You could come to Sicily just for its stellar beaches. No one would blame you. Sparkling coastlines lifted straight from the Caribbean colour chart aren’t to be trifled with. And Sicily’s la dolce vita certainly lends itself to a fortnight of sun-blush tomatoes, al dente carbs and a barrel of wine. There’s just one problem: The island’s practically bulging at the seams with things to do. And we’re not talking a couple of cobbled streets and some mildly interesting architecture here. No, you’re looking at cities stuffed with artefacts from every civilisation that chose to swing by. Greek, Roman, Spanish, Arab and Norman colonies all had a crack at Sicily, leaving behind one of the largest archaeological sites in the world. So that deserves a day trip. Then there’s Sicily’s quirks to contend with. A set of catacombs housing 5,000 mummified bodies is the kind of curio you just can’t help but peek at. There’s more dark tourism – necropolis, tombs and ghost towns. Which is all rather distracting on an island with an active volcano you can ski down. So by all means drop in to taste the citrus fruits, olives and unique grape varietals, just add in a few extra days – or weeks to see Sicily’s best bits.
