Growing up, I spent all of my summers in a little town in Sicily, called Sant'Alessio Siculo.

I have a family beach house there which I'm occasionally renting for short stays. In this page I will give some tips to visitors :)

What to do in Sant'Alessio

  • Beach time!
  • Walks
  • Eating out
  • Visiting nearby towns

The town has a very seasonal activity. It is quiet most of the year, with many restaurants and shops closing down, and it becomes quite buzzing between June and September.

Restaurants:

  • my favourite restaurant and pizzeria in town is probably A18 Sottozero
  • Special mention to Pizzeria Papillon: a lovely pizzeria with an outside terrace. Open in summer only
  • Accabbanna has also good food and nice little garden, but it is not open throughout the year

Bars: whether you are new to Sicilian food or not, I highly recommend trying granita and other pastries for breakfast and snacks😏 these are the main spots in town to know of:

  • Bar Capriccio, main place to taste a Granita. From the house, it's a nice walk across lungomare (the road following the sea side-by-side)
  • Churros bar: that's the nearest coffee place to the house, if you urgently need a good espresso
  • Il chiosco: furthest from the house, but it has a nice outside terrace
  • Bar Heaven
  • La perla nera: a little kiosk on lungomare, usually open in Summer only

Useful info and directions

  • Nearest supermarket (Supermercato): MD, 8 min walk from the house
  • Nearest bakery (Panificio): 3 min walk from the house
  • Nearest pharmacy (Farmacia): 3min walk from the house
  • Nearest Tabacchi store (for magazines, newspapers, tobacco, train tickets, some payment facilities): 2min walk
  • Local doctor office (Guardia Medica): 7 min walk, number: 0039 942 75 1019
  • Local police office (Carabinieri): 6 min walk, phone number: 0039 942 751000
  • Local Tourist Office (Ufficio Turismo): 13 min walk, phone number: 0039 0942 751036 - then choose option 5

Travel and getting around

If you are not driving, it's most likely that you will get around by train and perhaps bus.

Trains

The train station is about 10min walk from the house. Trains run once every hour or so. It takes about 1h30min to get to Catania by Train, and about 45min to get to Taormina (it varies depending on the train).

You can check timetables and purchase tickets online on the Treni Italia website

If you prefer doing things offline: you can get a timetable from the tourist office or the train station. Tickets can be be purchased at a Tabacchi Store, or onboard on the train for an extra fee (roughly 10EUR).

Places to visit from Sant'Alessio Siculo

  • Taormina: plenty to do there :) walk around in the narrow streets, shop in the fancy stores, visit the old Greek theather (make sure to check opening and closing times!)
  • Isola Bella: a stunning tiny island very close to Taormina and Giardini Naxos. If visiting during the summer, it can get busy, so recommend going early (before 10am).
  • Letojanni, Giardini Naxos: larger, busier nearby coast towns in the South West. They offer more choice of restaurants and activities like watersports (during the summer only)
  • Santa Teresa Riva, Roccalumera: nearby coast towns in the North East. They are smaller than Letojanni and Giardini Naxos, but offer slightly more choice than Sant' Alessio
  • Sea tours: There are boat tours that let you discover the waters around the above towns. I haven't used them personally, but these two have been recommended to me: https://www.sicilyactive.com/en/excursions/boat-tour-taormina-isola-bella and https://taorminaluxuryboat.com/
  • Castelmola: beautiful little town up the hills, with nice views. You can hike up there from Taormina
  • Savoca: another small town up the hills. Worth walking around the beautiful old town and trying pane cunzato
  • Gole dell'Alcantara: stunning river gorges, offering nice trails to follow, beautiful scenery and some sporty activities like body rafting
  • Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe: two main spots you might want to explore to begin with
    • Rifugio Sapienza: to see the craters and really immerse yourself in a volcanic, Mars-like scenery. Wear comfortable clothes, and some windproof jacket. Things to do:
      • You can just walk around for free in some cool craters
      • Hike up a nice trail called Schiena dell'Asino
      • Get the cable car to see the main central crater (go early in the morning to do this)
      • Go on a quad tour (quite fun, it requires booking in advance)
    • Linguaglossa: to go for walk in the woods up Etna
    • Bonus points for visiting an Agriturismo - essentially a mix of a farm and restaurant, where they serve you delicious local food and wine (and it's usually quite cheap!). I love this one: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ivHuPk5oGHm3vtUr7 (I recommend booking ahead of time, e.g. via email)

Visiting Catania:

There is lots to do in the city, I won't go in full details. But here are some quick pointers:

Visit the city center: a nice walking itinerary could be:

  • start with breakfast / lunch from a bar in front of Villa Bellini (I would recommend Savia or Spinella), having either granita (chocolate and pistachio or chocolate and almonds are my favourites) or some tavola calda (Savia's arancino al ragu are my favourite in town!)
  • visit Villa Bellini
  • walk down Via Etnea, heading towards Piazza Stesicoro. See the ruins of the the amphitheater
  • Keep walking down until Piazza Duomo
  • Head east to see the Teatro Massimo Bellini
  • Head back west to see the fish market
  • Walk towards the ancient ancient greek-roman amphitheater, which is worth a visit inside - this is the second biggest in the world, after the Colosseum

See Castello Ursino and try some horse meat: not up to everyone taste, but it's very traditional in Catania, and personally I find it delicious.

Visit Acicastello and Acitrezza: these are some nearby towns (15mins drive), with very nice views over the sea. Acicastello has an ancient castle built on top of volcanic rocks. Acitrezza is famous for its faraglioni (which are featured in Homer's Odissey! the legend goes that the cyclops Polifemo threw rocks at Ulisse, and that how the rock pillars were formed). Locals like to go here for a stroll around, for a swim (just be aware that the coastline is rocky), or for some food (granita, aperitivo, seafood or pizza)

I hope this helps! :)

I will be periodically updating the page with more tips. It's possible that some information on this page becomes outdated - apologies if that happens, and please feel free to let me know if you spot it.

Enjoy Sicily! 💙

Andrea