WHY SICILY IS THE PLACE TO GO FOR A LUXURY ISLAND GETAWAY
Are you looking for a luxury holiday destination that’s slightly off the beaten path? Consider visiting Sicily, a gorgeous Italian island fast becoming a hotspot for luxury travel. This sun-kissed triangle of land all the way down off the tip of Italy’s boot has emerged as one of the Mediterranean’s newest luxury destinations, still maintaining a fascinating off-the-beaten-track allure.
Sicily isn’t beckoning you the way more established destinations like Santorini, Mykonos, and Majorca have for so long. Across the beautiful Strait of Messina from mainland Italy’s big toe, this laid-back, postcard-perfect island of sparkling beaches, charming towns, luxury accommodation, and awe-inspiring architectural wonders is better at playing hard to get than it is at luring hordes of tourists with fresh mojitos, couples’ massages, and parties until the early morning hours. Tourist hordes is not a phrase you are likely to hear in this exotic Italian island yet to be truly discovered by international travelers.
Just off the southern coast of Italy, Sicily is becoming a go-to destination for high-end travelers who love luscious beaches, history, culture, and fresh Mediterranean seafood. It’s not such a stretch to imagine why everyone from Harrison Ford and Sharon Stone to Madonna and Mick Jagger is falling for the charms of this sunny, triangle-shaped island off Italy’s toe. And you can enjoy the spoils of luxury travel without having to battle crowds.
Here are some very good reasons to add Sicily to your luxury travel wish list for 2023.
Luxury accommodation
The most exotic place in Europe, this beautiful Italian island is home to a plethora of exquisite private pool villas with breathtaking sea vistas. One of the region’s leading luxury vacation rental agencies is Select Sicily, based in Palermo, with a hand-selected portfolio of stunning holiday properties in this triangle of land off Italy’s boot.
If the idea of enjoying la dolce vita in an actual paradise is one that appeals, then you can’t go wrong with heading to Plemmirio Bay, a top-of-the-range villa with direct access to the transparent cobalt-emerald waters of the Ionian Sea, located some 5 miles south of the ancient city of Syracuse, on the south-eastern coast of the island.
A top choice for high-profile vacationers is Essence, a three-bedroom villa located on top of a panoramic hill in the exquisite, quaint town of Menfi, in the heart of south west Sicily’s pristine coastal landscape. With stunning views, a billiard table, a stunning 40-foot-long swimming pool surrounded by palm trees, and tons of outdoor space in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, this contemporary-design luxury property has many strings to its bow. More details can be found at selectsicilyvillas.com.
Luxury accommodation perfect for large families can be found at Seashore, a sumptuous seafront mansion in Taormina offering well-thought-out accommodation for up to thirteen guests, a fitness center, a wellness area, direct beach access, and a designer swimming pool.
An ideal luxury retreat for those looking for a relaxing holiday, Villa Orizzonte is a modernist dream. This architect-designed contemporary home in the bijou town of Noto, often dubbed the capital of Sicilian Baroque architecture, is the perfect luxury retreat for those in search of R&R while still being close to the island’s southeast corner, home to Ragusa, the handsome town of Scicli, the small village of Punta Secca, and the glorious Baroque town of Modica. If you’re a fan of the Sicilian detective series Inspector Montalbano, many of the backdrops will be familiar.
Ideal for those who love to have the sea at the bottom of their garden, Prestige is the epitome of high class luxury. This fabulous modern villa located a short drive from Syracuse offers on-point interior décor, a seaside tennis court, a telescope, a shimmering infinity pool with jacuzzi, and direct, private access to the striking blue waters of the Ionian Sea.
Layers of history
The perfect place to soak up some culture, art, and history, Sicily is an open air museum offering a number of Unesco World Heritage sites and historic treasures that is not easily matched, due to its having been a crossroads and crucible for nearly every Mediterranean civilization for the last three millennia.
Boasting an unparalleled historical legacy, this big, mountainous island strategically located in the very middle of the Mediterranean Sea has been home to everyone from the Romans to the Bourbons over the centuries, as well as the Ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Byzantines, Arabs, Saracens, Carthaginians, Normans, Goths, Angevins, Islamic Moors, Venetians, and Spaniards, among significant others. No other place on Earth has seen such an amazing parade of cultures leave their stamp.
Start in a major city, like Palermo, the flamboyant, vibrant, and eclectic capital of Sicily, or Catania, at the foot of Mount Etna, and then make your way to Roman sites like Piazza Armerina, and the Greek ruins at Agrigento, Segesta, Syracuse, and the acropolis of Selinunte.
Great food
Italy’s answer to Hercule Poirot, Inspector Salvo Montalbano has introduced the world to some of Sicily’s most iconic culinary creations, from the famous fish couscous of Trapani, spongy, pizza-like sfincione, cudduruni, squid-ink spaghetti, pasta ‘ncasciata, and fried arancini, to green cassata cakes, mouth-watering fig biscuits called buccellati, the legendary cannoli filled with fresh ricotta, and many more. Sicilian cuisine is a tapestry of flavors woven from each of the abovementioned cultures that have conquered the island over the course of its 3000-year history.
Sparkling beaches
If you are a beach lover, there’s plenty to appeal in Sicily, blessed with almost 1.000 miles of diverse and beautiful coastline, a dozen islands, and countless beauties. From velvety stretches of golden sand to hidden coves framed by high rocky cliffs, there is literally something for everyone.
Visiting Sicily soon after a difficult 2020 and 2021 and a haywire summer of flight cancellations and delays? Start planning your exclusive villa holiday in this exotic island lapped by sparkling water and decorated with rolling vine-covered hills, and extraordinary cliff-side villages.
Feature photo courtesy of selectsicilyvillas.com
