Sicily 14-day itinerary at a glance
Days 1-3: Palermo (Ballarò, Cappella Palatina, Monreale) | Days 4-5: Segesta + Selinunte + Agrigento Valley of Temples | Days 6-7: Ragusa Ibla + Modica + Noto Baroque | Days 8-9: Siracusa + Ortigia island | Days 10-11: Etna + Taormina | Days 12-13: Cefalù + Aeolian Islands or Marsala | Day 14: Return Palermo
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Days 1-5: Arab-Norman Palermo to the Valley of Temples
Day 1-3: Palermo. The Mercato Ballarò (7am-2pm, the Arab-documented 10th-century market) for breakfast, the panelle (fried chickpea fritters, €1), the pani ca meusa (boiled spleen sandwich with ricotta, €3-4), and the sfincione Palermitano (thick Sicilian pizza with caramelised onion, €2/slice). After the market: the Cappella Palatina (the 1143 Norman royal chapel with 6,340 m² of Byzantine gold-ground mosaics and the unique Fatimid muqarnas wooden ceiling. €12. Book at federicosecondo.it). Day 2: the Cathedral of Monreale (27 km south of Palermo, the most complete Norman cathedral in the world, with the largest medieval mosaic program of any church; €4. The walk through the cloister with the 228 carved twin columns is the most specifically Monreale experience). Day 3: the Ballarò and the Vucciria by day. The specific Palermo nighttime street food at the Vucciria from 8pm-midnight. Days 4-5: Day 4: Segesta (the unfinished Doric temple of 420 BC, unfinished because the war with Selinunte interrupted construction. The specific Segesta quality: the columns have never been smoothed, the rough drum surfaces show the ancient Greek process of column preparation. Accessible without entry charge. The theater above the temple gives the most dramatic view of the temple from above; €6). Continue to Selinunte (the most extensively ruined Greek city in Sicily. 7 temple complexes in several states of collapse. The Acropolis temples E and F are re-erected; €6. Open daily 9am-1 hour before sunset). Day 5: Agrigento. The Valle dei Templi (the Valley of Temples, Agrigento. €10. Open daily 9am-7pm. The most concentrated Greek archaeological site outside Greece): the Temple of Concordia (the best-preserved ancient Greek Doric temple in the world outside Greece. 440 BC; 36 columns all standing. Its survival due to conversion to a Christian church in the 6th century AD, which prevented stone-robbing). The Temple of Juno (partially ruined. The altar in front still shows the burn marks from sacrificial fires). And the Temple of Heracles (Ercole, the oldest temple in the valley, 520 BC, only 8 columns re-erected). The specific Agrigento historical context: the city of Akragas at its 5th-century BC peak had 200,000 inhabitants, the second-largest city in the Greek world after Athens and Syracuse. Sicily guide
Days 6-11: Baroque Southeast to Etna and Taormina
Days 6-7: Val di Noto Baroque. Ragusa Ibla (the lower historic city, UNESCO 2002, the Baroque reconstruction after the 1693 earthquake. The Cathedral of San Giorgio by Rosario Gagliardi, 1738-1775. The Giardini Ibleo public gardens at the eastern promontory tip. The palazzo balcony consoles of Via del Mercato). Modica (the 'chocolate capital', the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, established 1880, for the cold-process Modica cioccolato IGP. The Cathedral of San Giorgio Modica, the most dramatically situated Sicilian Baroque church, at the top of 250 steps visible from the valley below). Noto (the most completely Baroque Sicilian city. Via Corrado Nicolaci with the Palazzo Nicolaci monsters-and-sirens balcony consoles. The Cathedral of Noto, rebuilt after the 1996 dome collapse with the original 1694 design. The Noto pasticcerie for the most elaborate Sicilian pastry outside Palermo). Days 8-9: Siracusa. The city of Syracuse was the largest city in the western Mediterranean at its 5th-century BC peak, larger than Athens (200,000+ inhabitants). The Ortigia island historic center (the island connected to the mainland by two bridges, the Arethusa spring, where the mythological nymph Arethusa was transformed. Piazza del Duomo, where the Greek Temple of Athena (480 BC) is entirely enclosed within the 7th-century Christian Cathedral, the Doric columns are visible in the cathedral side walls from inside; €3 entry). The Parco Archeologico della Neapolis (the Greek Theater of Syracuse, 5th century BC, the largest ancient Greek theater still functioning, with 15,000 seats carved from the living rock. The summer season of Greek plays in the original ancient theater runs May-June: tickets from inda.online; €15 archaeological park). Days 10-11: Etna + Taormina. Etna (the highest active volcano in Europe at 3,357 metres, the summit height changes with each eruption. Accessible by the Ferrovia Circumetnea railway around the base, or by cable car from Rifugio Sapienza on the south slope to 2,500m + guided 4WD to 2,900m; €30 cable car return + €60 guided 4WD summit approach. Etna erupts on average once every 3 months). Taormina (the cliff-top resort above the Ionian Sea, the Greek-Roman Theater of Taormina, 2nd century BC-AD, with the Etna visible through the stage arch; €10. The specific Taormina afternoon: arrive after 3pm when the coach tours depart).
Is a car essential for a 14-day Sicily circuit?
Yes, a car is essential for the Sicily round island itinerary. Public transport connects the main cities (Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa, Catania) but doesn't connect the archaeological sites between cities (Selinunte is 14 km from the nearest town. The Valle dei Templi has limited bus service from Agrigento. Segesta is 3 km from the Segesta motorway exit with no regular bus). The specific Sicily driving reality: the Autostrada del Sole (the A29 and A18 motorways) covers the coastal routes efficiently. The interior provincial roads are slower but scenically rewarding. Car rental from Palermo airport: €40-80/day in shoulder season. Book 2+ weeks ahead for May-June or September.
