Sicily loop: temples, Etna and Baroque towns

Route description

From Palermo, the A20 motorway, which has tolls, follows the north coast east to Cefalù, a seaside town with a Norman cathedral below a huge rock. Continue east and then south to the flanks of Etna.

Europe’s most active volcano can be approached by road from Nicolosi to Rifugio Sapienza at about 1,900 m; from there, take the cable car or walk among old craters. Access to the higher slopes depends on volcanic activity, so check the current situation locally. Taormina, on a terrace above the sea, has a Greek theatre with views of Etna; the town has limited traffic, so use the car parks below.

Further south, Syracuse has a Greek theatre and the old town on the island of Ortigia. The route then turns inland to Noto, rebuilt in honey-coloured Baroque after the 1693 earthquake; climb the cathedral steps at dusk. Ragusa, with its old quarter of Ibla on a ridge, is another of the Baroque towns of the Val di Noto.

On the south coast, the Valle dei Templi at Agrigento is a ridge of Greek temples among almond and olive trees, among the best preserved outside Greece. Just west, the Scala dei Turchi, a white marl cliff, steps down into the sea; go late in the day, when it glows against the blue water. The road back to Palermo crosses the interior, and summer heat makes early starts sensible.