Hidden gems of Sicily

If you are thinking about traveling to the Mediterranean, we can assume that Sicily is one of your options. This island is a mix of cultures and traditions, and it is a destination for all kinds of travelers. You will feel the Mediterranean influence as soon as you arrive here.

Sicily is for sure one of the most beautiful places in Italy, and it has many hidden gems that we will help you to discover!

1. Hidden beaches of Vendicari

Sicily is known for being the biggest island of the Mediterranean. Therefore, it hosts many hidden beaches very hard to find, but we will give you some tips for you to enjoy the exclusivity of them. 

Vendicari is a natural reserve located in the southeast of Sicily, where you can find a nice place for walking, backed by a mosaic of sand dunes and saline lagoons. Thousands of migratory birds make a stop here, including exotic pink flamingos.

You can reach here by the Noto-Pachino road. More to the south you will find Tonnara beach –named like this for the tuna fishing in the area–. Its warm water is perfect for kids all year round, and a short path downhill will take you to the beautiful Calamoshe bay. 

2. Cavagrande 

Cavagrande is a protected Natural Reserve in the province of Syracuse (Siracusa), located in the southeast corner of Sicily. The area is surrounded by green colors, natural turquoise pools, waterfalls, limestone steep walls, and birds. You can swim there, and we advise you that it is an amazing place to take wonderful pictures!

Reaching Cavagrande is easy. You can take the path next to the Ra Zia Gina pizzeria, which zigzags down to the riverbed and takes about 20 minutes. If you walk upstream you will get fewer people, and if you walk downstream you will find bigger pools.

3. Old Castle of Sperlinga

Sicily has beautiful assessments at the top of the hills, and the most important one is the 1,000 years old Castle of Sperlinga, located between the north of Castel di Tusa and the center of Enna. Here you will appreciate amazing views of the snow-capped Madonie mountains. 

You can explore the maze of streets and houses, and enjoy the fulk museum with a lot of embroidery, history and charm.

4. Secret restaurants in Modica

Gastronomy in Modica is unique. Here you can find a variety of chocolate traditional factories and enjoy the whole process of production. Cinnamon, pistachios, orange, or lemon mixed with chocolate will make your taste buds hallucinate.

We recommend Bonajuto, where you can taste and buy some chocolates. If you prefer salty food, you need to go directly to Locanda del Colonnello and taste their linguini and pork. 

Other than the food, we need to highlight the beautiful views you will have while visiting Modica. 

5. Taste Arianna Occhipinti’s wines

Local wine in Sicily is also well-known and delicious. Arianna Occhipinti is an amazing woman who started creating her own wine using the vineyards of her uncle. She always wanted to taste the grapes, and based on the theory that “most wines taste the same” she created her own wine with an incredible flavor. 

She was recognized with a Feinschmecker Wine Award in 2013.

6. Cefalù

The picturesque fishing town of Cefal****ù is one of the best places to visit in Sicily. Here you will find streets full of ice cream shops and seafood restaurants. It is well known, but we still believe it has many hidden gems in its interior. 

Some of the activities to do here are to discover the elaboration of cheese, harvest of olives and lemons, or join a tour in the Sicilian Experience, which offers you a variety of visits to interesting places and towns in the area, and of course, enjoy ricotta with bread and wine.

7. Sampieri’s sensational seafood

If you are a fan of the long-running television series Inspector Montalbano, you will easily be able to identify the dilapidated brick factory on Sampieri beach, south of Scicli –whose municipality served as a police station during the filming–. But even if you've never heard of Montalbano, you should head to this southeastern corner of Sicily for a perfect mix of baroque squares, sandy beaches, and bountiful trattoria.

Its gastronomy offers a menu full of seafood with the freshest local vegetables, fruits and crunchies.

Do you want to know even more? Check out our packages to Sicily!