45 Best Sights in The Tyrrhenian Coast, Sicily

A visit to this fantastic castle, the biggest in Sicily and one of the grandest in all of Italy, is like stepping into the Middle Ages, complete with a well-stocked medieval armory, creepy dungeon prison, and elegant upper-level rooms decorated with detailed woodwork carving and majolica ceramic floors. The castle was the property of the Chiaramontes, once a powerful Sicilian aristocratic family. The views of the Rosamina lake and valley below are beyond spectacular.

Located in the rolling hills just below Tindari, this local winery offers the chance to sample the best locally produced wines. You can also go on a tour of the historic wine press and enjoy a light meal. Wine tastings require a minimum of four people per booking.

Not far from Termini is the hamlet of Buonfornello, a precious archaeological site that includes the remains of the ancient city of Himera, founded by Greek settlers in 648 BC. Hannibal later destroyed ancient Himera in 409 BC, and the surviving population moved to the nearby thermal springs, which later became Termini Imerese. The outdoor archaeological area houses the ruins of many Roman temples and buildings. The more precious items recovered from the excavations are housed in the on-site museum. These include artifacts like bronze and ceramic vases and intricate artworks made with other precious metals.

A natural salt deposit that was once one of the largest salt mines in Europe has been converted into the town's Museum of Contemporary Art. Aside from browsing the artwork, you can also visit the underground mining caves and see how the salt has been carved into a kind of underground cathedral filled with sculptures. The museum is currently only open one day a week, so be sure to book your tickets in advance to ensure your spot.

Castelbuono is located just outside this 80,000-acre regional park of the Madonie Mountains, which means it is a perfect spot to explore the splendid natural reserve. There are walking paths, camping areas, horse-riding, mountain biking, and caving activities to experience. You can even just simply take a scenic drive out into the park for a picnic.

A very old place of worship, the Santuario di Tindari has been an important place for religious pilgrims since the Middle Ages, after a mysterious statue of the dark-skinned Madonna was retrieved from a nearby beached ship and claimed to be a miraculous image by locals. Today Tindari is still popular with religious visitors and the clergy in general; Pope John Paul II even visited to perform mass in the 1980s. The stunning modern cathedral has been built around the original tiny medieval church, and you can access the old church from a side gate near the front altar. The newer church is filled with mosaic art, stained glass windows, an impressive church organ, and an elaborate building that still houses the famed Madonna statue.

Located high up in the mountains, Tindari has lovely views along the coast in both directions. Along a side road from the church, past a collection of tourist shops, you will find the archaeological area that includes an ancient Roman theater and several ruins of bathhouses and villas that once accommodated Roman visitors.

Below the Church of Tindari, there are also the natural lakes of Marinello and the pristine Spiaggia Mongiove, which are popular places for local beachgoers to explore. Even though the beaches are devoid of facilities, the spot is secluded and quite stunning.

This imposing 1337 Norman tower is attached to the facade of the church Chiesa di Saint Niccolò of Bari, with a square bell tower built upon three levels and Arabesque arched windows. It was part of the feudal kingdom of the Ventimiglia family, who left marks of their wealth and dominance all over the island. After an extensive renovation, it now houses a permanent exhibition of local artists and Christmas nativity models. The church itself is filled with artwork from the 17th and 18th centuries and its mysterious and macabre catacombs contain the mummies of 60 priests from Gangi.

Established in 1873, this museum located directly in front of the Duomo is perfect for lovers of ancient Greek and Roman art. It houses an impressive collection of artifacts recovered from the archaeological area of Himera, including old coins, statues, and many other objects from daily life. The gallery also houses the works of Sicilian artists from the 16th and 17th centuries, some Flemish works, and even a Byzantine triptych. It is an astoundingly random collection that's a testament to the passionate dedication Sicily has always had when it comes to artists and pieces of art. 

This rustic piece of coastline juts out from the naturally formed port of Milazzo, showing off classic Mediterranean scrub, a kind of coastal vegetation common to Sicily. The road leading to the cape is perfect for a scenic drive, and there are rustic beaches you can stop to enjoy along the way. Follow the signs from the city center to reach the cape or follow the main local road toward Palermo.

