THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Gregor Clark, Vesna Maric

WesternSicily

p84

Palermop48

Syracuse &the Southeast

p188

MediterraneanCoastp233

IonianCoastp158

Tyrrhenian Coastp112

Aeolian Islandsp131

Central Sicilyp216

Sicily

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Welcome to Sicily . . . . . . . 4Sicily Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Sicily’s Top 14 . . . . . . . . . . .8Need to Know . . . . . . . . . .16First Time Sicily . . . . . . . .18If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Month by Month . . . . . . . 23Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Eat & Drink Like a Local . . . . . . . . . . . 29Outdoor Activities . . . . . 35Travel with Children . . . . .41Regions at a Glance . . . . 44

PALERMO . . . . . . . . . 48Palermo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Around Palermo . . . . . . . 80Mondello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Monreale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Solunto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Ustica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

WESTERN SICILY . . . 84Golfo di Castellammare . . . . . . . . 88Castellammare..del.Golfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Scopello. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Around.Scopello. . . . . . . . . . 89San.Vito.Lo.Capo. . . . . . . . . 91Trapani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Around Trapani . . . . . . . . 97Erice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Egadi Islands . . . . . . . . . . 99Favignana .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 100Levanzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101The Southwest . . . . . . . 102Saline.di.Trapani. . . . . . . . . 102Marsala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Mazara.Del.Vallo. . . . . . . . . 106Rocche.di.Cusa. . . . . . . . . . 108Selinunte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

TYRRHENIAN COAST . . . . . . . . . . . .112Cefalù . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Around Cefalù . . . . . . . . .119Termini.Imerese. . . . . . . . . 119Caccamo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Himera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121Castelbuono. . . . . . . . . . . . 121Petralia.Soprana. . . . . . . . . 123

Petralia.Sottana. . . . . . . . . 124Piano.Battaglia. . . . . . . . . . 125Collesano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Parco Regionale dei Nebrodi . . . . . . . . . . 126San.Marco..D’Alunzio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Mistretta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Coastal Resort Villages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Castel.di.Tusa. . . . . . . . . . . 127Sant’Agata.di..Militello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Capo.d’Orlando . . . . . . . . . 128Milazzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

AEOLIAN ISLANDS . . . . . . . . . . 131Lipari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Vulcano . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Salina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Panarea . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Stromboli . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Filicudi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Alicudi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

IONIAN COAST . . . . 158Messina . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Around Messina . . . . . . 165Ganzirri.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Savoca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Taormina . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Around Taormina . . . . . 170Giardini-Naxos . . . . . . . . . . 170Catania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Riviera dei Ciclopi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181Acireale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Aci.Trezza. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Aci.Castello. . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Mount Etna . . . . . . . . . . 183

PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD

DA

LLAS

STR

IBLEY/G

ET

TY IM

AG

ES ©

PALERMO P51

RO

BE

RTO

SO

NC

IN G

ER

OM

ET

TA/G

ET

TY IM

AG

ES ©

RESERVA NATURALE DELLO ZINGARO P89

Contents

SYRACUSE & THE SOUTHEAST . . 188Syracuse & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Syracuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Around.Syracuse. . . . . . . .202The Southeast . . . . . . . 203Valle.Dell’Anapo..&.Around. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203Palazzolo.Acreide. . . . . . . .203Noto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205The.Noto.Coast . . . . . . . . .208Modica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209South.of.Modica. . . . . . . . . 211Ragusa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

CENTRAL SICILY . . . 216Enna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220North of Enna . . . . . . . . 223Calascibetta . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Nicosia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223South of Enna . . . . . . . . 223Piazza.Armerina. . . . . . . . . 223Villa.Romana.del..Casale .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 226Aidone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Morgantina.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Caltagirone. . . . . . . . . . . . . 229The Western Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Caltanissetta. . . . . . . . . . . . 231

MEDITERRANEAN COAST . . . . . . . . . . . 233Agrigento . . . . . . . . . . . . 235West of Agrigento . . . . 242Casa.Natale.di..Pirandello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Eraclea.Minoa. . . . . . . . . . . 243Sciacca. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Caltabellotta. . . . . . . . . . . . 246

East of Agrigento . . . . . 246Licata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Falconara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Gela .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 248Hilltop.Towns. . . . . . . . . . . .250

