It’s been just over a month since flydubai launched its route to Sicily. Now just a six-hour direct flight from Dubai, there’s plenty to see. We offer you four attractions to consider if you’re planning a trip to Italy’s third-largest island this summer.
Take a walk around Taormina
The hilltop town on the east coast is a lovely spot to take a stroll. Start with the main street, Corso Umberto, which is lined with restaurants, jewellery shops and boutiques. Perhaps best known for the Teatro Antico di Taormina – the ancient Greco-Roman theatre still used today – there are plenty of reasons to visit. Be sure to seek out Bambar for some of the best granita in town, and do make time for a photo session at the clifftop viewing area.
Visit an active volcano
Just under an hour's drive from Catania Airport, Mount Etna is definitely worth a visit if your itinerary allows it. Located between the cities of Messina and Catania, at 3,327 metres high it is the tallest volcano in Europe. Having made its way onto the Unesco World Heritage List in 2013, there are two viewing points – 2,500m and 2,900m. Appreciated in the summer by hikers and in winter by skiers make your way to the highest crater by cable car and/or special off-road buses at a cost of €65 (Dh278). A word or warning, take a jacket – even in summer the temperature up high can be as low as 5°C.
Suss out Syracuse
Pedestrianised during summer, Syracuse is on the south east of the island. An hour’s drive from the airport, it reflects Sicily’s much-talked about timeless beauty and sees Ancient Greek ruins set among medieval laneways and traditional Italian restaurants. Ortygia is at the heart of Syracuse, is easily walkable and packed with 2,500 years of history. The highlight is Piazza Duomo – considered one of Italy’s most beautiful squares, so be sure to seek that out, and grab lunch at one of the seafood restaurants, you’ll be glad you did.
Go to market in Catania
The Catania fish market takes over the streets behind the city’s famous Piazza del Duomo on weekday mornings and is considered street theatre for tourists. When you’re done watching the fishmongers in action, make sure you pull up a chair at one of the seafood restaurants. It’s at these that you should try Pasta alla Norma, the famous Sicilian dish originally created here.
For more on the above go to www.visitsicily.info/en and for flights check out www.flydubai.com
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Read more:
Flydubai marks new direct route to southern Italy
A foodie's guide to western Sicily
Italy’s undiscovered Calabria offers a rare and rustic beauty
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