Eastern Sicily in 7 Days

We arrived in Sicily in the late afternoon, the kind of golden hour that makes every honey-toned building glow. After the long travel day, we took our time settling into the hotel, freshening up, and stepping out onto the terrace to take in our first proper view of the Ortigia.

Once we’d recharged, we wandered down into the local square, letting ourselves explore without much of a plan. The piazza was just starting to come alive. We poked into a couple of small shops, admired the sun-warmed stone of the surrounding buildings, and stopped for a quick aperitivo to ease into Sicilian time.

Dinner was on the earlier side by Italian standards (jet lag had its say). We found a quiet trattoria tucked just off the main square and settled in for a relaxed first meal—a few classic Sicilian dishes, a glass of local white wine, and the kind of unhurried service that immediately reset our pace.

By the time we walked back to the hotel, the square was just hitting its stride for the night, but we were happy to call it an early one... content, and excited for the days ahead.

Where Ancient Greece comes alive

We awoke early and had a delicious Italian breakfast and cappuccino at our hotel. Our local guide met us at the hotel and off we went. Siracusa was once one of the most powerful cities in the ancient world, and from the moment you cross the bridge onto the island of Ortigia, you feel it. The walking tour here isn’t optional—it’s the foundation for everything else. Our guide wove together 2,500 years of history in a way that even my teenagers found genuinely compelling.

From Ortigia, we headed to the Archeological Park of Neapolis—one of the best-preserved Greek theaters in the world, still used for live performances today, plus the Ear of Dionysus, a cave with acoustics so uncanny that the tyrant Dionysius allegedly used it to eavesdrop on prisoners.

Lunch was at L’Ancora Ristorante. Unfussy, excellent Sicilian seafood. The kind of long, relaxed lunch that reminded us we were no longer at home.

After lunch, we explored the Jewish Baths (Mikveh), an ancient 6th-century underground ritual bathhouse. Later, we discovered Tin Kite, a wonderful wine bar just a minute’s walk from our hotel, Palazzo Artemide, and spent a happy hour there before dinner.

Dinner was pizza at Schiticchio, which is exactly what teenagers want after a full day of ancient history!

Morning

We spent the morning exploring Noto. Noto was rebuilt entirely in golden limestone after a catastrophic earthquake in 1693, and the result is one of the most architecturally perfect Baroque cities in the world. We walked the main Corso Vittorio Emanuele slowly, stopped constantly, and started the morning properly at Caffè Siciliano: granita, pastries, strong coffee.

Afternoon

A short drive down the coast took us to one of Sicily’s most beautiful villages, Marzamemi. A tiny piazza, colorful fishing boats, the smell of the sea. We had lunch at Taverna La Cialoma, right on the square.

Evening

After relaxing back at our hotel, we made our way to the Hotel des Étrangers, for sunset cocktails on the terrace. The view at golden hour is spectacular. We sat there longer than we intended, which is the only way to do it.

Motta Camastra

This was the day I was most curious to see how the family would respond to, and the one that surprised us all the most.

Motta Camastra is a tiny hilltop village with around 400 residents and no obvious “sights.” That’s entirely the point. We wandered narrow streets, took in the views over the gorge, and stumbled into a village shop that has been in the same family for over 70 years.

The heart of the day was a cooking class with the local mammes, a few of the village grandmothers who have been cooking for their families and neighbors their whole lives. We gathered around a long wooden table in a simple home kitchen, sleeves rolled up, while they showed us how to make fresh pasta by hand and a few of the recipes that have been passed down in the village for generations. There was no formal instruction, just a lot of gesturing, laughter, and gentle correction when our technique strayed. The mammes spoke almost no English and we spoke almost no Italian, but somehow it didn’t matter—flour-dusted hands and shared food turned out to be a language of their own. My kids were completely drawn in, kneading dough and then sitting down to eat what we’d made together at the same table.

We left the village in the late afternoon and made our way to Monaci delle Terre Nere, a working organic estate on the slopes of Mount Etna.

Morning

Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe, and hiking it is exactly as dramatic as that sounds—black lava fields stretching in every direction, the occasional plume of sulfuric smoke, views to the Calabrian coast on a clear day. We went early and dressed in layers (it's cold up top no matter the season).

Afternoon

Lunch was at Olio Merlino, a working olive oil farm where we ate the best pumpkin soup any of us had ever tasted! After, we visited a friend’s winery where we tasted a variety of local wines, with their unique flavor due to the proximity to the volcano.

Evening

We ended the day back at Monaci delle Terre Nere, a converted monastery estate on the slopes of Etna surrounded by vineyards and organic gardens.

The drive to Taormina is an event in itself. The coastline opens up, the water turns an almost aggressive shade of blue, and then the town appears, clinging to its clifftop above the sea.

We checked into the Four Seasons Taormina and I gave the family a simple directive: nothing. Afternoon by the pool, no agenda, no sights.

The evening stroll through Taormina’s Corso Umberto reminded us why this town has been captivating visitors for centuries—the baroque architecture, the views that appear suddenly through archways and between buildings, the quality of the light as the sun goes down. Dinner was at Nuziatina, a local favorite with delicious food.

Morning

Breakfast at the Four Seasons, unhurried, beautiful, the kind of morning that makes departure feel genuinely cruel. Then back to the pool for the late morning.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, we explored town properly. BAM Bar is mandatory (the granita alone justifies the stop) and we returned for more later that evening. We walked down to Isola Bella, the tiny island connected to the shore by a sliver of pebble beach with turquoise water on either side.

Lunch was Da Christina for arancini: crispy and perfect.

Evening

Al Paladino for our last proper meal, which we made last as long as possible. We ended back at BAM Bar for a final granita.

My husband said he wanted to come back. My kids, who had arrived in Sicily mildly skeptical and glued to their phones, agreed without hesitation. That, for a travel advisor and a mother, was the best review I could have asked for.