There are destinations you visit, and then there are destinations you experience. Sicily definitely falls into the latter category.
Before heading to Palermo for Journeys Italy 2025, I had the opportunity to spend several days exploring eastern and southern Sicily on a FAM trip designed to give us a deeper look at the island—its landscapes, food, wine, history and, most importantly, the people who make Sicily so special.
Our journey took us from glamorous Taormina to the volcanic landscapes of Mount Etna and then south to Agrigento and the incredible Valley of the Temples. Along the way, there were 4x4 adventures, ancient ruins, local wines, home cooking and plenty of those experiences that remind me why I love what I do.
Taormina: The Perfect Introduction to Sicily
After arriving at Catania Airport, we made our way to Taormina, where we spent our first two nights at the Lindbergh Hotel San Pietro.
Perched above the Ionian Sea, Taormina is one of those places that almost doesn't look real. Between the dramatic coastline, Mount Etna looming in the distance, winding streets, boutiques, cafés and restaurants, it's easy to understand why travelers have been drawn here for generations.
Our introduction to the town began with a walking tour, but in true Italian fashion, we weren't staying on foot for long.
We climbed aboard vintage Ape Calessinos—those tiny three-wheeled Italian vehicles that somehow make everything more fun—and headed uphill to Castelmola.
Sitting high above Taormina, Castelmola offers spectacular views over the coastline and surrounding countryside. It was a fun and memorable way to get our bearings and experience a completely different perspective of the area.
Back in Taormina, we toured the Lindbergh Hotel San Pietro before settling in for aperitivo and dinner.
And just like that, Sicily had us.
Mount Etna: Going Off-Road on an Active Volcano
The next morning brought one of the experiences I was most excited about: Mount Etna.
You can see Etna dominating the landscape from miles away, but actually getting onto the volcano is an entirely different experience.
We were picked up at our hotel in first-class 4x4 vehicles and headed toward the mountain with an expert volcano guide.
Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe, and as we climbed higher, Sicily's Mediterranean landscape began to change dramatically. Lush scenery gave way to pine forests, hardened lava fields and almost lunar-looking terrain.
Our adventure took us through the Ragabo pine forest and to the Monti Sartorius craters, formed during an eruption in 1865. From there, we hiked along a series of seven small aligned volcanic cones.
The views were incredible.
From the volcanic landscape, we could look out across the Ionian coastline, stretching from Taormina toward Calabria on the Italian mainland.
It was rugged, beautiful and completely different from the Sicily we had experienced the day before.
And then came wine.
Wine on Mount Etna
After spending the morning exploring the volcano, we headed to Tenuta di Fessina for a wine tasting and lunch.
Etna has become one of Italy's most fascinating wine regions, and visiting a winery here gives you an entirely new appreciation for what is produced on the slopes of an active volcano.
The volcanic soils, elevation and climate create wines with a distinct character, and sitting down for a leisurely lunch and tasting after a morning hiking across Etna was pretty much the perfect combination.
This is one of the things I loved most about Sicily.
History, adventure and food aren't separate experiences here. They all seem to flow together naturally.
One minute you're hiking across volcanic craters, and the next you're sitting around a table drinking wine produced from grapes grown on that very volcano.
We returned to Taormina that afternoon with some time to relax before heading back out for aperitivo and dinner in town.
Agrigento & the Valley of the Temples
The following morning, we said goodbye to Taormina and headed south toward Agrigento.
Our destination was one of Sicily's most extraordinary historical sites: the Valley of the Temples.
Despite its name, the site actually sits along a ridge rather than in a valley. Spread across the landscape are the remains of ancient Greek temples dating from roughly the fifth century BC, surrounded by olive and almond trees.
Walking through the site is one of those experiences that puts history into perspective.
These aren't artifacts sitting behind glass in a museum. You're walking through the landscape where these temples were built more than two thousand years ago.
But one of my favorite parts of our visit came afterward.
We had lunch at an ancient farmhouse within the archaeological park, where an agricultural restoration project is bringing the valley's historic farmland back to life.
Almond groves, pistachio trees and vineyards are once again being cultivated, and our lunch featured products grown right there in the valley.
For me, experiences like this are what make a destination memorable. You aren't simply looking at history—you are seeing how people are preserving it and finding ways to connect it with life in Sicily today.
A Sicilian Kitchen in the Countryside
That afternoon, we continued to Fontes Episcopi Bio Resort, our home for the night in the countryside outside Agrigento.
This stay gave us a completely different side of Sicily.
Instead of grand hotels or glamorous resort towns, we found ourselves immersed in the slower rhythms of rural Sicilian life.
And naturally, that meant heading into the kitchen.
That evening we joined a Sicilian home cook for a traditional cooking experience centered around the wood-burning oven.
We learned about the Sicilian tradition of famiare—lighting a large flame inside the wood oven until the top turns white, signaling that the oven has reached the right temperature.
But famiare is about much more than heating an oven.
It's the ritual that happens around it.
Preparing food. Talking. Laughing. Sharing wine. Waiting for the oven to be ready. Sitting around a table together.
We prepared dough and traditional specialties such as miscati and scacciati, filled with ingredients including tomato, garlic, anchovies and pecorino cheese, before baking everything in the wood-fired oven.
Cooking classes are always right up my alley, but this one felt especially authentic because it wasn't simply about learning a recipe.
It was about understanding the role food plays in Sicilian family life.
And that's one of my favorite ways to experience a destination.
On to Palermo
The next morning, after a homemade breakfast at Fontes Episcopi, it was time to leave the countryside and continue north toward Palermo for Journeys Italy 2025.
In just a few days, Sicily had given us completely different experiences.
We had wandered the elegant streets of Taormina, zipped up to Castelmola in vintage Ape Calessinos, gone off-road on Mount Etna, hiked volcanic craters, tasted wines grown in volcanic soil, walked among ancient Greek temples and cooked around a wood-burning oven in the Sicilian countryside.
But what struck me most was how much Sicily rewards travelers who go beyond simply checking off the famous sights.
The island is layered.
Greek temples. Italian traditions. Volcanic landscapes. Tiny villages. Vineyards. Family kitchens. Beach towns. Ancient farms.
And the best experiences often come from connecting those pieces together.
Why Experiencing a Destination Matters
This is also exactly why I make these trips.
As a luxury travel advisor, I can read about a hotel or look at photos of an experience online. But that isn't the same as sleeping in the rooms, meeting the people, understanding the geography, driving the routes and experiencing the activities myself.
Now, when a client tells me they're thinking about Sicily, I don't simply know where Taormina, Mount Etna and Agrigento are on a map.
I know what it feels like to stand on Etna and look toward the Ionian Sea.
I know how much fun it is to ride through the hills above Taormina in an Ape Calessino.
I know why adding a winery lunch after exploring Etna makes sense.
And I know that sometimes one of the most memorable evenings of a luxury trip isn't the fanciest restaurant.
It's standing around a wood-burning oven in the Sicilian countryside, cooking with a local and sharing food and wine around the table.
Those are the experiences I want to find for my clients.
Because Sicily isn't a destination you should simply see.
It's one you should experience.