Sicily
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Sicily - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Marsala Salt Pans
Driving along the flat and winding coast road north of Marsala, you'll soon come across the extraordinary series of salt pans glistening in the shallows of Sicily's largest lagoon, the Stagnone di Marsala. The shallow depth of the lagoon, ranging from 2 to 6 feet, has made it perfect for the production of salt, and it has been put to this purpose since Phoenician times. The sheer flatness of the scene is varied only by the conical heaps of salt and a scattering of the disused windmills once used to supply power. The scene is still and quiet most of the time, but you'll sometimes see pockets of activity, with full wheelbarrows of salt being hauled to the conveyor belts that create the mounds. The stacks of earthenware tiles you'll see everywhere are used to weigh down the salt to prevent it being from blown away by gusts of wind. It's an extremely photogenic tableau, with the light changing through the day and Mozia and the Egadi archipelago looming through the haze. The narrow coastal road is one-way for much of its length, and the cycle track running alongside it enables the area to be comfortably toured on two wheels.
Marsala, Sicily, Italy -
2. The Perimetrale
An excellent road with some fabulous coastal views, the Perimetrale encircles the entire island, although its most interesting stretch is along the east and south coasts between Cala Cinque Dente and Scauri. Although you could drive the entire stretch in far less than an hour, exploring all the little coves and villages and taking a few walks could easily keep you busy for several days. Cala Cinque Denti may literally mean "Bay of the Five Teeth", but opinions vary over which of the fearsome jagged rock formations inspired the name. The bay is most dramatically approached on foot from the signed car park at Punta Spadillo, from where a well-marked 30-minute path crosses a lunar landscape of black lava formations, scattered among which are doughnut-shaped gun emplacements dating back to World War II. A rocky branch of the path clambers down to the Laghetto Ondine, a natural pool fed by the sea, where you can swim under fabulous formations of lava. The main path continues along the clifftop, with more fantastic views, before climbing up to the top of Cala dei Cinque Denti. The next stop along the Perimetrale is the picturesque village of Gadir, set around a sheltered inlet. The harborside has been smartly decked for sunbathing, and there are ladders into the inlet, from which you can swim out into the cove. Right by the water are three tomb-shaped pits enclosing hot water springs. Be warned that the temperature in one of them is dangerously hot so check before choosing which one to dunk yourself in. Following the path around the headland brings you to another (cool but protected) natural swimming pool, with two hot water springs behind it. Driving on, you come to photogenic Cala Levante and Cala Tramontana, twin bays divided by a small peninsula. There is good swimming and sunbathing from each, and a narrow road continues south along the coast to the island’s most famous rock formation, the Arco dell’Elefante, which is said to resemble an elephant dipping its trunk into the sea. Little paths across the rocks lead to the best places to access the sea for a swim. Returning to the Perimetrale, carry on south until the sign to Martingana, where a very steep but asphalted road curves down to a pretty settlement of lava stone and white-domed dammusi. The road then becomes a track (drivable even in an ordinary car) leading to a small car park where a path leads to a cove (with more good swimming) and where you can sunbathe atop a solidified river of lava. The next bay, Balata dei Turchi, can be reached by several clearly marked footpaths or along a rough and steep road, best attempted only by an adventurous driver. The bay is jaw-droppingly beautiful on a calm sunny day, backed by cliffs stained ochre, china blue, and rose by volcanic minerals, but can be quite inhospitable and forbidding in strong winds. Punta Nikà, reached by a steep track a little farther along the Perimetrale, has similar polychrome cliff formations and offshore hot springs accessible only in calm seas. The path to them is not signposted, but they're fairly easy to find. Instead of going downhill to the main bay, look for a narrow path after the first house on the left (with contemporary metal gates). Follow this downhill and along the perimeter of the house’s garden. At the bottom of the garden, follow the white arrows (a bit faded) which will guide you down to a place where you can get into the sea. Don’t attempt this track unless you are a fit and experienced hiker.
Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy -
3. Capo di Milazzo
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.
SP72 98057, Milazzo, Sicily, 98057, Italy -
4. Piana di Ghirlanda
Starting at the town of Tracino, follow signs to the idyllic valley of Mueggen where immaculate vineyards and an intricate network of drystone walls and terraces are scattered with pepper-pot dammusi, some exquisitely restored as holiday homes, others picturesquely crumbling. From here, a narrow unpaved but drivable track leads down into the island’s most fertile valley, the Piana di Ghirlanda, before winding uphill and over into the next valley and the village of Rekale. Just beyond Rekale a narrow paved road leads steeply uphill (marked Zighidi) then runs past the Byzantine tombs and along a spectacular ridge with views down to the sea and into the Valle di Monastero. Follow signs to Sibà, to discover what may be the island's most charming village, nestled among lush greenery on the lower slopes of the Montagna Grande, then continue to the village of Bugeber, perched high above the Lago di Venere (Lake of Venus), with its green-turquoise waters filling a spent volcanic crater. There are swimming spots from the lake's beaches, and smearing oneself with lake mud, and then lying in the sun until it is baked hard, is considered beneficial.
Pantelleria, Sicily, Italy -
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