“Sicily, an island blessed and cursed by God …”. This is the phrase that best describes my land!
Although I may seem biased, I believe that eastern Sicily is the place to start your trip to Sicily. This is where everyone will encounter an amazing interlayer of landscapes, flavors, and panoramas. This is the area that confirms the magnificence of the region among the heterogeneous places of saints, artists, and fishermen.
Art, history, and culture come together in one; giving shape and matter to an ancestral charm that gave birth to some of the minds and “hearts” that have conquered the world.
It is definitely impossible to enclose in just a few lines or even pages my preferences and tips for the best travel route to follow during your next trip to Sicily.
If I ever dare do such a thing, surely I will risk being reductive and penalizing.
Therefore I prefer to use an ancient method put in place by the Arabs. They had divided Sicily into three administrative regions. Namely “the three valleys: Val Demone, Val di Noto, and Val di Mazara.
This subdivision of the regions of Sicily is still in place today for all matters focusing in Agriculture, food, and tourism.
My personal recommendation to everyone who plans to visit Sicily is simple: You must devote a relatively long time to this journey if you are truly looking to fully enjoy the pleasures of the senses that you will encounter.
Val Demone
In the northeast of Sicily, Val Demore is overlooking the Nebrodi and borders the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Explore Val Demore and don’t miss passing by: The slopes of Etna, Floresta, Bronte – world famous for its pistachio, Maletto for its strawberries, Lake Gurrida and its unique vineyards, Taormina is known pearl of the Ionian Sea, Messina, Milazzo, and Cefalù
Val di Noto
Located in the southeast of Sicily, Val di Noto is at the foot of the Erei and Iblei mountains.
This is where the cradle of Sicilian Baroque is found and includes: Acireale – the town with a hundred bell towers, Catania, Syracuse, Ragusa (Scicli and Modica), Caltagirone and the canyons that arise on the Calcinora stream, a tributary to the Acapo river.
Val di Mazara
And on the west, Val di Mazara is the territory of the Madonie and the Imera Settentrionale River which is also known as Fiume Grande (River Grande).
This valley includes Palermo, Trapani, Marsala, and the Agrigento Valley and indeed it is the largest of the three valleys.
Article © Salvatore Moschella