What is the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento?
The Temple of Concordia (Valle dei Templi, Agrigento. €10 combined archaeological park entry. Open daily 9am-7pm) is the best-preserved ancient Greek Doric temple in the world outside Greece: built approximately 440 BC, 36 columns standing (all 34 peripheral columns intact), in the specific warm-honey limestone of the Akragas quarries. Its survival: in the 6th century AD, the Christian bishop of Agrigento Gregorius converted the temple to a church, filling the spaces between the columns with stone walls and cutting arched openings, the religious use prevented the stone-robbing that destroyed every other Greek temple in Sicily. The specific late-afternoon visit: at 5-6pm the Temple of Concordia in the golden afternoon light is the most visually perfect single archaeological site in Italy.
What is the Greek Theater of Siracusa?
The Greek Theater of Syracuse (Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, Siracusa. €15. Open daily 9am-6pm. The summer Greek play season runs May-June with professional INDA productions of ancient plays in the original theater: tickets at inda.online €30-80) is the largest ancient Greek theater still functioning at 15,000 seats carved from the living rock of the Temenite Hill. Built in the 5th century BC and enlarged in the 3rd century BC under Hiero II, it was the theater where Aeschylus himself directed the first performance of The Persians in 472 BC and the Women of Etna in 476 BC. The INDA theatrical season (May-June): the most specific Sicily heritage experience, watching ancient Greek drama in the original ancient theater where the plays were first performed, with Etna visible to the north.
What is the best Sicily food experience on the 14-day route?
Sicily food highlights on the 14-day circuit: Palermo days (Ballarò market panelle + pani ca meusa + sfincione). Agrigento (the specific Agrigento pasta con le sarde, wild fennel and fresh sardines, the most specifically Sicilian pasta. The Sicilian-style caponata with the Belice valley olive oil). Modica (the cold-process Modica chocolate + the impanatigghi, the meat-and-chocolate stuffed pastry, the most surprising Sicilian combination). Siracusa (the Ortigia market seafood, the fresh sea urchin, the Ortigia red prawns, the bottarga di tonno. The arancina at the Bar San Rocco, via del Consiglio Reginale). And Taormina (the granita (Sicilian crushed-ice dessert) di mandorla, the almond granita with fresh brioche, the most specifically Sicilian morning food).
Planning your 14-day Sicily circuit?
Car rental Palermo + Cappella Palatina + Valle dei Templi sunset + INDA Greek plays Siracusa May-June + Etna cable car + Modica cold chocolate.
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What are the Aeolian Islands near Sicily?
The Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands, the volcanic archipelago 25 km north of the Sicilian coast, accessible by hydrofoil from Milazzo port in 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the island. The Milazzo-Stromboli route takes approximately 2h 30min): the 7 islands of the Aeolian archipelago are the most dramatic volcanic landscape in Italy. Stromboli (the permanently active volcano that erupts every 15-20 minutes year-round, the specific Stromboli night excursion to the summit to watch the eruptions at close range is the most viscerally dramatic Italy outdoor experience. Guided night hike €30-40 per person. Mandatory guide from the Stromboli online booking system). Vulcano (the island with the active fumarole mud baths, free public mud bath, €5 entry. The sulphur smell on Vulcano is overwhelming and memorable). And Lipari (the largest and most commercially developed island, with the Museo Regionale Eoliano, the most important collection of Aeolian prehistoric and Greek pottery in the world; €6).
What are the salt pans of Marsala?
The Stagnone di Marsala (the salt pans lagoon north of Marsala, Trapani province, western Sicily. Via Marsala along the SS115 road gives the specific view of the windmills, the salt pan squares, and the Mozia island in the distance. Free exterior view. The Museo delle Saline in the Nubiana salt pan office €2.50): the most specific West Sicilian landscape, the traditional sea salt extraction pans that have been operating since the Phoenician and Carthaginian period (the ancient Phoenicians established the first Sicilian salt pans at this location approximately 700 BC). The specific October-November salt harvest visual: the salt piled in pink-white mounds alongside the pans, the flamingos (the specific Stagnone pink flamingo colony that overwinters here from October to March), and the Saracen windmills (the windmills still used to pump water between the salt pan levels). The Florio Marsala wine (the DOC Marsala wine, the fortified wine invented in 1796 by the British merchant John Woodhouse for export to the British navy. The Florio wine cellars in Marsala offer tours and tastings. The Marsala Superiore Riserva is the most complex version at €15-25 per bottle).
What is the best Sicily agriturismo?
Sicily agriturismo recommendations for the 14-day circuit: the Agriturismo Baglio Occhipinti (Vittoria, Ragusa province, between Modica and Siracusa. The wine estate of natural wine producer Arianna Occhipinti. Rooms €100-150/night with breakfast. The most specifically oenological agriturismo experience in the Val di Noto, with the Nero d'Avola and Frappato vineyards visible from the accommodation). Azienda Agricola Runci Neri (Noto area, citrus, olive, and almond estate with rooms. The most affordable Val di Noto agriturismo with pool; €80-120/night). And the Masseria Ginosa (near Agrigento, the most convenient agriturismo for the Valle dei Templi, with the temple view from the terrace; €100-140/night). The specific Sicily agriturismo timing: book 3-6 months ahead for May-June and September-October. August agriturismo rates in Sicily reach €150-200/night for quality establishments.
