West and Central Sicily - ancient ruins, salt roads and hill towns

A route between three coasts and the interior

This is the part of Sicily where the road can be as memorable as the stop. The west combines Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Norman traces with salt pans, Marsala wine and the sea lanes of the Egadi archipelago. The southern Mediterranean coast brings Agrigento's ancient Akragas, pale cliffs and long beaches. North of Palermo, Cefalù joins a golden beach to an Arab-Norman cathedral, while the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains turn the journey inland. Central Sicily is a quieter country of wheat fields, high villages, Roman mosaics and ceramic workshops.

• ✦For a three-day western loop, walk Trapani, ride up to Erice, take the Salt Road and finish with Segesta or Selinunte.
• ✦For a beach and archaeology route, pair Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples with Scala dei Turchi, Torre Salsa and Sciacca.
• ✦For a northern coast journey, combine Cefalù with one Madonie road trip and continue east to Capo d'Orlando or Milazzo.
• ✦For the interior, start early at Villa Romana del Casale, continue to Morgantina and Aidone, then sleep in Enna or Caltagirone rather than returning to the coast.

Western Sicily: Trapani, salt and Greek ruins

Trapani occupies a sickle-shaped strip of land beside a busy port. Its history is tied to coral, tuna and the maritime network that once reached from Carthage to Venice. South of the town, salt is still harvested from shimmering pans. Ferries leave for Pantelleria, while hydrofoils reach the Egadi Islands and their pebble beaches, rocky coves and protected marine waters. The Egadi Marine Protected Area is the largest marine reserve in Europe, and the islands joined Italy in 1937.

Trapani on foot and by local transport

Trapani's historic centre is compact enough to walk. Pedestrian Via Garibaldi, the old fish-market square, the cathedral and the seafront walls make a natural first circuit. For longer coastal outings, Trapani Rent and Rent Wow Rent list regular bicycles and e-bikes at €10/15 per day. The AST bus to Trapani-Birgi Vincenzo Florio Airport takes 35 minutes and costs €4.90; Salemi buses connect the town with Palermo Airport in 1 hour 45 minutes for €11. Do not confuse the Fast Ferry Terminal, used by Liberty Lines hydrofoils, with Stazione Marittima, where ferries to Naples, Pantelleria and the Egadi Islands dock.

Coral, Baroque and the Misteri

Coral carving in Trapani dates to 1416, when fishermen found offshore reefs near Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo. At Gioielleria Rossocorallo di Rosadea Fiorenza, the family workshop at Via Osorio 36 explains the local craft and the 17th-century Trapani method called retroincastro, which embeds coral in reverse. The Museo Nazionale Pepoli charges €7/3.50 and displays coral chalices, reliquaries and nativity scenes made between the 16th and 18th centuries.

A 1.8km, two-hour Baroque walk can start at Cattedrale di San Lorenzo on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and finish on Via Garibaldi. Along the way, Chiesa dei Gesuiti, the peach-stone Palazzo Senatorio, Piazza Ex Mercato del Pesce, the remaining 13th-century Mura di Tramontana and Villa Margherita show how Spanish-period architecture shaped the town. Save time for Antica Pasticceria Colicchia, a cake shop dating from 1885, and the city's local speciality: couscous alla trapanese, served with a separate broth of seafood, garlic, chilli, tomato, saffron, parsley and wine. Busiate alla trapanese pairs coiled pasta with tomato, basil, garlic and almond pesto.

During the week before Easter, Trapani's four-day Processione dei Misteri fills the old town with life-sized wooden scenes of the Passion. The 20 guilds carry the groups at shoulder height, accompanied by a band, and the Good Friday procession continues through the night, ending at Chiesa Anime Sante del Purgatorio on Saturday afternoon. The statues remain on display in the church year round; admission is free. Reserve accommodation well in advance for Easter.

