Intro to Sicily
If tomato paste is a concentrated version of tomatoes then the island of Sicily is a concentrated version of Italy. Sicily has its own culture, personality, cuisine and even its own language. And yet, everything here is still so distinctly Italian. If you have never been to Europe do not make Sicily your first stop. It can be intimidating. But beyond the crumbling facades of Palermo and roughed back roads around Mt Etna, you will find a colorful place with great food, few tourists and a charming culture still rooted in tradition.
The island was first populated by the Greeks, although there were some ancient people there first. You’ll find Greek ruins here on par with anything in Greece. The Greeks eventually got pushed out by the Romans who ceded power to a parade of foreign rulers including the Arabs, Normans, Spanish, a united Italy, the mafia and then Italy again.
Accessibility
There have been direct flights from New York City in the past and there may be again in the future but the summer we went they had been discontinued and we had to transfer in Rome. Most likely you should expect that a transfer will be necessary. Our layover in Rome was quick and seamless in both directions. To increase sightseeing efficiency we flew into Palermo and out of Catania.
when we went
Two weeks at the end of August into early September, 2019. The main beaches were crowded but generally the tourist hordes in Sicily were significantly less than what you would expect to find in main land Europe.
What we did
The three stages of our trip at a glance; 1) Flew into Palermo and spent three days exploring the city and markets. 2) Took a train to the beach town of Cefalu and spent four days lounging on the beach and eating lots of gelato. 3) Rented a car in Cefalu and drove to the wine region north of Mt Etna where we spent four days on a vineyard eating local food and wine and took a day trip to the elegant cliff side town of Taormina.
Palermo. Rick Steves called this place “gritty”. As usual there is no better way to describe it. Palermo reminded us a lot of Buenos Aires, Argentina in appearance. The traffic is chaotic, the sidewalks have cracks and the elegant old buildings are falling apart. There are not many sites to visit but there are two good reasons to visit; 1) chances are you flight arrives here and 2) the food. After just a few meals in Palermo we knew this would be a most delicious vacation. There is really only one cuisine here and it’s “local Italian”. We had a steady diet of pizza and pasta and loved every bit of it. The food markets in the city are legendary. Singing (or is that screaming) salesman serenade customers informing them about the day’s catch or harvest.
As a tourist you’ll most likely spend all your time in the city’s compact historical center which is bordered by the train station in the south east, the Norman palace in the west, the Teatro Massimo to the north and the harbor in the north east. The two main intersecting streets are Via Roma and Via Vittorio Emanuele, some of which is pedestrian only. We found a great airbnb just off Via Roma. Everything in the city was walkable within 20 minutes.
After a mid day arrival we spent the afternoon getting acquainted with the city. This included a stroll through the city’s unofficial center, the elaborate intersection known of the Quattro Canti, as well as the old Arab quarter, the Kalsa.
On our first full day we did the Rick Steves walking tour of the city. This included stops at the Teatro Massimo, the Palermo Cathedral, the Norman Palace and one of the churches on the Quattro Canti.
Our second full day in Palermo, a Monday, was spent hopping around the markets eating street food and preparing for a picnic at home on our rooftop. The most popular market is Ballaro, just west of the train station. If it is grown or made in Sicily, you will find it here. Like the rest of Sicily, prices are very cheap. La Vucciria market is great if you’re looking for little outdoor eateries and bars as oppose to vendors.
Cefalu. We went in the end of the summer and we wanted an idilic European beach vacation. One with an old cobbled town, a sandy beach, calm waters, lots of seafood, gelato for days and an ancient square to eat it. In Cefalu we found all of that.
There is both an old town and a new town. The train station is in the new town as is a long sea side promenade packed with restaurants and a long sandy beach. The old town has a smaller beach but all the charm.
We stayed in a literal hole in the wall airbnb on Via Vittorio Emanuele, the main street along the harbor, that overlooked the beach. We spent everyday at the beach and every evening eating gelato in the little old town square under the city’s large Norman Cathedral.
Mt. Etna. Sicily has a lot of wine regions. I’m not going to pretend I know which is best but we stayed on the north slope of Mt. Etna and I have nothing but good things to say about it. There was great scenery, amazing local food…like, literally just amazing, nice vineyards to visit, hill towns to explore and we were close enough to the coast for an easy Taormina day trip.
We stayed in a little farm house that was part of a winery just outside the small town of Solicchiata. Every morning we had cappuccinos and granita with the locals at Bar Pasticceria Gelateria di Scrivano Maurizio. The region’s capital, Randazzo, was about 15 minutes away. We a few dinners there and bought some great local meats and cheeses for a picnic at home. The hill top town of Castiglione di Sicilia was also a short drive away and absolutely worth a day trip. The little town sprung up around a medieval castle perched on a cliff overlooking the valley below.
This being wine region we made time for one tasting at the Gambino Vini winery just outside of Linguaglossa.
