From its splendid baroque cities to the clifftop scenes — as immortalised by photographer Slim Aarons — and the largely unexplored time-warp areas beyond its sun-bleached coastline, Sicily is alluringly diverse in its landscape.
Centuries of invasion from various civilisations have bestowed the island with a mosaic-like cultural identity — you’ll find couscous and sweet puddings introduced by the Arabs, Norman architecture interwoven with Moorish domes, and cold-pressed chocolate pinched by the Spanish from the Aztecs.
It’s no wonder this enigmatic destination has such enduring magnetism for sun-seekers. Though come high summer everything is blonde and scorched. The sea sparkles, restaurants thrum and markets come alive in the morning, but a hasty retreat is required as the temperatures soar. It’s hot. Exceedingly hot. The historical capital Syracuse sits at the same latitude as Tunis, and in 2021 broke Europe’s temperature records at 48.8C. So, for a more comfortable temperature, book for a late spring or autumn jaunt instead. The slightly cooler climate will be perfect for cultural adventures.
How to plan the perfect Sicily holiday for late Spring
Spring is when locals book their weddings, as the island is ablaze with mimosa and orange blossom. And for visitors, the pleasant temperatures allow ample time to cover its compact form before a long lunch, followed by the Sicilian siesta tradition, poolside or in the shade of a citrus orchard. Bliss.
Rossella Beaugié, Sicilian and the co-founder of highly curated villa rental company, The Thinking Traveller, urges guests to not overlook this time of year for its “long days, vibrant landscapes and hiking opportunities.
“Spring brings out the best in the island’s myriad trekking and strolling routes. For avid walkers, majestic volcanoes like Mount Etna and Stromboli (on the Aeolian Islands) provide thrilling trails with breathtaking views,” she adds.
“If you prefer something more leisurely, wander through vineyards, explore ancient Greek temples such as Selinunte and Segesta, or meander through the lush valleys of Pantalica.”
And while nature shows off, the milder weather makes for easy ambling through some of Sicily’s greatest cultural sites — whether that’s Taormina’s Greek amphitheatre, Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples (Unesco World Heritage Greek temples) or Palermo’s Norman Palace.
Beaugié also shouts out this time of year for its seasonal delicacies such as frittella, made with fresh peas, fava beans, mint and artichokes, martorana (marzipan sweets shaped like fruits and lambs) or the typical cassata, a cake made of fresh ricotta, marzipan and candied fruit.
Gourmands can look forward to tuna and swordfish dishes (when both meaty fish are in peak condition), as well as fresh fruit and vegetables such as artichokes, strawberries, asparagus and apricots.
Traditional Sicilian dishes are doused in edible spring flowers and sauces, and puddings comprise fresh orchard bounty.
For a homespun lunch (albeit elevated), family-run restaurants such as Casa Diodoros (located within the Valley of the Temples park) and Hotel Signum’s restaurant on Salina draw in the seasonal vegetables and fish for wildly delicious, drawn-out sitting.
For the best of the island’s accommodation for spring, try Adler Spa Resort (from £192 per night) for its extensive gardens, thermal spas (for cooler days) and its accessibility to the fiercely protected Torre Salsa — an unsullied beach and nature reserve. Meanwhile, Hotel Signum Salena ( (from £153 per night) is situated on the greenest Aeolian island, Salina, and offers glorious views of fellow islands from its privileged cliffside perch.
For something extra special, Belmond outpost Villa Sant’Andrea (from £532 per night) boasts an elegant, old-world feel with its own beach and rooms that blink over the bay. While the hotel offers transfers into Taormina, its pretty gardens, terrace and pool are a peaceful retreat from the crowds.
How to plan the perfect Sicily holiday for Autumn
You’ll rarely find a Sicilian leaving the island in Autumn – it’s arguably at its most glorious. Deliciously mild afternoons replace the insufferable summer heat, keeping cultural jaunts pleasurable and al fresco lunches obligatory. It’s harvest season, particularly for wineries, olive and citrus farms with the accompanying flamboyant festivals that hark back centuries.