• ✦La Bettolaccia: a Slow Food address for local cooking, 1-3pm and 8-11pm Monday-Friday, 8-11pm Saturday, €€.
• ✦Caupona Taverna di Sicilia: couscous opposite Chiesa Anime Sante del Purgatorio, 1-2.15pm and 8-11.30pm Wednesday-Monday, €€.
• ✦Al Solito Posto: busiate with swordfish and eggplant, local tuna in May and June, and cannoli, 1-3pm and 8-11pm Monday-Saturday, €€.
• ✦Tentazioni di Gusto: creative seafood and a gluten-free menu, 12.30-3pm and 7.30-11.30pm, €€.
• ✦Moai Sunset: cocktails, seafood and DJs on the city wall above Spiaggia della Mura di Tramontana.

The Via del Sal from Trapani to Mozia

The Via del Sal follows a 30km route one way through two wetland reserves and a landscape of windmills, channels and salt pools. The Riserva Naturale Saline di Trapani e Paceco protects 1000 hectares. Between July and September the pans can turn pink, while salt workers produce fior di sal, cristalli di sal and Sale Marino di Trapani IGP. Guided visits are free but should be booked at least one week ahead from the visitor centre inside the windmill. At Museo del Sale, a 17th-century baglio and former mill explain the Phoenician-era salt tradition.

Further south, Marsala's Riserva Naturale Isole dello Stagnone protects the salt pans around Isola Lunga and San Pantaleo. The 16th-century windmill at Saline Ettore e Infersa has a multimedia route; from mid-June to mid-September, boats reach the old salt works on Isola Lunga, and between May and August visitors can try salt work for half a day. Mozia Line crosses from the Mamma Caura quay to Isola di San Pantaleo for €5. The island's Museo Whitaker charges €10/6 and displays Phoenician finds collected by Joseph Whitaker.

Erice, Segesta and the Gulf of Castellammare

On a clear day, the Funivia Erice rises from Trapani to the medieval village on Mount Eryx at 751m. The online adult and child return fare is €11/4. Inside the walls, polished stone lanes lead to the Norman Castello di Venere, while Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico is the essential stop for cakes and coffee. The shop-cafe stays open until 1.30am from July to September. Wear shoes with grip on the smooth paving.

The Parco Archeologico di Segesta is a half-hour drive from Trapani. Admission is €12/7, and the park's Doric temple keeps all 36 columns. The Greek theatre sits on Monte Bàrbaro, 1.25km from the ticket office, or a €1.50 shuttle ride. Allow at least half a day. The Segesta Teatro Festival runs in July and August; tickets are listed at €25/10 and the programme includes classical music, contemporary dance, piano, poetry and stargazing.

The Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro protects a rugged coastline between Scopello and San Vito Lo Capo. Admission is €5/3. The Sentier Costiero covers 7km in about two hours between the southern and northern entrances, with Cala Marinella a good snorkelling stop. From October to May, it is possible to reserve a night in one of the old stone huts, which have no electricity, heating, drinking water or beds. At Scopello, La Tonnara di Scopello offers guided visits at €25/20, including access to its small beach. The protected Spiaggia dei Faraglioni charges €15 in summer; Spiaggia di Guidaloca has lidos at €15 for a parasol and two loungers.

Marsala, Gibellina and Lo Stagnone

Marsala grew from the Phoenician Lilybaeum and took its present name from the Arab Marsa Allah, Port of God. From Trapani, AST buses take 1.5 hours and cost €3.40; Salemi buses take 30 minutes from Trapani-Birgi Airport for €2.50, or two hours from Palermo for €9.60. A car is the practical choice for the wine estates and Gibellina. The Museo del Vino di Marsala in Palazzo Fici charges €5/1.50. Book cellar visits ahead: Cantine Florio offers a 1.5-hour tour for €25-35, with four wines and hors d'oeuvres.

