Italy Hotline Travels to Sicily

Good evening, everyone! I just got back from my first trip to Sicily. Those of you following our Instagram account, would have been enjoying the daily photographic updates of my adventures. Travelling with two friends and having only very limited time, we decided to focus our efforts on Palermo, Catania and Siracuse. Originally, the plan also included Etna but – since the weather was particularly cold and rainy all over Sicily that week – we skipped that, settling instead for the charming, warm seaside town of Cefalu. Palermo, much like Naples, has a shifty reputation; unfortunately, like many travellers I was worried about garbage, safety and quality of food in Sicily’s capital. I am very happy to report that Palermo ended up being one of the absolute highlights of my trip. It was clean, green, and the locals were friendly and helpful as can be. I loved the architecture, the cuisine, the proximity to a beautiful seaside, and especially Palermo’s day-to-day life that literally poured out onto the streets after sundown, into one continuous street party filled with music and delicious, fresh local street food. My favourites moments in Palermo included: The street market in Viccuria: The Baroque jewel known as “Quattro Canti”: Mondello …. which was heaven and a 20-minute car ride from the city center. After Palermo and Catania, Sicuracuse was another last-minute addition to our trip based, honestly, more on the weather than anything else (that weekend it seemed to be the only city nearby where it wasn’t raining). We spent the day discovering Ortigia: a tiny island which is the historic city center of Siracuse. It was so charming! Here I loved: The desserts. I had so many almond biscuits here … they were the best I ever had! The “lungomare” promenade. Despite the stormy weather, it was beautiful. The famer's market. Which was so great! And the sandwiches they made on the spot, with ricotta salata and sun-dried tomatoes, were delicious: The Duomo di Siracusa: The artisan shopping. There’s lots to see culturally in Ortigia but if you’re looking for a little break from sightseeing, the shopping’s fantastic. Whether its ceramics, clothing or furniture that you fancy, you’ll find it here. My personal weakness is jewellery, and I fell in love with a lovely little artisan store (that I raided, as you can see) that I’d like to share with you: Bottega del Mar Silver & Silk L.go Aretusa 7, Ortigia, Siracusa Italy Everything that the owner and designer, Nana, creates – be it clothing or jewellery, is delicate and one-of-a-kind. Finally, a few words about Cefalu. We had not heard about this place before travelling, nor was it recommended by any Sicilian friends in Rome. Instead, it was mentioned to us by a man who worked at the train station in Palermo. He said if we were looking for a beautiful seaside, that was the place to go. Boy, was he right! The tiny, immaculately clean winding streets, the beautiful Duomo, fresh seafood and crystal-clear sea …. it was just the treat we needed before coming back to Rome! Italy Hotline organises archeology-focused, food-focused, wine-focused and regular city walking tours all over Sicily. In addition, of course, chauffeured-tours, cooking classes, boat excursions, and much more. For inspiration and ideas about visiting Sicily contact us at info@ italyhotline.com