Private Tour of Sicily: Beatriz’s Travel Diary

A real Sicily travel diary: Beatriz’s tailor-made journey across the island

Not every journey needs to read like a guidebook. Sometimes a place is better understood through what a traveller remembers once they are home: breakfast on a terrace, a guide changing plans because Mount Etna is active, a beach found almost by chance, or a dish that turns out to be far better than expected.

Beatriz sent us this diary after travelling around Sicily on a private, tailor-made self-drive tour designed by Trinakria Tours. We loved it because it feels honest. It does not try to turn every moment into a definitive recommendation. It is the story of a curious traveller who explored the island slowly, paid attention and wanted to taste almost everything.

For every journey, we carefully select accommodation and experiences from our own network of local partners. We know them personally, and some have worked with us for almost twenty years. Online reviews are useful, of course, but our work begins where an automated search ends: listening to the traveller, understanding the kind of journey they need, and connecting hotels, stages and experiences so that the route feels coherent.

We like to think of ourselves as travel curators: people with long experience, first-hand knowledge and a genuine passion for creating authentic, highly personal journeys. We believe this is where our added value lies—and perhaps one of the reasons travellers remember these trips so fondly.

How the journey began

Hello, I’m sending you this little account of our journey. I don’t think I can fully explain just how much we enjoyed it, but here goes.

Working with Giovanni at Trinakria Tours, we shaped a route around the experiences we wanted: nature, heritage, food, characterful places to stay and enough time to drive around Sicily without turning the trip into a race.

You could tell that every suggestion came from first-hand knowledge of Sicily and careful curation. It was not simply a matter of booking hotels and activities, but of building a journey that made sense. And you can tell they genuinely love doing it.

They arranged the rental car, our accommodation with breakfast, a private Mount Etna tour and the transfers between Palermo Airport and our hotel in the city.

Choosing them to organise the trip was absolutely the right decision.

Four places to stay, four different ways to experience Sicily

One of the things we appreciated most was that each place had its own personality. We never felt as though we were repeating the same hotel experience in a different location.

A garden retreat with views of Mount Etna

For the first part of the journey, we stayed in the middle of the countryside. The room was enormous and opened directly onto the garden, with a small table where we could end the day with a glass of wine or a beer.

Mount Etna was visible from the swimming pool. At breakfast, eggs were cooked however we liked and coffee was prepared to order. The owner and her mother often joined us in the morning, which made the whole place feel even warmer and more personal.

A small boutique B&B between the two sides of Ragusa

In Ragusa, we stayed in a boutique B&B between Ragusa Ibla and the upper town. The terrace looked directly across to Ibla and the view was extraordinary.

Breakfast was served upstairs, where the panorama was even better. The room was beautifully designed, and our host gave us all the practical information we needed to explore the area.

A rural hideaway near the Marsala salt pans

Near Marsala, we returned to the countryside and stayed in a small rural resort close enough to the salt pans to reach them on foot. That detail later became part of one of the loveliest evenings of the trip.

The garden was huge, with a swimming pool, fruit trees, chickens and two dogs who seemed to be part of the welcome committee.

The owners were always attentive, offering us a glass of wine or a beer and preparing excellent breakfasts. Our room was unusually spacious, with a dressing room, a whirlpool bath and a separate shower.

A historic house in central Palermo

We ended the journey in Palermo’s historic centre, close to one of the city’s best-known markets.

Despite the location, the room overlooked an inner garden and was remarkably quiet. It had a dressing room, a vast bathroom and a bath that felt almost like a small pool.

Breakfast outside was generous and varied. On our first morning, the owner talked us through what to see, and we planned part of our visit around her suggestions. It was excellent advice.

Eating well was part of the route

We ate a great deal in Sicily and almost always very well. Some restaurants had been researched in advance, others were suggested by our hosts, and a few were chosen simply because we felt like walking in.

A first Sicilian dinner in Taormina

Taormina is very touristy, but that does not mean you cannot eat well. We had dinner in a trattoria and ordered two pasta dishes, one with sardines and another prepared in the house style. We shared a board of Sicilian cheeses to start.

