Last week I shared Reason Number One for visiting Sicily. Reason Number Two is for all the beautiful geography and nature that is found on this island! If you are an outdoor person, there’s so much to explore!

Why Visit Sicily: Reason #2 {Geography}

Beaches

Because Sicily is an island, it contains miles of coastline which translates to a variety of different beaches. White sand beaches are located in Fontane Bianche in the southeastern part of the island as well as San Vito lo Capo in the far west. Black sand beaches can be found on the volcanic Aeolian islands just north of Sicily.   Catania boasts rocky cliffs when the lava reached the waterfront but Citta’ del Mare in Terrasini also has rocky cliffs where they cleverly sculpted toboggan slides that end in the sea. Smooth pebbles dot the famous beaches near Taormina on the east coast and along the northern coast from Milazzo to Cefalu’. For a complete listing of beaches go HERE.

 Volcanoes

The most famous of the Italian  volcanoes is Mount Vesuvius which famously buried Pompeii in 79 AD but the largest active volcano is Mount Etna. She erupts on a consistent basis and repeatedly dumps ash on the surrounding countryside. However, the Lipari Islands have Stromboli and Vulcano which are both active as well.

Parks

There are three main mountain chains in Sicily: the Sicanian Mountains in the West, the Madonie  in the North Central and Nebrodi in the North. The Nebrodi Mountains are the most lushly forested region of Sicily although I use the term “lush” loosely here. Sicily is an arid land so please don’t picture a rain forest. It’s not THAT kind of lush. These mountains are directly north of Etna, boasting some of the island’s highest peaks after the volcano itself (though several in the Madonie Mountains to the west exceed them).

What appeals me about this region is this is how Sicily must have looked before it was deforested. One of my favorite places to visit is Villa Miraglia, a lodge on the SS 289 in the middle of the forest offering a delicious restaurant. It feels more like a chalet in the Alps than a Sicilian restaurant.  Two smaller mountain chains are the Peloritani, which is what you see when crossing the straits into Messina and the Iblei which is where Pantalica is located.

Pantalica

Pantalica is a canyon near Siracusa where the limestone walls contain around 5,000 square cutouts. These ancient tombs are one of the oldest archaeological sites in Sicily. The canyon is formed by two rivers. When I was a child we would occasionally visit this creepy place. My family knew a man who would rapel into the tombs and find ancient relics. My first memory of visiting this place was of a large cave carpeted with bat guano. At dusk the bats would fly out, seemingly by the thousands. An ancient cemetery, bats…creepy, I tell ya!

Alcantara Gorge

This canyon formed by the snow melt run off water from the slopes of Mount Etna and the Nebrodi Mountains therefore its waters are frigid. In fact, it is one of the few streams in Sicily that flows year-round. Obviously the canyon walls are black basalt since it’s technically part of Mount Etna. It is fun to hike down to the canyon floor and hike up the river as far as you can reach before being blocked by a waterfall.

The geography and nature that can be found in Sicily is so varied and so beautiful yet so different. It is certainly worth exploring! This is reason #2 in why visit Sicily!