Sicily as A Winter Holiday Destination

_{On a boat, enjoying the sunny day in Sicily}

When was the first time that you heard of Sicily?

For me it started with one of the most popular mafia films, Godfather, and then continued by the rising popularity of Netflix series these days, White Lotus.

However, I went to Sicily not because of these two cinematography above. In fact, I went there for the sake of escaping the cold weather of Hamburg.

Dave and I flew to Sicily to escape the winter days this beginning of the year. We escaped the cold of Hamburg, from -3° here and 23° there during the day.

So, here we go! Sicily in winter time, why not?

As I said before, the temperature during the winter time is very mild. It is basically an early summer there. So, this is the perfect time to go there!

In a correlation with the previous point, the price during the low season (winter time) drops down. Our direct flight from WizzAir with carry-on luggage cost us no more than 80 EUR per person. And not just that, our accommodation, which was in the ship and which was also luckily only booked by us (we didn’t have to share it with anybody) cost us also no more than 29 EUR per person with a simple breakfast included. It was a good deal!

Sicily is also lively in winter. It is not like Santoroni, where it gives you an impression that it is a locked down city in winter. In Sicily, the winter thrives! We went to the market and the center, and everything was in business. Blessed Sicily with its fertility from its volcano, namely Etna, which is the most active volcano in Europe. Therefore, the vegetables and fruit are giant. Lemons can be 3 times as big as lemons in Germany. Cauliflower can be purple in color.

_{Market of Sicily}

If you love seafood, here is your go to place. Sicily is also strong in fisheries because of its location on the ocean coast. Here, if you eat seafood, the prices are friendly compared to other cities in Italy, plus it’s fresh. It really tastes good when you eat shrimp, the shrimp are still sweet, fresh caught on the same day.

And if you love finger food or pastry, Sicily offers a wide range of patisserie, also available daily-all year round. I am not a sweet tooth, therefore I will choose Arancini at any time. However, you should like the classics, like Minne di San’t Agata (Sicilian Ricotta Pastry) or as translated the breast milk of St. Agatha, patron of Sicily. She was jailed, tortured and her breast was mutilated because she refused the Romans empire conquer in the period.

_{Can you spot the pastry to honor St. Agatha here?}

Affordable pistachios all year round are available here. Pistachios are delicious, but pricey, due to the farmers having to harvest the nuts by setting foot on farming land which can get very hot if the volcano is active, which is a long process. However, if you are in Sicily, you are in the source. Bronte, a city in Sicily is the most famous producer in Sicily. And in the market here, you can buy pistachio directly from the farmers. Fair price and best quality.

PS: Prices and local policies may have changed, so always double checked before you book your ticket. If you are considering staying on a boat, bring Vomex or anti nausea medicine since you may get seasick or motion sickness like us.