Eastern Sicily: Catania, Etna, Taormina, Syracuse and Noto

A region built around Etna

The Ionian Coast is dominated by Etna, a volcano that can enrich soil, shape wine and food, close roads and redraw a trail in the same season. Catania was rebuilt in black lava and pale stone after the eruption of 1669 and the earthquake of 1693. Taormina hangs above coves and cliffs, while villages on Etna's slopes turn volcanic ground into vineyards and pistachio groves. Farther south, Syracuse, Noto, Ragusa, Modica and Scicli combine ancient ruins, late baroque architecture, beaches, canyons and farms.

A practical route

1. 01Three days: spend the first day in Catania, the second on Etna or in a vineyard, and the third between Taormina's theatre and Mazzarò beach.
2. 02Five to seven days: add Syracuse and Ortygia, then drive to Noto. Choose Ragusa or Modica for another baroque and food day, or make the coast the priority with Vendicari, Marzamemi and Isola delle Correnti.
3. 03More than a week: use the Circumetnea train for a slower Etna loop, stay in a wine village, hike Cavagrande del Cassibile or Pantalica, and reserve time for Messina or Savoca.

The coast is developed and traffic-heavy around Catania and Taormina. Distances look short on a map but can take much longer than expected. Inland, roads quieten around the wine villages. The area is enjoyable all year: winter can bring skiing on Etna when snow permits, February brings Catania's Festa di Sant'Agata, March brings Acireale's carnival, June starts swimming and beach-club season, July fills Taormina's theatre and Catania's music programme, August is crowded, and September brings Bronte's two-year pistachio harvest and Etna grape harvests. In the southeast, almond trees bloom in March, Noto's flower festival takes place in May, Syracuse's classical season runs from late May to early July, Ortigia Sound arrives in early August, Ragusa's Scale del Gusto fills October, and olive pressing follows the November harvest.

Catania: lava, baroque and street life

Catania is a useful eastern base because its historic centre is compact, lively and close to the airport and railway. The city rose twice from destruction: Etna's lava reached it in 1669, and the 1693 earthquake killed about 12,000 people. Architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini then shaped a centre of black volcanic stone, white limestone, palazzi, churches and broad streets. Roman remains surface between later buildings, while Via San Michele, the fish market and the city's pasta alla norma make Catania feel young, noisy and grounded in daily life.

Arrive and get around Catania

Catania airport is 7km southwest of the centre. Frequent trains take about seven minutes to the railway station for €2.20, while AMT buses take about 20 minutes for €4. From the station, walk for about 20 minutes or take the metro towards the historic centre, using the Stesicoro stop. A hop-on hop-off bus leaves Piazza del Duomo, and Helbiz, Dott and Lime apps locate shared e-scooters. Cycling is less comfortable because traffic is chaotic and lava-stone pavements are difficult. AST buses, taxis or a guided tour are the realistic ways to reach Etna; the slow Ferrovia Circumetnea links Catania with Riposto and villages such as Bronte.

La Pescheria before lunch

Enter La Pescheria through the narrow opening beside Fontana dell'Amenano on Piazza del Duomo. The open-air fish market starts at 7am, closes on Sunday and is generally being washed down by 1pm. Swordfish, moray eels, anchovies, clams, mussels, sea urchins and other catch fill the stalls. If the blood and red water are too intense, watch from the raised terrace on Piazza Alonzo di Benedetto. Scirocco Sicilian Fish Lab is one of the places with a view, serving battered fish in a paper cone, fried Etna pasta with cuttlefish ink and cartoccio di mare senza spine for fish without bones. Farther through the market, find giant fennel, horse-meat polpette, oysters, fish cakes and live snails. A bucket of snails is listed at €5.

• ✦Coppa di frittura di paranza is a paper cone of fried mixed fish and seafood, usually squid, prawns, anchovies, mullet and cuttlefish with lemon or lime.
• ✦Sardine a beccafico are stuffed sardines that are fried.
• ✦Panelle di ceci are chickpea fritters, sometimes scented with fennel seed; try them with an Ionian Coast craft beer such as Birra Messina.
• ✦Polpo arristo o bollito is fried or boiled octopus.
• ✦Caponata con spada is sweet-and-sour aubergine, onion, pepper and celery with swordfish; the octopus version changes the fish.

Fish-market tables and heritage kiosks

• ✦MM! on Via Pardo sells fried mozzarella, seafood and street-food favourites from 11am to 10pm, until 3pm Sunday.
• ✦A Putia dell'Ostello serves street food, pasta and pizza at noon to 4pm and 7pm to 12.30am, including tables in a 1669 lava tube.
• ✦Pescheria Fratelli Vittorio is a seafood institution, open 11.30am to 3.30pm and 7pm to midnight Tuesday to Sunday.
• ✦Osteria Acqualavica offers fish, fresh produce and evening pizza from 12.45pm to 2.30pm and 8.30pm to 11.15pm Wednesday to Monday, with Tuesday evening service to 10.30pm.
• ✦At Chiosco Centro Storico, Riccardo's coffee is listed at 50 cents and a made-to-order pomegranate juice at €1. Seltz limone e sale combines sparkling water, lemon and salt; green tangerine or tamarind syrup adds sweetness.
• ✦Chiosco Giammona has served drinks, breakfast pastries and summer evenings since 1896. It is cash only, as its sign non si fa credito makes clear.

Piazza del Duomo and Sant'Agata

Start Piazza del Duomo with coffee and a paste di mandorla or honey-soaked crespelle di riso at Prestipino. The cafe's white limestone and black volcanic-sand surfaces reflect Catania's rebuilt baroque, and a stone passage links the palazzo above Porta Uzeda to Cattedrale di Sant'Agata. Vincenzo Bellini, the city's composer, is buried in the cathedral. The Museo Diocesano terrace gives a 360-degree introduction to the city for €3; adult/child museum admission is €7/4, or €10/6 with the Roman baths. The lift takes visitors up and stairs lead down. The collection includes the silver reliquary bust of Saint Agata and excavated 5th-century baths.

Catania's patron saint Agata resisted the Roman consul Quintian in 250 CE and was tortured and killed. Chiesa di San Biagio in Sant'Agata alla Fornace preserves a 1938 fresco and a glass-covered 16th-century stone well associated with the furnace. She was imprisoned at Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Carcere. On 5 February, around one million devotees follow her silver reliquary through the city during Festa di Sant'Agata; the procession carriages and historical film are shown in the courtyard of Palazzo degli Elefanti. In the middle of the square, Fontana dell'Elefante dates from 1736 and combines a black-lava elephant from Roman times with an Egyptian obelisk. Local legend gives the elephant to the magician Heliodorus and credits the obelisk with power over Etna.