ACCOMMODATION . .251Palermo . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Western Sicily . . . . . . . . 254Tyrrhenian Coast . . . . . 256Aeolian Islands . . . . . . . 258Ionian Coast . . . . . . . . . 261Syracuse & the Southeast . . . . . . . . 264Central Sicily . . . . . . . . 266Mediterranean Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Sicily Today . . . . . . . . . . 270

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

The Sicilian Table . . . . . 280

The Sicilian Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . 288

Sicily on Page & Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

The Mafia . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Art & Architecture . . . . 300

Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . 304

Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Language . . . . . . . . . . . . .316

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . 335

UNDERSTAND

SPECIAL FEATURES

Eat & Drink Like a Local . . . . . . . . . . 29

Outdoor Activities . . . . . 35

Sicilian Architecture . . . . . . . . . . 69

Accommodation . . . . . . .251

Classical Masterpieces Sicily is renowned for its classical masterpieces, the best of which is to be found in Agrigento. Ancient-history lovers can choose from wonderfully preserved Greek amphitheatres and temples, and rich Roman ruins.

Valley of the Temples The model for Unesco’s logo and one of the world’s best-preserved Greek temples, the Tempio della Concordia is the star turn of stunning Agrigento. The ruins (p 235 ) are what’s left of Akragas, once the fourth-largest city in the ancient world.

Parco Archeologico della Neapolis A major power in ancient times, Syracuse boasts one of Sicily’s great classical monuments – the Teatro Greco (p 193 ), a supremely well-preserved Greek amphitheatre. In the theatre’s shadow, you can explore caves where slaves once laboured.

Selinunte You don’t have to be an archaeologist to be bowled over by the Greek temples at Selinunte (p256). They are beautifully set against a sunny seaside backdrop that looks particularly fabulous in spring, when wildflowers set the scene ablaze with colour.

Segesta Standing in proud isolation amid rugged, green hills, the ruins of ancient Segesta (p 88 ) are an unforgettable sight. Pride of place goes to the stately 5th-century-BC temple but don’t miss the amphitheatre, dramatically gouged out of the hillside.

Solunto Originally founded by Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, ancient Solunto underwent several incarnations, including a period as the Roman city of Soluntum. Its remaining ruins (p 81 ), sprawled attractively over a steep seafront hillside, mostly date to the Roman era.

DEA

PICTU

RE LIB

RA

RY/G

ETTY IMA

GES

©

DES

IGN

PICS

/PATR

ICK

SW

AN

/GETTY IM

AG

ES ©

7372

JOH

N H

ESELTIN

E/GETTY IM

AG

ES ©

AN

DR

EW G

UN

NER

S/G

ETTY IMA

GES

©

1. Tempio della Concordia (p235) 2. Teatro Greco (p193) 3. Segesta (p88) 4. Solunto (p81)

SURVIVAL GUIDE

On the Road

WesternSicily

p84

Palermop48

Syracuse &the Southeast

p188

MediterraneanCoastp233

IonianCoastp158

Tyrrhenian Coastp112

Aeolian Islandsp131

Central Sicilyp216

33

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

##

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

##

#

#

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\\

\

\

\

\

\

\

^

\

\

\

\

\

\

]

\

\\

\

]

R

#

#

#

#

#

#

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

#

##

æ

ææ

#

#

÷

÷

#

#

–

–

Pantelleria

Ustica

Favignana

Levanzo

Marettimo

13°E

37°N

38°N

13°E12°E

EgadiIslands

Golfo diCarini

Golfo diTerminiImerese

Golfo di PalermoGolfo diCastellam-

mare

TyrrhenianSea

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Parco NaturaleRegionale

delle Madonie

Mt Grande(836m)

Capo Boeo

CapoGallo

Capo Zafferano

Favignana

Pantelleria

Castelvetrano

Caltabellotta

Caccamo

Partanna

Collesano

San Vitolo Capo

Ustica

Menfi

Castellammaredel Golfo

EricePartinico

Bagheria

Favara

Ribera

Palma diMontechiaro

TerminiImerese

Mazara del Vallo

Mondello

Alcamo

Sciacca

Corleone

PortoEmpedocle

Marsala

Agrigento

TrapaniPalermo

Scopello

Valley ofthe Temples

Scala dei Turchi

Rocche di Cusa

Vincenzo Florio(Birgi) Airport

Eraclea Minoa

Himera

Solunto

Selinunte

Segesta

MoziaRiserva Naturale

di Stagnone

Riserva Naturaledello Zingaro

Falcone-Borsellino

Airport

#

#

\

\

13°E

36°N

Lampedusa

MEDITERRANEANSEA

Lampione

Linosa

Lampedusa

Linosa

Same Scale asMainMapPelagic Islands

D

PortoEmpedocle(200km)