It is common to see castles along Sicily's coastline as the Normans used them to defend the island from invaders throughout the Middle Ages. Castello di Milazzo lies high above the town and is a beautiful example of an authentic medieval castle. It's well worth the hike up for the views out to the sea.

The castle also hosts the MuMa Museum of the sea. The museum was founded by Sicilian marine biologist Carmelo Isgro who recovered the remains of a sperm whale who died after it was caught in an illegal fishing net off the nearby Aeolian Islands. Isgro reconstructed the whale's skeleton. It became the central figure of the museum with other exhibits that highlight the relationship between man and the sea and how it can be improved.

This impressive castle fortress was built in 1316 by the Ventimiglia family. With its four imposing watchtower structures, it was once the center of Castelbuono and helped the town become the administrative and defensive capital of the Ventimiglias' vast kingdom. Later it also became the prestigious residence of the family. In 1684 its interior was renovated to accommodate the family, and a new chapel was added and filled with decorative stucco embellishments. The Ventimiglia family chapel inside the Castello was decorated by Sicilian master sculptures Giuseppe and Giacomo Serpotta and Antonello Gangini.

Once a vital part of the city's defenses, today Collesano's medieval castle is a small but lovely part of the town's landscape. The castle's ruins can be seen rising above the northern side of the town in front of its original parish church. It was built during the 12th century by King Roger II of Sicily after he decided to move his administration to a more strategic place to head off invasions from North Africa and the Middle East. What remains of this original project are castle ruins and some imposing defensive buildings in a small medieval neighborhood, which is a fascinating place to visit.

The second-largest church in Caccamo, the Chiesa dell'Annunziata holds just as much precious artwork as the main cathedral and dates back to the 1700s. The rooftop frescoes are by Giambecchina while stunning stucco wall decorations are by the famous Sicilian master Giacomo Serpotta and the front altar's design of the Annunciation is by Guglielmo Borremans.

Located right in front of the main square at the heart of Caccamo, the Chiesa dell'Oratorio is one in a series of splendid Baroque monuments in the center of the city. Together with the Chiesa dell'Oratorio, the palace of Monte di Pietà, and the church of the Anime Sante del Purgatorio, it makes up the historic heart of the city's art and culture. The square is used as a majestic open-air stage for events and concerts, and what better backdrop than these splendid examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture.

Yet another beautiful historic church in Castelbuono that is well worth visiting, even for only a moment, Chiesa della Natività di Maria was constructed in the 14th century and is characterized by its typical Sicilian limestone stonework and elegant bell tower. Inside it is filled with delicate pieces of art, but don't miss the one above the central altar. The decorative painted altarpiece, with intricate wooden carved details and paintings of various saints, dominates the church. The images on the polyptych are from the 1500s, created by Antonio di Sabila, the nephew of the famous early Renaissance Sicilian master Antonello da Messina.

As is usually the case in Sicily, this church is one of the best places in town to see some incredible art. The Chiesa di San Benedetto is decorated with an elaborate and remarkably well-preserved maiolica ceramic floor designed and crafted by 18th-century Palermo artist Nicolò Saranza. The decorative gold highlighted stucco wall decorations make the church glow in the sunlight.

This impressive church occupies an entire block of the main street in the medieval area of town, and it also houses the local library (Biblioteca Comunale) and the Civico Museo Archeologico, an archaeological museum. The church has the standard Greek cross structure. It is filled with marble vaults that host the statues of various saints and is decorated with floral embellishments typical of the extravagant Sicilian Baroque style.

Like most small towns in Sicily, Mistretta's best artwork can be found in its local churches, which have a particularly ancient quality. The Chiesa Madre di Santa Lucia has a facade made from the characteristic golden limestone of Sicily with elegant Romanesque arches and columns. Inside, everything from the floor to the decorative altar is made of precious marble, which comes from the nearby town of San Marco D'Annunzio which has supplied marble for churches all over Messina province since the Middle Ages. The rose-color pink marble, in particular, was quite rare and the most expensive and luxurious decoration used in churches to show off a town's prosperity.