• ✦Chiesa Badia di Sant'Agata offers a 360-degree view from its terrace.
• ✦Chiesa di San Nicolò l'Arena has 141 steps to the roof and an unfinished facade inside the Benedictine monastery complex.
• ✦Chiesa di San Giuliano ends its climb with 34 dizzying steps across the cupola to an iron cross.
• ✦Ostello degli Elefanti has a rooftop bar in a 17th-century palazzo open to non-guests.

Catania's best meal stops

• ✦Nuova Trattoria del Forestiero serves pasta alla norma and straightforward Sicilian cooking from 1pm to 3.30pm and 6.30pm to 10.30pm Tuesday to Sunday.
• ✦Mè Cumpari Turiddu combines small producers and Slow Food ideas with classic cooking and stays open from 11.30am to 12.30am.
• ✦Canni e Pisci is a modern meat and fish restaurant beside Palazzo Biscari, serving 8pm to 11.30pm Tuesday to Saturday and 1pm to 3pm plus 8pm to 11.30pm Sunday.
• ✦Coria offers five- to eight-course tasting menus among paintings by Etna artist Nunzio Fisichella, 12.30pm to 1.30pm and 7pm to 9pm Tuesday to Saturday.
• ✦Al Vicolo is a pizzeria and deli near Piazza Stesicoro, open noon to 12.30am Sunday to Friday and to 1am Saturday.
• ✦Pasticceria Savia dates from 1897 and pairs an arancino al ragù and cannolo with Villa Bellini, 7.45am to 9.30pm Tuesday to Sunday.
• ✦Don Peppinu is a Via Etnea gelato stop open 10am to 1am. I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza makes cannoli, cassatella di Agira and gelato, opening 7.30am to 7.30pm Tuesday to Friday and from 8am at weekends.

Roman ruins, nuns and baroque churches

Below Piazza Stesicoro, the Anfiteatro Romano preserves sections of a gladiator arena buried by lava; admission is €3/1.50. The Parco Archeologico Greco Romano costs €7/3.50 and includes a 2nd-century Roman Theatre and the Odeon, both appearing to grow between residential palazzi. Catania once had 14 monasteries for noble girls; after 1693 only six remained. Grilled galleries at churches such as San Giuliano allowed cloistered nuns to attend mass and the Sant'Agata procession without being seen.

If time allows only one church, choose Chiesa di San Benedetto. It costs €6/4, opens Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 1.30pm and 2.30pm to 6.30pm, and starts at 9.30am from November to March. The staircase, white stucco, coloured marble, jasper altar, gold inlays and ceiling frescoes by Giovanni Tuccari, painted from 1726 to 1729, are the draw. Sunday mass in English is at 11am. Palazzo Biscari costs €10/7 and offers guided visits at 10am and noon Monday to Saturday. The palace was begun on 17th-century harbour walls, altered in 1763 and decorated with mirrors, majolica, marquetry, stucco and frescoes across roughly 600 rooms. Its ballroom sheltered tennis during the Second World War; Goethe was entertained on the sea-facing terrace, Coldplay filmed Violet Hill here in 2008, and the spiral staircase is celebrated as one of the world's most beautiful.

A 2.5km baroque walk

Allow two to three hours from Piazza del Duomo to Piazza Federico II di Svevia. Begin with the cathedral and Chiesa Badia di Sant'Agata, then pass Teatro Massimo Bellini and Via Etnea. Cross the courtyard of Palazzo dell'Università, where geometric black-and-white paving copies the earthquake-damaged original. Turn along Via Crociferi for San Benedetto and San Giuliano, continue to Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l'Arena, one of Europe's largest monasteries from 1703, and end at Castello Ursino. The 13th-century castle became landlocked when the 1669 lava flow changed the coast.

The Riviera dei Ciclopi

North of Catania, the Riviera dei Ciclopi follows a coast of black volcanic rocks and fishing villages. AMT bus 534 links Aci Castello with Catania's Terminal Borsellino Ovest in about an hour. Castello Normanno costs €3.50/1.50 and stands on the rare underwater volcanic outcrop of Rocca di Acicastello; its small museum displays geological samples and unusual prehistoric skulls. Pizzeria Pellegrino cooks pizza on a black-stone terrace. Aci Trezza is 1.5km farther north, about a 25-minute walk along the seafront. Its faraglioni are basalt towers created by submarine eruptions. Ristorante Faraglioni serves a refined Sunday lunch, while Anchovy Fish Bar makes fried fish in a paper cone. Acireale sits on lava terraces above the sea and hosts a colourful February or March carnival of decorated floats, flower displays, papier-mâché figures, bands and confetti. At Caffè Cipriani on Piazza Lionardo Vigo, order babà granita and brioche; the cafe dates from 1957.

Etna: choose your altitude

Etna's fertile slopes support vineyards, citrus, almonds, pistachios and honey, and about one-fifth of Sicily's population lives around a volcanic area that covers roughly 7% of the island. Medieval nivroli collected snow at 3357m and stored it in stone caves to make granita. Arab farmers introduced peaches, citrus, almonds and pistachios in the 9th century, and Zafferana Etnea now produces about one-third of Italy's honey. Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli supplied alum, Lipari's Monte Pilato produced obsidian and pumice, and mines on Sicily supplied much of Europe's sulphur from the 17th century to the early 20th century.

Etna has four summit craters and has erupted more than 200 times since 1500 BCE. The eruptions of 1669 and 1928 destroyed whole towns and villages; the volcano erupted 16 times in 2021, sent a 12km ash plume skyward in February 2022 and reached a recorded height of 3369m at the Voragine crater after the July 2024 activity. The Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology monitors it with 120 seismic stations and satellites. The Parco dell'Etna covers 581 sq km and 21 towns. Purple indigenous Saponaria flowers are especially visible in April and May.

Etna Sud from Catania

The southern approach is 30km from Catania and ends at Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza, 1923m above sea level. The refuge has rooms and a restaurant, and the surrounding huts sell tours, food and souvenirs. Funivia dell'Etna charges €50/30 for an adult/child return to 2500m, or €86/46 including the higher 4WD bus connection. The cable car reaches Montagnola, where the 4WD vehicle continues to the maximum height permitted by current volcanic conditions. Above 2500m, independent trekking is forbidden and the allowed altitude can change.

Etna Nord, guides and summit conditions

Piano Provenzana, at 1800m on the northern side, is about 50km northeast of Taormina and has no public transport. It is a quieter trailhead with a small ski station, wooden huts and volcanologist-led hikes. The summit area contains four craters, including the Central Crater, about 500m wide and 250m high and probably formed during the 1669 eruption. East of the craters, Valle del Bove drops about 1000m where an older cone collapsed.

