6 Best Nightlife in Mount Etna and Eastern Sicily, Sicily

Tucked in an alleyway off Via Umberto, the Oliva lounge offers a bit of calm in the city's bustling center. This is where you go to geek out over the impressive selection of mezcal and rhum agricole or go deep on locally made gins and amari. The team here, a trio of hardcore bar nerds, makes all the classics perfectly (like Negronis, daiquiris, and martinis) and uses house-made bitters and tinctures to whip up inspiring drinks.

In the heart of the city's downtown, this always-packed bar has tables that spill into the streets. With an impressive selection of vermouths and local salumi, it's a great spot to go for aperitivo or a late-night drink. But the real draw is the wine program. Don't even bother with the wine list—ask for Antonio Lombardo, a veritable expert with a mischievous smile, who consistently pulls affordable bottles to suit any mood or taste, from obscure natural wines to refined classics. It's a popular spot, so it's best to make a reservation lest you want to be among the crowds who stand in the pedestrian street, drink-in-hand. 

This knickknack-filled bar has lorded over Castelmola's town square since 1907, and if you manage to resist the pull of the enchanting view on the terrace, you can explore the historic interior to learn more about the village's past. Try the vino alle mandorle (almond wine) from a recipe produced by the original owner more than a century ago, then follow luminaries such as Guglielmo Marconi, Winston Churchill, John D. Rockefeller, and John Steinbeck by signing the visitors' book.

Open only during the summer, this cocktail bar sits on a small wooden deck bedecked with fairy lights, overlooking the sea. At dusk, it's magical. And once night falls, in the distance to the south, you can make out the outline of the faraglioni by moonlight. They make especially good Negronis and different variations of gin-and-tonics.

When you're ready to upgrade your spritz or Negroni, look to Le Roi. They sling drinks from within the 1929 Vittorio Emanuele III galleria, where the mosaic tile floors and electric Liberty style (an Italian version of Art Nouveau) give historic heft to the inventive cocktails. 

Throughout this bar, located in a former bank, you'll find ceramic heads (all for sale) by Catania artist Stefania Boemi. Legend has it that a Sicilian noblewoman discovered her beloved, a visiting Moor, was already married in his homeland. In a fit of rage, she cut off his head and left it on her balcony for all to see. The next morning a basil plant was sprouting from the head. And thus was born the tale of the teste di Moro (Moor heads). Outside, tables sit in the shadow of the Duomo where locals stop for excellent cocktails during their evening passeggiata.