Agreat way to explore Sicily in 10 days is travelling via train.
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, has been at the crossroads of history since records began. It’s a cultural melting pot, a crossroads of culture and it was my home for 10 days in September; a double-digit excursion across one of Italy’s economically poorest provinces, which is conversely rich with culture.
I initially flew into Palermo – a city that exemplifies the island’s character. It’s Sicily’s capital and comparatively wealthy as a result, although there’s no getting away from its grittier side if you venture off the beaten track by a few streets. But for five days this was to be my base of operations, which turned out to be the perfect amount of time to tick off everything I wanted to see and do.
Historical Palermo – tripping over the past
I checked into my hotel on Via Roma in the early afternoon and decided to dump my bags and get my bearings. I headed towards the town’s historical centre and almost immediately started to trip over the past.
The Piazza Pretoria was hiding down a very unpresupposing alleyway – in any other country this would be an itinerary stop-off but there’s simply so much to see in Palermo that it has the feeling of an everyday thoroughfare – albeit a rather beautiful one.
A nearby café supplied a very nice local beer and some food, which saw me through until sunset. Day one was complete.
The sun was out in full strength on my first full day so I headed over to the Cattedrale di Palermo, which is simply wonderful… from the outside. I turned up just as a wedding party was leaving so my foray indoors was slightly delayed. The inside, sadly, didn’t match the majesty of the exterior – it was all a bit subdued by Italian Catholic standards!
Sicilian puppet theatre
Just up the road are the Porta Nuova city gates and some rather nice gardens, where I sat and watched the world go by for a few minutes. After that it was off to the Museo Palazzo Branciforte – a real highlight of my holiday. The building is an inverted blend of styles and ages; at one time a seat of power, at another a repository for the possessions of the poor… and now the home of an archaeological hotchpotch, a library and Giacomo Cuticchio’s Sicilian puppet collection. Oh, and some stamps, coins, prints, paintings, glazed pottery and maps.
The museum also incorporates the Monte di Santa Rosalia, a rare surviving example of wooden architecture from the nineteenth century, which once acted as a store/pawn shop for the town’s impoverished inhabitants. Today, it’s home of a 19th century, and older, puppet theatre collection of jaw-dropping quality. Once used to put on nightly plays – “like a soap opera”, according to my superb guide – it’s a wonderful reminder of a tradition that’s still popular today; the art of puppetry continues across the island.
The puppet theatre of Sicily is one of four traditions of puppetry from around the globe that is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, along with the Japanese Ningyo Johruri Bunraku, Indonesian Wayang and Cambodian Sbek Thom. I bet you didn’t know that.
An encounter with the Medusa
My final cultural treat of the day (after some very tasty street food) was at the Museo Archeologico Regionale “Antonino Salinas”, the home of many of Sicily’s greatest archaeological treasures.
I love an old pot so I was in my element. I also came face-to-face with the Medusa (and lived to tell the tale), various Roman gods and assorted ancient artefacts. It’s a lovely bright and airy space with a green central courtyard. I spent a couple of happy hours trawling through its exhibits.
The next days I went to the seaside – Mondello, to be exact. The bus – line 806 – out to the beach was packed! People were handing their tickets up and down its length to get them validated but no one seemed to mind. The slightly confined 30-minute journey wasn’t the comfiest, but I snagged a seat both ways, which was a relief.
Top tip: get your tickets at a tobacconist’s booth before boarding – it makes life so much easier.
Mediaeval latrines
Day four… off to the station for a train to Cefalu on Sicily’s north coast. The small town of winding streets is a hugely popular tourist destination – the Lavatoio Medievale (mediaeval latrines) where pulling in a crowd during my day trip, as was the Duoma di Cefalu. It looks lovely from the outside but I wasn’t prepared to pay to go in as I’ve seen the inside of lots of Italian churches in my time and as a result I’ve become wholly inured to paintings of the Blessed Virgin.
The highlight of my visit was the ice cream, which was beyond words. So, so good. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said about Museo Mandralisca. It’s home to the painting ‘Portrait of an Unknown Man’ by Renaissance master Antonello da Messina… and a jumbled collection of ‘oddments’. I love an ancient Egyptian shabti – what I don’t want is a display of 20 identical, rather dull blue glazed figurines. Also, the stuffed animals were all very sad and misshapen.