It was a good introduction to the island: familiar dishes, but with ingredients and flavours that immediately placed us in Sicily.

Fish in Aci Castello

Our guide recommended a seafood restaurant in Aci Castello. We ordered swordfish and it was very good, although after seeing the shellfish platters arriving at other tables, I thought I should perhaps have copied our neighbours.

Our first cannolo in Catania

In Catania, we tried our first Sicilian cannolo. We loved it, as well as the granite and the limoncello spritz I ordered.

The cannolo was filled with ricotta, and it was one of those moments when you understand why such a famous pastry still feels meaningful when tasted where it belongs.

Bronte and the irresistible pistachio

Bronte is pistachio country, so passing through without trying one of its many sweets would be almost impossible. They were delicious, although undeniably very sweet.

Two dinners in Ragusa

In Ragusa Ibla, we tried fried Sicilian cheese, caponata, meatballs and spaghetti with a rich sauce finished in the oven. Everything was wonderful.

In upper Ragusa, we ate in a charming restaurant. We ordered caponata again, spaghetti with clams and, for me, an especially flavourful tuna steak.

An aperitivo served in a little boat

Near the Marsala salt pans, the owner of our accommodation recommended somewhere to watch the sunset. We could walk there and expected to have a simple drink.

The place turned out to be magical. The aperitivo was far more substantial than expected and arrived inside a miniature boat used as a tray. The sun set over the salt pans while a guitarist played live music.

It was one of those scenes that cannot quite be explained unless you were there.

A final dinner in Marsala

On our last evening in Marsala, we followed online reviews and chose a restaurant in the centre.

We ordered the tasting menu and it was an excellent decision. We had the best meatballs of the entire trip, paired with a local wine produced by the restaurant itself.

Palermo: trattorie and street food

In Palermo, we followed our host’s recommendation and ate in a traditional trattoria. The house pasta was excellent.

And of course, Palermo street food needs to be sampled in one of the markets or central stalls. The city makes more sense when you eat standing up, surrounded by noise, aromas and conversation.

From Mount Etna to the baroque south-east

Taormina as a first glimpse of Sicily

On our first day, we only had the afternoon free, so we went for a walk through Taormina.

We noticed the balconies, the traditional Moor’s head ceramics and the decorative pine cones seen all over Sicily. We also recognised several locations from the second season of The White Lotus.

A private tour around Mount Etna

The following day, Trinakria Tours had arranged a five-hour private tour of Mount Etna.

Access to the upper area was restricted because the volcano was releasing gases, so our guide adapted the experience. Rocco led us through the landscape while explaining the nature, history and culture of the volcano.

He was fantastic. His knowledge was extraordinary, and the change of plan never felt like a disappointment. It simply became another way of understanding Etna.

That afternoon, he told us that Aci Trezza was celebrating the feast of San Giovanni and staging a performance in the harbour about the struggle between man and fish. We went along and somehow ended up in the front row.

We finished the afternoon in Aci Castello, visiting its Norman fortress.

Catania and a drive around the volcano

The next day, we visited Catania and explored its baroque architecture.

We began at the Pescheria, although we arrived late and only a few stalls were still open. In the heat, it became obvious that the market should be visited early, before the city reaches its hottest point.

We entered the cathedral and bought a combined ticket for the nearby Roman baths, the diocesan museum and several places associated with Saint Agatha, Catania’s patron saint.

The museum terrace has superb views. Via dei Crociferi is also worth walking along, as it captures much of the city’s baroque character.

In the afternoon, we drove around part of Mount Etna. We stopped in Paternò, with far-reaching views from its Norman tower; Bronte, where almost everything seems to contain pistachio; and Randazzo, a medieval town built largely from black volcanic stone.

We hoped to finish at the Alcantara Gorges, but arrived after the entrance had closed. That, too, is part of a real journey: you do not always manage to do everything.

Siracusa, Noto, Modica and Ragusa without turning the day into a race

On the way to our next accommodation, we crossed part of the baroque south-east: Siracusa, Ortigia, Noto, Modica and Ragusa.