D

Pelagic Islands(see Inset; 150km)

165Catania

8590Enna

215130270Milazzo

200140210130Palermo

26019013565215Syracuse

ROAD DISTANCES (km)Note: Distancesare approximate

365105300245315175

Syrac

use

Palermo

Mila

zzo

Enna

Catan

ia

Agrigen

to

Trapani

CaccamoA picturesquely perched

Norman castle (p120)

EriceWestern Sicily's prettiest

hilltop village (p97)

PalermoArchitectural masterpieces

and amazing food (p51)

AgrigentoSicily's finest collection

of temples (p235)

Saline di TrapaniSalt ponds and

Phoenician ruins (p102)

Sicily

333333

3333

333333333333

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

# #

##

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

##

#

#

##

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

# #

##

#

##

# #

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

\

\

]

\

\

\

\

\ \

\\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\

\\

\

\

\\

\

]

]

\

\

]

\

\ \

\\

\

]\

\ \

\

\

\

]

\

\

\

]

]

\

\

\

]

\

]

RR

R

R

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

ä

#

#

#

#

÷

÷

÷

÷

#

#

V

V

#–

Filicudi

Alicudi

Panarea

Lipari

Salina

Vulcano

Stromboli

16°E

16°E

38°N

37°N

15°E14°E

15°E14°E

AeolianIslands

Golfo diPatti

Golfo diNoto

Golfo diGioia

Golfo diGela

Golfo diCatania

Golfo diMilazzo

Golfo diAugusta

CALABRIA

Ionian Sea

Straits

ofMessina

Lago diPozzillo

Parco Regionaledei Nebrodi

Parcodell'Etna

Riviera deiCiclopi

Monti Iblei

Monti Peloritani

Monti Nebrodi

Monti Madonie

Mt Etna(3329m)

Pizzo Carbonara (1979m) Mt Soro(1847m)

Mt Fossadelle Felci

(962m)

Gola dell'Alcantara

CapoCalavà

CapoMilazzo

Capo PasseroCapo delleCorrenti

Punta del Faro(Capo Peloro)

Falconara

Savoca

San Pietro

Santa Marina Salina

Capod'Orlando

Acireale

Floridia

Pozzallo

Aci Trezza

SanMarcod'Alunzio

Aci CastelloMisterbianco

Aidone

Ganzirri

Mistretta

Mortelle

PetraliaSoprana

Casteldi Tusa

Lentini

Palagonia

Pachino

Bronte

Butera

Porto diLevante

PetraliaSottana

Giardini-Naxos

Villa SanGiovanni

Scicli

RavanusaMazzarino

PalazzoloAcreide

Adrano

Avola

Niscemi

Augusta

Taormina

Giarre

Castelbuono

Barcellona

Paternò

Licata

Cómiso

Milazzo

Caltagirone

PiazzaArmerina

Cefalù

Noto

Catania

Messina

Enna

Syracuse

Reggio diCalabria

Gela

ModicaRagusa

Vittòria

Sant'Agatadi Militello

LipariTown

StromboliTown

Ìspica

Caltanissetta

Castello Eurialo

Castello diLombardia

Fontanarossa

Necropoli diPantalica

Morgantina

MegaraHyblaea

Cavad'Ispica

Eloro

Akrai

Tyndaris

Villa Romanadel Casale

Riserva Naturale OasiFaunistica di Vendicari

#

0 50 km0 25 miles#e

1000m

1500m

2000m

2500m

500m

200m

100m

0

ELEVATION

CefalùMedieval mosaics and

gorgeous beaches (p116)

Aeolian IslandsDazzling seas and

honey-sweet wine (p131)

TaorminaSummer festivals in anancient theatre (p165)

Mt EtnaClimb Europe's largestactive volcano (p183)

SyracuseGreatest city of

Magna Graecia (p192)

Parco Naturale Regionaledelle Madonie

Splendid walks (p121)Noto

Graceful hill town ofbaroque domes (p205)

