Browsing CategoryFun & nightlife

sicily-villas-for-couples

8 of the best luxury villas for couples in Sicily Here in Sicily, there’s a definite feel of spring in the air and holidaymakers looking for sunshine are flocking back to our shores. Of course, for families, any thoughts of beaches and poolside lounging are being put on the backburner until school’s out, but if you’re able to snatch a romantic break for two, there couldn’t be a better time to visit Sicily than in May and June. Need inspiration? Take a look at some of our top Sicily villas for two. La Nave, Tindari With breath-taking views over the…

Beach near Cefalu, Sicily

Charming Sicilian coastal resort with a UNESCO world heritage cathedral It’s home to one of Sicily’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, a glorious crescent-shaped beach and a harbour that’s worth of any picture postcard, but what else makes this Sicilian seaside town so popular with Italians and tourists alike? Most visitors would agree that Cefalù has a completely different atmosphere to the equally popular and undeniably glamorous town of Taormina on the east coast. It’s loved by both Sicilians and visitors from mainland Italy and beyond, partly for being so charmingly unpretentious. In the oldest part of town, cobbled lanes wind…

Villa Dionisio | wishsicily.com

Are you one of the unlucky ones who had to shelve plans for a special celebration in 2020? Whether it was a wedding, a milestone birthday or a family reunion, hopefully the disappointment has now faded, and you may even have started to think about re-scheduling. The numbers involved may be smaller but, on the upside, that possibly leaves a little bit of leeway for a more luxurious celebration and concierge-planned activities. With warm sunshine generally lasting into October, Sicily is still a good option for this autumn, but if you intend to wait until 2021, our advice is to…

carnevale-acireale-sicily

Masks, parades, allegorical floats and much more besides … carnival in Sicily is a wonderful mix of tradition, colour and family fun! Age-old traditions still remain in many of the towns and villages but fortunately, confetti is now thrown in place of eggs and vegetables! Behind the scenes in artisan workshops, specialists in design, engineering and sculpture have been working for months on papier-mâché masterpieces to ensure the carnival processions are truly spectacular. But it’s not all about the parades … not surprisingly, food also plays a big part! Traditional food during carnival includes cavateddi pasta with meat sauce and…

siracusa-sicily-spring

Springtime in Sicily is awash with spectacular processions, floral displays and warm sunshine. Take a look at some of our favourite Spring events. Easter on Sicily’s north west coast The Procession of the Mysteries in Trapani on Good Friday is amongst the most evocative and traditional of Sicily’s Easter celebrations. The 24-hour event sees a two-mile procession of thousands of people and marching bands follow the 20 wooden ‘Mysteries’ as they are carried on volunteers’ shoulders through the streets of the city. Nearby, there are also Good Friday processions at Erice and Buseto Palizzolo. Cupole Arabe’s unique dome-shaped accommodation is…

Carneval-in-sicily-acireale

While the carnivals of Venice and Viareggio may be more famous, Sicily’s carnivals can be equally spectacular and are more likely to be accompanied by better weather. Our top carnivals are in Acireale, Sciacca, and, just outside Palermo, at Termini Imerese and Mezzojuso.  Visit during the February celebrations and combine your stay in Sicily with visiting some of the island’s top attractions, minus the crowds and the heat of the summer sun.   Acireale carnival: With concerts, parades through the town’s baroque historic centre and processions of allegorical and floral floats, Acireale is one of Sicily’s most colourful and impressive…

the jacuzzi available at Agapanto cottage

For us, some of the best things in Sicily are the sunshine, the glittering seas and most definitely, the food!  Holidays are all about enjoying life’s little pleasures – savouring a cappuccino in the corner of a piazza, sitting on a veranda and watching the night sky and wandering through a busy market filled with the aroma of enticing street food.  So we’re dedicating this issue of our newsletter to keeping life simple!   THE AFFORDABLE OPTION Summer in Sicily is all about outdoor living – whether that means enjoying al fresco lunches under a shady pergola or barbecuing under…

Villa Pizzo Rocca, Sicily

Great beaches, water sports, outdoor activities and child-friendly attractions are just part of the picture.  Wander into town for an ice-cream, check out the menu and bambino-adoring welcome at the local trattoria and you will soon see why Sicily is the obvious choice for a family holiday! See our selection of family-friendly villas.   Activities for all the family If you are holidaying in Sicily with young children during our hottest months, a couple of cultural visits may be enough.  Intersperse them with days by the pool or on the beach or head for the Parco Avventura Madonie, an adventure…

festivals and events in sicily

No matter when you decide to go to Sicily, you will never be bored. Events in Sicily never stop, all year-round. Every city and town has its own traditional festival and offers a variety of attractions for both tourists and locals. Religious Festivals The two largest cities, Palermo and Catania, host some of the most important events in Sicily. Celebration of Santa Rosalia and Sant’Agata, patron saints of these cities, are huge, followed by a fun masked procession on Good Friday in which hundreds of people get on the streets to express their religion culture. Le Sagre: Food Festivals The so-called sagre…