, no one can resist the charm of Sicily. Picture this… You are sitting on a sunlit terrace, and after enjoying an arancino (a delicious rice ball filled with mozzarella and meat or vegetables) and a cannolo (a delightful pastry filled with sweet ricotta cream), you sip an exquisite almond green tea. This morning, you explored a magnificent Greek theatre, and this afternoon, you will take in the panoramic view of the Bay of Catania from the slopes of Mount Etna. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Allora andiamo!