At Lo Stagnone, shallow flat water makes kitesurfing and wing foiling approachable. The activity season runs from March to October. ProKite Alby Rondina lists a two-hour kitesurf lesson at €150 and a wing lesson at €154, while a two-hour SUP rental is €20. Forty minutes inland, the white cement maze of Cretto di Burri maps the streets of Gibellina, destroyed in the 1968 earthquake. Visit Nuova Gibellina afterwards to understand the displacement created by the move to a new town.

Selinunte: a 270-hectare Greek landscape

The Parco Archeologico di Selinunte spreads across 270 hectares above the sea. Greek settlers founded Selinos in 628 BCE, and the city grew to more than 100,000 inhabitants before Carthage destroyed it in 409 BCE. Temple E is the best-preserved showpiece; Temple C keeps 14 of its original 17 columns, while the Sanctuary of Malophoros preserves altars and thousands of votive offerings. The park's 2022 excavations also revealed the ancient agora and new finds.

Your own wheels are the realistic way to reach the site. From the main entrance, a complete walk is at least 5km and about four hours, so carry water, sun protection and even an umbrella for shade. CoopCulture lists admission at €10 for adults and free for children. Electric golf carts reduce the walking. After the ruins, swim at Lido di Zabbar from Marinella di Selinunte, or eat at Lido Zabbara, open 9am-11pm April-October, or at La Pineta, which serves grilled seafood from April to September.

Favignana and the other Egadi Islands

Favignana is the largest Egadi island, shaped like a butterfly and built around clear water, bicycle lanes, tufa quarries and tuna. Liberty Lines hydrofoils take 30-40 minutes from Trapani for €14.50 and 30 minutes from Marsala for €13.30. Buy tickets at least one day ahead. If hydrofoils are full in Trapani, Siremar sells a slower foot-passenger crossing for €16 and takes 1 hour 15 minutes. Bicycles are the easiest way around the narrow lanes and gravel tracks; shops take an afternoon pause, closing at 1pm and reopening around 4 or 5pm, and from November to March the island largely shuts down.

Favignana's Ex-Stabilimento Florio, formerly known as the Tonnare di Favignana e Formica, was built from local tufa in 1859 and operated until 1977. Admission is €10/5. The former cannery preserves boats, cooking rooms and the hand-filling tables; its history includes the tuna industry and the mattanza. Palazzo Flavio costs €5 for adults and is free for children, or €12 with the cannery. At the island's fort, Castello di Santa Caterina sits at 287m and takes about an hour on foot from the port.

A 12km cycling loop connects Cala San Nicola, Scalo Cavallo, Cala Rossa, Cala Beu Marino and Lido Burrone. At Cala San Nicola, the seasonal food truck serves granita and SUP or canoe rental is €8-10 per hour. Cala Beu Marino is the place for pane cunzato from Tunafish Favignana, open 9am-8pm May-October. Giardino dell'Impossibile is a 3km bike ride from the port, with 500 plant species growing in quarry tunnels and courtyards 25m deep; admission is €15/12 and the guided visit lasts 1.5 hours from April to October.

The Mediterranean coast: Agrigento and Sciacca

The southern coast stretches for about 150km from Gela to beyond Sciacca. Agrigento's Valley of the Temples dominates the route, but the surrounding landscape adds pale cliffs, golden beaches, wetlands, pine forests and hill towns. West of Agrigento, the development thins out around Scala dei Turchi, Siculiana Marina, Torre Salsa and Eraclea Minoa. Sciacca brings a medieval port, ceramics, seafood and a Carnival that fills the streets in February or March.

Agrigento old town and the Valley of the Temples

Agrigento's historic centre is a web of staircases around pedestrian Via Atenea. TUA bus 1 leaves from Piazzale Rosselli every half hour, costs €1.20 or €1.70 on board, and takes 10 minutes to the archaeological museum and 20 minutes to the Valley's Porta V entrance. Bus 2 and 2/ reach the Tempio di Giunone entrance in about 10 minutes; parking there costs €2 per hour. In the old town, Cattedrale di San Gerlando charges €4 for adults and is free for children, or €6/free with the towers and Museo Diocesano. The cathedral's Torre dell'Orologio is reached through a small door beside the main altar and requires 83 steps.

