When I think back to visiting Sicily and the trip I made in January in a camper, thousands are the images that appear to me and dozens upon dozens, there are villages, cities, scents and flavors to tell you about: but where to start?
There are so many things you can do and visit that it becomes difficult to choose. So I decided to start here:
10 special places to visit in Sicily by camper
Waiting to publish the pure and simple itinerary with detailed indications of the stops and places of taste where we stopped,I have decided to share here for you my personal list of some special places to visit in Sicily by camper and beyond.
Precisely because Sicily offers so much, I believe that even if already visited, they can be the starting point to add to far more famous destinations. And I am convinced that you too have suggestions, so I await you at the end of this journey.
I have already told you about Catania in my article,
Catania what to see in a couple of days
and by the way: do you know that his castle is defined as “creepy castle among the most famous in the world for the presence of ghosts”?
one more reason to go to Catania! But now let’s start my personal list which has no particular order, if not the itinerant order of the journey.
Capopassero Island
Capo Passero and the embrace of the sea
Descending along the Ionian coast, we pass the Vendicari nature reserve with coves and beaches where you can leave your heart; we passMarzamemi, the colorful and probably the most “instagrammed” village in Sicily and we immerse ourselves in the vegetable crops of the municipality of Pachino. In the distance a fort forms the background andthere you know what happens: two seas embrace each other.
After passing the old Tonnara di Capo Passero long abandoned, you find the lively tones of Tafuri Castle and you are therein Portopalo di Capo Passero.
My suggestion is to come at sunset to enjoy this show in an atmosphere that will surely excite you.
Why I recommend it: try to walk up to thebeach of the two seas, a place considered as the meeting point between the Ionian and the Mediterranean which embrace and leave each other, to embrace again, in a magical intertwining of ripples in constant renewal. It is for this magical magnetism that attracts the eye and relaxes those who come here that I point it out to you.
Both here and just beyond, 8 km away, the spectacular embrace returns: to the beach Isola delle Correnti where at low tide you can walk, to find here the southernmost point of Sicily.
Camper stop:
- -in Portopalo you can park at the end of via Gradina on a dirt road.
- – at the Correnti beach in the car park of the same name.
- – in the area during the season you will find three campsites
Continuing the journey to visit Sicily by camper
Piazza Armerina the Palazzo del Comune
Piazza Armerina
We enter the hinterland in the province of Enna and go to Piazza Armerina.
The ancient Norman village located at 700 m, on the border with the Val di Noto,it is made famous for the Ancient Villa Romana del Casale, a marvel full of stupendous mosaics now a Unesco Inalienable World Heritage Site.
Why I recommend it: for the historic center of the Monte district which, with its herringbone alleys, is worth a visit.
Piazza Armerina is full of churches It ispalaces sandstone andscale which allow you to get to the Duomo, in Piazza Garibaldi, and the Aragonese Castle. Treat yourself to a walk among these beauties where in some churches you can also find the particular installations of Igor Mitoraj.
Camper stop
With great regret I have to confide in you that Piazza Armerina has a completely destroyed and abandoned rest area. My advice therefore is to park the camper like we did in the free parking between via Chiaranda and via Lo Giudice.
Caltabellotta
Continuing this journey through the particular places fromvisit Sicily by camper we move to the Ragusa area andI advise you to go up from the Municipality of Ribera among the scents of orange groves, on the SP 36. Among orange trees and prickly pear cultivations, a truly particular landscape is created from which emerge the remains of the castle of Poggiodiana, of the Gola del Lupo, on the Verdura river. Then take a picture!
The goal of this tour is Caltabellotta, a municipality of 3000 souls,placed in a particular natural situation, of very ancient origins. From the Sicans, the first inhabitants, passing through the Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Normans, all have left a sign of their passage. Together withfantastic panorama truly breathtaking theseare the reasons why I recommend you to visit it.
Walking through the ancient alleys you will come acrosssmall churches, while further north on a rock spur will be iruins of the Norman castle and the truly unique glance to excite you. Lastly themonastery it will attract your attention, set as it is in the rock, it overlooks Caltabellotta and dominates the whole plain up to the sea.
Camper stop
The only parking spaces are: under the monastery or in the parking lot on provincial road 37 at the corner of via Triocola, in the village where there is a petrol station.
