Island of intrigue

Otago Daily Times

26-05-2025

Lindy Davis discovers the delights of travelling to Sicily, Italy, in late summer to avoid the crowds but still enjoy Mediterranean weather.
Tourists customarily flock to Europe for the height of summer which can be beyond hectic. But delaying travel by a couple of months until September means less crowds, fewer queues and more choice of accommodation.
My bucket list included a few of Europe's legendary islands including the Azores, Sicily, Sardinia and Malta.
Sicily, the largest island in this region, took the prime spot as the overall winner. Its Mediterranean climate, the blend of alpine and coastal zones and its authentic charm, make this island unique.
Flying over Sicily, you can spot the diverse geographical terrain, including one of Italy's most talked about volcanoes, Mt Etna.
The mountain top is covered with large, flattened rocks that protrude like corks from the hillside. Houses are precariously close to the edge of cliff tops, with terraced stairwells that appear to hover in thin air.
A super-efficient train service operates across the island and the roads are excellent, given the population throbbing in this region over summer.
We opt for a car and take the coastal route north from Catania airport, passing a cluster of coastal villages nestled into enclaves separated by giant granite boulders.
Unlike other regions in Italy where bags of rubbish are dumped on the roadside, Sicily appeared to be more conscious of rubbish disposal. The highway is dotted with established forest, olive groves and orchards. Italian drivers are accomplished at traversing the narrow winding roads especially in the small towns with streets that barely fit two cars travelling in an opposite direction.
With street names like Via Clivaggio and Via Guardiola Vecchio, pronounced in a staunch Australian accent on my GPS, they sounded more like something you might need to consult your doctor about.
The first stop is Taormina, renowned for White Lotus, but also much admired for its natural charm.
We stayed in a small apartment overlooking Isola Bella, a tiny rocky isle joined by a slip of sand. There's plenty of hotel accommodation on the hilltop, but anything beachside will require a steep walk to town.
After an early morning swim in the bay and an unfortunate encounter with a red jellyfish, I located the beach warden who medicated the inflamed streak on my arm, akin to a stinging nettle. He explained jellies were a growing problem since larger marine species that would normally eat them, were depleted.
Sicilians have good energy and many of the island's artists live in the heart of Taormina. The art and pottery scene is prolific and it's conceivable you could spend half your travel budget on the colourful ceramics. The unique sculptures often based on Sicilian myths and legends are bold and imaginative.
One gallery curator took considerable time explaining the significance of a particular piece that had caught my eye. He shared the story of a suave Moorish man who met a wealthy local woman while on holiday in Sicily.
They fell in love, but with time she discovered he had a wife and children back in Morocco.
As legend goes, she poisons and decapitates him, tossing his head into the bay. I'm staring at a life-size ceramic skull painted in vivid blood red and orange, entangled by a large octopus and several eels coiled snugly around the ears. Various other bizarre sea creatures emerge from the scalp.
It's a lot to take in and I'm trying to visualise how it might travel with me. Fortunately, my imaginings are brought to an abrupt halt when the gallerist discloses the price, essentially the cost of a small car.
Somehow, I make time for just one more gallery and a fortuitous meeting with eccentric artist Alessandro Florio, who guides me through his distinctive works hotly pursued by international collectors. He was a tattoo artist 'in another life' and made a move from needles and skin to oil on canvas.
I immediately love the majority of his original artworks but would need to sell my house to afford one.
Feeling satiated with beautiful art, it was time to sample the much-celebrated Sicilian fare.
No matter what restaurant or cafe you choose, they take great pride in ensuring every encounter feels like a VIP experience.
The menus are extensive with fresh fish, shellfish and pasta available everywhere. Octopus is the signature dish on almost every menu and although I don't order or eat it, the waiter shares that a large proportion of it is farmed and imported from Asia or Spain.
Sicilians love their pasta and the variety is endless, whether you're a tortellini, gnocchi or simple spaghetti fan. There is an opportunity to attend traditional pasta classes or Sicilian cooking and farmers' market tours with Chef Massimo on Corso Umberto.
The old saying 'when you're in Rome', also applies to Sicily, it is literally heaven for foodies. "Pasta alla Norma", a feast of sauteed eggplant, fresh basil, ricotta and tomato served on pasta or "Caponata", a blend of grilled vegetables seasoned with capers, vinegar and olive oil are a couple of typical favourites.
Local olive oil and fresh olives are sold in most food stores in town, and I discover a specialist chocolate boutique with sampling trays offered late evening. Chocolate is a weakness, so it was definitely my happy place.
Ordering wine can be a challenge if you don't recognise the region or grape variety. But you can't really go wrong drinking local wine like the Etna Rosso Vico, grown in the volcanic region of Mount Etna.
Craft spirit producers have hit the high notes here and Sicilians are frothing. Local bars and distilleries offer variations of Taormina and U'Mauru gin, Sicilian whiskey and Etna vodka. The colourful Dolce and Gabbana bar in town combines cocktails and designer fashion and the flamboyant bartenders encourage sampling the full menu. Travel tip: Gin tasting is recommended in conjunction with walking, not driving.
Prosecco appears on the menu regardless of whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, just because ... you never know.
It's hard to visit Italy without having an appreciation for the exceptional handmade textiles and linen. Some of the street vendors also sell linen and Sicilian souvenirs, but the majority of it is manufactured in China.
We make a necessary stop for cassata at Grand Hotel Timeo, one of the original boutique hotels. I indulge in the famous Sicilian dessert made with liquor-soaked sponge doused in ricotta, chocolate, cherries and candied citrus. While sitting on the terrace overlooking the ocean, I learn about Parco Trevelyan (Villa Comunale), a tropical garden close to the hotel that once belonged to English woman Florence Trevelyan Caccioli.
