Page 33 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Taormina Spoil yourself with a night in one of the town’s many historic hotels, and
take a day-trip by jeep up Mount Etna.

Siracusa Spend a couple of days in historic Ortigia, taking in masterpieces by
Caravaggio and Antonello da Messina, and an ancient Greek temple converted into a
cathedral. Devote another day to the Archeological Museum and beautifully preserved
Greek theatre.

Piazza Armerina Stay overnight to linger over the extensive ruins of a Roman villa,
decorated with splendid mosaics.

Agrigento Set aside at least a day to explore the Valley of the Temples, and leave
time enough to see the site museum’s marvellous collection of Greek black-figure
pottery. Fans of crime writer Andrea Camilleri should add an extra day to see the
Porto Empedocle and Agrigento locations that inspired the Montalbano novels.

Ragusa Ibla Spend a day or two admiring some of Sicily’s finest Baroque
architecture, then splash out on a gourmet dinner before flying home from the new
airport at nearby Comiso.

FOODIES’ SICILY

Eating in Sicily is a gastronomic trip through time – from the indigenous vegetables
that have been eaten since dwarf mammoths roamed the island, to the exotic flavours
of rose-petal and jasmine flowers, cinnamon and saffron brought by the Arabs.

Palermo Graze on local street food such as soft rolls stuffed with chickpea-flour
fritters, or sautéed offal with ricotta and caciocavallo cheese.

Aeolian Islands Head to the island of Salina to taste malvasia wine in local cantinas,
discover myriad uses for the bud of the caper flower, and sample what may well be
the best granitas in Sicily.

Catania Drink a fizzy seltz, made with lemon and salt or sweet fruit syrup and sold
from kiosks throughout the city centre, and visit the best fish market on the island.

Etna Tour Etna’s vineyards and look out for stalls selling tiny apples and pears,
hazelnuts, chestnuts and Sicily’s famous tarrocco blood oranges, grown in the volcanic
soil of the plains below.

Bronte This town in the foothills of Etna produces the best pistachios on the island.

Noto The two outstanding gelaterias here are famous throughout Italy – skip lunch and
sample delectable cones of saffron and basil, dark chocolate and orange, or the classic

jasmine or rose petal.