• ✦Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud, beside Rifugio Sapienza, offers possible summit walks to around 3330m lasting five to six hours for €160/110 for adults and children aged 10 to 13; see etnaguide.eu.
• ✦Gruppo Guide Etna Nord offers five-hour summit walks from Piano Provenzana for €160/110; see guidetnanord.com.
• ✦Go Etna runs walks from both sides with minibus transfers to and from Catania and Taormina; see go-etna.com.
• ✦Etna Freedom specialises in guided sunset tours; see etnafreedom.it.

Bring proper walking shoes, a windproof jacket, warm hat and gloves, sunscreen, sunglasses, water and a scarf or snood for dust and summit gases. Temperatures can fall below freezing while Catania is hot. The daily AST bus leaves Catania at 8.15am, takes about two hours and costs €6.60 return, but a ticket does not guarantee a seat and the bus can fill at least an hour before departure. If it is full, a taxi should cost no more than about €120 for up to four passengers for the one-hour ride to Rifugio Sapienza. The 1km loop around Silvestri crater is a simple independent walk near the refuge. Another marked trail reaches a crater made in 2001 in about 25 minutes; roughly 300 lateral craters are scattered across Etna.

Other ways to experience the volcano

• ✦The Etna Wine Train is a half-day tour from Riposto or Piedimonte Etneo using the Circumetnea train and a bus; adult/child prices are €160/90 at stradadelvinodelletna.it.
• ✦When snowfall allows, five easy downhill pistes open on the southern slope from late December to March and three open around Piano Provenzana in the north.
• ✦Gruppo Guide Alpine Etna Sud organises ski touring for intermediate and advanced skiers; etnaguide.eu has the details.
• ✦Shops at Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza rent mountain bikes for lower-slope routes.
• ✦Etna Esagonal Trekking Tour offers guided quad rides around 2000m; see etnaesagonaltrekkingtour.it.

Bronte and the Etna wine road

Bronte is surrounded by pistachio groves on lava soil. The nut is DOP protected, recognised by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity and harvested by hand every two years. At A Ricchigia, a 1 hour 45 minute farm tour costs €40 and can include pistachio spreads, creams, pesto, gluten-free torte di pistacchio and Heracles pistachio craft beer. Farmers remove the tiny white flowers to control fruiting, then harvest in late August and early September. Pasticceria Fratelli Gangi is known for plain, crunchy and chocolate-pistachio gelato and opens 6am to 9pm. A 30-minute train ride from Catania reaches Bronte, but a car is easier for the farms.

North Etna villages include Randazzo, Linguaglossa, Castiglione di Sicilia, Passopisciaro, Solicchiata and Rovittello. The road from Taormina crosses vineyards bordered by black lava-stone walls. Around Solicchiata, Cave Ox is a cellar-pizzeria. In Randazzo, the old quarters of Santa Maria, San Nicola and San Martino preserve Latin, Greek and Lombard identities that lasted into the 16th century. Pasticceria Santo Musumeci makes fig, prickly pear, fig-hazelnut, and toasted almond, lemon and chocolate gelato. santomusumeci.it lists hours from 8am to midnight Wednesday to Monday.

• ✦Donnafugata Randazzo offers tastings, vineyard tours and barrel-store visits 5km east of Randazzo.
• ✦Planeta has a tasting room in a historic pressing room 3.2km southwest of Passopisciaro.
• ✦Vini Calcagno is a fourth-generation family winery in Passopisciaro, noted for rosé and tours in an old pressing cabin.
• ✦Cantina Frank Cornelissen offers natural wines and vineyard degustation.
• ✦Cottanera in Castiglione di Sicilia combines wine tasting with a traditional worker's lunch of bread, cheese and salumi.
• ✦Cucina Dai Pennisi in Linguaglossa is a butcher shop with a kitchen and a wine list from neighbouring vineyards, while San Giorgio e il Drago in Randazzo pairs traditional food with Etna wine and Shalai pairs Etna wine with Michelin-starred cooking in a boutique spa hotel.

Taormina: theatre, cliffs and sea

Taormina is expensive and polished, but its setting justifies at least a day. The town was founded in the 4th century BCE, prospered under Greek ruler Gelon II and later Roman rule, then became quiet after the Norman conquest of 1087. Northern European visitors rediscovered it during the 18th-century Grand Tour, and its beaches, clubs, views and theatre have been part of the resort's identity ever since.

Getting between Taormina and Mazzarò

The hilltop centre is pedestrianised and steep. The four-cabin Funivia Mazzarò-Taormina links the town with the coastal road, beaches and car parks in a 15-minute ride. A single ticket is €6, return €10 and day ticket €20; children under 1m travel free. It runs from 8am to 1.30am. Buses to Catania and Catania Fontanarossa airport leave from the station by Viale San Pancrazio; the airport fare is €7 and the ride takes about 1.5 hours. Comfortable shoes matter more than glamour sandals.

Teatro Greco and the main walk

Taormina's Teatro Greco was started in the 3rd century BCE and is still a performance venue. Adult and child admission is €12/6. It is Sicily's second-largest Greek theatre after Syracuse and one of the most dramatic, with the sea and Etna behind the stage. Summer evenings can bring music, opera, dance and theatre, and July's Taormina Film Fest adds screenings, premieres and visiting film stars. In June, July and August the theatre sometimes stays open until midnight, with last admission at 11pm. Morning avoids the worst crowds, the first Sunday of each month is free, and online tickets are available through Aditus.

The walk from Mazzarò to Taormina is about 2.2km and 700 or more steps, taking 45 minutes to an hour. Start from the steps opposite Bel'Assai on Via Nazionale, pause at Belvedere di Via Pirandello, then enter through Porta Messina. Continue on Corso Umberto past Palazzo Corvaja and Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria. On Piazza IX Aprile, eat a filled cannolo or almond gelato from Pasticceria Gelateria D'Amore and look over Chiesa di San Giuseppe. Minotauro sells pistachio torrone. Continue through Torre dell'Orologio, Piazza del Duomo, the 13th-century cathedral, Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano and the lanes of Borgo Medievale.

