My week-long trip through Sicily was as unexpected as many of my other trips. Therefore, I didn’t really have a ton of time to plan what I wanted to do there. All I knew is that I wanted to see as many historic sites as possible and that rental cars were shockingly cheap. Those two things alone inspired me to put together my own DIY Sicilian adventure.
Although I had read that driving in Sicily was very stressful, I found it surprisingly easy compared to other places and had a wonderful trip. Check out this day-by-day guide to how I was able to fit almost the entire island in in just a week!
Disclaimer: I visited Sicily in December so beaches were certainly not high on my list of things to do there!
Day 1 – Tunis to Palermo by Ferry
I arrived at the ferry terminal in Tunis around 6 p.m. knowing that the check-in stopped at 9 p.m. I assumed that there would be restaurants near the terminal where I could grab dinner at that they would start boarding around 9:30. Boy was I wrong. Our ferry didn’t arrive until around 11:30 p.m. which meant our 11:59 departure was never going to happen. We ended up boarding the ship closer to 2:30 a.m. and set sail at 4 a.m. I was really worried that departing so late would mean that we wouldn’t arrive in Palermo until it was already dark.
After grabbing a much-needed pizza on board, I settled into my cabin that I was sharing with two other women. I abruptly fell asleep and woke up at 11 a.m. to a beautiful day and a glistening Mediterranean Sea outside of our window. We ended up arriving in Palermo around 2 p.m. which was actually ahead of schedule and by 3 p.m. I was sitting at an Italian restaurant named Bistro 107, ready for a plate of delicious pasta and staring at the couple next to me devouring an enormous plate of penne and pesto. My meal of vegetarian penne with tomato sauce, cream, and nuts, was amazing and I can’t recommend it enough. I finished it off with a cannelloni full of thick cream and was in foodie heaven.
I spent the rest of the day wandering around the historic center of Palermo. At first glance, it seemed like any other large Italian city. However, once I got my bearings, I managed to find a treasure trove of tourist attractions. I explored the area surrounding the Cathedral of Palermo, walked along the bustling, and I mean anxiety-inducing bustling, Via de Maqueda which was overflowing with restaurants and bars. Once my body started to hurt from walking too much, I headed back to my Airbnb to finish up some work and get a good night’s sleep.
Day 2 – Palermo & Cefalu
The next morning I got up bright and early to head to FedEx on the outskirts of town (wah, wah…..I know that’s not very exciting). After dealing with the complexities of mailing my passport to Washington DC, I caught a tram back to the city center and began to explore.
I first headed over to the city shoreline where the harbor was full of sailboats. I next walked back through the historic center, popping into the breathtaking Church of St. Mary of the Admiral. This domed church harks back to the Norman era and sports glorious Byzantine mosaics. The result is a dazzling affair that has all the shininess and gaudiness that Baroque is renowned for. (Baroque is kind of like the Elton John of architecture.)
After strolling around for a few hours, I decided that my Palermo sightseeing was pretty much finished so I hopped on a train to the neary town of Cefalu. Located just a beautiful hour-long train ride away from Palermo, Cefalu is a gorgeous little coastal city nestled underneath an enormous rock. The town slopes down to the Mediterranean Sea and each of its narrow streets presents a picture-perfect view into old Sicily. I spent a few more hours frolicking through the streets before grabbing a much-needed coffee and Nutella filled donut before grabbing a train back to Palermo to get ready for work. I managed to squeeze in a quick dinner but the rest of the night was pretty uneventful as I sat there and worked fo the rest of the night.
Day 3 – Palermo to Sciacca
The next morning, I groaned a bit as my alarm buzzed, slightly dreading but also excited about the day ahead. I planned on renting a car to explore other parts of the island. I normally tend NOT to drive when I travel because it stresses me out and I kind of hate it but the history nerd in me couldn’t miss the opportunity to check out some of the archaeological sites on the Island’s southern side.
My first stop was the Archaeological Park of Segesta. Perched high in the mountains, the park consists of a well-preserved (albeit never actually finished Greek temple). A five-minute shuttle ride takes you up to the remains of an ancient theater, forum, churches, and mosques. It was fascinating to see how many different time periods of the island’s history collided in this very spot, particularly because we were so far from any body of water and in quite an inhospitable spot!
The theater is also interesting to see but honestly, after the theater and forum, it was a little bit less exciting. Little did I know at that point, just how many ancient Greek temples lay in store for me!
From Segesta, I headed to the mountain town of Erice. The drive up there was a little scary due to the hairpin turns but luckily, there was little traffic on the road so I got to slightly panic without having to worry about other cars coming out of nowhere. The town was eerily quiet with very little foot traffic and very few signs of any locals there. It was a little bit disorienting wandering through the streets feeling like I was the last person on earth. Although the town itself was cute, I felt a little uneasy there (not to mention that it was a bit chilly) so I decided to head off to my next destination.
After leaving Erice, I ventured to the ruins at the Selinunte Archaeological Park. I arrived there at 3:32 just to find out that they stopped selling tickets at 3:30. I begged and begged for the ticket counter lady to make an exception until she finally told me to go talk to the guard at the gate. I then begged him repeatedly to let me in until he finally did and motioned for me to walk along a road to the ruins.
