Sicily is steeped in myth and history. This is where Hades carried off Persephone and where Odysseus met the one eyed Cyclops.
Over the centuries, a dizzying succession of rulers left their mark on the island. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards. The result is a place layered with extraordinary relics.
You can stand before monumental Greek temples, wander through Roman villas paved in mosaics, and step inside cathedrals that glitter with gold. Much of it is beautifully preserved and set against raw, elemental scenery.
Beyond the ruins, Sicily delivers its pleasures in full. Street markets thrum with life. The food is among the best in Italy. The olives alone are worth the trip.
From all of it, I’ve narrowed my “must do” list down to the 15 best things to do in Sicily.
This is my Sicily. Not a comprehensive list, and not a consensus one. Some beloved sights didn’t make my cut. That’s part of the point.
Let’s count them down.
Top Places To Visit In Sicily, Beyond the Postcards
1. Mount Etna
Mount Etna looms over eastern Sicily and is the island’s geological engine.
One of the region’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, she’s been erupting for roughly 500,000 years and is almost always smoking. My guide called her a “chain smoker,” which felt about right.
Etna isn’t just dramatic. She’s productive. The volcanic soil yields some of the island’s best produce and distinctive wines.
To experience the landscape, hike around the Silvestri Craters.
The lower crater is easy to navigate. The upper one requires a steeper climb. If you want to go higher, take the cable car partway up the mountain and continue with a guide.
Sunset tours are especially atmospheric. You can explore lava caves, walk the craters, and stop for tastings of local honey, olive oil, and wine along the way.
If you have more time, visit an Etna winery. The wines reflect the terrain — bright, mineral-driven, with a saline edge.
I stopped at Benanti and loved the whites. Some were so crisp they reminded me of Chablis.
>>> Click here to book a day tour from Taormina to Etna
2. Taormina
Chic, compact, and colorful. That’s Taormina.
Yes, it’s an obvious choice. And yes, it’s busy. But the attention is deserved.
Often called the Pearl of the Ionian Sea, Taormina sits high on a cliff, dropping nearly 700 feet to the water below.
From town, you look out over the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna smoking in the distance. It’s a dramatic setting and it knows it.
The appeal is a mix of history and scenery. Narrow cobbled lanes. Baroque churches.
Terraces with long sea views. A lively restaurant scene that keeps the energy high well into the evening. You can take a cooking class to learn the secrets of Sicilian cooking.
The star attraction is the Greek Theater, for which you’ll need a skip the line ticket.
Go during the day for the view alone, or come back at night for a concert when the stage lights flicker against Etna’s silhouette.
3. Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
Along with Paestum, Agrigento holds some of the most important surviving Greek architecture in the world. That’s right, it even beats out Greece.
In the 5th century BC, this was Akragas, one of the wealthiest cities in Magna Graecia. The temples were once freshly cut and gleaming, meant to project power, piety, and civic pride.
Today they stretch across a sunlit ridge above the sea. Some stand almost intact. Others are softened into ruin among olive and almond trees.
Pure in line and proportion, the honey-colored Doric temples rise against open sky and rolling countryside. The Temple of Concordia, one of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere, still commands the ridge with quiet authority.
The ancient lyric poet Pindar called Akragas “the most beautiful city of mortals.” Cicero later wrote that the valley “does not know a sunless day.”
Many of the temples were carefully stabilized and partially reconstructed using original materials, which is why they retain such clarity of form.
In high season, you should pre-book a skip the line ticket to avoid lines. I also advise booking a guided tour because, apart from the Archaeological Museum, there’s not much informational signage at the site itself.
You can also book a guided tour from Catania or a guided tour from Palermo.
4. Monreale Cathedral
Monreale Cathedral is arguably the world’s most important example or Norman architecture.
The facade is comely enough. But once you walk inside, you are blown away by the sheer beauty of the architecture and mosaic decoration.
The nave is almost 400 feet long. In the east, there are three monumental apses.