Beaches, drinks and a mountain chapel

• ✦Spiaggia di Isola Bella is a small pebble beach connected to the nature reserve by a shingle isthmus.
• ✦Spiaggia di Mazzarò is the shingle beach below town, with boat rental and Il Barcaiolo for seafood.
• ✦Baie delle Sirene is a rocky, snorkelling-friendly Mermaid's Bay reached by steps near Atlantis Bay.
• ✦Spiaggia di Spisone has a free section and private clubs one bay north of Mazzarò; Spiaggia di Mazzeo is the sandier option 3km north.
• ✦Pizzichella serves Aperol spritz with Isola Bella views from 9am to 7pm, with shorter winter hours. Morgana runs 7.30pm until late from April to October. Daiquiri serves food, music and drinks 8am to 2am Wednesday to Monday. Médousa makes cocktails with fresh fruit and herbs from 8am to 1am.
• ✦The Via Crucis to Castello Saraceno is 700m and about 30 minutes, with 543 steps. It passes Santuario Madonna della Rocca, a 1640 chapel in a grotto, then climbs to the 12th-century castle. Chiosca della Rocca is the terrace for a cold drink; Bar Turrisi in Castelmola is famous for its almond wine and deliberately phallic decor.

Beach clubs and lidos generally operate from March to early November. A parasol and lounger is about €10 in low season and €25 in high season; a boat ride is around €40 per hour. Most beaches are pebbly or shingly, so water shoes help. Jellyfish can be common at Isola Bella. A private boat from Mazzarò turns sunset aperitivo into a floating evening.

Food around Taormina

• ✦Bam Bar serves seasonal granita such as lemon, fig, melon and peach from 7.30am to 11pm.
• ✦Gustibus is a six-table bistro beside a gourmet shop, open noon to 11pm, with Sicilian cheese, salami, fresh produce and Limonetna liqueur.
• ✦Tischi Toschi serves caponata, wild-fennel meatballs and rosemary liqueur from 12.30pm to 2.30pm Wednesday to Sunday and 7pm to 10.30pm.
• ✦Osteria RossoDiVino cooks the day's catch and seasonal produce in a courtyard from 11am to 2.30pm and 7.30pm to 11.30pm.
• ✦Mendolia Beach Club serves pasta con sarde alla Siciliana on Isola Bella beach, 8.30am to 7pm, closed in winter.
• ✦Il Barcaiolo specialises in sarde a beccafico and recommends booking in summer; Bell'Assai serves pizza, sea urchin and lobster linguine; Brizza offers a 12-seat gastronomic dinner at Villa Sant'Andrea from 8pm to 10.30pm Wednesday to Sunday.

Isola Bella, gardens and water

Parco Florence Trevelyan is a green refuge with palms, ficus, bougainvillea, agave, rare flowers and red-brick follies built for birdwatching and tea. The English aristocrat Florence Trevelyan landscaped it in the 1890s. Pair it with Riserva Naturale di Isola Bella, where admission is €5/2.50 and includes a small museum in the former house. The reserve is reached from Spiaggia di Isola Bella by 135 steps from Via Nazionale 113; the lower cable-car station is about ten minutes away. The islet was named by German photographer Wilhelm von Gloeden, gifted to Taormina by Ferdinand I in 1806, acquired by Trevelyan in 1890 and later redeveloped with rooms and a pool by Messina citrus magnates in 1954. It became a nature reserve after an auction in the 1980s.

The marine area around Isola Bella contains coral, sponges, starfish and the Grotta Azzurra. Blue Sea Diving runs snorkelling and scuba trips from Mazzarò. Boatmen Carmello and Luciana, usually at Lido Mazzarò on 348 0344312, arrange coastal trips, and Lido La Pigna rents SUPs and kayaks.

Alcantara, Castelmola and northern Etna

A car unlocks the rural side of Taormina. Parking is generally easy and free outside the busiest towns, except at Gole dell'Alcantara. The Circumetnea railway stops at Randazzo, Passopisciaro, Solicchiata and Linguaglossa on its 114km circuit, and Interbus links Taormina and Randazzo for €5 in about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Castelmola above Taormina

Castelmola is 2.5km north of Taormina and takes 50 minutes to 1.5 hours on foot depending on heat and stops. The Sentiero dei Saraceni begins on Via dei Saraceni, while the more scenic line climbs past Castello Saraceno, Via Madonna della Rocca, Via Leonardo da Vinci and Via Cuculunazzo. From Piazza Sant'Antonio, black lava and white limestone paving frame views from the Strait of Messina to Syracuse. Caffè San Giorgio, founded by monks in 1700 and closed Sunday, is associated with the 1907 almond wine created by Don Vincenzo Blandano. Chiesa di San Nicolò di Bari dates from 1934 on the site of a 16th-century church, and Bar Turrisi is the nearby place for an almond-wine glass and a very playful symbol of abundance.

Gole dell'Alcantara

The Alcantara river cuts through a 25m-high gorge about 20km inland. A lava flow met water and fractured into unusually regular basalt prisms, producing the canyon's geometric walls. Gole Alcantara Parco Botanico e Geologico charges €11/9 and offers guided body rafting, canyoning and wading in rubber waders; it closes in winter. The municipal entrance, signposted 100m farther north on the SS185, costs €2 for adults and is free for children. Parking opposite costs €1 per hour or €3 for half a day, and 224 shaded steps lead to the river. Bring protective water shoes or buy a pair at the roadside kiosk.

• ✦Alcantara in Scena stages open-air Dante's Inferno and other classics at 8.30pm and 10pm Thursday to Sunday from July to early September; tickets are listed at ctbox.it.
• ✦Etna Quad offers two-person quad rides from May to October through hazelnut groves, vineyards, black lava tracks and old flows; see etnaquad.it.
• ✦Sicily Adventure runs mountain-bike trips from Castiglione di Sicilia to Giardini-Naxos; see sicily-adventure.it.
• ✦Gurne dell'Alcantara, 5km north of the main park, has quieter gorges, pools and waterfalls.

Randazzo and Etna wine villages

The road from Taormina to Randazzo crosses Castiglione di Sicilia and vineyards bordered by black lava-stone walls. Around Solicchiata, Cave Ox is a grassroots wine cellar and pizza bar. In Randazzo, the old quarters of Santa Maria, San Nicola and San Martino preserve Latin, Greek and Lombard identities that lasted into the 16th century. Pasticceria Santo Musumeci makes fig, prickly pear, fig-hazelnut, and toasted almond, lemon and chocolate gelato. santomusumeci.it lists hours from 8am to midnight Wednesday to Monday.

Messina, the Strait and Savoca

Messina sits at the northern end of the Ionian Coast on a sickle-shaped harbour facing mainland Italy. The 1908 earthquake destroyed much of its historic fabric, but the rebuilt city has wide boulevards, parks and belle époque buildings. It was an independent maritime republic between 1674 and 1678 and remains Sicily's main arrival point for ferries and hydrofoils from the mainland and for boats to the Aeolians.

