An island the size of Vermont, Sicily, for thousands of years, was under the domination of outside forces including Greeks, Arabs, Romans and Normans. Their influences are layered throughout the Sicilian lifestyle — from the architecture to the cuisine — and combine to create a complex and fascinating place. Although it would take a lifetime to fully explore Sicily, start with a few days in Palermo and the surrounding area or a visit to the Sicilian resort of Taormina and its environs and you’ll begin to get a feel for the island. Whether you are more at home on dusty, volcanic hiking trails or inside, surrounded by ancient artifacts, Sicily has something for everyone, all presented in a uniquely Italian, or rather, Sicilian way. As J.W. Goethe wrote in Journey to Italy, “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to have not seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.”
Free Articles about Sicily
- What’s New in Italy for 2024: From Roots Tourism to Historic Train Trips
- Catania’s Spectacular Christmas Village
- Set Sail with Kathy McCabe in 2024 with Regent Seven Seas Exploring Italy, Turkey and Greece
- New Adler Resort and Spa Opens in Sicily
- 2022 Travel Inspiration From Our Pages
- New Companion Book to PBS Special Gives Actionable Advice to Make Your Dream of Italy Come True
- Podcast Episode #9: Your Crowdsourced Italian Travel Dreams
- Pantelleria: Unspoiled Paradise
- Excerpt From Always Italy by Frances Mayes with Ondine Cohane
- Meet the Guest Editor of Our Palermo Special Report
- Great Day Trips from Palermo
- A Moment with the Contessa
- Adventures With Sarah: Rick Steves Italy Expert
- Helping the Strays of Sicily
- Palermo Street Food: Try Sfincione Palmermitano
- What to Know About Palermo: Italian Capital of Culture 2018
- Unique Christmas Celebrations in Southern Italy
- Nuts About Noto Sicily: Why Visit This Baroque Town
- Volunteer Your Way Through Italy With Workaway
- A Classic Christmas Dessert Recipe from Sicily
- Eat, Pray, Love as You Travel Through Italy
- Sicilian Seafood Recipes for an Italian Christmas Eve — Feast of the Seven Fishes
- Christmas Eve in Italy: Celebrating the Feast of Seven Fishes, Sicilian Style
- Slick Sicily Hotel: Atelier Sul Mare
- Sicily Ultimate Food + Wine Adventure
- Recycle the South: One Man’s Journey Through Southern Italy
- Perfect Sicilian Day Trips from Palermo
- Travel to Sicily Is Hot: Visit Palermo and Taormina
Premium Content – Members Only
- Sicily from the Ennaside Out (June/July 2024)
- What’s New in Italy in 2024: Tourist Trains (December 2023/January 2024)
- Sabbatical Spotlight: The Henzes Adventure Around the Italian Boot (October/November 2022)
- The Small But Essential Pleasures of Italy (October/November 2021)
- Seven Ways to Photograph Italy Like A Pro (October/November 2020)
- Share Your Dream: The Layers of Sicily and Eggplant Parmigiana (August/September 2020)
- Share Your Dream: A Friendship That Has Endured (June/July 2020)
- There’s Always Italy: A Chat with Frances Mayes (March 2020)
- Perfect Places to Stay in Palermo
- Enjoying Old and New Palermo
- Five Foods to Eat in Palermo
- Sweet 16 Places to Eat
- Sweet 16 Places to Stay
- Sweet 16 Experiences in Italy
- Dream of Italy’s 16th Anniversary Favorites
- New in Sicily: Planeta Estate (May 2018)
- New Hotels in Italy: Flashy to Farmhouse Chic (May 2018)
- Godfather Movie Tour in Sicily (June/July 2017)
- Exploring Palermo Through Street Food (April 2017)
- Palermo: A Guide to Rosticcerie and Tavole Calde (April 2017)
- Palermo: A Guide to The Markets (April 2017)
- Exploring the Vineyards of Noto Sicily
- Italy’s Spooky Folklore Figures
- Unique Experiences for Kids in Puglia, Sardinia and Sicily
- Portraits of Sicily: His Wheels Keep on Turning – Sicily’s Last Donkey Cart Painter
- Portraits of Sicily: A New Chapter in a Sicilian Family History
- Portraits of Sicily: From Cloister to Cookies – A Sicilian Pastry Chef
- Five Unique Places to Stay in Sicily
- Edible Souvenirs: Bringing Home Sicilia Naturale
- Sicily through Its Symbols
- Italy’s Best Cooking Schools: Sardinia and Sicily
- Italy’s Best Cooking Schools: Programs With Multiple Locations
- New Hotels in Capri, Puglia, Rome and Sicily
- New Hotels Opening in Italy in 2014
- Resources for Italian Ancestry and Citizenship
- Tracing Your Italian Genealogy and Heritage
- 6 Tips for Getting Started With Italian Genealogy
- Great Local Tour Guides in Sicily and Sardinia
- Learn from the Masters of Sicilian Cuisine at These Sicily Cooking Schools
- Trapani, Mazara and Marsala Sicily: Where to Stay, Eat and Dine and What to Buy
- Sicily Sojourn: Trapani, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo
- Contemporary Art at Sicily’s Farm Cultural Park
- Explore the Seaside Paradiso of Cefalu Sicily
- Sicily’s Siracusa: Almost Grecian
- New Italy Hotels to Check Out and Check Into
- Recommended Rental Agencies, Apartments and Villas in Italy
- In Brief…Italian Travel News
- Sicily: Adventures in Cooking (Schools and Classes)
- The Quiet Jewels of Western Sicily
- Simple Pursuits in the Mountains of Sicily
- What’s Old is New Again: Site Openings, Reopenings in Sicily, Venice, Rome and Pompeii
- Noteworthy Italy Hotel Openings
- Sicily’s Donnafugata: Old Winery, New Ways
- The Donnafugata Music and Wine Band: A Melodious Mix
- A Gastronomic Pilgrimage to Sicily’s Ristorante Duomo
- A Guide to Sicily’s Towns and Cities: Agrigento, Caltagirone, Giardini Naxos and Siracusa
- Sicily’s Aeolian Islands Inspire Relaxation
- Navigate Palermo Sicily Like a Native
- What to Do in Sicily’s Aeolian Islands
- Down the Rabbit Hole: An Accidental Sicilian Agriturismo
- Sicily’s Aeolian Islands: Hotels and Restaurants on Stromboli, Filicudi, Lipari and Panarea
- Italy’s Best Beaches Can Be Found in Campania, Puglia and Sardinia
- Get Your Sports Fix, Italian Style: Cycling, Running, Walking and Golfing in Italy
- Italian Mafia Town: Name Change or Trademark?
- Sicily’s Private Homes Turned Charming Accommodations
- Sicilian Wines Emerge from the Shadows
- The Dream Interview: Theresa Maggio on Sicily
- Waking the Giant: Up Close with Sicily’s Mount Etna
- Ports of Call When Cruising Italy
- Noteworthy Travels