It’s almost shocking in scale. You’ll also be dazzled by the Byzantine-style floors, Corinthian columns, and intricate carved wood ceiling.
The 68,000 square feet of mosaics are from the 12th and 13th centuries. The subject matter is biblical, yet it all feels exotic. Because you’re in Sicily!
The highlight, in the vault of the central apse, is a huge mosaic of Christ Pantocrater glowing like the sun. At 60 feet tall, it’s the largest pantocrator in Europe.
>>> Click here to pre-book a guided tour
5. Villa Romana del Casale: Bikini Girls Mosaic
In the center of Sicily near Piazza Armerina sits one of the most astonishing Roman sites anywhere.
Villa Romana del Casale doesn’t look dramatic from the outside. But inside? It’s 40,000 square feet of mosaic covered floors dating to around 300 AD.
You walk along raised platforms and look down on room after room of intricate scenes — hunting parties, mythological dramas, animals, daily life. The scale alone is impressive. The detail is even better.
The headline act is the so-called Bikini Girls mosaic. It’s genuinely startling.
Ancient Roman women in what looks like modern athletic wear — breast bands and short shorts — lifting weights and throwing discus. They feel oddly contemporary.
But the Great Hunt mosaic may be even more ambitious.
It stretches the length of a long corridor and shows the capture of exotic animals from across the empire, destined for Roman games. It’s narrative, expansive, and slightly unsettling.
This villa is worth the detour. It’s playful, grand, and unexpectedly modern.
6. Regional Museum of Messina
Messina isn’t high on most Sicily itineraries. Which is precisely why I like it.
The city feels lived-in rather than staged. And inside its regional museum hang two of Caravaggio’s final paintings, side by side.
On the left is The Raising of Lazarus. It depicts the story in the Gospel of St John in which Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
It’s eerie in a way that goes beyond drama. The body is heavy, inert, almost grotesque.
Caravaggio reportedly had a corpse exhumed so he could study it. You feel that physicality. Lazarus doesn’t float back to life. He’s dragged toward it.
On the right is The Adoration of the Shepherds. It’s quieter but no less unsettling.
The background is dark and ambiguous, almost modern in its sparseness. It’s typical of Caravaggio’s stark Sicilian phase.
Mary sits low to the ground, not elevated, not idealized. The composition feels slightly off-balance, the focus shifting in ways that keep you alert.
Seeing these two late works together is powerful. The light is harsher. The mood is heavier. There’s no decorative flourish left. Just raw humanity.
If you care about Caravaggio, this stop alone justifies the detour.
7. Palatine Chapel
You walk into the Palatine Chapel and your jaw drops. It’s that immediate.
A UNESCO site tucked inside Palermo’s Norman Palace, the chapel was built in 1132 by Roger II and served as the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily. Today it sits within what is still the oldest royal residence in Europe.
From the outside, there’s little warning of what’s coming.
Inside, it feels like stepping into a golden cavern. Mosaics cover nearly every surface, narrating biblical scenes in shimmering tesserae.
In the central apse, Christ Pantocrator dominates the space. He hovers above the former royal throne platform, a deliberate alignment of divine and earthly power.
Ancient columns and porphyry add weight and texture. And then there’s the ceiling. Carved, painted, and deeply influenced by Islamic design, the wooden muqarnas vault is as mesmerizing as the mosaics below.
It’s Byzantine, Norman, and Arab in one compact, dazzling space. Sicily in miniature.
>>> Click here to book a guided tour
8. Ortigia
Ortigia is the heart of Syracuse. A small island connected by bridge, it feels self-contained and slightly removed from the rest of Sicily.
In antiquity, that geography mattered. Ortigia was a natural fortress, and Syracuse grew into one of the most powerful cities in the Mediterranean.
Today, you wander through tight lanes lined with warm limestone buildings and wrought iron balconies. Laundry flutters. Cafes spill into piazzas.
The light off the sea reflects against the stone. It has energy, but it never feels frantic.