Messina's cathedral and museum

Messina's train station is five minutes from the port, and the centre is walkable if you accept the stairs. The electric tram runs nearly 8km along the coast; a ticket costs €1.50 or €2 when bought on board. At noon, the cathedral bell tower and astronomical clock perform a 12-minute sequence of mechanical figures to Schubert's Ave Maria. The MuMe Museo Interdisciplinare Regionale costs €8/4 and displays Caravaggio, a Roman warship ram, Antonello da Messina's San Gregorio polyptych and the original Neptune. Tramline 28 from Piazza Cairoli reaches the museum and doubles as a street-art route.

• ✦Irrera 1910 on Piazza Cairoli serves coffee granita with cream and brioche from 8am to 8.30pm.
• ✦Pasticceria Ragusa makes cannoli and lemon and strawberry cake, open 9am to 8.30pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 2pm plus 4pm to 8.45pm Sunday.
• ✦Osteria del Campanile, behind the Duomo, serves Friday stocco alla ghiotta, dried cod with olives, capers and tomato, 11am to 4pm and 7pm to 11pm.
• ✦Marina del Nettuno offers contemporary Sicilian seafood at the yacht club from 6.30pm to 1am Tuesday to Sunday.

A 5km seafaring walk and the far northeast

From the port, visit Chiesa di Santa Maria Alemanna, the 12th-century Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata dei Catalani and the rebuilt Norman Duomo with original striped marble, tracery and Catalan Gothic portal. Fontana di Orione stands on Piazza del Duomo, Fontana Falconieri is on Piazza Basicò, and the art-covered Salinata d'Arte rises towards Santuario di Santa Maria di Montalto. Continue to Tempio di Cristo Re for harbour views, then descend through Villa Mazzini to Fontana del Nettuno and Via della Libertà. The complete walk is about 5km and two hours.

Shuttle 100, run by ATM, connects Messina with Torre Faro in about 40 minutes. At Punta del Faro, also called Capo Peloro, the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas meet about 3km from mainland Italy. Horcynus Orca Lido (horcynusorcalido.it) has golden sand, loungers, food and views of the Strait. Lago di Ganzirri is a protected salt lagoon where mussel farmers supply the local restaurants. Trattoria La Sirena di Mancuso is known for impepata di cozze, while La Cambusa Ai 2 Laghi serves piscistoccu a ghiotta with tomato, capers and pine nuts. Mortelle is the popular beach for a post-lunch siesta.

Savoca is a hilltop village above Santa Teresa di Riva, with medieval lanes, olive trees and stone cottages. Bar Vitelli on Piazza Fossia is associated with Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film and serves lemon-Zibibbo granita with sesame biscuits; from its terrace, Chiesa di Santa Lucia is visible. The ruins of a medieval synagogue and castle remain, while the catacombs under Convento dei Cappuccini contain 17th- and 18th-century mummies and accept donations. Nearby routes include the 15.2km, five- to six-hour Sentiero dei Due Mari, the 70km Dorsale dei Peloritani and trails in Riserva Naturale Fiumedinisi e Monte Scuderi.

Hiking and hillside food

The Sentiero dei Due Mari is a 15.2km circular walk on Monte Dinnammare, taking five to six hours and giving views towards both the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. Dorsale dei Peloritani follows the ridge for 70km. Riserva Naturale Fiumedinisi e Monte Scuderi has trails through chestnut forests and yellow-rock gorges carved by the Santissima river. Experienced trekkers can use the 13km route in Valle degli Eremiti to reach Monte Poverello at 1279m. Around Savoca, Agriturismo Donna Giosina serves farm bread, macaroni and local meat with variable hours; Sikania has pizza on a sea-facing terrace from 11.30am to 3pm and 7pm to midnight; Pipispezzi cooks traditional food with panoramic views from noon to 3pm and 7pm to 11pm Wednesday to Sunday, and 7pm to 11pm Monday and Tuesday; and Ristorante Pizzeria del Parco dal 2021 serves home cooking on lava stone from 7.30pm to midnight Thursday to Tuesday.

Syracuse and Ortygia

Syracuse was founded by Corinthian colonists on Ortygia in 734 BCE and became larger than Athens and Corinth in its ancient heyday. The city pairs Greek and Roman archaeology with citrus gardens, honey-coloured lanes and water-facing piazzas. Ortygia is the most atmospheric base, while the mainland holds the archaeological park, catacombs, museums and the modern Santuario Madonna delle Lacrime.

Arriving and planning Syracuse

From Catania, the train costs €8.80 and takes about 75 minutes. Interbus-Etna Trasporti from Terminal Borsellino Ovest takes about 1.5 hours for €6.20 single or €9.60 return. From Syracuse station, minibus 1 takes around ten minutes to Ortygia, or walk for about 20 minutes. Minibus 2 from Molo Sant'Antonio reaches the Neapolis archaeological park. Siracusa Tour Bike rents bikes and organises guided rides; boats cost about €20 per hour per person at the stands by Ponte Umbertino. For classical theatre, reserve through INDA or TicketOne well ahead. The performances are in Italian, generally from mid-May to early July, and the on-site ticket office opens 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

The Ortygia perimeter

A complete walk around Ortygia's perimeter takes less than an hour without long stops. Start at Forte San Giovannello for mainland views, follow Lungomare di Levante to Forte Vigliena for a rocky swim, and continue to Castello Maniace at the southern tip. The fortress was built for Frederick II and charges €9/4.50 including the temporary exhibition. Walk up the western shore to Fontana Aretusa, where papyrus grows in the spring associated with the myth of Arethusa and Alpheus, then finish on the pedestrian jetty for sunset.

The warm-stone Ortygia stroll

For a shorter one-hour walk of about 1.5km, start at Ponte Umbertino and finish on Via della Giudecca. Cross to Tempio di Apollo, follow Corso Matteotti to Fontana di Diana and continue to Piazza Minerva. Syracuse's cathedral was built over the 5th-century BCE Temple of Athena; entering the Duomo costs €2. Opposite, Palazzo Arcivescovile holds the Biblioteca Alagoniana with rare 13th-century manuscripts. Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badia has a blue majolica floor and a former nuns' parlour. On Piazza del Duomo, Gran Caffè del Duomo is the place for almond milk or a spritz. Five minutes south, Galleria Regionale di Palazzo Bellomo contains Byzantine to 19th-century art, including Antonello da Messina's 1474 Annunciation. End with a puppet performance at Teatro dei Pupi and its small museum.