The Parco Archeologico Valle dei Templi occupies 13 sq km. Allow at least three hours for the 5km walk and refill water at the tap near the Giunone entrance. Admission is €15/9, €19.80/11.40 with the archaeological museum, or €21/14 with Giardino della Kolymbetra. The eastern route passes Tempio di Giunone and the intact Tempio della Concordia, then continues through Tempio di Ercole, the fallen mass of Tempio di Zeus Olympios, the Sanctuary of Chthonic deities and Giardino dei Sensi. Museo Archeologico admission is €9/4.50, or €19.80/11.40 with the Valley.

The Giardino della Kolymbetra costs €7/2. It is a shaded cleft of olive, citrus, fig and almond trees, with rare old varieties and ancient Greek hypogea. A small-group hypogea visit lasts one hour and costs €10/7. For a seasonal highlight, the Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore brings almond blossom, folk music, parades and dance to Agrigento in late February and early March. In July, late temple openings and the Festa di San Calogero bring the old town to life.

Cliffs, beaches and Favara

Scala dei Turchi is fenced off and cannot be climbed or entered for safety and environmental reasons. From the SP68 viewpoint or the beach, the white formation is still striking. Parking Scala dei Turchi costs €6 for up to four hours or €10 for a day; a three-wheeled Ape shuttle costs €1 to Lido Scala dei Turchi. For a legal white-rock walk, the rough track to Riserva Naturale di Punta Bianca takes about 45 minutes east by car, and Tendù Punta Bianca offers glamping near the wild beach.

Within 45 minutes of Agrigento, Spiaggia di San Leone is the closest gold-sand beach, Lido Rossello sits below white cliffs, Spiaggia di Siculiana Marina is backed by pine forest, and Torre di Gaffe is a windy strip popular with kitesurfers. Eight kilometres east, Favara's Farm Cultural Park turns a formerly abandoned quarter into an art district. The outdoor lanes around Cortile Bentivegna are free; the Yard Lab exhibition space charges €9 for adults and is free for children.

Sciacca, Caltabellotta and Torre Salsa

Sciacca is a walkable fishing port descending towards the sea through ceramic-lined lanes. Lumia buses take 1.5 hours to Agrigento and 2 hours 15 minutes to Trapani; buy tickets at L'Antico Chiosco near Piazza Friscia. The Museo Diffuso dei 5 Sensi organises pottery throwing, ceramic painting and artisan workshops. Sciacca's SciacCarnevale runs between February and March, opening with carnival king Peppe Nappa receiving the city keys; the Museo del Carnevale is free.

The town's 2.5km, 1.5-hour arts walk can start at Piazza Duomo and finish on Via Giuseppe Licata. It passes the ceramic terrace at Punta Panoramica, Scalinata a Zig Zag, Piazza Consiglio, Scala di Sciacca, Piazza Angelo Scandaliato, Palazzo Steripinto, Chiesa di San Michele and Castello Luna, where adult and child admission is €3/2. Ten minutes from Sciacca, Castello Incantato charges €5 for adults and is free for children; its open-air paths are filled with thousands of carved stone heads. Caltabellotta rises to 949m above sea level, and family-run M.A.T.E.S serves panelle, caponata, fried ricotta, roast meats and cannoli from 12.30-3pm and 7.30-10pm Monday-Saturday, plus 12.30-3pm Sunday.

The Riserva Naturale Torre Salsa protects more than 760 hectares of sand, dunes, chalk cliffs, wetlands and turquoise water; admission is free. The long access road is rough, but the reward is an empty beach, horseback riding, snorkelling over anemones and Posidonia meadows, and the chance to see Caretta caretta turtles. The Pantano entrance is reached from the SS115 via the second Montallegro-Torre Salsa exit. Bring your own mask, snorkel and fins.

