6 Best Sights in Sicily, Italy

A 15-minute drive out of town will bring you to an olive plantation where soap is made from olive oil, continuing a tradition that stretches back for millennia. The fascinating, 50-minute tours in good English take you through the process of creating soap in this way and sketch out the history of soap manufacture. Following an introduction outside in the olive grove, the tour moves indoors where you can examine examples of different kinds of soap and even try your hand at making it. Afterward, there are opportunities to purchase the soap as well as other products made here. Call to book at least a day ahead.

There is an abundance of choice when it comes to indulgent desserts in Sicily, but the chocolate of Modica—cooked at a low temperature and possessed of a distinctive granular texture—is prized above all others. It feels only natural, then, to find a museum in the center of the old town dedicated to the local sweet. The small exhibits (with English translations) follow the history of chocolate in general, before describing the way cacao beans first arrived in Modica, and how they were traditionally processed by being ground on a board made of volcanic stone. There is also an eccentric collection of sculptures and celebrity portraits made entirely of chocolate.

Housed in the 16th-century former convent of Sant'Agostino, the small but intriguing Papyrus Museum uses informative exhibits and videos to demonstrate how papyri are prepared from reeds and then painted—an ancient tradition in the city. Siracusa, it seems, has the only climate outside the Nile Valley in which the papyrus plant—from which the word "paper" comes—thrives.

Caltagirone was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its ceramics as well as for its numerous Baroque churches. Although the museum offers little information in English about the beautiful items displayed in its many glass cases, you can still see one of Sicily's most extensive ceramics collections, ranging from Neolithic finds to red-figure pottery from 5th-century BC Athens and 18th-century terra-cotta Nativity figures.

This collection of more than 4,000 masterpieces showcasing the traditional Opera dei Pupi (puppet show), both Sicilian and otherwise, will delight visitors of all ages with their glittering armor and fierce expressions. The free audio guide to the colorful displays is only available in Italian, but the well-designed exhibits include video clips of the puppets in action, which requires no translation. There are also regular live performances in the museum's theater (stop by or call in advance to check times), which center on the chivalric legends of troubadours of bygone times. The museum can be hard to find: look for the small alley just off Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5.

Begun in 1906, the Targa Florio car race weaved its way through the picturesque towns and villages of the Madonie Mountains every year until it was stopped in 1977 for safety reasons; today the same route is driven as part of the annual Italian Rally Championship. Collesano has been an important stage of the race since its inception, and today the city is home to a museum dedicated to the history of the car race. In a detailed exhibition, you can learn of its origins and participants, including some of the most famous drivers that Italy has ever produced. It's an excellent museum for those who love racing and cars.