Neapolis and the Greek Theatre

The 16,000-seat Teatro Greco was cut into the hillside in the 5th century BCE and rebuilt two centuries later. The surrounding Parco Archeologico della Neapolis costs €16.50 for adults and is free for children; the combined ticket with Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi is €18. Buy online if possible, scan the map QR at the entrance and choose one of the 45- to 90-minute circuits. Closed shoes are important because paths are dusty, gravelly and uneven. The park includes Latomia del Paradiso, a limestone quarry where 7000 prisoners from the war between Syracuse and Athens were held in 413 BCE, and the 23m-high, 65m-deep Orecchio di Dionisio with remarkable acoustics.

The 3rd-century BCE Ara di Gerone II could accommodate the sacrifice of up to 450 oxen. The 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre is second in size in Italy only to Verona's. End at Museo Archeologico Paolo Orsi, where adult admission is €10 and children enter free, or combine it with the park for €18. Ancient Greek drama still takes place in the theatre, but the most sought-after tickets can sell out months in advance.

Ortygia food, market and swimming

• ✦Antico Mercato opens every morning except Sunday along Via Emanuele Benedictis, Via Trento and Via Raffaele Lanza. Fratelli Burgio (fratelliburgio.com) serves charcuterie and wine, while Caseificio Borderi prepares large panini and shucks oysters to order.
• ✦Divino Mare serves artichokes, oysters and Sicilian cured-meat and cheese boards from noon to 3pm and 6pm to 11.30pm Monday to Saturday.
• ✦A Putia delle Cose Buone offers creative home-style seafood and vegetable dishes from noon to 11pm Wednesday to Monday.
• ✦Cortile Santo Spirito offers plant-based, seafood and meat tasting menus in a 17th-century palazzo, while Don Camillo is a refined Slow Food address.
• ✦Solarium Forte Vigliena has metal steps into deep water, Spiaggia Diane nel Forte adds a seasonal platform, and Cala Rossa is a small sandy crescent that fills quickly.
• ✦Solarium Zefiro below Fontana Aretusa has loungers, parasols, music, drinks and a sunset lounge; zefirosolarium.it. Solarium Zen is a private lido and late-night bar north of Ortygia; instagram.com/zensiracusa.

Jewish Ortygia, catacombs and evening music

The Jewish quarter around Via della Maestranza and Via della Giudecca preserves traces of a community that lived in Ortygia from the 1st century until the Spanish expulsion of 1492. Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista was a synagogue and still has a Hebrew inscription. At Alla Giudecca, a guided tour costing €5 descends 20m to a 6th-century mikveh with three immersion pools; two private pools were reserved for rabbis. Chiesa di San Filippo Apostolo offers another subterranean mikveh 18m below street level, with admission by donation.

Basilica di San Giovanni contains Sicily's largest catacombs, carved into limestone around the body of St Marcian, Syracuse's first bishop, who died in 254 CE. Guided visits to Catacomba di San Giovanni cost €10/7. Basilica Santuario di Santa Lucia al Sepolcro has further early-Christian chambers and the column associated with Lucia's martyrdom in 304 CE; its guided visit is also €10/7. In August, the five-day Ortigia Sound festival brings electronic music, boat parties and Italian and international artists to the island, Foro Siracusano and the Zen lido. Sunset drinks include negronis aboard La Barca, the terrace at Mi Ka Tù on Via Castello Maniace, Sunset's quieter deck and Ortigia Mare Escursioni for aperitivo in barca.

• ✦I Cannoli del Re sells a cannolo in a cone from 10am to 11pm, with shorter winter hours.
• ✦Gran Caffè del Duomo serves granita and people-watching from 8am to 10pm Tuesday to Sunday.
• ✦Gelateria Voglia Matta makes flavours such as cheesecake, ricotta-pear and cassata; it is open 8am until late and closed Thursday from October to April.
• ✦Crema & Cioccolato in new-town Syracuse serves hazelnut and pistachio gelato from 10.30am until 8.30 or 9pm.
• ✦Ebano (ebanostore.com), Fish House Art (fishhouseart.it), Bacò (baco-ortigia.it), Serto (sertogioielli.it) and Pasticceria Artale (pasticceriaartale.it) cover recycled-leather goods, sea-inspired glass and metal, silver and bronze jewellery, designer pieces and giuggiulena sesame nougat with Avola almonds.

Beaches and the Plemmirio reserve

South of Syracuse, Area Marina Protetta del Plemmirio protects rocky coastline and sea life 10km from the city. The Sentiero della Maddalena runs about 10km from Punta Castelluccio to Capo Murro di Porco. Plemmirio information covers coves and trails, while Lido Varco 23 adds loungers, grass, a bar and restaurant. Ortigia Diving lists a single dive with equipment at €65 and explores caves with barracuda, bream and amberjack. Other beaches include Lido Arenella, Playa Ognina, the rock terrace of Capo Ognina and the large Spiaggia Fontane Bianche, 18km south.

Pista Ciclabile Rossana Maiorca follows a former railway line that separated Syracuse from the sea from 1871 until 1998. The route passes cliffs, caves, a ruined tuna fishery, Greek quarries and Second World War bunkers. Ride to Targia and visit Azienda Agricola Pupillo (cantinepupillo.it) before 11am for the 11am or 6pm tour. Admission is €10/5, or €15/35 with cheese or a meal, and includes three wines and the historic baglio where Muscat grapes were pressed. Vista Mare, La Cappanina da Gino, Jonico and Malafemmena cover drinks and seafood along the coast.

Pantalica, Palazzolo Acreide and Buccheri

Necropoli di Pantalica, above Valle dell'Anapo, contains more than 5000 Bronze and Iron Age tombs cut into limestone. The plateau dates from the 13th to the 8th century BCE, and a 13km footpath follows an abandoned railway from the entrance 5km south of Sortino. A guide is useful; Pantalica Experience is listed at 338 475 2390and [email protected]. Wear proper shoes and bring swimming gear for the Anapo river. Sortino's speciality pizzolo is a folded, filled pizza-style bread that may contain cheese, oregano and pepper or, as a dessert, ricotta and local honey.

Palazzolo Acreide is 40km inland and grew around Akrai, Syracuse's first inland colony, founded in 664 BCE. The Area Archeologica di Akrai costs €5.50/2.75 and is a 20-minute uphill walk from Piazza del Popolo. Its 3rd-century BCE Greek theatre seated 600, while nearby latomie became Christian burial chambers. Spring flowers cover the remains of an Aphrodite temple and a sanctuary to Cybele. Buccheri, 50km west of Syracuse on Monte Lauro at 986m, is surrounded by prized Tonda Iblea olive groves. MedFest fills the village in the third week of August. Vernèra won gold at the 2023 NYIOOC for its organic Le Case di Lavinia oil, bottled in hand-painted ceramics.

