my feet don't want to go to sleep

If you fly into Catania, you can travel down past Mt Etna, south to Ortigia and Siracusa or north to Taormina and Messina. There are other options but these are the more popular destinations on the eastside. On this trip I did both starting up in Taormina and making my way south. Messina is famous for the Godfather, Taormina newly acclaimed from White Lotus, while the south east of Sicily is much quieter. The west I heard is even more stunning but let’s stay on the east coast right now.

Taormina

Following the incredible successful work trip to Milan and Venice my manager and I flew to Sicily for some r&r. We had a car service pick us up from the Catania airport and drive us the hour up. Driving and parking is no fun here so let the professionals do it and drink the wine instead.

Stay

Taormina is technically on top of this mountain and has all the restaurants, the views, and the ancient ruins. Don’t stay there, stay down on the water. I booked UNAHOTELS Capotaormina which did not have the best rooms but had the best seaside beach and poolside ocean access. The breakfast view shows the mountains and Mt Etna fuming. It also featured some filming locations for White Lotus I learned at the bars. They also had an hourly shuttle up to Taormina.

Eat

Ristorante La Griglia for the vongole | La Napoletana for the pizza | Arkè for the drinks and people watching

Tours

When I came 6 years prior with my family we did all the tours. You can walk the ruins, sweat in the amphitheater under the Sicilian sun, or go snorkeling down in the nearby beach. All are worth it. This time we opted to spend the entire day sunning and swimming.

Ortigia

When I left my manager at the airport, I grabbed the rental car and my friend Heather to continue south. Siracusa is the overall area and Ortigia is an island next door. I am sure Siracusa has much to offer but we completely avoided it spending most of the time on the island.

How

We rented a car from the Catania airport but you can also take an easy train. If the plan is to stay within Ortigia don’t get the car. Parking nearby and driving through those tiny streets will give anyone a panic attack. It was excellent to have as we did venture to another town and went wine tasting. I swore I followed the speed limits but 1 year after this trip I received 3 tickets to my parents’ house in Florida.

Stay

The entirety of this tiny island would be a great place to stay. We choose an airbnb not far from Forte Vigliena which had a wooden deck and metal stairs into the water. Considering all of Sicily is volcanic rock the beach access points are not your typical sandy entry. Most are covered with sharp rocks or down a cliffside. We loved having this beach nearby our house so we could have afternoon swims, dry off, and head easily to watch the sunset.

Eat

My friend Valerio is from Catania and met us for brioche and ice cream before we headed out of Catania. He gave me potentially all of these recommendations and not one was a miss.

Sunset Ortigia for sunset | ColaPasta for pasta | Pizzeria Schiticchio for pizza and be prepared to almost physically fight to be sat | Caseificio Borderi possibly the best sandwich I have ever had | Macallè Sicilian Bistrot | Ristorante in Ortigia Siracusa for a fancier vibe

Explore

Driving down to from Catania we decided to stop at Marzamemi, another Valerio recommendation. It is about an hour away from Ortigia. We hit the beach late afternoon enjoying the drinks at the Lido. Then headed over to the town for sunset and snacks. They were vendors selling art and jewelry alongside a short rock wall with the sea behind.

Since we had the car already, we took another trip to Noto. A town built into the side of a steep hill so you were constantly walking up an incline or down. We literally got the last parking spot in the closest small lot and climbed all over this stunning city. After working up a sweat we headed to Feudo Maccari winery. I had called the day before to make a tasting reservation. Apparently we had the wrong date but the nice manager let us join another couple. She ended up working in the event industry in Milan, we became linkedin friends.

Because both Heather and I have the same priorities we went from wine tasting to a nearby beach. Spiaggia di Vendicari is located at the end of this beautiful nature trail. It is a narrow beach with calm waters. Feeling perfectly refreshed we stopped at Dalla Terra Bistrot for a snack before driving back and likely earning one of the speeding tickets.

Sicily is so stunning and really becoming more popular as a destination in Italy. My ancestors left in the late 1800s, I wonder if they are laughing at the American (me) wanting to return over 100 years later. Marino does mean by the sea so I understand what calls me.