Sicilian Wonders
Starting our adventure in Palermo, we enjoyed a day in the city visiting the famous catacombs, admiring the architecture and eating arancina from the bustling food markets. The restaurants we visited started our amazing culinary journey, the food was delicious! On our second day we caught the bus from outside our hotel and journeyed to Mondello Beach, about 30 minutes outside of the city. It was lovely, but if you’re not a beach person then there isn’t much more to do other than sip cocktails in the beach bars and admire the wonderful Art Nouveau villas in the area – we did it all!
After a couple of days in Palermo we caught the train to Taormina, about 5 hours away. The journey was easy and precisely on time, and we were welcomed by one of the most lovely holiday destinations I have visited. Taormina is located on a mountainside and the train station is at the bottom, so a bus or taxi is needed if you’re staying in the heart of the town, which we were of course. Our Splendid Hotel had wonderful views over the bay, a much welcomed swimming pool and it was only a few minutes’ walk from the centre, utterly perfect. The town is full of delightful places to eat, drink and shop… and the food, once again, was mind-blowing. There is a wonderful shop where you can taste various olive oils, balsamic vinegars, Limoncello and chocolate, I was in heaven!
During our few days in Taormina, we visited the Greek Amphitheatre, took the cable car to the beach and took in the picturesque Isola Bella, a nature reserve connected to the mainland by a sandy strip. Mount Etna behaved herself during our visit too. And I must mention the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace Hotel, as featured in White Lotus. I was incredibly lucky to be treated to a personal tour and outstanding is an understatement. This beautiful hotel boasts one of the best views in Sicily, looking out over Taormina Bay, the entire hotel is draped in Dolce Gabbana and they serve the best granita I have ever tasted.
We were sad to leave Taormina, but our next train journey took us to another wonderful destination, Ortigia, a small island and the historic heart of the city of Siracusa. It’s connected by a bridge so doesn’t really feel like an island, but is a hidden gem. We stayed in the Grand Hotel, which felt perfect as it’s late nineteenth century charm and décor was so fitting for the location… and it had the most wonderful glass elevator overlooking an internal garden, I refused to the use the stairs!
Ortigia is full of small streets, lovely bars and restaurants, and this time we loved the arancini – note the different spelling for the different region (though equally tasty!). There is a small marina on the island (with some fabulous yachts moored whilst we were there) and the whole area really is a lovely place to mooch around for a relaxing couple of days. We even found time to take a boat trip around the bay and stop for snorkelling. It was the ideal end to our holiday, and then we simply caught the train to Catania airport to head home.
If you want to experience the most delicious food, witness breathtaking views, step back in time or experience some superb hospitality, then Sicily is a perfect choice. Travelling by train was super easy, relaxing and sociable too.