The journey between the particular places of the
Sicily to visit in camper continues
the Cretto di Burri in Gibellina Vecchia
The Cretto di Burri: the largest environmental artwork in Europe
I’ll take you to a truly suggestive and unique place: theBelice Valley, a land battered by the earthquake and now an expression of wine, where you can meet abandoned towns like Poggioreale or the ruins of Salaparuta and I invite you to stop atGibellina Vecchia, to “feel” the Cretto di Burri.
“environmental art work created by Alberto Burri between 1984 and 1989 in the place where the old city of Gibellina once stood, completely destroyed by the 1968 Belice earthquake.”
(cit.)
In 80,000 square meters of blocks, under a 10 cm layer of reinforced concrete, the ruins of the town of Gibellina were caged, compacted into blocks held together by metal wire.
Why I suggest it: Burri’s imposing work roughly recharges the topography of the village, giving it a vision of what the districts and streets must have been like. Walking around you will notice that the height of the concrete blocks was thought to be 1.50mt. This is because, assuming the average height of people at 1.70m according to Burri, one could have an overview of the city (after all, all there were no drones at the time).
I walked through the streets of the cretto immersed in a surreal silence, between the now gray concrete blocks and the white one of the most recent installations, and I was attacked by strong emotions.
I “felt” dismay and compassion. Compassion above all for the people who have left everything here in the rubble, to move 20 km away to a new urban centre; and for the thousand people who died in the earthquake. Dismay because this work transmits the power of an energy that has exploded here on everything and everyone.
Without a doubt, for me, it is one of the 10 special places to visit in Sicily in a camper or otherwise.
The Cretto di Burri is one of the most famous works of Art Land in the world.
“… a memorial that encloses and preserves, in physical and metaphorical terms, the trace of the past and of the life of the community devastated by the earthquake”
(Cit cultural heritage site)
Camper stop
There is a single well-signposted and visible parking lot, right next to the cretto.
Motya Island
I’ll take you to the strip of land that goes from Marsala to Trapani amidst splendid colors that set fire to a particular landscape that tastes of salt at sunset. In the Saline dello Stagnone, absolutely to visit, the Island of Mozia which was once a Phoenician colony, today is, thanks to the shallow waters and the rediscovery by the Nobleman Jseph Whitaker, a destination rich not only in history and culture, but also of exquisite natural beauty. In short, a particular place to visit in Sicily by camper.
The Whitaker family had settled in Sicily at the end of the 19th century, starting a flourishing export of Marsala wine, and Joseph at the beginning of the 1900s, realizing the particular value of the island, bought it, bringing to light the remains of the Phoenician city.
Why I suggest Mozia: on the island you can go on excursions for a couple of hours, enjoying its naturalistic and archaeological beauties, thanks to panels indicating the points to see, but there is also a museum Museo Whitaker which preserves a whole series of prestigious archaeological finds found on the island during excavations. Not to mention the charm of these places, enhanced by the salt pans still used today for the traditional production of sea salt.
To get to Motya: ferry € 5.00 + entrance ticket to the island which also includes the museum €9.00
Info and timetables for the ferry here
Info for the museum here
Camper stop
the camper stop is allowed only for visiting the island in the parking lot of the pier for Mozia
The particular places to visit in Sicily by camper
Quarries of Marsala visiting the canyons of Sicily
A few kilometers from Mazara del Vallo and at the gates of Marsala, I suggest a visit to the Quarries of Marsala.
An important tuff mining activity took place here until the 1950s. Then the vein ran out and the quarry was abandoned.
Visiting it today, it can certainly be said that the quarrymen built an underground city that can now be visited, where nature is reclaiming free spaces.
Thanks to a private couple, who have been reclaiming the whole area for years, it has been possible for some time to take guided tours, thus discovering a hidden world and with it, the history of one of the oldest typical activities of Marsala.
When I went in January, they still hadn’t reopened visits, but if you too you want to take a trip to the canyons of Sicily, during your itinerary by camper then mark yourself this link and make an appointment.
Grotta Mangiapane in Scurati
Custonaci, Scurati and the Mangiapane cave
On the road that goes from Trapani to San Vito lo Capo, I suggest a stop in Custonaci.