• ✦Buccheri specialities include funciddi mushroom-shaped biscuits with almonds and hazelnuts, krocos saffron liqueur, pani cu pipi bread with tomato extract, garlic and chilli, and favi liezzi broad-bean soup. Da Antonio serves beneath olive trees 7km north of Buccheri from 7pm to 1am Wednesday to Monday, Macelleria Russo Rosario in Buscemi sells cheeses and salumi from 7.30am to 1.15pm and 4.30pm to 8.15pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 1pm Sunday, U Locale cooks local specialities from 12.30pm to 2.30pm and 8.30pm to 10.30pm Wednesday to Monday, and Lo Zafferaneto combines saffron, farm tours and cooking classes with variable hours.
• ✦Palazzolo Acreide food stops include Pasticceria Caprice, open 7am to 11pm or midnight, Trattoria del Gallo for rooster ragù from noon to 11.30pm Sunday and 5pm to midnight on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Scrigno dei Sapori from 12.30pm to 3pm and 7.30pm to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday, and Al Punto Giusto from noon to 3pm and 6pm to midnight Thursday to Tuesday.

Noto and the Val di Noto

Noto is a late-baroque city rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake. Rosario Gagliardi designed many of its most exuberant buildings, and Corso Vittorio Emanuele glows honey-gold in the late afternoon. The centre is easy to walk but full of staircases and sloping stone streets. From Syracuse, the SS115 takes about 45 minutes. Porta Reale is the most convenient parking area, and the bus station southeast of the centre has Interbus services to Catania airport in about 80 minutes.

Noto's viewpoints, festival and cafe life

A €10 combined ticket for the main sights is sold at Palazzo Ducezio. Tourist maps are available from Pro Loco at Via Vincenzo Gioberti 13 and Infopoint Noto at Corso Vittorio Emanuele 135. Chiesa di San Carlo Borromeo charges €2.50 to climb its bell tower, with summer access until 10pm in July and August. The narrow return stair has 81 steps and a rope. Below, Caffè Sicilia at number 125 is the city's social drawing room for iced cappuccino, toasted-almond espresso, aperitivo and mulberry granita with cream. Infiorata di Noto takes place on the third weekend of May: Via Corrado Nicolaci becomes a 700 sq m carpet of petals, alongside concerts, parades and tastings.

• ✦Anche Gli Angeli combines book browsing, aperitivo, late drinks and live music in a former church from 8am to 1am.
• ✦Secret offers cathedral-dome views, stone-step seating and a hidden courtyard from 7pm to 2am Wednesday to Monday.
• ✦Enoteca Val di Noto pours around 180 wines from the valley, with tapas and courtyard tables from 5pm to 1am Wednesday to Monday.
• ✦Caffè Costanzo is a Caffè Sicilia rival for coffee, gelato, torrone and cassata, open 7.30am to 11pm Thursday to Tuesday.
• ✦Sant'Agatha is a fashion concept store in a restored, deconsecrated early-18th-century church; santagatha.com.

Noto almonds and the baroque walk

Noto almonds are listed in the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Fascionello and Romana varieties are especially aromatic. Trees are pruned in September, blossom in March and are beaten with long canes in July and August. In Avola, 9km north, Museo della Mandorla di Avola charges €2 and explains local cultivation and tasting; the Pizzuta variety is particularly prized. Start the 2km Noto walk at Porta Reale and finish at the Scalinata on Via Fratelli Bandiera. Along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, see Basilica del Santissimo Salvatore, Chiesa di Santa Chiara, Basilica Cattedrale di San Nicolò, Palazzo Ducezio, Chiesa di San Domenico, Palazzo Castelluccio, Sabadi's bean-to-bar chocolate and Sant'Agatha.

• ✦Panificio Maidda sells sfincione and scaccia from 8.30am to 8pm Monday to Saturday.
• ✦Trattoria Giufà serves rabbit cooked in red wine and squid meatballs with sultanas and almonds, 7pm to 10.30pm Friday to Monday.
• ✦Il Libertyno is a bistro-bar on Via Rocco Pirri, open 12.30pm to 2am.
• ✦Dammuso offers swordfish in an orange and other elaborate dishes in a cave-like room; reservations are essential, 7pm to 11pm.

Noto Antica, Cavagrande and the beaches

Noto Antica is 10km north, about 25 minutes by car or e-bike on the SP64. The Sicels settled Monte Alveria, the site became the last Muslim stronghold conquered by the Normans in 1091, and about 12,000 people lived there when the earthquake struck on 11 January 1693. Walk from Porta della Montagna to the bastion, Norman-Aragonese castle and remains of the hospital, church and Jesuit college. At Piazza Maggiore, signs point to Greek fortifications, a gymnasium and shrines.

Cavagrande del Cassibile is a 2700-hectare reserve with waterfalls and cold emerald pools. Avoid the poorly maintained Scala Cruci and use Sentiero della Carrubella from the car park on the SP4. The circular route drops 180m over about 6km, reaching the riverbed in roughly 20 minutes before following limestone cliffs to the uruvi pools. Wear sturdy shoes and carry ample water, food, a hat and sunscreen. Other beaches include Lido di Noto and Spiaggia della Pizzuta, both 8km south, Spiaggia Avola with a ruined tonnara 12km north, Oasi del Gelsomineto 15km north, Lido Playa Carratois near the southern tip and the beaches of Fontane Bianche farther north.

Farm cooking around Noto

• ✦Ra 'Za Gina Cavagrande is a rustic trattoria and pizzeria beneath olive trees for hikers.
• ✦Trattoria Eva e Zio Pippo cooks on the owners' farm and family home, with gnocchi, rabbit and pesto-laced pasta; the listing gives 1pm to 10pm and facebook.com/EvaZioPippo.
• ✦Agriturismo Leone offers zero-kilometre lunches of cheese, wine, olives and figs at a fourth-generation organic farm-winery near Noto Antica and also has rooms; agriturismo-leone.it.
• ✦Ristorante Basaricò uses produce from its farm and Nero d'Avola from its vineyard at a location 15 minutes north of Noto.

Wine, Vendicari and the southern coast

The Strada del Val di Noto maps wineries, olive farms, cellars and restaurants. Moscato di Noto, Passito, Nero d'Avola, Syrah and Moscato Bianco are the main bottles to look for. Strada del Val di Noto advises booking vineyard visits and tastings. Tenuta Palmeri in Avola, Cantina Rudinì south of Marzamemi, Terre di Noto, Feudo Maccari and Planeta Buonivini all offer different combinations of tours, food, oil and wine. Manna Noto is a dining option in an 18th-century palmento at Baglio Siciliamo, with dishes such as octopus and chickpea puree or saffron gnocchi with four cheeses and almonds.