So I set off and began walking. And walking. And walking. I eventually reached the first set of ruins which consisted of one well-preserved temple and what seemed like a million pieces of broken columns. Based on the sheer amount of artifacts, the whole temple complex must have been enormous.
Far away across a valley, I could see another set of ruins with another long road leading down into the valley and back up the hill. Although it was getting a little late, I decided to walk as far as I could before the sun started to set. I managed to reach the ruins which was the site of an acropolis complete with roads and massive arches. I wandered through those ruins, not believing my luck that I was all alone in some place so beautiful. I took a ton of photos and then made the stupid mistake of following a path that I thought would lead me back up to the other side where I started.
For the next 15 minutes or so, I followed pathways that would lead to open patches and then suddenly dead-end into a wall of bushes. I eventually gave up my quest, climbed back up the hill, and started to make my way back to the entrance. As luck would have it, I ran into one of the site maintenance workers who gave me a ride back to my car.
I then drove to the town of Sciacca where I spent the rest of the evening working before passing out for the night.
Day 4 – Sciacca to Gulfi via the Valley of the Temples and the Villa Romana del Casale
The next morning, I wandered around Sciacca for a while. When I had Googled photos of it, I saw lots of colorful buildings creating a kaleidoscope of color right on the waterfront. Well, I walked around for close to an hour and couldn’t find that but I did manage to get the coffee and sandwich that I needed to fuel me for the rest of the morning.
I drove first to the Valley of the Temples. This breathtaking spot is a series of ruins sitting proudly on a ridge high above the city. After parking my car in the lot, I took a taxi up to the highest point of the ridge along with a very friendly Italian couple. As soon as I entered the site, I encountered yet another well-preserved Greek temple that looked like it belonged in Ancient Athens. Although it was incredible to see, this wasn’t my favorite collection of ruins as it felt a little too touristy for me.
I continued on to the spectacular Villa Romana del Casale. This ruin is pretty far off the beaten track but it is definitely worth making the trip there. As the name suggests, the site is composed of an enormous Roman villa. There isn’t a ton left of the building itself but the floors are covered with breathtaking mosaics. Before this, I had thought I had seen incredible mosaics but these ones really took the cake! Although there is a particular route that you are supposed to follow, I kept finding myself getting “lost” as I was so entranced by the mosaics that I didn’t really pay attention to where I was going. In the end, I probably did the route two or three times and could have happily done it a few more times if I didn’t have to worry about getting to work afterward!
When I was finally able to pull myself away from the villa, I drove to a place called Gulfi which was to be my accommodation for the night. I booked it on Booking.com simply because it was in the middle of nowhere which meant that I wouldn’t have to drive through a city in the dark. Turns out, Gulfi is actually a fairly large winery with a popular restaurant serving delicious Sicilian dishes. That is what I call luck!
I had dinner, worked, and climbed into bed exhausted by the full-on day and dreaming of pasta and mosaics!
Day 5 – Gulfi to Syracuse
From Gulfi, I woke up early and drove the short drive to the towns of Ragusa and Modica. Although very small, both towns are famous for their wonderful Baroque architecture. I can attest they certainly are splendid and in retrospect, I wish I wouldn’t have been so scared to drive into them and spend the night the day before. They should definitely be on your Sicilian to-do list!
I wish I could have stayed longer but I need to get to my next destination – Syracuse! This was the one city in Sicily that was high on my wishlist and my experience there certainly didn’t disappoint me! I stayed in a cute little Airbnb right in the historic center. From there, it was just a short walk to a sprawling network of alleyways where you could find a plethora of charming bars and restaurants. While this alone would have made Syracuse a winner in my book, what made it even better were the sprawling squares lined with imposing, yet stunning, buildings. I spent a chilly evening bouncing between magnificent buildings and adorable alleyways before heading home to finish work for the day and pass out in bed.
Day 6 – Syracuse to Catania
That morning, I spent a few hours walking around Ortigia island and the newer section of Syracuse before driving the hour-long drive to Catania, Sicily’s second biggest city, where I immediately returned the rental car at the airport and hopped on the bus to the city. Although I technically had the rental car until the following morning, I was too scared to attempt to drive it or park it in Catania so figured that the $4/10 minute long bus ride was the much better option!
I dropped my bags off at the hostel and immediately set out to explore. I visited an amazing Roman theater right in the middle of a residential neighborhood, treated myself to an Indian lunch, and strolled along the streets, absorbing the history and vibrancy of the city.
I had booked a bed in a hostel in Catania and much to my surprise, a German woman I had met on the ferry from Tunis to Palermo walked in. I had already spent a few hours exploring Catania and was ready to simply get some work done and relax for a bit. Luckily, the German girl’s friend convinced me to go for a late-night glass of wine before bed and I got to see a whole new side of Catania.
The next morning, I said a surprisingly sad goodbye to Sicily as I boarded a flight to Barcelona where I was going to spend a few hours before making a mad dash to Andorra!