Ortigia and Noto are places to wander without too fixed a plan. In Siracusa, we visited the Neapolis Archaeological Park, where Greek and Roman remains sit alongside the ancient quarries once used to build temples and theatres.

Modica and Ragusa cling to the hillsides, filled with stairways, slopes and viewpoints that shift at every turn. Ragusa Ibla should be discovered slowly, although the upper town also deserves time.

Be prepared to use your legs.

Inside Inspector Montalbano’s Sicily

We are great fans of Inspector Montalbano, so we dedicated a day to some of the series’ best-known locations.

We visited the castle seen in the series, Scicli, the famous police station and Punta Secca, where Montalbano’s seaside house stands.

The castle has beautiful gardens and a few surprises. Scicli also won us over in its own right. Even without the television connection, it would have been worth the walk.

For a swim, we drove to a nature reserve in the province of Ragusa. We left the car in a field near a restaurant car park, hired a parasol and two loungers, and entered the reserve from there.

It was busier than we expected for such a secluded spot, but the swim was excellent.

For a closer look at this part of the island, read our one-day Inspector Montalbano itinerary through south-east Sicily.

From the Valley of the Temples to western Sicily

Agrigento under the sun

On the way to Marsala, we stopped in Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples.

The heat was intense. We hired an audio guide and kept searching for shade whenever it was time to listen to an explanation. Even so, the temples are extraordinary and the visit is entirely worthwhile.

We also wanted to see the Scala dei Turchi, but only managed to view it from above because we could not find the access down.

Fifteen kilometres through the Zingaro Nature Reserve

In the Trapani area, we walked through the Zingaro Nature Reserve.

It was extremely hot, but we completed the full fifteen kilometres—seven and a half out and the same distance back—thanks to the swims we took in the coves along the route.

The landscape was spectacular and the water completely transparent.

Segesta, Erice and an evening in Marsala

The next day, we visited Segesta Archaeological Park. I loved it. The theatre and the unfinished temple are remarkably well preserved.

We then climbed to Erice, with its medieval lanes and castle wrapped in cloud. We ended the day strolling through Marsala, a town we liked far more than expected.

Palermo is not simply visited; it is crossed, heard and tasted

We ended the trip in Palermo.

Following our host’s advice, we walked to Palazzo Butera along Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele, passing the Quattro Canti and Fontana Pretoria, which was under restoration.

We bought a joint ticket for Palazzo Butera and the Teatro Massimo.

Palazzo Butera has been carefully restored and brings together contemporary art, Art Deco furniture and several unusual spaces. You can walk onto the roof and see traces of the ceilings before restoration.

The next day, we visited the Teatro Massimo. The building is magnificent, and our guide made the visit even better.

We also entered a privately owned historic palazzo shown to us by the family themselves. It was one of Palermo’s great surprises, not only because of the building but because of the warmth with which it was shared.

In Palermo, you should also enter at least one market: Capo, Ballarò or Vucciria. And visit the cathedral, where the rooftop offers a striking view across the city.

A practical note on driving around the island

When travelling by car, it is useful to have an app installed for parking payments.

In many cities and coastal towns, both car parks and blue-zone street parking can be paid for by phone. Having the app ready saves time searching for coins or payment machines.

It is also important to remember that Sicily is large, and real journey times are not always what the map suggests. A well-designed route means more time enjoying the island and less time sitting in the car.

What this diary reveals without quite saying it

Beatriz’s journey includes many of Sicily’s great landmarks, but its appeal does not come from quantity.

It comes from the way one stage leads naturally to the next: sleeping beneath Mount Etna, discovering a local festival through the guide, walking through baroque towns, swimming after a long hike, following Inspector Montalbano’s landscapes and ending among Palermo’s markets and palaces.

There are also small failures—a closed entrance, a late arrival, a beach busier than expected—which make the story feel true. A well-designed trip does not remove the unexpected. It leaves room for it without allowing it to unravel the whole journey.

This is what we try to create at Trinakria Tours: a route with an internal logic, accommodation we know personally, experiences placed at the right moment and enough freedom for the journey to remain yours. Not a disconnected series of bookings or an automated answer, but a trip shaped by hand around the people who will travel.