Secret Sicily: 10 Places That Aren't Taormina, Palermo or the Valley of the Temples

Sicily is seven regions inside one. There is Baroque eastern Sicily, Arab western Sicily, the deep interior, the offshore islands, and the northern coast of the Nebrodi. Ten places to slip out of the standard circuit and start understanding what's really here.

1. Scicli and Baroque Val di Noto

It isn't only Ragusa Ibla or Modica. Scicli, a UNESCO site, with its church of San Bartolomeo, the Palazzo Beneventano and the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, may well be the least-visited of the eight Val di Noto towns. The Montalbano set often uses these alleys.

2. The Zingaro Nature Reserve

Along the western flank, the Riserva dello Zingaro, between San Vito Lo Capo and Castellammare del Golfo, was Sicily's very first nature reserve (1981). Seven kilometres of coastal path pass by pale pebble coves and turquoise water. Entry on foot only, no cars. A near-perfect half day.

3. Piana degli Albanesi and the Arbëreshë villages

Piana degli Albanesi, at the edge of Palermo, is a town where Arbëreshë (Albanian) is still spoken; it was founded in 1488 by Albanian refugees. Greek-Catholic rite, a living language, cannoli made famous. A fragment of the Balkans tucked into the heart of Sicily.

4. The Egadi Islands out of season

Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo. Marettimo, the farthest out, is an island with a single tiny lane of pale flagstones, its lighthouse, and paths tracing the coast. No mass tourism. Best seen in May–June or September. Reachable by hydrofoil from Trapani.

5. Enna and the Sicilian interior

Enna, "the navel of Sicily," is the highest provincial capital in Italy. Castello di Lombardia, views of Etna to the east, cool shade even in high summer. Just an hour from Catania airport. Pair it with the Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina (late-imperial mosaics).

6. The catacombs of San Giovanni in Siracusa

The catacombs of San Giovanni in Siracusa are the largest outside Rome. A maze of galleries with funerary niches, mausolea, and an early-Christian sarcophagus. Above ground, the church of the same name. Less famous than the catacombs of Naples, no less powerful.

7. Ferla and the Anapo valley

Ferla, a Baroque village in the Siracusa province, opens onto the Anapo valley and the rupestrian necropolis of Pantalica: some 5,000 tombs carved into the rock between the thirteenth and seventh centuries BC. A UNESCO site. Four hours of trekking, almost never crowded.

8. The Vucciria of Palermo after 10 p.m.

The Vucciria, once Palermo's most famous market, is now largely residential. But in the evening, when the young take back the squares (Piazza Garaffello, Piazza Caracciolo), a youthful, un-picture-postcard Palermo appears. The Kalsa and Albergheria offer the same kind of discovery.

9. Cefalù without Cefalù

Cefalù in August is unbearable. But the Rocca di Cefalù (with the megalithic Tempio di Diana) and the road up to the Sanctuary of Gibilmanna are open to anyone willing to walk. The nearby village of Castelbuono, in the Madonie, makes a perfect alternative base: the Ventimiglia castle, Baroque churches, manna tapped from the ash tree.

10. The Val di Nebrodi and the Peloritani

The Nebrodi range (a National Park) is the wildest forested zone in Sicily. Beech woods, lakes (Biviere di Cesarò), trails up Monte Soro. Above Messina, the Peloritani shelter villages like Savoca (set of The Godfather) and Forza d'Agrò. A different world from the beaches.

How to plan it

Sicily cannot be done in a week. If you have four or five days, pick one zone: west (Trapani + Egadi + Zingaro), southeast (Val di Noto + Siracusa + Pantalica), north (Palermo + Madonie + Cefalù), or east (Etna + Taormina + Nebrodi).

When to go?

April–June and September–October. July and August are hot and overrun. November to March work well for cities and culture, less so for the sea.