Fly into Palermo, Trapani or Catania and pick up a hire car to begin your circumnaviga-tion of the island. Your destinations should be the same regardless of where you start: Agrigento, Selinunte, Segesta, the Val di Noto, Syracuse, Catania, Mt Etna, Taormina, the Aeolian Islands and Palermo. From Palermo, for instance, after exploring the capital’s magnificent architectural monuments, you could head southwest to the temples at Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento, then cut east across the island to the Unesco-listed Val di Noto, where the baroque beauties of Ragusa, Modica and Noto are all obligatory stops. Next it’s on to Syracuse, a highlight of any trip to Sicily: split your time here between the pedestrian-friendly ancient island city of Ortygia and the vast classical ruins of the Parco Archeologico. Continue up the coast to bustling Catania and circle Mt Etna to reach Taormina, a town whose abundant attractions include its ancient Greek theatre and the gorgeous beaches just below. Finally, hop a ferry to the Aeolian Islands for some sun, swimming and beautiful coastal scenery.

Only the Best

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

R

Aeolian Islands

I ON IANSEA

MED ITERRANEAN SEA

T YRRHEN IAN SEA

Mt Etna

Segesta

Selinunte

Taormina

NotoModica

Syracuse

Catania

Palermo

Agrigento

Ragusa

#f

É

É

É

É

É

É

ÉÉ

É

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•#•

#•

#•

Itineraries

2 WEEKS

25

World Heritage Sites

##

#

#

#

#

#

#

••

•

•

•

•

•

•

#

#

•

• I ON IANSEA

MED ITERRANEANSEA

T YRRHEN IANSEA

CALABRIA

CALABRIAGolfodi Gioia

IonianSea

Parco Nazionaledell'Aspromonte

Palazzolo Acreide

Scicli

Noto

Caltagirone

ModicaRagusa

Agrigento

Syracuse

Necropoli diPantalica

VillaRomana del

Casale

#•#•

#•

#• #•#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

##

#

#

••

•

• R# ##• ••

T YRRHEN IANSEA

MED ITERRANEANSEA

Mt Etna

Erice

Marsala

TrapaniPalermo

CataniaRegalealiEstate

Nicosia

PetraliaSottana

#•#•

#•

#•

#•

#• #•#•

É

É

É

É

É

É

É

É

ÉÉ

É É

7 DAYS

Begin your tour of Unesco World Herit-age Sites in Syracuse, one of the ancient world’s great cities, where traces of Magna Graecia are omnipresent – from papyrus-fringed Fontana Aretusa to the amphitheatres, altars and caves of the Parco Archeologico. Next head west to the Necropoli di Pantalica – an eerie array of several thousand Bronze Age tombs built into limestone cliffs – before continuing to the captivating Val di Noto. The devastat-ing earthquake of 1693 may have wrought havoc on this corner of the island, but it also led to the creation of some of Sicily’s greatest treasures. The late-baroque towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa are the stars, but it’s also worth seeking out the small villages of Scicli and Palazzolo Acreide and the famed ceramics centre of Caltagirone, with its grand staircase of 142 distinctively tiled steps. Continue west to dazzling Villa Romana del Casale, whose newly restored Roman mosaic floors depict bikini-clad gymnasts and African beasts prancing side by side. The trail ends at the most magnificent archaeological site in Sicily: Agrigento’s Valley of the Tem-ples, with its five Doric structures perched on a ridge near the coast.

Wining & Dining from West to East

7 DAYS

Start off in elegant Marsala, taste-testing the town’s famous sweet wine on a cellar tour at Cantine Florio, then lingering late into the night at the many enoteche and res-taurants in the pedestrian-friendly centre. Then follow the Strada del Vino Erice DOC wine route towards Trapani, where you can lunch on fabulous fish couscous, fol-lowed by dessert with a breathtaking view in Erice, renowned for its marzipan fruit, nougat and other nut-based sweets. Next, park your car for a day or two in Palermo, whose supremely colourful markets, deli-cious street food, irresistible bakeries and countless fine eateries are highlights of any Sicilian food trip. Take a cooking course, either at Palermo’s Butera 28 or down the road at the 400-hectare Regaleali estate near Vallelunga, one of Sicily’s leading wine producers. Meander east along the southern edge of the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains, refuelling frequently with local black pork, ricotta, pecorino, mushrooms and hazelnuts in pretty hill towns like Petralia Sottana and Nicosia. Last, circumnavigate spectacular Mt Etna, stop-ping for tastings of local honey, pistachios and Etna DOC wine before enjoying a final evening in cosmopolitan Catania.