The Tyrrhenian Coast: Cefalù and the Madonie

Between Palermo and Milazzo, the Tyrrhenian coast alternates busy summer resorts with green mountain country. Cefalù has one of Sicily's most useful combinations: a major Arab-Norman monument, a long gold beach and a walkable old town. Inland, the Madonie and Nebrodi parks bring forests, shepherd food, wild mushrooms, manna, mountain villages and views of the Aeolian Islands. August is crowded on the coast, while April, September and October are more comfortable for walking.

Cefalù arrival and the old town

Frequent trains connect Cefalù with Palermo for €7.10 in 50 minutes and with Milazzo from €14.30 in 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Parcheggio Lungomare charges €5/9/12/22 for 2/5/12/24 hours, with cheaper weekday prices; in July and August, reserve online through Cefalù Beach Parking. The old town is walkable. For longer excursions, Scooter for Rent Sicily rents bicycles, scooters and quads near the old port.

La Rocca rises 240m above town. The 1.5km zig-zag climb from Corso Ruggero takes 45 minutes to a couple of hours depending on pace and costs €5/2.50. Begin early: the summer midday heat is punishing. The route passes three levels of walls and the ruins of the 4th-century BCE Tempio di Diana before reaching the Norman castle remains and broad coastal views.

At Duomo di Cefalù, entry to the cathedral is free, while the ticket for the treasures is €13/10; the tower, rooftop and mosaics only are €10/8. The Byzantine Christ Pantocrator in the apse is the visual centre, and the ticket also reaches the towers, treasury and cloister garden. In August, the roof terrace and towers normally open on Saturday nights from 9pm to midnight. On 5 August, candles illuminate the cathedral for the Festa di San Salvatore.

• ✦Tinchité: a taverna e putìa with local produce, a box terrace and a menu built around regional stories, noon-11pm, €.
• ✦Bastione & Costanza: Slow Food pizza and Sicilian cooking, noon-3pm and 7pm-midnight Wednesday-Sunday, €€.
• ✦Le Chat Noir: Slow Food and cellar tastings, 12.30-2pm and 7-10pm Thursday-Tuesday, €€.
• ✦Cortile Pepe: modern Sicilian cooking either indoors or beneath garden foliage, 12.30-2.30pm and 7.30-11pm Friday-Sunday, 7.30-11pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, €€€.
• ✦Locanda del Marinaio: sea urchins, clams and stuffed swordfish served from a terrace facing the water, noon-2.30pm and 7-11pm Wednesday-Sunday, €€.

Beach time and the Madonie road

Spiaggia di Cefalù is the main gold-sand beach; from May to October, a lounger and parasol set costs €15 on weekdays or €20 at weekends. Spiaggia del Porto Vecchio is smaller and swimming is not allowed. For rocks, pools and snorkelling, follow the coast to Capo Cefalù. Eclipse Cefalù rents electric and step-powered SUP boards at €15 per hour, while Visit Sicily Tours lists three-hour boat trips at €40/20 from May to September. Lido Pura Vida has lifeguards, kayaks and SUP boards.

The Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie covers about 400 sq km and rises to 1979m at Pizzo Carbonara. Trails are often poorly marked, so use a vehicle and a certified guide. A 110km Cefalù-to-Collesano road trip can include Gibilmanna, Castelbuono, Petralia Soprana, Polizzi Generosa and Collesano. Pizzo Carbonara is a 6km, three-hour ascent from Piano Battaglia; the Pizzo Caterineci loop takes five hours and needs a guide; Vallone Madonna degli Angeli is an 8km, 2.5-hour route. Madonie Explorers offers naturalist walks, and Sicilian Experience adds cheesemaking, cooking and donkey treks.

