Seven Days in Sicily: A Lavish Week of Lemon Trees, Lava, and Late-Night Limoncello

by Christopher O'Keeffe May 23, 2025

There are places you visit, and there are places you surrender to. Sicily is the latter. It does not offer itself gently. It seduces, ensnares, and whispers in a dozen dialects, each one seasoned with saffron and sun. A week here is not enough. It never is. But it’s enough to fall in love, and for Sicily, that is always the point.

Day One: Palermo – Where the Opera Never Stops

You land in Palermo, jet-lagged but instantly awakened by the city's chaotic charisma. Palermo doesn’t ease you in. It grabs your hand and pulls you into its drama. Stay at Palazzo Sovrana, a baroque boutique marvel with rooms that feel like you’ve checked into Sicilian royalty’s guest wing.

The first stop is Mercato di Capo, a thrum of shouting vendors, sizzling pans, and herbs piled like tiny green forests. Try arancini the size of tennis balls, sfincione (a spongy, tomato-slathered cousin of pizza), and if you're bold, pane con la milza—spleen sandwich, beloved by locals and feared by cardiologists.

Palermo is a layered lasagna of cultures, best witnessed in the Palatine Chapel. Byzantine mosaics shimmer under Norman arches beside Arab-style muqarnas ceilings. Every inch is a conversation between empires.

Dinner? Book a table at Osteria dei Vespri, where every forkful feels like an homage to Sicilian heritage dressed in modern flair. Then drift to the Teatro Massimo, Europe’s third-largest opera house, and let Verdi or Puccini sweep you off your feet. Can’t get a ticket? No matter. A spritz outside under the stars is performance enough.

Day Two: Cefalù – Salt on the Skin, Faith in the Sky

Morning light and espresso propel you east to Cefalù, a coastal treasure where sun-bleached beauty meets medieval spirit. It’s just over an hour by car or train, but centuries away in mood.

Check into a room at Hotel La Plumeria, footsteps from the beach and a stone’s throw from the glorious Cefalù Cathedral. Commissioned by Roger II (who had great taste and possibly a direct line to God), it boasts awe-inspiring mosaics and towers that stab at the sky.

If you’ve got legs, climb La Rocca. It’s a short but steep hike up a rocky cliff that delivers biblical views of the Tyrrhenian Sea, rooftops below, and perhaps a falcon or two wheeling overhead.

Swim in the calm, crystalline waters. Linger on the sand, gelato dripping down your wrist. Eavesdrop on pensioners arguing over politics and pasta.

Dinner at Il Normanno is a love song to the sea. Think swordfish drizzled with lemon, grilled vegetables kissed by fire, and a local white wine that tastes like sunshine distilled.

Day Three: Agrigento – Greece, Reimagined

Drive three hours south to Agrigento, a town that manages to house one of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures without seeming to notice.

The Valley of the Temples is not a valley, but it is utterly divine. You walk among ancient Greek ruins with the wind as your guide and the faint aroma of wild thyme brushing your senses. The Temple of Concordia, glowing amber at sunset, is the showstopper.

Check into Villa Athena, the only hotel inside the archaeological park. Rooms overlook ruins—yes, really. Have a pre-dinner cocktail on your balcony. Pretend you're the reincarnation of Cicero.

Dinner at Trattoria dei Templi means melt-in-the-mouth lamb, tangy caponata, and red wine deep enough to dive into. Fall asleep to the sound of crickets—and history humming beneath your feet.

Day Four: Syracuse & Ortigia – Baroque by the Sea

Head east to Syracuse, specifically Ortigia, its ancient heart wrapped in water and mystery. Stay at Charme Hotel Henry’s House, a riot of charm perched above the sea.

Begin at the Duomo di Siracusa, a cathedral built into the bones of a Greek temple. Look closely—the ancient Doric columns are still visible in the walls.

Lunch is mandatory at Caseificio Borderi. Sandwiches here are constructed like Renaissance altarpieces: provola, sun-dried tomatoes, pistachios, fennel flowers. Expect your eyes to roll back.

Spend your afternoon meandering Ortigia’s seawalls, exploring its alleyways, or simply staring at a fisherman tying knots.

Evening unfolds in Piazza Duomo, as the sky turns lavender. Dine at Don Camillo, where every dish whispers of tradition and elegance. Try the tuna carpaccio and save room for the semifreddo.

Day Five: Mount Etna – Wine Among the Clouds

The day begins with a pilgrimage to Mount Etna, a volcanic deity still very much alive. Take a jeep tour—no sandals, please—and explore its ashen craters, black lava flows, and steam vents hissing with volcanic sass.

Then reward your bravery with wine. Etna’s volcanic soil grows grapes that birth wines of bold elegance. Visit Benanti or Planeta for lunch among the vines. Dishes like wild fennel risotto and roasted rabbit pair beautifully with minerally Carricante whites and smoky Nerello Mascalese reds.

Stay at Monaci delle Terre Nere, a romantic hideaway on the mountain’s lower slopes. It’s an eco-luxury estate where every detail—from the fireplace to the fig trees—is crafted with passion. Dinner here is from the land, for the soul.

Day Six: Taormina – The Divine and the Decadent

Drive to Taormina, Sicily’s glamorous siren. Set high above the sea, it’s where ancient theatre meets haute couture.

The Teatro Greco is an open-air stage where the view upstages the actors: Etna to the left, Ionian Sea straight ahead. Sit in the stands. Breathe. Cry if you must.

Wander Corso Umberto, a shopping street with centuries of flair. Pop into boutiques, taste olive oils, buy linen you’ll never wear outside Sicily but will treasure forever.

Lunch at Bam Bar is a rite: granita and brioche. Almond or mulberry? Why choose?

Check into Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, which wears its beauty with the grace of Sophia Loren. Gardens overlook eternity. The staff anticipates your desires before you know them.

Dinner at Otto Geleng (also in the hotel) is a Michelin-starred love letter to Sicilian produce. Each course is a poem. Dessert is a standing ovation.

Day Seven: Noto and the Baroque Finale

On your final day, make your way south to Noto, a honey-hued baroque jewel rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake with such theatrical flair you’d swear Bernini was on the town council.

Walk Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where every balcony, cornice, and stone curve is a love affair in architecture. Visit the Cathedral of Noto, then treat yourself at Caffè Sicilia—almond granita, cannoli with ricotta, and a coffee strong enough to raise Julius Caesar.

If time allows, swing by Modica (for baroque hills and Aztec-style chocolate) or Ragusa Ibla, a hilltop beauty where church bells mark the hours like a metronome in a dream.

Your final meal? Something simple. Something Sicilian. And one last glass of grappa to toast this mad, majestic island.

Final Notes for the Aspiring Sicilian Weekender:

• Rent a car. Manual, of course. Sicily doesn’t take kindly to timidity or automatic transmissions.

• Dine late. Restaurants don’t warm up until 8. Your appetite must adapt.

• Speak with your hands. It helps. Even if you don’t know Italian.

• Don’t rush. Sicily has no patience for those who tick boxes. She rewards those who linger, taste, and surrender.

A week in Sicily isn’t long. But it’s enough to lose your heart—and if you’re lucky, to find something of yourself scattered among the lemons, ruins, and songs of the south.

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