For our lovely guests who plan to take some time to explore Sicily and its wild beauty, we recommend the following sites where nature, culture and local genius blend in a perfect way...
Commenda di San Calogero
Upon entering the majestic blue gates, breathtaking views of Italy’s natural landscape greet the guests with captivating florals and lush greenery. A deluxe country home of alluring history and exquisite rustic beauty encompassed by magnificent seaside views, Commenda di San Calogero is set on 110 acres of verdant, lavish gardens, numerous shaded seating areas, peaceful look-outs and secluded benches. The estate is located in north Syracuse, conveniently located only a short distance away from Catania airport. This opportune location offers the ability to visit the entire southeast region of Sicily, including UNESCO heritage sites. LEARN MORE
Old Town of Ortigia
The small Baroque island of Ortigia, the historic center of Syracuse, is widely considered one of the most beautiful destinations in Sicily. Inhabited for over 3,000 years and renowned for its Greek heritage, it is a UNESCO landmark for its "remarkable testimony of the Mediterranean cultures over the centuries”. Dotted with impressive church facades, outdoor restaurants, elegant piazzas and surrounded by a crystalline sea, Ortigia is more manicured than Catania, less overrun that Taormina and as delicious as Palermo. LEARN MORE
Catania & Val di Noto
Val di Noto is a place that hasn’t quite caught up with time, where the old glory of the past quietly remains with the air tinged with a faint melancholy that sets the tone of The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa. The area of Val Di Noto, situated in the lesser-known southeast corner of Sicily, now comprises eight towns (Noto, Catania, Scicli, Modica, Ragusa, Caltagirone, Palazzolo Acreide, Militello Val di Catania) which are UNESCO Heritage Sites for achieving a remarkable architectural triumph. The towns were reconstructed in the late Baroque style of soft ochre-colored houses and churches which is moving rather than awe-inspiring. LEARN MORE
Taormina, Isola Bella & Riviera dei Ciclopi
In the 1800s, after the Goethe praised its beauty throughout Europe, mentioning it in his book Italian Journey, Taormina became a mandatory stop on the Grand Tour by the young European aristocracy of the time to enrich their own culture. Today, it is a tourist capital of Sicily and many travellers enliven its streets throughout the year. Along the coastal road between Taormina & Catania, the Riviera dei Ciclopi is a 12-kilometer long stretch of the coast located north of the beautiful city of Catania that goes from Acireale to Aci Castello. This wonderful coastline is an area full of stunning beauty, landscape, geology, history, myths and legends, featuring beautiful villages, the island of Lachea, the “faraglioni” of the Cyclops – wonderful natural formations created by prehistoric submarine eruptions – and above all the sea in all the shades of cobalt blue. LEARN MORE (2) (3)
Riserva di Vendicari
About 100km south of Catania and covering more than 15 sq km of flamingo-filled wetlands and Mediterranean scrub aromatic with rosemary, thyme and oregano, the reserve has four superb arcs of sand, lapped by the limpid waters of the Ionian Sea. And when one tires of lazing and swimming, there is plenty to explore. For if, as Goethe wrote, Sicily is “the key” to understanding Italy, then Vendicari encapsulates much of the island’s extraordinary history. LEARN MORE
Tonnara di Marzamemi
Just a few kilometres up the coast from Italy's southernmost point, in the deep south-east of Sicily, is one of Sicily's prettiest seaside villages: Marzamemi. At first it seems an unprepossessing place. But keep walking and you’ll find its piazza, which is lined in imposing 18th-century buildings, their once majestic tufa façades now crumbling in the salt air. There are numerous places to eat, chalkboards packed with promises of spaghetti with sea urchins and other marine delicacies, especially in the labyrinthine streets beyond the square, an area redolent of a medina and a reminder of the centuries when the island was an emirate, an era whose legacy endures in the town planning, place names — some contend the name Marzamemi derives from the Arabic for small port — and cooking. It was the Arabs of the 10th century who put Marzamemi on the map. They not only gave the village its poetic name, but also built the original tonnara which was to become one of the most important on the island. LEARN MORE
Pachino, Avola, Capo Passero, & Isola delle Correnti
At the southernmost point in Sicily, Portopalo di Capo Passero is a pleasant old fishing village. There are sandy beaches and reefs punctuated by little coves to offer something for everyone - for sunbathers, kids, stronger swimmers, snorkelers and divers, and those who want to fish. Portopalo is near Pachino, and within reach of the Baroque towns of Noto and Avola, along with the others that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Syracuse is up the coast as a fantastic day trip. The beaches and waters here are clean and some of the best in Sicily. LEARN MORE