In 1891 the young woman took a holiday to Italy and stayed as a guest at the Grand Hotel Timeo. She fell for local doctor Salvatore Caccioli who later became the Mayor of Taormina. They married and Lady Caccioli undertook to design and help create the magnificent gardens that overlook the Ionian Sea.
A number of her "follies" (aviaries in a Romanesque/Baroque style) are still intact. She also purchased Isola Bella and designed their second villa with sub-tropical gardens.
Just a short stroll from Villa Communale is the Teatro Antico di Taormina, an ancient Greek theatre dating back to the third century BC. It is an easy walk around the walls and gothic arches. The small museum offers the history of Sicily under both Greek and Roman rule, with mosaic tiles dating back to the late Hellenistic period. Dozens of nations have colonised Sicily over time, including the Sicani and Elymi people, the Phoenicians, French, Spanish and the Moors. And although the architecture has changed or been destroyed, the unique food variations have remained.
Visitors to Taormina typically spend time in the piazzas browsing boutiques, listening to musicians or indulging in gelato at one of many parlours. Having sampled most of the flavours, I've learnt that gelato is something Italians understandably can't live without.
If visiting ornate churches happens to be your thing, then just past the main clocktower is one of the town's oldest churches on Piazza del Varo, the Church of Varo (Chiesa del Varo).
To get the best overview of Taormina, you need to take a steep walk up to Castelmola. The hilltop village has expansive views overlooking the coastal town and across to Mt Etna.
The final and most memorable evening was spent sampling bespoke cocktails at the Ashbee Hotel, one of Taormina's luxury boutique hotels with timeless grace.
Leaving Taormina, it was time to visit Syracuse and the adjacent island of Ortigia, home to Archimedes. We stop at the Ortea Palace Hotel on Via Nazario Sauro, originally a bustling post office and communications centre in the 1920s and later restored to a grand hotel with rooms overlooking the canal.
Surrounded by the original fort walls, Ortigia is best known for its historical significance.
The Ortigia farmers and produce market throbs with vendors selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, spices and cheese. After sampling dragon fruit and prickly pear (cactus fruit) and a bowl of deep-fried anchovies, we stroll to the end of a small street to discover the remains of a Greek temple sitting absurdly out of place on a busy intersection.
A walking tour of the old city takes us to the Apollo temple, the Piazza Duomo and several historical churches including the Church of St Phillip the Apostle, where there was previously a synagogue in what was known as the "Giudecca" district. The once dynamic Jewish community in Syracuse had been forced to leave by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain at the end of the 15th century.
A long stairwell takes us 10m underground to an ancient purification bath house (known as a mikveh) carved into solid stone, sitting adjacent to a natural spring. The original site dates back to the 6th century and is believed to be the oldest discovered in Europe.
It had been sealed over and was miraculously found during renovations to an original villa 30 years ago. The owner put a stop to further development of this particular section and the bath house has become an important historical feature of Ortigia.
A stroll along the harbourside takes me in the direction of 'Il mare and lido Solare', the beach and sundeck.
I climb around a wall of the fort to see a mass of bodies draped like a colony of lizards on makeshift pontoons. It looks uncomfortable, akin to sunbathing on a scaffold — but clearly Europeans are at home with it.
Another side street takes me to Co Ol De Sac, a collaboration of artists showcasing bespoke hand-made leather bags, clothing and a cordwainer perched on a stool, measuring and crafting shoes. It's a long-lost art, but tucked away down this narrow side alley, I'm transported back in time.
The island is a short drive across the bridge to Syracuse in the direction of the impressive Neapolis Archaeological Park. We take several hours to soak up the history and view the large-scale sculptural installations that complement the ancient theatre, stone quarries, the Ear of Dionysius and the Roman Amphitheatre. It is easy to self-guide, but there are walking tours available that provide an overview of the Greco-Roman influences once occupying this area.
An afternoon drive takes us southwest to explore Noto and Ragusa.
For anyone partial to heritage architecture, you're spoilt for choice. There are at least eight Unesco world heritage sites in this area.
Noto was built in the 18th century Baroque period and as we stroll along Corso Vittorio Emanuele Porta Reale there are rows of compact limestone buildings lining the main street, including the Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata built as a noble residence, with curved wrought iron balconies and stone corbels.
Much of Noto's charm lies in the original buildings, which in the late afternoon sun are practically glowing in hues of burnished yellow.
I am drawn to an intricately hand-painted stairwell 'Infiorata di Noto 24' designed by Syracusan artist Carlo Coniglio. The annual event in Noto encourages artists to transform the stairwell according to individual inspiration.
Noto Cathedral is impossible to miss given the sheer size and the substantial staircase. Opposite the cathedral we visit the Palazzo Ducezio which functions as the town hall.
There isn't time to see every feature of Noto and I've already surpassed the permitted number of churches.
Our final destination is the beautiful town of Ragusa which is best seen late afternoon.
Aside from the stunning views that stretch across the valley, there are numerous impressive Baroque-style buildings worth visiting. Strolling through the old town we visit the Duomo di San Giorgio, a grand cathedral with an imposing dome.
Several of the churches are open early evening and the soft filtered light illuminates stunning frescoes.
Giardino Ibleo is the perfect spot to maximise views across the valley and stroll around the garden. It is also an ideal place to rest and reflect as the sun meanders behind the hills.
Heading into Piazza Duomo, we find authentic eateries and bars to enjoy local Sicilian specialties like stuffed flatbreads, panelle, caponata and the local curd cheese Caciocavallo Ragusano.
Toasting the finale of our Sicilian tour, I sense we've only scratched the surface of this impressive island, steeped in history, culture and creative enterprise.