Piazza del Duomo anchors the island.
The cathedral is extraordinary, an 18th century Baroque facade wrapped around the remains of a 6th century BC Greek temple. You can still see the original Doric columns embedded in the walls.
Elsewhere, ancient layers keep surfacing. The Temple of Apollo stands near the market. Fragments of the past appear between restaurants and gelato shops.
Ortigia manages to feel both lived-in and monumental. It’s easy to stay longer than you planned.
9. Caravaggio’s Burial of St. Lucy In Syracuse
It will come as no surprise that I have another Caravaggio on my Sicily must-visit list. I had to hunt it down and even needed a local to help me cross the street to reach it.
The painting remains in situ in the Church of Sant Lucia al Sepolcro in Syracuse, in the modern part of town rather than ancient Ortigia. You recognize Lucy immediately from the plate of eyes she holds. She was stabbed in the neck and, according to tradition, martyred here.
Most of Caravaggio’s career unfolded in Rome. He landed in Sicily while fleeing Malta after assaulting a Knight of Malta and escaping prison. Sicily was a refuge.
The painting feels like an aftershock. It’s enormous and stark. Two gravediggers dominate the lower half as they dig Lucy’s grave. Her body lies in the foreground, almost overlooked, heavy and unidealized.
The upper half is mostly void. A bleak architectural emptiness that makes the figures seem small and exposed. Like the Messina works, it’s late Caravaggio: stripped down, subdued, unsentimental.
10. Palermo & Catania Markets
If you want to understand Sicily, go to the markets.
In Palermo, the big three are Ballarò, Capo, and Vucciria. Dive in. Order something from a stand. Sit at a plastic table and eat it standing up if you have to.
You’ll find squid and octopus in every form imaginable. Try panelle (chickpea fritters), arancine stuffed with ragù or peas, or timbale di anelletti (baked pasta rings layered with meat and cheese).
If you only have time for one, choose Ballarò. It’s loud, chaotic, and theatrical, almost like an Arab souk. Vendors shout. Spices and dried herbs spill from sacks. It feels alive.
Vucciria has shifted into more of a nighttime hangout. Go there for an aperitivo and to watch the evening unfold.
In Catania, the fish market is pure street theater.
Since the 19th century, it’s been noisy, messy, and unforgettable. Under bright umbrellas, tables sag with fish and strange sea creatures pulled from the Mediterranean that morning.
Fruit, vegetables, and cheeses spill into the surrounding streets. I bought vacuum-packed sheep’s milk cheese studded with pepper. Salty, sharp, and perfect for the trip home.
This is Sicily at ground level.
For the full scoop on Catania’s historic sites, you might consider booking a guided walking tour.
11. Erice
Just outside Palermo, Erice makes an easy and slightly unexpected detour.
It’s my contrarian pick. A hilltop medieval village dropped onto an island better known for Greek ruins and Baroque cities.
The town sits high above the Tyrrhenian Sea, its stone lanes curling between weathered buildings and sudden panoramic views. It feels older, quieter, almost suspended.
Erice also has a mythic backstory. Legend says it was founded by Eryx, son of Aphrodite, and became a center for the cult of Venus. You can still visit the ruins of her castle, perched on the cliff edge, and a sturdy, almost austere cathedral in the center of town.
And then there’s the pastry.
Pasticceria Maria Grammatico is an institution. Maria, the reigning queen of Sicilian sweets, revived centuries old convent recipes and turned them into an art form.
Try the cannoli filled with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta, or the humorously named treats like “nuns’ boobies” and “beautiful uglies.”
Erice is small, atmospheric, and slightly off the main track. That’s the appeal.
12. Santa Caterina d’Alessandria In Palermo
Now for something totally different, Santa Caterina. It’s one of Sicily’s most exuberant Baroque churches, and it’s oddly under-visited.
Step inside and you’re hit with color and stucco. The decoration is lavish, almost theatrical. Giacomo Serpotta’s sculptural plasterwork gives the surfaces a polished, marble-like sheen.
