Sicily

Sicily is Italy's most geographically and culturally complex island — a place where Greek temples, Norman cathedrals, Arab-Norman palaces, and Baroque town centres exist within a few hours of each other, and where the food is widely considered the finest in Italy. The island rewards the traveller who moves: a single base is insufficient for a first visit.

Taormina, on the island's east coast, is Sicily's most celebrated hotel town. The San Domenico Palace — a converted 15th-century Dominican monastery on a clifftop above the sea — is the island's most historically significant hotel. Belmond Villa Sant'Andrea, on the beach below Taormina, is the most romantic. Both face Mount Etna across the Ionian Sea; the views are among the most extraordinary in Italy.

Palermo, the island's baroque capital, has its own hotel culture. The Villa Igiea — an Art Nouveau villa on the waterfront, opened in 1900 and recently restored by Rocco Forte — is the most historically significant hotel in the city. The Grand Hotel et des Palmes, where Wagner completed Parsifal in 1882, is the most storied address. Palermo's street food — arancini, panelle, sfincione — is the most compelling argument for the city.

The Val di Noto — the UNESCO-listed Baroque towns of the south-east: Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Scicli — is Sicily's most underrated hotel territory. The masserie (fortified farmhouses) and converted palazzi here offer a level of seclusion and architectural character that the more famous northern resorts cannot match. Noto's honey-coloured sandstone at sunset is one of the most beautiful sights in Italy.

May–June and September–October are Sicily's best months: warm (22–28°C), uncrowded, and the landscape at its most beautiful. July–August is peak season — extremely hot, crowded at Taormina, and the most expensive period. November–April is quiet, mild, and the best time for exploring the interior and the Baroque south-east without crowds.