La Bella Sicilia
We started off flying to Catania and hiring a car, driving down to Modica in the south east of Sicily for our first 4 nights. In Modica we had a private guide for 2 days and she showed us around a large part of the local area where the series is set. We recognised so many places and at times I was like a little excited child!! The hilly inland area is steeped in history and stunningly beautiful with lots of baroque and gothic villages and the weather was kind to us with the clear blue sky adding to the beauty.
We did so much walking and therefore didn’t feel guilty about the obligatory frequent stops for a Peroni and eating the large delicious Italian meals! Modica is a small town but has at least two world-class restaurants and we made sure we visited both. One – Ristorante Accursio – has a Michelin star chef and if you like Heston Blumenthal you will love this one. We had a seven course taster menu – each course a work of art and originality – at only 70 Euros per person. Modica is also famous for chocolate – a very different style which tastes gritty but is really moreish. Relatively few tourists used to venture to this area, but the Inspector has changed all that, and we came across many other “groupies” during our stay!
Our hotel, the characterful Palazzo Failla was in the old town and there wasn’t much in the immediate vicinity, but there was a lovely local wine bar across the road where we spent many pleasant hours. The hotel felt more like a grand home than a hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
On to Syracusa on the east coast with a stop for lunch in another baroque town, and on to our hotel where we made good use of the large swimming pool and enjoyed the view across the sea to Ortigia. Unfortunately a large conference group was staying at the same time as us so this spoiled things a little, but we were only there for 4 nights and went out into town most evenings. Syracusa is another town which is steeped in history and very beautiful, particularly Ortigia – and great shopping!.
Our final 4 nights were spent in Taormina at the wonderful Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea by the sea. After a frustrating drive from Syracusa (motorway closed and gridlocked traffic turning our 2 hour journey into 4 hours!) we felt the tension oozing out of us as soon as we arrived. We were welcomed like old friends, and the staff were wonderful, and they all greeted us by name. Here we had a pool AND a beach, a very spacious sea view room with balcony and total luxury and relaxation.
We ventured up to the main town a few times – it is quite touristy especially when there is a cruise ship in port, but we very much enjoyed the people watching and popping into pavement cafes listening to the local musicians. We were too lazy to do too much else, but we could have done a helicopter trip over Mount Etna, or visited the vineyards (though we did drink a lot of the local wine!) or visited some hilltop villages – something to definitely go back for. We did manage a boat trip around the bay though where we explored ancient caves and went swimming in crystal clear water off the boat which was quite magical.
Instead of the 2 weeks flying by we had such a variety of experiences and scenery that it felt like a lot longer and almost like 3 different mini holidays – there are plenty of destinations where this is possible, and as your Travel Counsellor I can find a suitable combination for you, but Sicily is a great choice!
