7 Best Sights in Sicily, Italy

For a walk on the moonlike surface of Etna, visit the Silvestri craters on the southern side of the volcano, near Nicolosi. Located at an altitude of roughly 6,200 feet, these five extinct craters formed during the 1892 eruption. Just a few meters away, across from Rifugio Sapienza, you'll find the Funivia dell'Etna (€30 round-trip), a cable car that carries you 8,000 feet up to Monte Montagnola, where you can hike further with a guide or go skiing in winter. 

Also known as the faraglioni, these ancient volcanic islets are so dramatically stunning they have inspired writers throughout the centuries. Homer set Odysseus's battle with the cyclops here in The Odyssey, contending that the angered and freshly blinded cyclops Polyphemus hurled giant hunks of rock from Etna to the sea to destroy Odysseus and his ship. Sicilian writer Giovanni Verga set his most famous novel, I Malavoglia, on the island of Lachea, the largest of the isles. Today the area is a protected marine preserve. You can kayak or swim the waters or take a short boat taxi to Lachea to visit the Lachea Island Museum of Sea Studies, which highlights the flora and fauna of the area in a tiny museum perched near the top.

This nonprofit is dedicated to research and conservation of Aeolian sea life, particularly dolphins, sperm whales, and sea turtles. You can join one of their naturalistic excursions to go snorkeling with a marine biologist, go out on a boat at dawn to watch for cetaceans and turtles, or have a guided visit to the Sea Turtles First Aid Center. If you'd like to become more involved, you can join a one-week research camp on dolphins and turtles as a volunteer.  

The path to the island's main crater, the Gran Cratere, starts just south of Porto di Levante, and the entire climb takes about an hour. While the ascent itself is easy(ish), the path is a slippery mix of sand and stones, so wear good sturdy shoes. Just be aware that it's a fully exposed climb, with no shade trees anywhere on the path, just smatterings of yellow-blossomed gorse bushes, so plan to go early or late in the day to avoid the full beatdown of the sun. But the climb is truly worth it: the rim of this crater is the only place in the Aeolians where you can see the whole archipelago in one glance. 

After the active volcanoes of Mount Etna and Stromboli, the tilted white "staircase" of the Scala dei Turchi cliff is the most stunning geological site in Sicily. Formed by eroded strata of pure white marl, with a silken gold sandy beach below, the cliff was allegedly named after the so-called Turkish (actually Saracen) pirates who plagued the Sicilian coast in the 16th century. The Scala and its beach are extraordinarily popular, so try if you can to visit in low season. The best access is from the signposted paid car park just to the south of the cliff (follow the sign to Majata Beach/Ingresso Scala dei Turchi).

This underground river flows beneath much of Catania. You can glimpse it at the Fontana dell'Amenano, but the best place to experience the river is at the bar-restaurant A Putia dell'Ostello. Here you can sit at an underground table as swirls of water rush by. If you're not planning to stay for a drink, someone from the bar will sell you a €1 ticket to walk into the cavelike seating area. Aside from the underground river, the bar area aboveground is a lively, fun spot to hang out on a Monday evening when many other places are closed.

Park in the car park (waymarked 974 Favare Grande) just off the main inland road that leads from Tracino to Rekale. From here a really lovely path leads up to lush upland meadows (carpeted with wildflowers in spring) where favare, natural emissions of sulphurous steam, billow through crevices in the rock. If you want a longer walk, a path continues from here to the Grotta del Bagno Asciutto. Alternatively you could continue and climb one of Pantelleria’s two main peaks, Montagne Grande (1 hour, 40 minutes) or Monte Gibele (50 minutes).