Sicilian highlights
Last month, our business partners Marguerite and Mike Walsh explored beautiful Sicily. They shared a few highlights of their two week tour.
We joined our tour group in Palermo, Sicily on 13 May — all Australians and one lovely Kiwi couple. The next day, we explored Palermo on foot. A highlight was the magnificent Palazzo Butera restored to its former glory by a private family. The owners financed a complete structural and artistic restoration of the palace with the intention of opening the property to the public.
Like Italy, Sicily is well known for its hand crafted ceramics, and we were particularly interested in the pottery factory we visited. It made a wide range of colourful lava stone tables as well as table ware.
From Palermo we headed to Monreale to visit its stunning cathedral overlooking the Conca d’Oro valley.
One thing quickly became clear: almost every Sicilian town is perched high on a hill — a defensive strategy from ancient times, and quite challenging on the calves of tourists.
Next, we made our way to Selinunte for an overnight stay, then continued to Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples — a true highlight. This UNESCO World Heritage site boasts some of the best-preserved Greek temples in the Mediterranean.
We were very impressed with Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, famous for its well-preserved Roman mosaics, protected for centuries under a landslide. It is the most complete third century Roman villa in the world.
Then it was off to Ragusa, where we wandered cobbled lanes and stayed in a former Capuchin monks’ convent.
From there, we headed to Noto for an almond-tasting experience, followed by two days in Syracuse, rich with ancient Greek and Roman ruins and history.
Next stop: the Mount Etna region, where we ascended to 2,500m by cable car and walked near the still-active volcano, its twin craters constantly smoking.
We also visited Taormina, offering jaw-dropping views from its cliff-top perch.
On 29 May, we said a sad goodbye to Sicily before moving on to more adventures in Malta — another gem of a country.
PS. Something we learned very early on this trip: Don’t call a Sicilian “Italian” — they’ll be quick to correct you!