Mount Etna
There can be few better ways of rounding off a day in the mountains than with a meal at this Nicolosi stalwart. Occupying a converted wine and oil press, it specialises in earthy, rustic fare. Pique the appetite with marinated vegetables, salami and cheese, then tuck into coaxing staples like trofie pasta with porcini mushrooms or cotechino e lenticchie (pork sausage and lentils).
Come dinner time, giant, wood-fired pizzas are also on the menu.
22.1 MILES
Taormina's premier sight is this perfect horseshoe-shaped theatre, suspended between sea and sky, with Mt Etna looming on the southern horizon. Built in…
8.5 MILES
Completed in 1890 and made for homegrown composer Vincenzo Bellini, Catania's opera house is suitably lavish, from the stucco-and-marble extravagance of…
8.58 MILES
Catania's raucous fish market, which takes over the streets behind Piazza del Duomo every workday morning, is pure street theatre. Tables groan under the…
8.43 MILES
The Monastero delle Benedettine covers two adjacent sites: a Benedictine convent and the Chiesa di San Benedetto. Top billing goes to the church, built…
8.55 MILES
A Unesco World Heritage Site, Catania's central piazza is a set piece of contrasting lava and limestone, surrounded by buildings in the unique local…
6.06 MILES
Funivia dell'Etna runs a cable car from Rifugio Sapienza (1920m) up the mountain to 2500m. Once out of the cable car you can attempt the long walk (3½ to…
Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l'Arena
8.27 MILES
This is one of Europe's largest monasteries and an example of the wealth enjoyed by the Benedictine order. Built in 1703 and now part of the city…
21.87 MILES
Taormina's chief delight is wandering this pedestrian-friendly, boutique-lined thoroughfare. Start at the tourist office in Palazzo Corvaja, which dates…
6.06 MILES
Funivia dell'Etna runs a cable car from Rifugio Sapienza (1920m) up the mountain to 2500m. Once out of the cable car you can attempt the long walk (3½ to…
7.9 MILES
The Basilica di San Sebastiano is one of Acireale's finest baroque buildings. Guarded by statues of Old Testament characters, the basilica lifts the…
3. Basilica Cattedrale di Maria Santissima Annunziata
7.92 MILES
Flanking the western side of Piazza Duomo is Acireale's barrel-vaulted cathedral. Built in the early 1600s, it's topped by towering, conical-capped towers…
4. Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
7.93 MILES
Next to the cathedral, the Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo sports a wonderfully light, 18th-century facade. To the right of it, the Palazzo Municipale…
7.96 MILES
Escape the madding crowd and enjoy the fine views of Mt Etna from these lovely, if unkempt, gardens along Via Etnea. Speckled with lush foliage and…
8.15 MILES
Built in the 13th century, this dark, brooding Norman castle sits over an earlier Arab fortification. It's in surprisingly good shape considering its age,…
7. Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Carcere
8.18 MILES
The young virgin Agata resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and was horribly mutilated (her breasts were hacked off and her body…
8.2 MILES
The modest, neglected ruins of this Roman theatre, below street level in Piazza Stesicoro, are worth a quick look if you're passing by. Note that opening…