Off to Experience the Pastiche of Sicily

Taormina
Siracusa
Noto
Ragusa
Agrigento
Palermo

I found this list in my phone today and delighted in the memory of how it got there - and how travel comes together.  Last November on my hotel’s rooftop terrace, I was quietly taking in the amazing view over Udaipur’s Lake Pichola and palace, lit up in the middle of the lake.  A man with a thick Sicilian accent asked if he and his girlfriend could join me for dinner.  Listing off places I should visit in Sicily, he patiently spelled each one out for me.  These towns in Sicily were completely foreign to me.  Now, after having plenty of time to prepare for our seven days in Sicily (we leave in a week), this list - our itinerary - is very familiar.

It’s easy to get swept away by Sicily.  If you love ancient sites, Sicily will blow your mind. If you don’t … there’s no better place to start.  Sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean between Europe and Africa, Sicily, the most conquered island in the world, has been a crossroads for cultures and civilizations for 8 millennia.  Its hodgepodge of history – Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish Bourbons, and even mafia – make for a patchwork of beautiful and varied architecture draping the island.  It is old and the real deal.

What I find most alluring about Sicily is that it is what Italy used to be: “a preserved slice of old-world travel that is hard to find these days.”  As evidenced by the lack of touring details found on the internet, Sicily is not overly developed for tourism.  It is rugged and off the radar of most mainstream tourists.  The travel here is real.  It is where the Italian phrase “dolce far niente” is at its best, where all that matters is living the moment:  no stress, no pressure.  Nothing matters.

Compared to Italy’s mainland and even other areas in Europe, Sicily lacks crowds - but that won’t last.  With Rick Steves’ brand new Sicily Guidebook (published April 2019) and as more people find out what a great spot Sicily is, all of that is bound to change in the next few years. If Sicily is on your list, you might want to go now, before the cat’s out of the bag.  Don’t be surprised if, after finishing this blog, you start planning your trip.

Go before it’s too late. 

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