Sicily is world-renowned for its street food, including mouth-watering cannoli and Granita, a sorbet-type ice cream dessert eaten with a warm brioche for breakfast during the warm summer months.

Our short holiday in Sicily only lasted a day, but we spent the whole time enjoying beautiful architecture in breathtaking locales. Sicily is drenched in history and old-world charm. The time we spent in Noto, Marzamemi and Syracuse will be etched forever in our memories.

We took a break from our sightseeing to eat a delicious meal for lunch and dabble in a little wine tasting. How could we visit Sicily and NOT sample the wines?

Boutique hotels are smaller hotels to stay in Sicily, generally offering more than 10 rooms, but less than 100, with an atmosphere designed to make you feel more like a houseguest than a hotel occupant. Boutique hotels can be romantic, or family and pet friendly. They’re usually drenched in local history and flavor and often place a lot of focus on savory food and beverages.

Hotels to stay in Sicily with less than 10 rooms are not really considered boutique hotels, but are a part of a sub-category known as Bed & Breakfast establishments, or B&Bs.

• Monaci delle Terre Nere – This hotel literally sits on the slopes of Mount Etna. Rooms are housed in farm buildings that have been converted or new buildings constructed just for the hotel.
• Hotel Villa Ducale – A romantic villa offering an exquisite spa and rooms that overlook the bay at Taormina.
• Siracusa Resort – The hotel boasts the only private beach in Syracuse. With only 11 rooms, three apartments and one suite, they fill up quickly, so you’ll want to plan ahead.

Sicily has a long history of producing sweet wines like Marsala and Malvasia. But as their wine production continues to expand, some of the hotels to stay in Sicily have focused on making food and wine their calling card.

• La Foresteria Planeta – Near Menfi, in the heart of the family-run vineyards of Planeta, this is a prime wine hotel in Sicily. Each room has a private terrace and authentic Sicilian cuisine is served.

• Torre Marabino – A real working farm, located near Modica with a huge, vaulted wine cellar you can get lost in. A beautiful restaurant serves outstanding Sicilian meals to the guests of its seven rooms.

• ll Giardino di Ballaro – In the midst of Palermo, you’ll find an 18th century townhouse that’s been converted into a charming B&B with five spacious rooms, each one decorated with its own unique style.

You can choose from so many hotels to stay in Sicily, you could stay somewhere different every night for 10 years and you still wouldn’t see them all. It’s enough to say that whatever you’re looking for, there is no doubt a perfect accommodation waiting for you wherever you are on the island.

Syracuse is on the eastern coast, and like most cities on the island, has its own set of unique things to do in Sicily. The historical center of Syracuse is Ortigia Island, with only a bridge connection to modern Syracuse. Ortigia Island is almost exclusively pedestrian, with most parking spaces reserved for the residents living there. At the entrance to the island is the first place to stop and visit, the historical Temple of Apollo.

Just beyond the temple is the Syracuse market, open every morning and full of local color, foods, and smells. While it’s still morning, plan to take a one hour castle tour of Castello Maniace, located at the other end of Ortigia Island. The view alone is worth the modest entrance fee of just under $2.50.

In the middle of Piazza Archimede, you can’t miss the Fountain of Artemis, created in 1907 and portraying Diana, goddess of the hunt. The ornately sculpted statue is sometimes referred to as the Fountain of Diana and features the goddess in all her pride and glory.

There’s no better place to see beautiful Baroque architecture than strolling through Noto, Ragusa or Modica, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the best examples of the architecture is in Noto, in the form of the Noto Cathedral.

All three towns offer churches, palaces and Baroque cathedrals to delight any architecture lover. Take your time strolling through the streets, perhaps enjoying a gelato along the way.

This little fishing village is one of the best kept secrets of Sicily. Nestled between Noto and Pachino, it’s thought by many to be one of the most beautiful sea villages in all of Italy. Once you arrive, you’ll understand why so many visitors get the feeling that time has stopped in this quaint little village.

Settled by the Arabs in the 10th century, this quiet hamlet consists of great stone archways leading into narrow streets. There you’ll find rows of ancient fishermen’s houses overlooking the turquoise sea, restored with brightly colored doorways and decorated with vivid red geraniums.

The town is best explored on foot, so you can pause to admire the details that make Marzamemi so unique. From the Tonnara, an ancient palace from the 16th century, to Santa Margherita square, to the ancient shipwrecks beneath the sea, there are many ways to spend your days in this tiny hamlet.

Of all the marvelous, unique things to do in Sicily, perhaps the most exciting is to visit Mount Etna. You can get there by car or with a tour group, and once there, you have the option to hike on the craters or take a cable car to some of the highest areas of the volcano.

The landscape of the mountain is unlike anything you’ve probably ever seen before, both breathtaking and strangely deserted, almost Mars-like in appearance. The temperature changes as you reach higher altitudes, so you’ll want a warm jacket and some sturdy hiking shoes or boots. It’s truly a once in a lifetime experience you’ll want to take in while you’re in Sicily.

From street foods to sonnets, from the Mafia to Mount Etna, there is no lack of things to see and unique things to do in Sicily. It is home to the largest opera house in Europe (Massimo Theatre in Palermo), and the tallest active volcano (Mt Etna), and some say the Greek ruins in Sicily are even better than the ones in Greece.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and I can’t wait till we can visit again. There’s simply no way you can see and do all that Sicily offers in a single trip. I hope I’ve given you plenty of ideas you can incorporate into your holiday in Sicily to make it truly memorable.

Have you been on a holiday in Sicily? Any tips and recommendations?
Which were your favorite places to visit in Sicily? Comment below!