🇮🇹 Sicily: Baroque, Temples and a Volcano

Day 1: Landing and our first taste of Palermo

We landed at Falcone-Borsellino Airport, and the first order of business was picking up the rental car: without one, forget about getting around the island with any ease. Keys in hand and GPS pointed towards Piazza Politeama, we settled into an apartment right in the centre, a stone's throw from everything we wanted to see.

We dropped our bags and headed out to walk without much of a plan, letting the facades guide us. We started at Piazza Politeama itself, presided over by the neoclassical portico of Teatro Politeama, then made our way down to Teatro Massimo, Palermo's true temple of opera.

We kept wandering through baroque churches and the bustle of Mercato del Capo, one of Palermo's historic markets, where vendors call out their produce in an impenetrable Sicilian dialect. We finished up in front of Palermo Cathedral, a building that sums up the island's entire history on its own: it was a mosque, and before that, a Byzantine church.

After so much walking, it was time to sit down. We found a terrace near the centre and closed out our first day with some ice-cold Sicilian beers, our bodies already begging for bed after the early flight.

Day 2: Postcard-perfect Cefalù and reuniting in Palermo

With the car already warmed up, we headed to Cefalù, under an hour from Palermo along the coastal motorway. It's one of those towns that looks like it's been pulled straight out of a postcard: fishermen's houses pressed right up against the sea, a wall that drops straight into the water and, watching over it all from above, the rock known as La Rocca.

We wandered through the old town, walked down to the beach and took a look at the famous wall everyone photographs from the seafront promenade. The other great star of Cefalù is its Norman cathedral, visible from almost anywhere in town. In February the town was quiet and nearly empty, a world away from how we saw it on a later visit in the height of summer, with the beach packed and the town brimming with life: two completely different faces of the same place, and both worth experiencing.

For lunch, we found an unpretentious spot that ended up being one of the highlights of the whole trip.

By mid-afternoon we were back in Palermo with a mission: picking up a friend landing at 7pm to join the rest of the trip.

With the group finally complete, it was time to show off Palermo by night. We had dinner at Pizzeria Frida and then set off wandering aimlessly through the historic centre, letting ourselves be surprised by illuminated facades and squares that go unnoticed by day.

The night's final destination was a small square that turns, once the sun goes down, into Palermo's bar district. We never even learned its official name, but you'll recognise it instantly from the wave of young people out on the street, drink in hand.

Day 3: Crossing the island to Scala dei Turchi and Valle dei Templi

It was time to leave the organised chaos of Palermo behind and head south. The drive to the Agrigento coast cuts through the island's mountainous interior, with constant curves that don't allow for much speed.

We arrived around 2pm at Scala dei Turchi, a white limestone cliff that wind and rain have carved into natural steps dropping straight into the sea. In February the water was too cold to swim, so we settled for walking barefoot on the rock and letting ourselves be dazzled by the contrast between the white stone and the deep blue of the Mediterranean.

Hungry by now, we went looking for somewhere to eat on the way to Valle dei Templi. We found a restaurant set well back from the main road, with a slightly confusing detour, and when we arrived, not a soul in sight except the owner.

With our energy restored, we reached the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, one of the best-preserved sets of Greek temples outside Greece itself, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998.

We arrived with plenty of time to watch the golden sunset light setting the temple stone aglow. There was barely anyone around the site, something we were hugely grateful for: February, for all its downsides, gifts you moments like this in near-total privacy.

We had dinner in Agrigento at a pizzeria we found open, ordering a fried pizza typical of the area, and stayed the night in the city to make the next day's drive a little easier.

Day 4: Neapolis, Ortigia and our last night in Catania

In the morning we headed to Siracusa. On the way, we stopped at a huge archaeological site without being entirely sure at first whether we were looking at a Greek theatre or a Roman amphitheatre, until a sign (and our own curiosity afterwards) cleared things up: it turned out to be both, side by side.

We left the car near the harbour, right at the edge of Ortigia, Siracusa's historic island centre, determined to make the most of our time walking its perimeter: the city wall, the castle remains and, above all, Piazza del Duomo.

We ate in the area, playing it safe with a good pasta dish, and worked up the courage to try the aperol spritz you see on every Italian terrace. For dessert, an obligatory gelato, enjoyed sitting right in Piazza del Duomo, at the foot of the cathedral.

With our batteries recharged, it was time to head to Catania for our last Sicilian night. As soon as we arrived, we set off wandering through the historic centre: Piazza dell'Università, the cobbled streets beneath the colourful umbrellas that decorate some of the alleys, and the imposing Piazza Duomo, presided over by the Cathedral of Sant'Agata and the Fontana dell'Elefante.

We'd been told to have dinner at Trattoria del Cavaliere, a place so popular it doesn't take reservations: you have to queue at the door. Every minute of the wait was worth it: generous portions and prices you simply couldn't find back home.

After dinner, we let ourselves be swept up by the Sicilian night: first a club near the harbour, then another one whose name we can't even remember, but whose atmosphere we absolutely can. The perfect way to close out the most intense stretch of the trip.

Day 5: Catania, Monreale and heading home

We spent our last morning saying a slow, calm goodbye to Catania. We started with a typical local breakfast before heading out for an unhurried walk around the centre.

Walking around, we made our way to Catania's Roman Amphitheatre, right in the middle of Piazza Stesicoro: it's striking to come across ruins this size surrounded by buildings and traffic, as if the Roman past refused to hide beneath the modern city.

From there we headed to the fish and produce market, very close to Piazza Duomo: a hive of stalls, shouting vendors and, along several streets, hundreds of colourful umbrellas hung up to form an improvised roof over the stands. The perfect postcard to say goodbye to Catania.

With the car loaded up, we set off back towards Palermo to catch our flight. Instead of doing the drive in one go, we decided to stop for lunch in Monreale, a small town perched on a hill on the outskirts of Palermo, famous for its duomo and for views that make any detour worthwhile.

We ate in the main square, right in front of the duomo, with a carbonara that made for the perfect farewell to Italian cuisine.

And with that, straight to the airport to head home with Ryanair. Five days that left us wanting to come back: we still have Marrakech on our list, and the east of the island (Milazzo, Taormina and, of course, climbing Etna) for a future route.