Is Sicily part of Italy?
Yes it is and only a train or ferry journey from Messina, in the far south of the mainland, taking about 30 minutes.
Alternatively, you can fly from Rome or Naples into Palermo or Catania airports.
Is it different from Italy?
In our opinion, yes. Completely.
Palermo the capital has some outstanding sites, a fabulous fish market, a mighty opera house and lots of narrow pedestrian streets.
Highlights for us
Architecture
The architecture is a feature throughout Palermo itself with buildings dating back hundreds of years.
We did a self-guided walk which took us to magnificent sites.
There is a Hop on Hop off bus or horse and buggy rides if you prefer to be taken.
A day trip to Agrigento is a must. The ruins date back to the 6th century BC.
Another self-guided walking tour for us.
Fresh Food Markets
The best place to mix among the locals in an atmosphere oozing delicious smells, loud shouting, colourful market stalls and bright music is the Mercato di Ballaro.
This market is not limited to fresh food fish and meat but it also has variety stalls with lots of colours.
We were fortunate enough to be there on a Sunday and the atmosphere was amazing.
Once the shopping was done many of the locals go to their local & catch up with mates.
There is always music in the air creating fabulous vibes.
One downer
It is hard to ignore the rubbish lying around in piles on some of the streets.
It detracts from the appeal.
It is also totally unnecessary as there is a very strong emphasis on recycling and rubbish collection.
Anyway.
That was how we found it - for you, it may be different
Catania
Catania also has beautiful architecture among ruins and ancient buildings.
There is an incredible Roman amphitheatre which has been excavated from under houses, dating back to 2nd century AD.
Again there is a fresh food market and lots of locals out and about.
The atmosphere is brilliant.
We used Catania as a base to do a jeep tour to Mt Etna - an excellent day trip with some uphill hiking but worth it.
Etna had been erupting only the week before, so we were grateful to be able to get there
Other towns of interest are Syracuse & Ortygia.
They are excellent bases for further day trips
Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to explore further in Sicily.
So much more to see and discover.
Well worth considering for your next trip to Italy.