26

PLAN YO

UR TRIP ItIn

erarIes

Mountain Retreats

#

##

##

#

•

••

••

•

#

#

•

÷

GOLFO D ICATAN IA

GOL FO D I PATT I

T YRRHEN IANSEA

SICILY

SICILY

Golfo di Patti

IonianSea

ParcoNaturaledell'Etna

PetraliaSoprana

PetraliaSottana

Castelbuono

Cefalù

Enna

Parco NaturaleRegionaledelle Madonie

Nicosia

Castel di Tusa

MistrettaCollesano

ÉÉ

É

É

É

É

ÉÉ

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•#•

#•

#÷

#

#

#

#

#

•

•

•

•

•

R#•

AeolianIslands

Vulcano

Stromboli

I ON IANSEA

T YRRHEN IANSEA

Mt Etna

Milazzo

Catania

Randazzo

Bronte

PaternòRivieradei Ciclopi

#•Biancavilla

Lipari

Salina

RFossa di Vulcano

É

É

É

É

É

É

É

É

É

#f

#f

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•

#•R

#•

#•

4 DAYS

Relax into your journey in postcard-perfect Cefalù, where you can lounge on the beach, visit the splendid medieval cathe-dral and enjoy panoramic coastal views from the ruins of the hilltop Norman cita-del. Follow the coast to Castel di Tusa, breaking for lunch on the waterfront be-fore exploring the town’s unique open-air sculpture garden. Next climb through the lost-in-time mountain town of Mistretta into the Nebrodi mountains, where grand views of Mt Etna begin to unfold. After brief detours to explore the medieval vil-lage of Nicosia, continue south to Enna, a handsome hill town that marks the geo-graphic centre of Sicily – a fact best appre-ciated from atop the heavily fortified walls of the Castello di Lombardia. Snake back north through Gangi into the heart of the Parco Naturale Regionale delle Mado-nie, a magnificent natural landscape dot-ted with hazelnut orchards, ash forests and photogenic hilltop towns. Linger a couple of days along the mountains’ western edge in beautiful Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Collesano and Castelbuono, each of which boasts fine regional restau-rants and makes a good base for hikes into the mountains. From Castelbuono an easy downhill jaunt takes you back to Cefalù.

Smoke & Fire: Volcanic Sicily

7 DAYS

Start in Catania, a city built of lava from the devastating volcanic eruption of 1669. Your first logical step is to climb the vol-cano that did all the damage, Mt Etna, nowadays one of Sicily’s leading tourist attractions. As legend would have it, it was from Etna’s lofty heights that the Cyclops hurled his stones at the fleeing Odysseus – you can still see their jagged forms along the dramatic Riviera dei Ciclopi coast-line, where traditional fishing villages have been reinvented as summer resorts. Next follow our driving tour of Etna’s western flank and continue north to Milazzo, where you can catch a ferry to Lipari, the largest of the Aeolian Islands. Read up on the archipelago’s fiery past at Lipari’s Museo Archeologico, then go tour a few volcanoes for yourself. Nature lovers can explore the verdant island of Salina, whose twin extinct cones are one of Sicily’s most harmonious sights. Those looking for something a little more ‘active’ can climb smoking Fossa di Vulcano, with its sulphur-belching crater and gloopy mudbaths, or scale the ‘lighthouse of the Mediterranean’, Stromboli, an eternal lava-lamp whose eruptions continually light up the night sky.

