SMART TRAVEL
Nature and the sea If you yearn for nature and reinvigoration, head southeast from the city to the Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve. There you are awaited by a dramatic, 250-metre- deep canyon, at the bottom of which are hidden, natural pools with clean, cold fresh water, surrounded by dense greenery. This is a Sicilian paradise that hardly any tourists know about. For seaside indulgence, head to the hamlet of Fontane Bianche near Syracuse, with its fine white sand beach, or take a trip to the mythical Isola Bella beach at the foot of Taormina, where a small pebble beach meets a miniature island that’s been turned into a botanical garden. Ferragosto Mid-August (15 th August) is reserved for Ferragosto, which is a holiday that sees all of Sicily collectively relocate to the coast. Beaches all over the island come alive the night before, when bonfires are lit and concerts held. Then, at midnight precisely, hundreds of people head into the sea for a traditional nocturnal swim under the stars. August is also the month of local food festivals known as Sagra. Almost every inland village organises its own celebration dedicated to a certain cheese, wine, melons or figs, where – for just a few euros – you can eat alongside the locals at long wooden tables, accompanied by the sounds of traditional music. Hedonism on a plate Palermo is the world’s street food capital. In order to experience it, you must visit the historic street markets of Ballaro and Vucciria, where traders entice customers by singing loudly. Try the famous fried rice balls known as arancini. Another local speciality is sfinchone, a soft, spongy Sicilian pizza topped with a sauce made from tomatoes, onions, anchovies and sheep’s cheese. For a delectable dessert, cannoli filled with fresh ricotta, or almond granita, which the locals eat for breakfast during August, must be accompanied by a warm, sweet brioche bun with an aesthetic “hat” - brioche col tuppo.
as though it’s made of the finest porcelain. This place also hides a great mystery, as it was here that Caravaggio’s Nativity painting hung, before it was stolen by the Sicilian mafia in 1969. It remains on Interpol’s list of the most wanted works of art. Instead of the famous, but pretty morbid Capuchin Catacombs, choose instead to walk through the city’s botanical garden, Orto Botanico. Established in the late 18 th century, this garden is home to giant Ficus trees and represents an oasis of tranquillity in this otherwise noisy city. You should also seek out Count Federico Palace, which is one of the oldest buildings in Palermo. A special fact regarding this palace is that it is still home to the count’s family, with tours often led by the count himself, who will show you his private collections of weapons and his home’s baroque salons. Heads of the Moors Strolling the streets of Palermo, you will notice beautiful ceramic vases shaped like the head of a Moorish man (Teste di Moro) adorning windows and balconies. At the root of their creation is a legend of passion and revenge. In the 11th century, a young girl from Palermo fell in love with a Moorish merchant. When she found out that he had a wife and children back east, and that he was planning to leave her, she waited for
him to fall asleep before beheading him and using his severed head to make a pot in which she planted basil. The basil grew so abundantly that all her envious neighbours made clay copies of their own, and so this most famous symbol of Sicily was born, which we also had an opportunity to see in the famous White Lotus TV series.
Surrender to the sounds of historic markets, hidden baroque palaces and legends that live in the streets of Sicily
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