Read more: 10 short-haul holidays for Autumn sun
The countryside switches from dry and crispy to soft, golden fields with clear blue skies. And crucially, hotels are considerably cheaper and restaurants less of a bum fight. If you’re not chained to school holidays with children, go in September to early October.
It’s a great time to visit Etna for its vineyards such as Donnafugata, Planeta Sciaranuova and small-but-mighty ones like Al-Cantàra. The Etna wine scene is undergoing something of a revolution. Where wine making families would traditionally locate themselves in Palermo, Rome or Milan, keeping a few trusted souls to oversee operations on site, they’re slowly moving back to Etna, along with plucky smaller wine growers after a lifestyle change and Etna’s fertile, volcanic soil. With them comes a sense of community and a creative energy that was hitherto absent. You’ll find this in the new wine bars in Linguaglossa, where Palazzo Previtera is reinvigorating the food scene with ex Ett Hem chef, Elias Kvarning.
Summer has lifted the sea’s temperature, so by Autumn, you’re wallowing in bath warm water, gliding over to little islets or plunging into the water from rocky promontories.
Those visiting the Temples of Agrigento can wiggle down to Torre Salsa (a natural reserve under the WWF), where the countryside rolls on to meet a blonde sandy beach and surreal blue waters. Scopello in Trapani is perhaps the most iconic, with the rose-pink house overlooking a typically Sicilian sunbathing spot (an enormous slab of creamy stone) that’s lapped by mottled shallows.
There’s Lungomare di Cefalù, a golden sand exhale for the sweating Palermitani (it’s an easy train ride from Palermo), then there are the islands whose beaches are more sun-doused perches hewn into the rocks, such as Blue Marino on the Aegadian island of Favignana or Isola dei Conigli on Lampedusa.
Laura Pelligrino of Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea in Taormina urges travellers to think beyond simply summer for a stay, “with less wind, the sea can be much calmer than summer months and days at Lido Villeggiatura can be long and immensely enjoyable. It’s also dinner-with-a-light-jacket season on our outdoor terrace at Ristorante Sant’Andrea and it’s generally easier to get tables in the top restaurants in Taormina than it is in summer.”
Autumn brings with it an abundance of festivals. There’s San Vito Lo Capo’s infamous Couscous Festival in late September, which is a celebration of the region’s diverse culinary traditions, bringing in chefs from all over the world to put their spin on the local dish (a legacy of the Arab conquest). Then there’s Etna’s Ottobrata Zafferanese in Zafferana Etnea (every Sunday in October) which, along with a programme full of music, talks and tastings showcases the region’s harvest – just-plucked fruit, organic honey, mushrooms the size of your head, chestnuts cooked in a multitude of ways, and wines from Etna’s vineyards.
Pistachio lovers should time their trip for the end of September and first week of October where the world capital of the seeds, Bronte, puts on a flamboyant Pisatchio Festival. As well as scoffing them sprinkled on ice cream, worked into pasta sauces, arancici, cakes and various spreads, local artists exhibit their work in lava-stone galleries, and well-known DJs and musicians perform after sunset.
At this time of year stay at Dimora Delle Balze (From £371 per night), a reimagined 18th century masseria occupying a ridge in the Val di Noto and a series of mottled limestone courtyards. It has turreted towers and rooms gently dressed in earthy tones and linen. The hotel’s own organic bounty is used in its restaurant, including the Sicilian breakfasts (pistachio cakes, home-baked muesli, orchard jams), and its perfectly placed for visiting the South East Baroque towns in Autumn.
Villa Igiea, Rocco Forte (from £1,053 per night) is a magnificent, turreted sandstone hotel with a deliciously warm pool, an iconic terrace to linger on with negronis, and gardens to wander through with views of the bay. And Palazzo Previtera is an affordable (from £102 per night), flamboyantly frozen-in-time palazzo in the Etna town of Linguaglossa. It has an artists, home-spun sensibility to it, with rambling gardens, an easy-going guest house spirit and a new restaurant helmed by ex Ett Hem chef, Elias Kvarning.