Why visit it: in this area famous for the extraction of marble, there are numerous caves inhabited since prehistoric times. And in Scurati some houses are still almost inserted in the caves today. A striking example is the Grotta Mangiapane: here until the end of the Second World War the Mangiapane family lived among their houses. Already because in the cave 80 meters deep, 70 meters high. and 13 wide there are still some restored houses used for re-enactments including the Custonaci crib at Christmas and the Living Museum in the summer.
To visit them, campers can access the Monte Cofano car park by entering from the Cornino seafront, following the signs for the caves. They are fenced off but it is possible to see the various houses and the setting of the period, while it can be visited from April to October.
Baida and the Baglio
On the SP 187 in the direction from Trapani towards Castellammare you will find the indications for Bailata di Baida and Castello di Baida.
If you are on a scooter, this is a panoramic road that crosses some small hamlets between prickly pears and vines, to then descend towards Scopello. I recommend it by scooter for the narrow road that climbs especially if done on the Scopello side.
You arrive in Baida and the castle of Baida: in reality it is a fortified baglio, now a widespread hotel, where inside there is a small church and some houses. Here in 1800, as reported by the inscription on the entrance, Ferdinando III, king of the two Sicilies, was hosted.
Worth a visit for the setting and because in season here you can see how purchasable tomatoes and figs are dried and for the dairy opposite which produces a fabulous cheese!
My list of places to visit in Sicily by camper:
Two names are missing to finish this list of places and I’ll reveal one to you right away.
Catacombs of the Capuchins in Palermo
I’ll take you to Palermo which deserves to be visited with your eyes, savored with taste, listened to in its voices, dedicating it the right amount of time that such a rich city requires. But here I want to show you a truly particular, even singular, place.
Speaking of Catacombs one is led to think that they are a meeting place and place of worship, instead in Palermo, there is a real cemetery, which exhibits over 8000 mummified bodies. Under al Convent and to Church of Santa Maria dating back to the 16th century, there is an underground used for the conservation of corpses. Initially it was expected that only the friars and the prelate would be kept here, but later, also due to the economic needs of the convent, it was also opened to craftsmen, military traders and nobles; even whole families. Basically all those who had the possibility to pay for their own mummification. And from the end of the 1500s to the mid-1800s, many bodies were mummified and exhibited.
Why see it: in fact walking along the various galleries and seeing one by one the bodies still dressed in period clothes, in an upright but slightly inclined or lying down position makes an impression. But it is a macabre show that highlights the habits, customs and traditions of the Palermo city society that lived during that period. In addition of course to the friars’ great ability to process the bodies.
So if you stop in Palermo pop over here: the cost is €3.00 and I suggest you look at their website here before organizing your visit, just to understand.
Camperstop:
the Green Car parking area in via Quarto dei Mille is very convenient, where you can also park your camper. Served with loading / unloading light columns and showers, it is extremely quiet and convenient for visiting the historic center of Palermo.
I end this trip with a truly unique village that I absolutely recommend you put on your list.
Borgo dei Parrini
Borgo dei Parrini the “Palermo Barcelona”
4 km from Partinico, this small village will amaze you with its colors and its particular history.
In this place in the 1500s some fathers of the Jesuit Novitiate bought land to cultivate and built a small cluster of houses around it for them and the peasants complete with a church: this is where the name Parrini comes from, which means Priests.
Subsequently the village passed into the ownership of a French prince who decided to produce the famous Moscatello dello Zucco wine here to export it to Europe. But as in many Italian rural villages, Parrini too was depopulated after the war. The buildings remained abandoned for decades, until a private individual, passionate about painting, together with residents of the area, decided to restore the village making it a widespread hotel. Parrini today embellished by restorations, colors, murals, ceramics and paintings in the houses, with the contribution of various artists,it has become a “Barcelona Palermitana” which is inspired precisely by the Catalan modernism of Gaudì.
Strolling through the streets, retracing the phases of life of the village in the photos, entering the houses/museums with the furnishings and bright colors, will immerse you in an almost surreal atmosphere, and this is its greatest peculiarity.
Camper stop:
There is a single parking lot where you can park safely even in a camper just outside the village on via Parrini.
Concluding
As I told you at the beginning of my trip, this wonderful island has so much to offer a traveler that the list can certainly get longer. I’m sure you’ll have others to add that you’ve visited or would like to see, and I invite you to suggest them below in your comments.
I’ll wait for you for other itineraries
Angela
