Sicily is a island full of unique contrasts, conflicts, and interesting history. It was ruled by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantine Greeks, Arab Muslims, French Normans, Aragons, Spain, and then the Italians. And…recently actors and film crew from the TV show, “White Lotus Season 2.” The show may or may not be your bag but the Sicily filming locations are stunning! With this post I’ll take you to some of my favorite places on the island.

Marla and I rented an apartment near Taormina in Sicily a few years ago. Our terrace featured an amazing view of bay and Isola Bella. Taormina is a jewel in a setting of rough stones.

The apartment complex featured an elevator carved out of solid rock to a tunnel leading to the sea below.

We never saw another guest in this area during our stay.

We often walked to the beach clubs in Mazzaro. Our apartment rental is in the upper left, and you can see the scary drop off from the terrace!

The beautiful beach area was featured in an Anthony Bourdain TV show on Sicily.

This was our favorite spot!

For lunch I chose a beautiful Branzino, or Mediterranean sea bass, grilled at the La Pigna Beach Club in Mazzaro. 

Marla floats languidly in the bay in Mazzaro, below Taormina. For some strange reason we felt we could float in this water better than almost anywhere! Maybe the wine at lunch helped!

From the beach parking one can take the gondola to the town of Taormina high on the cliff.

Most of the town is pedestrian friendly with cars allowed in only certain areas. I found driving to be a bit challenging. Take taxis!

The baroque style Church of Saint Catharine.

The photo encapsulates Sicily in my view,… a little crumbling with lots of character, and characters!

Marla looks over the town.

At the “Teatro Antico“ in Taormina. It was built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC.

The Greek theatre with the Mount Etna volcano shrouded in mist in the distance.

The entrance of the Grand Hotel Timeo, a Belmond property. It is very fancy-schmancy!

We of course found a great spot for the cocktail hour at the Grand Hotel Timeo. The views from the terrace are magnificent.

The “passeggiata“is my favorite in Italian towns when many people do an evening stroll.

I returned to Sicily a few years later on a bike tour. Much of rural Sicily looks like this with olive trees everywhere! When you get away from the glam of Taormina you see a totally different side of the island. I have a sad memory of riding in an isolated area of olive groves and passing a woman wearing a micro-mini skirt and giant high heels sitting on a little pink plastic stool…almost in the middle of nowhere! The women was a sex-worker and a recent immigrant most likely from Nigeria in the clutches of criminals.

My earliest exposure to Sicily was watching “Detective Montalbano”. My Mom actually turned us on to it on a PBS network in the Bay Area. We loved it and still watch it and other TV mysteries on Sicily via the MHZ Choice service.

The “Valley of the Temples” in Agrigento is one of my favorite places on the island. You are transported back to the 6th century BC when ancient Greeks started building temples on the island. Lorenzo Capraro gave us a fascinating history of the area. Check out this link to Lorenzo on the National Geographic Channel giving a personal tour.

The Temple of Hera was built around 480 BC.

The“Temple of Concordia”, built around 440 BC, is one of the best preserved Greek temples found anywhere in the world. The temple is named after the Roman goddess of harmony. The contemporary bronze statue of Icarus is by the Polish artist, Igor Mitoraj.

The historic port city of Sciacca is famous for its ceramic production. 

Colorful ceramic tiles are artistically placed throughout the town.

We stopped to explore temples at the Selinunte Archaeological Park. It is one of the largest archaeological sites in the Mediterranean.

The village of Marinella di Selinunte.

Wind mills and salt flats near Trapani. The wind mills were used from the 16th to the 20th centuries to move water from one area to another and to grind salt.

I tackled the tough ride from the town of Trapani, up, up and up, (a category 1 climb with some 17% gradients & an average close to 6%) to the medieval village of Erice.

It was a very hot and brutal climb to the summit, but I made it!

The 12th century entrance to Erice is a fascinating fortified hill town very popular with tourists from around the world.  Italian school kids (red caps) go on field trips in May.

So much of Sicily has an ancient and a somewhat neglected look and possibly that is part of its appeal. There is an obvious charm, though often one must dig a little to capture it. I hope this post has provided a few ideas to inspire your next adventure.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.