Taormina. This town was one of the original stops on the Grand Tour of Europe in the middle ages, a sort of coming of age for rich northern Europeans. It’s still full of elegant old hotels, great restaurants and lots of tourists. The city was founded by the greeks on top of an imposing cliff. The location was chosen for protection. The dramatic setting is the town’s main draw today. We did a day trip here and enjoyed some time on the pebble beach below before exploring the town.
What we ate
I have one beef with Sicily. The restaurants do not open until 7:30pm. That is not some restaurants. That’s all restaurants. It was nearly impossible to eat between 4-7pm. If you are there with a small child then keep it in mind. If not, just keep drinking wine until it is time to eat. We honestly did not have a bad meal the entire trip but here are some highlights:
Ideal Caffe Stagnitta in Palermo had great coffee and gets our vote for best granita in Sicily. Granita is probably one of the best foods you have never heard of. It is like a gelato light but served at breakfast with a brioche bun. Sounds weird right? It’s not. It’s delicious! The two popular flavors you will see in Sicily are almond and lemon. We were addicted to the almond. You will see granita everywhere. Many places, particularly those catering to tourists, sell it out of a frozen machine and it looks like a slurpy from 7/11. Do not eat these. Find a legit cafe that makes their granita each morning. You will not be disappointed.
In Palermo we had breakfast every morning at Stagnitta but they were closed on Sunday so we went to Cafe Touring which had good coffee and a decent food selection of Sicilian staples like arancini and pizza. Speaking of pizza we had some very good pies at Ciccio Passami l’Olio, which happens to be located next to a gritty little playground that looks like it is on top of either a bombed out neighborhood from WWII or some ancient ruins.
Our airbnb in Palermo was just above a little place with a rustic kitchen kind of vibe called Pot Cucina & Bottega. They served up some of the best burrata and spaghetti carbonara we have ever tasted.
We had two nicer pasta and pizza meals at A’nìca Ristorante & Pizza Gourmet and Cagliostro. The former is on a cute street and has a nice outdoor patio. The latter is located on Palermo’s pedestrian only Via Vittorio Emanuele and feels a little fancy, for Palermo.
Even if you are in Palermo for just a few hours you have to eat one meal at an outdoor market. Of the main three markets in the city Ballaro Market is the best bet for true street food, the kind served from actual street venders, while the Vucciria Market is know for cute little squares and alleys packed with trendy bars and little eateries.
I think we ate gelato every night in Italy. Just east of the main train station in Palermo (on Corso dei Mille) are Gelateria Ciccio Adelfio and Gelateria da Carlo. They are across the street from each other which makes it feel like the gelato district. At the north end of the Vucciria Market, in floodlit square of Santa Domingo, is Bar Gelateria Lucchese. Grab your gelato and enjoy it on a bench outside of the church while you watch Palermo go by.
In Cefalu the food scene is a little touristy but that should be expected at a beach resort town. In the mornings we samples a variety of cafes around the main square under the Norman Cathedral. The square and broader town is also littered with great gelato joints.
Just around the corner from our airbnb in Cefalu’s Old Town we found the takeout eatery Antica Focacceria Sapori Siciliani which had great flat bread pizza’s and some of the best arancini we had in Sicily.
There are a row of restaurants on the seaside of Cefalu’s Old Town that have amazing views of the Mediterranean. We ate a very nice seafood meal at Al Porticciolo. For any of the restaurants along the water you may want to make a reservation.
It seemed like almost every restaurant in Cefalu did take out, which was nice because we had a balcony overlooking the beach. One night we had an amazing seafood risotto dish from the wine bar Deja Vu.
On our drive between Cefalu and Mt. Etna we stopped for a swim and lunch at the little seaside town of Castel di Tusa. A local told us to eat at Grotta Marina. We had clams and linguine which was amazing but their pasta norma, which is Sicily’s signature pasta made with fried eggplant, fresh tomatoes and fresh ricotta, was the best we had in Sicily.
Being that we were traveling with a 2yr old we only visited one winery in Sicily, Vini Gambino. Located up the north slope of Mt. Etna just a few minutes drive outside of Linguaglossa their tasting room has spectacular views. The wine was great and the complimentary assortment of food that comes with it (cheese, bread, meat, veggies, hard boiled eggs) was more than enough for lunch.
The town of Randazzo is the defacto capital of this wine region. We made a couple meals at home on this portion of the trip and bough the necessary supplies in town. Sparta’ Nunzio was a meat an cheese shop that had the absolute best provolone cheese we have ever tasted in our lives. It is nothing like the deli cheese in your local supermarket. I would get back on a plane and fly to Sicily just for a bite of that cheese! We also had a great sit down meal at Ristorante San Giorgio e il Drago.
The closest little town to our airbnb was Solicchiata. There is a well known pizza place in town called Cave Ox that is worth a stop. Our favorite place in town was the little cafe, Bar Pasticceria Gelateria di Scrivano Maurizio. This was the morning hangout of the local farmers, some of whom showed up on the tractors. Pasticceria had great espresso, granita and cookies that were so tasty we brought some home.
Taormina has no shortage of restaurants. We had a classy seafood and pasta lunch at Ristorante Al Duomo. The restaurant is perched on a balcony with great views over the little Piazza Duomo.