The valley of temples
My last day out from my Palermo base was south on the train to Agrigento for what promised to high point of my Sicily visit – the valley of temples, one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. As the name suggests, there are temples… but these are no ordinary temples.
Unfortunately, I made a mistake – I walked there, via the museum. It was hot, hilly and the museum was very average. Yes, the temples of Hera, Concordia and Apollo more than made up for the climb but I really should have snagged a taxi both ways. I ended my day with very tired legs.
And with that, my time in Palermo was over. The next day I was off to Catania on the train for the second half of my Sicilian adventure.
Under the volcano
Catania is a working port in need of a good scrub. Parts of the town are very run down – the waste collection seems perfunctory to judge by the rubbish in the streets – but there’s still lots to see and enjoy.
My hotel was a 10-minute walk east of Parco Maestranze, which wasn’t the best location, to be honest, although once I’d got my bearings things quickly fell into place. I stumbled across the home of the daily food market during my first afternoon in town – it was lively and shambolic in equal measure, which perfectly summed up Catania. It quickly became clear that the east of the island has its very own character… and volcano, Etna, which dominates the horizon.
Another hill climb
On the seventh day I’d planned to do a little local sightseeing but the weather outlook made me change my plans. I instead jumped on a train north to Taormina, a hill town under Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano. The local train station was at the foot of the town, which sat above a blood great cliff. So… instead of catching a bus I decided to walk/climb up the cliff path. It was a toasty 32 degrees with 80% humidity – by the time I got to the top I was a bit warm!
However, the town was worth the climb. It’s a rambling mix of small streets with tight turns, open squares, history (naturally) and great views. There was also some more great ice cream, which helped cool me down. My descent was by cable car, which is how I should have arrived, obviously. If only I’d been paying attention…
An elephant holding an obelisk
The next day I decided to really explore Catania and my efforts were rewarded. The area around the cathedral is great – bars, food markets and restaurants line the side streets but for me the real highlight was an ancient obelisk being held up by a smiling Roman stone elephant in Piazza del Duomo. The nearby Fontana dell’Amenano is also great fun as were the streets behind, topped with colour umbrellas.
After a spot of lunch, I made my way over to Castle Ursino, a 13th century stone pile that was once the seat of the Sicilian parliament. Today it’s a museum of variable quality. It was a diverting hour but it would be hard to recommend as there’s really not enough on show to make it worth the price of admission. A painting of Ophelia in her madness was good and there were some more mediaeval toilets but it was otherwise not very engaging.
However, the area around the cathedral really comes alive of an evening – there was a real buzz that was helped along by some excellent, if over the top, illuminations. I found some great bars and restaurants, although prices in this part of town were noticeably higher than elsewhere.
The ancient town of Syracuse
Day nine was back on the train – south this time to Syracuse, which is a listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It also appears in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles book at 28:12. Today, it’s a stop off for wealthy yacht owners as they float around the Med. Castello Maniace, which sits at the end of a spit of land, marks the town’s southern border some 10 minutes south of Cathedral of Syracuse, a truly impressive structure that dominate the square in front, La Piazza Duomo.
I had intended to visit Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi but it was hot and I didn’t have the energy for the walk so I instead sat by the entrance to the harbour and dined like a local – it was simple and tasty and the cold beer helped revitalise me for my walk back to the station.
My final day
My last day in Catania was a leisurely amble that took into a free archaeological museum of mixed merit, around some shops on a search for a coffee pot and a couple of beers in the Mosaik Beer House & Tea Room – a truly great place to stop and refresh. The cactus beer was especially good!
And that was it – my 10 days in Sicily were over. I felt satisfied I’d packed enough into my time and although I’d not ventured up Etna I didn’t feel like I’d missed out.
During 2022 I spent almost a month in Italy overall and loved every minute of it. The food, the history, the culture, the art, the people, the trains… what an amazing combination. Italy, I loved every minute and I will be back in 2023.