Polizzi is full of churches, each one filled to the brim with fascinating artwork, but this church is probably the most gorgeous of all. Its centerpiece is an astounding Renaissance painting of the Madonna and Child, attributed to the 15th-century Flemish painter Rogier Van Der Weyden. It is astonishing to see this priceless work of art from northern Europe housed in a church in Polizzi Generosa and gives you a sense of how much wealth was brought to the town thanks to its royal patrons.

In the Middle Ages, Petralia Sottana was under the dominion of the Ventimiglia family, whose immense wealth left behind many stunning public works and buildings in the town. The concentration of this architecture is focused in and around the central square of Piazza Umberto I, which is dominated by this 16th-century parish church, an impressive cathedral dedicated to the Madonna of the Assumption. The interior is filled with sculptures from the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, including details from Antonello Gangini, a famed Sicilian sculptor who decorated many important churches with his artwork.

On the town's Piazza Duomo, you'll find the parish church of the apostles of St. Peter and St. Paul. The church's dominating structure is in the Catalonian Gothic style, with 12 elaborate columns representing the apostles. The interior is relatively simple, but there is a remarkable life-size wooden crucifix in a side chapel. The extensively detailed carving was handmade by local monks in 1623.

Castelbuono's main cathedral, located on the central square of Piazza Margherita, is a 16th-century elegant Romanesque church filled with various religious art and paintings. The Gothic Catalan bell tower reflects a similar Andalusian style to Palermo's Duomo, and it is a prominent feature of the town's landscape.

This fascinating museum consists of two sections, one dedicated to geology and another to archaeology. It's a testament to Petralia Sottana's long and fascinating human and geological history. The rocks and fossils in the locally gathered collection date back to 200 million years ago and showcase the geographical evolution of the area. The museum's archaeological collection shows a vast array of prehistoric vases, numerous ancient Greek ceramics, and items from the Bronze Age.

The main Norman cathedral of Caccamo, the original church was built in the 1400s by the Chiaramonte family and filled with artwork from many Sicilian Renaissance masters. The building was expanded and rebuilt in the 1600s in the elaborate Sicilian Baroque-style and still houses all the paintings from the previous structure and other artwork from abandoned or destroyed churches in the area.

Termini's main cathedral is dedicated to St. Nicholas and, like most Sicilian churches, is filled with precious artwork. The interior chapel and altar are from the 17th century and are decorated with precious inlaid colored marble. The Duomo also has an on-site museum of sacred art, filled with silverwork, vestments, religious relics, and liturgical objects of great value.

This outdoor sculpture park is filled with contemporary art and is especially gorgeous against the stunning Tyrrhenian coastline. One of the park's most spectacular permanent installations is the Monument for a Dead Poet by Tano Festa, a giant blue framed window that looks out towards the sea and can be seen from miles away. Other fascinating pieces include a bronze pyramid placed precisely on the 38th parallel of latitude and the labyrinth of Arianna, which recalls the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur.

There's no doubt that the highlight of Castel di Tusa is its beaches, which stretch out from the beginning of the Tusa Cape in the east and end on the other side of the town at the Lungomare di Tusa. The beaches here vary from rocky, pebbly ones to golden sandy ones. Generally, Sicilian beaches are rustic with minimal facilities. Sicilians like to find a secluded spot to swim and sunbathe and might bring something for a picnic along with a simple beach umbrella. The same can be said for Tusa beaches: very basic but with crystal clear waters. Amenities: None. Best for: swimming; walking.

This late Roman villa was accidentally unearthed during construction work for the nearby Autostrada in the early 1980s, and the archaeological area has since recovered a complete Roman aristocratic home. The villa is filled with fascinating details, including mosaic tiled floors, walls, and doors.

Capo d’Orlando has a long strip of beachfront to explore, stretching out in both directions along the coast. The Lungomare is the town's main strip, with plenty to entertain tourists in the high season, including restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and kiosks where you can buy anything needed for a day on the beach.

Located high above Mistretta are the ruins of this Arab-Norman castle. At over 3,000 feet above sea level, the location offers some spectacular views out to the coast and the highest peaks of the mountains from Santa Croce down to Santo Stefano di Camastra. The remaining structure of the castle gives you an idea of its original dimensions, which were built to defend the city and look out all along the coast. The castle was also connected to an extended walled perimeter that encircled the original town.