When I first went on holiday to Sicily I spent 10 days between Palermo and Trapani. This is a list of suggestions for a holiday in that area of Sicily.

 

Palermo

You can start arriving in Palermo where you can spend a couple of days visiting:

• San Giovanni degli Eremiti church 
• San Cataldo church
• The Cathedral 
• Piazza Pretoria
• Politeama Theatre
• Massimo Theatre
• Palazzo dei Normanni 
• Two famous historical markets in Vucciria and Ballarò.

 

And now? Where to go?

After having visited Palermo I suggest you to move to the West of the island and enjoy staying in a town by the sea. When choosing a place to stay, please remember that you’ll need to find a comfortable one that allows you to visit the area by car. Visiting Sicily means moving every day by car, visiting archeological sites, islands, towns and of course beaches. For these reasons I suggest you to stay in Castellammare del Golfo, which is not very far from Palermo or the beautiful and small village of Scopello, 10 minutes far from Castellammare del Golfo.

Many of you will find beautiful reviews of San Vito Lo Capo which of course has an amazing sea (It’s true what you read) but this town is far from everything else, it is very crowded during summer, expensive and I heard you’ll also have some problems with parking. So just that you know. Once you have settled there are so many things to do:

• You should visit the ancient town of Erice, 30 minutes far from Scopello with a beautiful view of the three Egadi islands (Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo) just in front of Trapani. Once in Erice please look for the Antica Pasticceria del Convento, a pastry shop where you should taste and buy sweets made with almonds (dolcetti alla pasta di mandorle). Then look for Ristorante Monte San Giuliano in Via San Rocco, 7 and try the Trapanese cous cous

 

• Favignana island cannot be missed! You can grab a ferry in Trapani port and it takes one hour to go this beautiful island.The most famous beach is Lido Burrone

• Visit Trapani as well, which is an extremely nice city!

• Near Scopello you can find the Riserva dello Zingaro that is beautiful all the year long – except for summertime, too hot – where to enjoy walking. It is a natural reserve and a protected area.

• San Vito Lo Capo: as I wrote you’ll find an amazing sea here. You should spend one day.

• Segesta temple, beautiful archaeological site of Greek temples, 1 hour far from Scopello





 or Selinunte Greek temple also 1 hour far from Scopello

• I think that if you’re visiting Sicily for the first time you cannot miss as well the Valley of the Temples near Agrigento city, one of the most extended and beautiful Greek archeological site. My suggestion is to avoid visiting when too hot, it is a long way and can be very tough, or you can make it fast. If visiting the Valley you have to go to Pasticceria Le Cuspidi, an amazing pastry shop in the village of Raffadali. Go and buy some jars of pistacho cream, you’ll be thanking me for this! Agrigento is far from Scopello, almost 3 hours driving.

• If visiting Agrigento I suggest you to stop at a “nearby” beach called Scala Dei Turchi ‘Turks’ stairs’ a white and particular rock cliff. I don’t think sea is particularly nice here but the cliff is something to be seen.

 

Sicily means food:

• You have to try the arancine (balls of grid rice with a ragout stuffing) at Baralba in Palermo
• Pane e panelle (bread and fried chickpeas flour)
• Caponata (a sort of peperonata but with eggplants)
• Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines)
• When in Castellammare del Golfo in the evening reach the port of the town and choose one of the restaurants, fresh fish everywhere! Try Busiate pasta with fish!

• Cannoli (fried sweet with ricotta cream)
• Cassata (cake made with ricotta cream and pistachio)
• Brioche con gelato (a sort of bread stuffed with ice cream)
• Granita (trimmed ice flavored with fruits)
• For the typical sweets I suggest you to go to Spinnato in Palermo and try whatever you want to try!
• For the typical sweets and for breakfast I suggest as well Tropical Bar in Castellammare del Golfo! (Near the bar there’s a shop selling fresh pasta, buy all that you can buy!!)

 

Not far from Castellammare you’ll find another town called Alcamo where you should go and get an ice cream (or a pastry, or an arancina or a panzerotto, you choose) in Bar ‘900. Ask for the first-floor terrace, veery nice! In Alcamo you also find a very particular hotel that was a former monastery.

I think

that you cannot enjoy Sicily as long as you’re not full of delicious Sicilian food. In my humble opinion it is the best food ever ad it’s totally part of the territory. There are many places to go, many things to see and to do and to enjoy and much food to eat! Buon appetito

 

Nota: questo post non è in italiano perché lo avevo già scritto tempo fa in inglese per alcuni amici stranieri, anzi per i miei mitici amici norvegesi! Ma se siete arrivati fin qui lo avete letto senza problemi! Suvvia!