Which Italian Island should you escape to next? – Everyone knows Italy is a beautiful destination. A sun-kissed land of vineyards, archaeological wonders, galleries, churches and al fresco dining. But off its west coast sit two large islands, Sicily and Sardinia. What do they offer visitors who may be, god forbid, sated by the mainland’s wonders?
Which Italian Island should you escape to next?
Which Italian Island should you escape to next? – Sicily
Booted by the toe of Italy into the Mediterranean, the island of Sicily has always stood apart. It even has its own language and dialect. Sicilians can understand Italian, but few Italians can understand Sicilian.
This otherness is easily explained. Sicily has been home to Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spanish, and this varied ethnicity gave the Sicilian people their unique character. Palermo, the regional capital city, epitomises this cultural melting pot with its diverse Arab-Norman architecture and intriguing fusion of ingredients in its local cuisine.
Sicily’s cultural legacy is immense. When you are on Italy trips, you’ll find nowhere in Europe, save Greece, that recalls the ancient world with such immediacy. Astonishingly well-preserved Greek temple ruins can be found at Selinunte and Segesta. In the southwest, Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples includes the preserved Temple of Concordia.
Further north in the hilltop city of Taormina, the stunning horseshoe-shaped Teatro Greco, dating to 300 BC, was later enlarged by the Romans. Today, the theatre is home to films, concerts and plays with the audience enjoying a backdrop of the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna.
With over 600 miles of coastline, beach lovers adore Sicily. Whether that’s for the bustling lidos (a beach club where you pay for access) or the quiet coves. The islands dotted off Sicily’s coast – including the Pelagie Islands and the largest, Lampedusa – have white, sandy beaches and clear blue waters.
And Sicily has a climate for beach life. The sirocco blows in from Africa meaning summer temperatures are hot, eased only by the cooler maestrale that comes in from southern France.
Sicily’s sunny Mediterranean climate and miles of coastline mean an abundance of fresh seafood, fruit and unique wines. Sardines are served on their own as well as in pasta con le sarde with fennel, pine nuts, and raisins. Arancini (fried rice balls) is a regular snack. Pasta alla Norma features tomato, aubergine and ricotta salata (salted ricotta cheese).
Which Italian Island should you escape to next? – Sardinia
Lying in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sardinia is an idyllic Mediterranean getaway, although less visited than its Sicilian cousin. This is changing. Sardinia has sandy beaches, hiking routes, delicious fresh seafood and lovely wines. It may not quite match Sicily’s archaeological offer but is rich in Bronze Age and Roman sites.
Sardinia’s cities, such as Cagliari and Sassari, are as culturally rich as Sicily’s, but are usually less crowded and hectic. The town of Alghero in the northwest has sea walls painted a honey colour, Gothic palazzi, cafe-lined piazzas and a Spanish feel as well as easy access to nearby beaches.
The island has a rugged coastline, majestic mountains and lush forests, making it a prime location for national parks including Asinara and Gennargentu. These support diverse wildlife - from endangered albino donkeys to pink flamingos to golden eagles - and windy bays for world-class watersports.
For the well-heeled, Costa Smeralda (the Emerald Coast) is a coastal resort. In 1961, the billionaire Aga Khan visited and liked the area so much that he decided to build a playground for the rich and famous. But his vision was eco-friendly, so while the area is built up from the original villages and farms, it isn’t blighted, like other Mediterranean glitzy tourist spots, by high-rise hotel towers.
If you are more of an action person, Sardinia has some of the best deep-water soloing (free cliff climbing over deep water) in Europe as well as windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, diving in Grotta di Nereo (the largest underwater grotto in the Mediterranean) and kayaking.
Sardinia and Sicily, like Italy but more so!
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
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