It’s ornate but not delicate. The marble inlays feel distinctly Sicilian — heavier, more tactile, less restrained than Rome. It’s a riot of texture and light.
For a small extra fee, you can climb to the rooftop terrace for sweeping views over Palermo’s domes and rooftops. I rarely skip a rooftop, and this one is worth it.
The church was once attached to a convent famous for its sweets. The cloisters are currently closed for restoration, but the courtyard still holds statuary and quiet corners.
And yes, there’s a bakery on site. It’s popular. Take a number and wait your turn.
This is the kind of place that rewards curiosity.
13. Cefalu & Cefalu Catheral
Cefalù is compact and dramatic. Honey colored buildings cluster beneath a looming rock, with the sea always in view.
Fishing boats bob in the harbor. By evening, the promenade fills and the light turns everything gold.
At the center sits Piazza del Duomo and Cefalù Cathedral, a 12th century Arab-Norman powerhouse.
Inside, the apse mosaic of Christ Pantocrater glows against a deep gold field. The cloisters are quieter. Arched walkways, carved capitals, and a calm counterpoint to the square outside.
If you want altitude, hike up La Rocca.
It takes about 30 to 45 minutes and it’s steep but manageable. At the top, the coastline unfolds in every direction. Sea, rooftops, horizon.
Cefalù delivers quickly. That’s part of its charm.
You can visit Cefalu on a guided day trip from Palermo. If you’re a thrill seeker, you can also go paragliding or mountain biking.
14. La Zisa
The Zisa sits in western Palermo, part of the city’s UNESCO Arab-Norman designation. Built between 1165 and 1180 by King William I, it served as a summer pleasure palace and hunting retreat.
The name likely comes from the Arabic al-Azīz, meaning “the splendid” or “the beloved.” That influence runs through the building.
Unlike the Palatine Chapel or Monreale, the Zisa isn’t gilded or theatrical. It’s austere. Sand-colored. Almost fortress-like from the outside.
Inside, the decoration is intricate but restrained: carved stonework, geometric detail, and a muqarnas vault that pulls your eye upward without overwhelming you.
It’s Norman rule expressed through Islamic design logic, so very intellectually interesting.
The palace was also designed with water in mind. Fountains and cooling channels once ran through the halls.
The surrounding gardens, inspired by Islamic design traditions and often compared to those of the Alhambra in Granada, add to the sense of quiet retreat.
The Zisa feels contemplative. It’s a different kind of Norman statement.
15. Palazzo Conte Federico
Palazzo Conte Federico is the only noble palace in Palermo still owned by descendants of Frederick II. With aristocratic privileges long gone, the family now opens it to the public.
The palace wraps around a courtyard in classic Arab fashion. A Norman tower rising above, a reminder of Palermo’s layered past.
Inside, rooms unfold with terra cotta floors, patterned Italian tiles, frescoed ceilings, and family portraits that feel less curated than lived with. The Norman tower contains recently uncovered Renaissance frescoes, another historical layer hiding in plain sight.
You can take the 45 minute tour for 10 euros, or book a 1 hour guided tour. I was lucky enough to be guided by the Countess herself, who is warm, animated, and clearly proud of her family’s history.
It’s not a grand state palace. It’s something better — a lived-in aristocratic home that captures Palermo’s blend of Arab, Norman, Renaissance, and modern Sicily in one place.
A fitting final stop.
The bubbly Countess herself gave me a tour, which was lucky. It’s a rare opportunity to glimpse into the aristocratic lifestyle and experience the many layers of Palermo’s history.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the best things to do in Sicily. You may find these other Sicily travel guides useful:
- 1 day in Palermo itinerary
- 2 days in Palermo itinerary
- 5 one week itineraries for Sicily
- 2 weeks in Sicily itinerary
- 2 days in Syracuse itinerary
- 2 days in Trapani itinerary
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