27PLAN

YOUR TRIP It

Iner

arIes

Beach Hopping

#

#

•

•

GOLFO D ITARANTO

MED ITERRANEANSEA

ION IANSEA

T YRRHEN IANSEA

ION IANSEA

GOLFO D I SQU ILLACECALABRIACALABRIA

CALABRIACALABRIA

IonianSea

Golfo diSquillace

Neto

Crati

Sila GrandeLa Sila

Sila Greca

Sila Piccola

San Vitolo Capo

Castellammaredel Golfo

MondelloCefalù

Riserva Naturaledello Zingaro

RiservaNaturale diTorre Salsa

Riserva NaturaleOasi Faunistica

di Vendicari

Scala deiTurchi

#•AciCastello

Piscina diVenere

#•

LidoMazzarò

EracleaMinoa

#•

#•#•

#•

#•

#•

#÷

#÷

#÷

#•

##

#

#

••

•

•

AeolianIslands Stromboli

MED ITERRANEANSEA

T YRRHEN IANSEA

Ustica

Salina

Marettimo

Alicudi

Favignana

Levanzo

Filicudi Panarea

PalermoTrapani

Marsala#£

#f

#£Milazzo

LipariVulcano

#•#•

#•

#•

É

É

É ÉÉ

É

#•#•

#•

#•

#•#•

#•#•#• #•

#•

É É É

7 DAYS

Unpack your beach towel for the first time at Mondello, Palermo’s summer playground. Then head west to the stun-ning Golfo di Castellammare, where the popular beaches of Castellammare del Golfo and San Vito lo Capo offer an urban counterpoint to the pristine Ris-erva Naturale dello Zingaro, home to a series of sparkling coves spread out along a 7km walking trail. Next stop is Sicily’s west coast. Beach aficionados will love the untrammelled Riserva Naturale Torre Salsa, the town of Eraclea Minoa, whose fabulous beach is complemented by an archaeological site, and the blindingly chalk-white Scala dei Turchi. Continue your beach-hop along Sicily’s Ionian Coast, with visits to the isolated shores of the Riserva Naturale Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari and the blue waters at Aci Cas-tello, where a Norman castle broods over the beach scene. Wrap it all up with stops at bustling Lido Mazzarò just below Taormina, Piscina di Venere at the tip of Capo Milazzo, and the long sandy beach in Cefalù. From here it’s a quick trip back to Palermo.

Offshore Islands10 DAYS

Your island-hopping adventure begins with a half-hour hydrofoil trip from Marsala or Trapani to Favignana, gateway to the Egadi Islands. Tour the old Florio tuna factory and cycle through Favignana’s landscape of abandoned tufa quarries and beaches, then ferry across to see prehistor-ic cave art at Levanzo and hike the trails of Marettimo. Next stop is the offshore diving paradise of Ustica, whose pristine waters and easygoing pace will make you forget you’re only 90 minutes from down-town Palermo. When you’re ready for a culture shock, boomerang back to the Sicil-ian ‘mainland’ for the train from Palermo to Milazzo, then hydrofoil out to the Aeo-lian Islands, seven volcanic beauties with seven personalities. Start on the biggest, Lipari, where you can tour the superb archaeological museum, linger over drinks in the pleasant town centre or explore the island’s outlying beaches and walking trails. From Lipari, frequent hydrofoils allow easy day trips to all the remaining islands: smoky Vulcano, chic Panarea, lush green Salina, remote Alicudi, off-the-beaten-track Filicudi and the most spectacular of all, actively erupting Stromboli.

28

PLAN YO

UR TRIP ItIn

erarIes

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use .

OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London, Oakland and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

OUR WRITERS

Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9836th edition – January 2014ISBN 978 1 74220 048 4© Lonely Planet 2014 Photographs © as indicated 201410 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved . No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher . Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries . Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels . Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet .com/ip .

Gregor ClarkCoordinating Author, Palermo, Western Sicily, Tyrrhenian Coast, Aeolian Islands Gregor caught the Italy bug at age 14 during a year in Florence, in which his professor dad trundled the family off to see every fresco, mosaic and museum within a 1000km radius. He’s lived in Venice and Le Marche, led Italian bike tours, and huffed and puffed across the Dolomites while researching Lonely Planet’s Cycling Italy, but his abiding passion is for Sicily, an island he’s explored exten-

sively in multiple research trips over the past several years. Highlights of his latest visit include celebrating his birthday atop an erupting Stromboli. A lifelong polyglot with a degree in Romance languages, Gregor writes frequently about Europe and South America for Lonely Planet. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Vermont, USA. Gregor also wrote the Plan Your Trip section (except for Outdoor Activities and Travel with Children), the Sicily Today, History, The Sicilian Table and The Sicilian Way of Life Understand features and the Survival Guide.

Vesna MaricIonian Coast, Syracuse & the Southeast, Central Sicily, Mediterranean Coast Vesna has been working for Lonely Planet for nearly a decade and loves writing about the Mediterranean islands. She cherished working on the Sicily guidebook for the second time, and loved revisiting old favourites such as Catania’s fish market and the Piazza Duomo at Syracuse. She returned with her three-year-old daughter this time. Vesna also wrote the Outdoor Activities, Travel with Children, Sicily on Page & Screen, The Mafia, and Art & Architecture chapters.

Read more about Gregor at: lonelyplanet .com/members/gregorclark

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’