If you want to experience Sicily at it’s authentic best, visit in autumn. Free of peak summer crowds, you’ll enjoy UNESCO cultural sites without queues, seas where temperatures remain in the mid to high 20’s, be able to bag a restaurant table even in the hotspots of Taormina or Noto, whilst enjoying the changing, golden colours and rich pickings (grapes, olives and mushrooms) of harvest season – all bathed in sweet, Sicilian sunshine.
Here’s just some of our favourite things to see and do in Sicily in the shoulder months of September and October. What will you be doing this autumn?
Go sea swimming at Fontane Bianche
Whilst sea temperatures are still at peak summer heights of 26 – 28 degrees in September, even in October, the sea temperatures hover around the 24 degrees mark, ideal to still enjoy a leisurely dip or a more active sea swim. Where better to enjoy it than Fontane Bianche, whose 3km white sandy beach and shallow, crystal-clear waters are considered ‘the Caribbean of Syracuse’.
Visit Taormina without the crowds
The months of September and October are widely regarded as the best times to visit one of Sicily’s most famous tourist and celebrity hotspots, Taormina. It’s still warm and pleasant (high 20’s), but there’s fewer crowds, you’re more likely to get a table at bars and restaurants and the views over nearby Mount Etna are clear as a bell. When better to visit the Ancient Theatre, stroll the Corso Umberto I or visit Isola Bella?
See flamingos in Vendicari Nature Reserve
October is the month when pink flamingos arrive on their mid-migration stopover as they journey between northern Europe and Africa. It’s an amazing sight for even the most amateur birdwatcher, the bird’s colourful plumage in stark contrast to the reserves white sandy beaches. Vendicari Nature Reserve is located between Noto and Marzamemi.
Eat delicious seafood in Marzamemi
Described as ‘Sicily’s most authentic village’, there’s no doubt that the Marzamemi’s is also one of the island’s most beautiful. Although you can stay in Marzamemi, it’s a place that hasn’t yet been changed by tourism, the fishermen’s houses around the square are still homes, and those same fishermen still go out to sea every night as they have for centuries. Where better to soak up the very spirit of South Sicily by enjoying freshly caught fish overlooking the sea sipping a chilled glass of grillo?
Explore the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento
The heat of peak summer can make exploring one of Sicily’s most famous archaeological attractions, located just outside Agrigento on the southern coast, uncomfortable. Come September and October, though, once the crowds have dissipated (500,000 per year!) and temperatures are far more pleasant, you’ll enjoy the Valley of the Temples, UNESCO World Heritage Site at its best. Dating back some 2,500 years, be wowed by the vast temples, most famously The Temple of Concordia, as well as a botanical garden and 800-year-old olive tree.
Experience the traditional wine harvest on Mt Etna
Occuring later than most wine harvests in Sicily, Mt Etna’s fertile soils and elevated position make its grapes amongst the juiciest in Italy. Harvested between mid and late September, although sometimes running into early October, grapes are still picked by hand here and although few skilled people are involved in the actual picking, the whole community celebrates. Enjoy a front row seat to watch the harvest and visit local vineyards to get a taste of previous signature harvests of Nerello Mascalese and Carricante.
Witness (and taste) peak harvest season!
As a predominantly agricultural island, it’s no wonder that harvest season is a time of peak activity and celebration. October marks the beginning of mushroom season in the Etna foothills and the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains. Don’t miss the Castelbuono Funghi Festival (mid – late October). The first two weeks of October also marks the beginning of the new olive oil harvest, olio nuovo, the most significant (and visible) agricultural activity of the season where every tree is covered in nets to gather the harvest.
Enjoy Baroque architecture in Noto
Fewer crowds, tick! Cheaper prices, tick! Whilst this can be said of many places when visiting Sicily in Autumn, what’s special about September and October is the golden light, which makes the baroque architecture, palaces and piazzas of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage site, shine. Culture lovers and photographers will be equally entranced.
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