Riserva Naturale di Vendicari protects 8km of coast. Use the Vendicari entrance off the Noto-Pachino SP19, pay €5 cash for field parking, buy admission 200m farther and scan the QR code for the trail map. Adult/child/family admission is €3.50/1.50/7. A boardwalk reaches Spiaggia di Vendicari in about 20 minutes; allow about an hour for the 4km walk to Spiaggia di Calamosche, where swimming and snorkelling are good. Pantani salt lagoons attract curlews, marsh sandpipers, spoonbills, herons, terns and flamingos during spring and autumn migration. Observation posts and QR codes cover 57 nesting species among 241 recorded species. Torre Vendicari, Dalla Terra Bistrot, Agriturismo Il Baglietto and Le Zagare di Vendicari provide food around the reserve.

Marzamemi, Portopalo and Isola delle Correnti

Marzamemi is 23km south of Noto and grew around an Arab-founded tonnara from 1000 CE. The village is known for seafood, gelato, small shops and Piazza Regina Margherita. Its centre closes to motor vehicles in July, August and busy shoulder-season weekends; use signed field car parks. The village appeared in the 1993 film Sud. Don Peppinù serves pistachio, cassata, ricotta and caramelised-fig gelato from 10am to midnight May to September. M'Appititta sells arancini, pane e panelle and fried fish to take away, La Conchiglietta is a 1950s seafood trattoria, and Liccamùciula is a bistro and concept store on the main square.

Drive 15 minutes to Portopalo di Capo Passero, once the site of Sicily's largest tuna fishery. A 16th-century fortress anchors Isola Capo Passero and can be reached on foot at low tide. Continue along the SP8 to Isola delle Correnti, the southernmost point of Sicily and Italy, where the Ionian and Mediterranean meet and strong currents make the water move dramatically. From the shore, reaching the island involves a short wade through waist-high water. Vendicari information and parking are available at riserva-vendicari.it.

Ragusa, Modica and Scicli

The Val di Noto's baroque towns are linked by the 1693 earthquake and by food rooted in wheat, carob, pork, almonds, olive oil and chocolate. Ragusa Superiore sits on a plateau above Ragusa Ibla, Modica climbs a gorge in two levels, and Scicli turns its palazzi into a cinematic outdoor set. The area is about an hour across by car from Noto to the southern tip, but the roads reward short stops rather than a monument race.

Ragusa's two levels

Ragusa Superiore and Ragusa Ibla are connected by about 300 steps. Walk down from the upper town and use the AST city bus from Giardino Ibleo to Via Zama to avoid the climb back; the fare is €1.20. A taxi is listed at €15/19 by day/night. The bus from Ragusa to Catania takes about two hours and costs €8.60. Highlights on the descent include Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista, Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Scale, Chiesa delle Santissime Anime del Purgatorio, Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Itria, Duomo di San Giorgio and Giardino Ibleo. Antico Mercato costs €6 and recreates 19th-century rural work, including a forge, cart-maker's shop, puppet theatre and cafe. FestiWall murals remain visible in the upper town; Bitume Platform maps them and visitragusa.it provides local information. Beyond Ragusa, AST buses connect Modica in 30 minutes, Noto in 1.5 to 1.75 hours and Catania in about 2.25 hours. At Marina di Ragusa, Rasi Rent hires bicycles, e-bikes, electric stand-up scooters and 125cc scooters.

• ✦Panificio Giummarra is known for focaccia and scaccia, 7.15am to 2pm and 5.30pm to 8pm Monday to Saturday.
• ✦Caffè Italia serves coffee and pastries from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday.
• ✦Tipico offers pecorino tortelli with saffron-infused Ragusano cream, while Scale del Gusto serves cheese fondue and fish with almond soup.
• ✦Cantunera serves arancini and craft beer beside Giardino Ibleo; Gelati DiVini makes wine-flavoured gelato; I Banchi is an all-day bakery, deli and restaurant.
• ✦Locanda Don Serafino is set in rocky caves and combines local produce with creative cooking.

Modica's gorge and chocolate

Modica is 15km southeast of Ragusa and rises through Modica Alta and Modica Bassa. Duomo di San Giorgio sits at the top of a three-tier staircase and has a bell tower with lower-town views. Chiesa Rupestre di San Nicolò Inferiore is a 12th-century cave church with Byzantine frescoes; admission is €2.50/1 and it closes at 2pm Saturday. Sicilian baroque grew from the blank canvas left by the earthquake, combining Spanish baroque with cherubs, masks and local stone. Eight Val di Noto towns, including Ragusa, Modica and Scicli, share UNESCO World Heritage status.

Modica chocolate is mixed with sugar and spices at low temperature, so the finished bar stays grainy rather than melting smooth. Museo del Cioccolato charges €3. Don Cioccolato (doncioccolato.it) lists around 150 flavours, including chilli, salt, cinnamon, wine, gin, tobacco and fruit. Antica Dolceria Bonajuto has made chocolate since 1880; its mpanatigghi combine chocolate, spices and minced beef in a sweet biscuit. Caffè Adamo (adamocaffe.it) makes chocolate gelato and milk-free gluten-free cremolata from ingredients such as Agrigento pistachios and Noto almonds.

Cava d'Ispica is a 13km gorge between Modica and Ispica, used for Neolithic burials from about 2000 BCE, early Christian tombs and medieval homes. The archaeological park (cavallodispica.it) costs €5/2.50 and includes catacombs, a restored 18th-century watermill and a small museum. South of Modica, beaches include Marina di Modica, Spiaggia di Sampieri, Spiaggia di Santa Maria del Focallo, Punta Cirica or Cozzo Ciriga and Spiaggia di Ciriga. Enoteca Rappa, Bar Sabadì, Ornato and Accursio cover Modica's evening wine and dining range.

Scicli and the coast

Scicli is 45 minutes from Ragusa and is part of the UNESCO baroque landscape. Several palazzi on Via Penna were used as locations for the television drama Inspector Montalbano: Antica Farmacia at number 24 and Palazzo del Municipio at number 2 are the most recognisable, and guided visits explain the filming locations. On the coast, Spiaggia di Ponente lies beside the fishing hamlet of Donnalucata and its morning fish market. Punta Secca, another 20-minute drive west, is a swimming stop.

On the last Saturday in May, Festa della Madonna delle Milizie di Scicli stages a period re-enactment of the legendary battle between Normans and Arabs, with the Madonna appearing on horseback. The event inspires the town's testa di turco cream puff. March's Festa di San Giuseppe commemorates the Flight into Egypt with horse processions and handwoven floral mantles. Gelateria Nivera, My Name is Tanino, Baqqala and La Grotta cover gelato, fried dough, Sicilian tapas, pizza and food on a shaded baroque terrace.