Featured image:  The view of Mt. Etna from nearby Taormina, Sicily  / Photo by SeanPavone via Envato

Day trips to some of Sicily’s most iconic landmarks

by Carolyn Ray

Two thousand years ago, a devout young woman named Agatha held steadfast to her virginity, refusing to marry. She was tortured, raped and killed by the Romans, had her breasts viciously ripped off with pinchers. As legend has it, a year later, in 252 A.D., Mt. Etna erupted, threatening the destruction of the city of Catania. Miraculously, the lava flow stopped when Agatha’s veil was placed on the side of the mountain by a priest.

When I arrive in Catania at the end of January 2024, this city of approximately 300,000 on the east side of Sicily is preparing for the Festival of St Agatha that runs every year from February 3 to 5. St Agatha is the patron saint of breast cancer patients, rape victims and wet nurses — and protection from fire. Red banners embellished with enormous capital ‘A’’s are mounted on every balcony. There are massive thrones in all of the churches, celebrations in the streets, and pastries shaped like breasts with red cherries in the middle. On my last night in Catania, I gather with thousands of people in front of the church, as if waiting for another miracle.

Catania is a busy tourist destination in the summer, but in the low season in January, there aren’t too many of us walking along the black volcanic brick streets. Mt. Etna looms in the distance, with a small plume of smoke dancing from the top. I’m staying at the Palazzo Natoli Boutique Hotel so it’s a direct walk into the historical centre. Once there, all of the famous sites are just a few minutes away, including the Catania Fish Market, A Putia Dell’Ostello, and Palazza degli Elefanti, the “Elephant’s Palace” or Town Hall.

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Five day trips from Catania

While Catania has its own charm, if I had to do it all over again, I would have stayed in Taormina or Ortigia. This was, after all, the advice I was given by travel advisor Angela Macaluso from Sicily by Experts, who arranged my travel, hotels and guides in Sicily to Catania and Palermo and knows the entire island inside out.

“Sicily is the island of Dolce and Gabbana, the cassata and cannoli, the arancine and much more delicacies, the mathematician Archimedes, the composer Bellini, the leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa and more,” Macaluso enthuses. “It’s the island with sandy beaches and clear waters but also rocky volcanic coastlines, where treasures of the ancient world sit next to theatrical baroque monuments. It’s where you can find great five-star luxury hotels and amazing boutique hotels, and an island of dreams and legends, with the fire of volcanos.”

1. Mount Etna, overlooking Catania

From my hotel rooftop, I gaze at Mt. Etna in the distance, excited about my upcoming hike. My guide Denys, who’s originally from Ukraine, has been in Sicily for 17 years. As we watch the small plumes of smoke from the top of Mt. Etna, he explains that while eruptions can be predicted, there’s no way to anticipate the magnitude of them, as we do with hurricanes. He pulls out his cell phone and shows me a video of sandy, black ash from a recent eruption from December 2023. With Etna erupting now, in July 2024, I can only imagine what videos he would have.

After lunch at Chalet Clan dei Ragazzi, we hike up one of the four craters on Mt. Etna, where the path of lava is evident. There is no wildlife here, only small bushes and wild fennel growing along the roadside. Denys also takes me into lava tunnels and caves, explaining that many Sicilians became wealthy in the 1700s by storing ice here. Sicily’s best coffee, wine and pistachios are grown in this volcanic soil.  When I ask him about the best time to come to Catania, he says ‘Don’t come in July and August – too many Italians!’ with a laugh.  Find a tour of Mt. Etna here! 

4. The Baroque island of Ortigia

Of all the places I visit in this part of Sicily, Ortigia is one I would like to return to, and stay for a while. Jutting out into the island, it’s a walled circular island connected by the Umbertino bridge, that has its own share of history. Here, the patron saint is Lucy, who came to be venerated as the patron of sight and the blind and was depicted by medieval artists carrying a dish containing her eyes. Much like St. Agatha, she refused to be married and was stabbed in the neck at age 21, most likely a victim of the Christian purges carried out under orders of the then Emperor Diocletian.

My guide Laura shows me the Duomo Square, which is one of the most beautiful in all of Italy, with an elegant piazza that stretches in an oval shape. Everywhere there is the dazzling white of alabaster and marble and flanked by grand aristocratic palaces and the magnificent Cathedral. The Cathedral is simply astounding, evidence of all the stages of history in Sicily. Once a temple of Athena in 480 BC, it then became a temple of Minerva, then Byzantine, then Norman, as evidenced by the flooring. It’s still possible to see the Roman columns which were reused for the church.

There’s so much more to see in Ortigia than I had time for, although I did see the sunset on the ocean. According to Laura, the best hotels are the Palace Hotel, the Hotel Roma, and the Grand Hotel des Étrangers. Find a place to stay here.  

Disclaimer: During the holiday season, I travelled at my own expense, although Angela Mancuso of Sicily by Experts assisted me with my itinerary in Sicily, for which I paid a discounted fee. I highly recommend Angela if you’re planning your own travels there, whether solo, in a group or need a custom itinerary. 

How to get to Catania, Sicily

There are regular flights into Catania. Check flights here. Renting a car is also an option. Find a rental car here. Once you’re there, it’s easy to take the train for day trips or use a local guide.  Find train tickets on Trainline here.

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