Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

Distinctive terraces of white rock descend towards the sea not far from Agrigento at the Scala dei Turchi. You can easily climb onto them from the beach. Your reward? A view over the bay that’s all shades of blue.

Arts and culture

Sicily’s cultural treasure trove is laden with archaeological wonders, be it the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento (www.valleyofthetemples.com), or the Greek ruins and Doric temple at Segesta (www.segesta.org). Art lovers will fall for Palermo’s aesthetic charms: seek out the baroque chapels and take a guided tour of the impressive Teatro Massimo opera house (www.teatromassimo.it). Seek out sculptures by Laurano and da Messina paintings at Palazzo Abatellis (+39 091 623 0011). More contemporary pieces line the walls at the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (www.galleriadartemodernapalermo.it). In the south, Modica and Ragusa are beautiful Baroque towns.

Something for nothing

The island’s north-west is wine country, riven with terraces of gnarly vines, and between Trapani and Marsala another industry flourishes, too: salt. For a scenic drive, follow the salt road or Via del Sale, which crosses arid plains topped with salt mounds and white-washed windmills.

Shopping

Browse the colourful Ballerò market in Palermo, or pick up cheap-chic Italian labels along the city’s Via Sant’ Agostino.

Daytripper

Head inland to Piazza Armerina, which has a fortress and a cluster of photogenic churches crowned by a domed cathedral in its historic quarter. It’s an ancient ruin 5km out of town that steals the show, however: Unesco-listed Roman villa Casale is a sprawling complex of relatively intact rooms and courtyards famed for their mosaics (villaromanadelcasale.it). Stop for lunch at Al Fogher on Contrada Bellia (+39 0935 684123).

Perfect picnic

Panelle are tasty fried square-shaped snacks made from chickpea flour; pick up picnic-perfect pastries at Antica Focacceria just off Piazza San Francisco. Historic hilltop town Erice, north of Trapani, has fine-looking fortresses, superlative views and a surfeit of pasticcerie. Pick up a sweet picnic of nutty pastries and marzipan from Maria Grammatico on Via Vittorio Emmanuele (+39 0923 869390); spread your rug in the Balio Garden, and enjoy views of the sea speckled with the distant Egadi islands.

Walks

Wander Palermo’s ancient alleys and gaze at crumbling 15th-century palaces and Baroque churches, then pause for a cappuccino in a pretty piazza. For walks on the wilder side, the peaked Parco delle Madonie in the north is well set up for visitors, with hiking trails amid rugged countryside (+39 0921 684011; parcodellemadonie.it). In the south, Cavagrande del Cassibile nature reserve is a woods-and-waterfall-lined canyon: hike into the valley to swim in the cavernous freshwater pools ((parks.it).

Children

Any child with even a semblance of imagination loves a volcano. Not many, however, get the chance to see one smouldering away with their own eyes. The cable car from Rifiugio Sapienza, near Taormina in eastern Sicily, takes junior vulcanologists up over the lava-strewn slopes of Mount Etna. In the west of the island, Palermo’s Catacombe dei Cappuccini, an underground vault filled with the mummified remains of the city’s 17th-century nobles, will appeal to any fan of the Horrible Histories series.

Activities

Saddle up to trek near the Valley of the Temples with Maneggio Centro Ippico San Benedetto in Favara (+39 338 315 5745). Head from south-coast Agrigento to scuba dive the marine reserves round Linosa and Lampedusa: try Moby Diving Centre (mobydiving.it). Get the lay of the land by driving from Taormina to Palermo on the coast roads. You'll glimpse the ‘toe’ of Italy across the Straits of Messina. Stop in the charming north coast fishing village of Cefalu for gelati amid its ancient Moorish architecture.