Capo d'Orlando, Milazzo and the Nebrodi

Capo d'Orlando sits on the SS113 and is easiest to reach by train: €7.90 from Cefalù, €6.50 from Milazzo and €11.40 from Palermo. Late June to September, shuttle buses link the Naso station, seafront and San Gregorio. From the beach, it is a half-hour walk to San Gregorio's small shingle coves and Aeolian views. Villa Piccolo opens for guided tours by advance reservation Monday-Saturday; the gardens, family rooms, photographs, paintings and pet cemetery preserve an eccentric aristocratic world. New Happygo rents bikes, 50cc scooters and four-wheel pedal carts; Sunset Beach Club rents SUP boards.

Milazzo is the main departure point for the Aeolian Islands, but Capo Milazzo is worth a stop. From Piazza Belvedere, a path reaches Piscina di Venere, a shallow rock pool separated from the sea by a ring of stones. The return passes Santuario Rupestre di San Antonio da Padova; the full walk back to town is about 5km and one hour. Castello di Milazzo charges €5/3.50 and has views over the bay and islands. City buses link the station with the hydrofoil terminal in 10 minutes for €1.20; a taxi is about €15, while Giunta buses reach Catania airport in two hours for €15.

The Parco Regionale dei Nebrodi is Sicily's largest forested area. Monte Soro reaches 1847m, while Lago di Biviere attracts herons and stilts. The park shelters beech and oak, with yew, maple, cork, ash and elm, as well as porcupines, San Fratello horses, wildcats and birds of prey. Black pork, mushrooms, hazelnuts, ricotta and mountain cheeses are part of the local food identity. The SS116 climbs from Capo d'Orlando to Floresta at 1275m and descends towards Randazzo; the SS289 links Sant'Agata di Militello with Cesarò.

Central Sicily: Enna, mosaics and ceramics

Central Sicily is the island's quiet navel: rolling wheat fields, valleys, hilltop villages and the remains of several civilisations. Enna is Italy's highest provincial capital. Piazza Armerina provides the base for Villa Romana del Casale, while Morgantina and Aidone make a powerful Greek and archaeological pairing. Caltagirone turns local clay into an everyday art, and the road east through Grammichele, Vizzini and the smaller villages is part of the appeal.

Enna: high views and a medieval heart

Enna Alta sits on a rocky ridge above the interior. Use the free spaces beside the castle on Via Lombardia's east end. SAIS Autolinee buses run to Caltagirone for €5.40 and 1.5 hours, to Lago di Pergusa for €3.50 and 25 minutes, and to Catania for €8 and 1.5 hours. Wear sturdy shoes: the town's polished cobbles and seemingly endless steps can be slippery. Check current castle hours at the local Pro Loco kiosk.

Castello di Lombardia and Torre di Federico II each charge €3/1.50 for adults and children. The Museo del Mito charges €3/1.50, or €5/2.50 with the castle. The 27m Torre di Federico II stands in pine-shaded gardens at Via Flora 17. Rocca di Cerere, once the setting for a temple to Demeter, is reached by a footpath and steep steps when restoration work permits; Museo del Mito uses 3D goggles and an interactive display to explain the myth. Holy Week culminates on Good Friday with about 2500 hooded people from 16 brotherhoods, while the Festa di Maria Santissima della Visitazione takes place on 2 July with La Nave d'Oro and fireworks.

• ✦Umbriaco: seasonal organic arancini, 5.30-11pm Tuesday-Sunday, €.
• ✦Tavola Calda Pavone: pizza pepata and quick traditional lunches, noon-2.30pm and 6-11pm Tuesday-Sunday, €.
• ✦La Rustica: caponata, bluefish meatballs and family recipes, 1-3pm and 8-10.30pm Monday-Saturday, €.
• ✦Bistrò Paradiso: evening meals in a flower-filled garden, 7.30-11.30pm, €€.
• ✦Al Kenisa and Sorseggio: a chapel cafe-bar and a late bar with city views, useful after a passeggiata through Enna Alta.

Villa Romana del Casale and Piazza Armerina

The Villa Romana del Casale contains about 3500 sq m of mosaics in a late Roman country estate. Allow time for the baths, the Little Hunt, the 64m Great Hunt corridor, the room of the bikini-clad athletes, the triclinium, the basilica and the children's apartments. The cumulative ticket covering the villa, Morgantina and Aidone's archaeological museum is €21/10.50. The site opens daily from 9am to sunset, with late closing to 11.30pm in July and August. From April to October, SADA shuttles from Piazza Armerina cost €1.50 single or €2.50 return.

Piazza Armerina is two towns in one: a 10th-century Saracen settlement on Colle Armerino and a later 15th-century expansion. On Piazza Duomo, the 1719 cathedral and the belvedere make a good starting point. Palazzo Trigona charges €7/3.50 and houses an interactive archaeological museum. At Morgantina, 16km northeast, the two-storey agora, 1000-seat theatre and paved main street reveal the Greek city. The archaeological site and Museo Archeologico di Aidone each charge €7/3.50. Aidone's Dea di Morgantina dates to 500 BCE and returned to Italy from the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2011.

Caltagirone: the city of ceramics

Caltagirone has worked local clay for more than 1000 years. Arab settlers introduced glazed polychrome decoration in the 10th century, especially strong yellow and blue colours. The 142-step Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte links the lower town with the upper church; every riser carries a different pattern inspired by the 10th to 20th centuries. On 24-25 July, 4000 oil lamps cover the staircase for San Giacomo. Santa Maria del Ponte repeats the illumination on 14-15 August, while flowers fill the steps on May's third Sunday and June's first Sunday for the Festa della Madonna di Conadomini.

Look beyond the steps to Cattedrale di San Giuliano, Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi, Casa Polozzi, Casa Saleri and the Giardino Pubblico. The Museo Diocesano charges €5/3 and the Museo della Ceramica charges €5/2.50. Ceramiche Azzaro e Romano offers a half-day workshop for €65/60; firing and shipping a finished piece four weeks later costs €25. Traditional studios include Giacomo Alessi, Ceramiche Artistiche Iudici, Ceramiche Verus, Ceramiche Artistiche Di Martino and Sil.va Ceramica.

The villages beyond Caltagirone

A car opens the smaller roads south and east of Caltagirone. Grammichele was rebuilt as a hexagon after the 1693 earthquake; its September Sagra della Salsiccia celebrates hand-cut pork sausage with chilli. Vizzini has a quieter majolica staircase at Salita Lucio Marineo, the Museo dell'Immaginario Verghiano and the abandoned leather-tanning village of Cunziria 1km away. The monumental cemetery outside Caltagirone adds 170 Art Nouveau arches along four avenues of tombs.

When to go and what to carry

Summer is hot on the coast and in the archaeological parks, while spring and autumn are better for long walks and mountain roads. The west brings spring flowers, the salt harvest from May to August, pink pans in July-September, Marsala's grape harvest in September and cooler mountain air when the beaches are crowded. On the Mediterranean coast, late February and early March bring Agrigento's almond blossom, July brings late temple openings, and October brings mushrooms and harvest colour in the Madonie. November to March is quiet and many island or coastal businesses close.

• ✦Take sturdy shoes for La Rocca, Zingaro, Selinunte, the hill towns and polished medieval paving.
• ✦Carry water and sun protection in every large archaeological park; shade is limited and routes can exceed 5km.
• ✦Keep a light layer for mountain evenings and a swimsuit for the coves, beaches and post-ruin sea dips.
• ✦Carry an identity document for bike or scooter rental on Favignana, and reserve cave, ferry, cellar and festival tickets before arrival.
• ✦For the interior, allow more time than the map suggests and keep one flexible day for weather, road works or a village detour.