31 Best Sights in Palermo and Western Sicily, Sicily

Housed, perhaps appropriately, in an ex-orphanage in the center of Corleone, the Centro Internazionale di Documentazione sulla Mafia e del Movimento Antimafia, or C.I.D.M.A., chronicles the dark history of the criminal organization that has been identified with Sicily for much of the 20th century and beyond. Most of the story is told through a moving exhibition of black-and-white photographs, almost all taken by Letizia Battaglia, who bravely made it her life's work to record the Mafia's activities in Sicily, in particular the arrests of Mafia operatives and the deaths of their victims. One room holds the vast collection of files used in the Maxi-Trial of Mafia suspects that took place between 1986 and 1992 and led to the murders of the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who are also remembered here. There is space given to the pentito (informant) Tomasso Buscetta, whose testimony resulted in a slew of arrests, but whose entire family was wiped out by vengeful hitmen. It's a sad and sobering experience to hear about such atrocities, and a visit to the center is best undertaken with a guide, without whose explanations you would miss much essential information. Call ahead to book a guided tour (available in English), and to confirm opening times.

Founded and still run by the Rallo family, whose involvement in wine production dates from 1851, the Donnafugata Winery is open for tastings and tours of its cantina (wine cellar); reservations are required and can be made online or by phone. It's an interesting look at the wine-making process in Sicily, and it ends with a sampling of several whites and reds, an optional food pairing, and a chance to buy a bottle. Don't miss the delicious, full-bodied red Mille e Una Notte, and the famous Ben Ryè Passito di Pantelleria, a sweet dessert wine made from dried grapes.

 Monreale's splendid cathedral is lavishly executed with mosaics depicting events from the Old and New Testaments. It's a glorious fusion of Eastern and Western influences, widely regarded as the finest example of Norman architecture in Sicily. After the Norman conquest of Sicily, the new princes showcased their ambitions through monumental building projects. William II (1154–89) built the church complex with a cloister and palace between 1174 and 1185, employing Byzantine craftsmen.

The major attraction is the 68,220 square feet of glittering gold mosaics decorating the cathedral interior. Christ Pantocrator dominates the apse area; the nave contains narratives of the Creation; and scenes from the life of Christ adorn the walls of the aisles and the transept. The painted wooden ceiling dates from 1816–37 while the roof commands a great view (a reward for climbing 172 stairs). The wood and metal organ, the only one in Europe with six keyboards and 10,000 pipes, was restored after lightning damage in 2015, and played by Mick Jagger on a private visit in 2021.

Bonnano Pisano's bronze doors, completed in 1186, depict 42 biblical scenes and are considered among the most important medieval artifacts still in existence. Barisano da Trani's 42 panels on the north door, dating from 1179, present saints and evangelists. To visit, book a spot on www.coopculture.it at least a week in advance.

One piazza over from the dancing nymphs of Fontana Pretoria, this church, with its elegant Norman campanile, was erected in 1143 but had its interior altered considerably during the Baroque period. High along the western wall, however, is some of the oldest and best-preserved mosaic artwork of the Norman period. Near the entrance is a fascinating mosaic that shows the Norman King Roger II being crowned by Christ. In it Roger is dressed in a bejeweled Byzantine stole, reflecting the Norman court's penchant for all things Byzantine. Archangels along the ceiling wear the same stole wrapped around their shoulders and arms. The much plainer San Cataldo is next door.

Driving along the flat and winding coast road north of Marsala, you'll soon come across the extraordinary series of salt pans glistening in the shallows of Sicily's largest lagoon, the Stagnone di Marsala. The shallow depth of the lagoon, ranging from 2 to 6 feet, has made it perfect for the production of salt, and it has been put to this purpose since Phoenician times. The sheer flatness of the scene is varied only by the conical heaps of salt and a scattering of the disused windmills once used to supply power. The scene is still and quiet most of the time, but you'll sometimes see pockets of activity, with full wheelbarrows of salt being hauled to the conveyor belts that create the mounds. The stacks of earthenware tiles you'll see everywhere are used to weigh down the salt to prevent it being from blown away by gusts of wind. It's an extremely photogenic tableau, with the light changing through the day, the occasional presence of spindly pink flamingos in the lagoon, and Mozia and the Egadi archipelago looming through the haze. The narrow coastal road is one-way for much of its length, and the cycle track running alongside it enables the area to be comfortably toured on two wheels.

There's a small museum dedicated to the salt extraction industry in a restored windmill at the Ettore e Infersa embarcation point, where souvenir samples of salt can be purchased. You'll also find the Mamma Caura bar-restaurant here ( www.seisaline.it  Closed Tues. Oct.–May), with outdoor tables and a rooftop terrace.

One of Bagheria's most impressive palaces, Villa Cattolica has been meticulously renovated and converted into a gallery devoted to the artist Renato Guttuso (1911–87), who was born in the town. Guttuso's fierce, expressionist style and vivid sense of color made him one of Sicily's most renowned modern artists, and the gallery traces his career from his earliest sketches in the 1920s and 1930s to his later bold canvases, including his last work, a huge collective portrait of his mistresses and muses. Guttuso started his career painting carretti (farmer's carts) in the traditional style and the first rooms feature a collection of painted carts. The gallery also hosts work by Guttuso's peers and contemporaries, and a separate building holds an exhibition of Italian film posters, including one for the film Kaos, designed by Guttuso. The artist's tomb lies in the villa's garden.

Joseph Whitaker's former home on Mozia island now holds the Museo Whitaker, displaying a good selection of the finds excavated on the island. As you enter, you'll see useful aerial photographs and models showing the island now and as it might have looked under Carthaginian rule. Most of the exhibits consist of steles, pottery, painted vases, and a scattering of spearheads and jewelry, but the centerpiece is the so-called youth of Motya, an elegantly sinuous life-size statue of a poised young man, one hand resting on his hip, exuding a powerful air of self-assurance. The statue is also known as the "charioteer,"  though there is no evidence that this was his role.

Outside the museum, walk in any direction to take in the dispersed archaeological site. You can't go wrong tracing the perimeter of the island, which will bring you to the Tophet (shrine and burial ground) on the northern shore, and the Cappiddazzu sanctuary, close to where the youth of Mozia was unearthed. There is little above thigh height until you come to such imposing structures as the north gate, the city's main entrance that stood at the end of a causeway (now submerged) that formerly linked it to the Sicilian mainland; the eastern tower; and the remains of the sturdy Carthaginian city walls. There are panels and charts throughout, providing explanations and background on what you're seeing.

Allow at least three hours for a thorough exploration of the museum and island, or longer if you want to bring a picnic lunch or pick up a snack at the café. Sunhats are strongly recommended.

Dating from the 18th century but closed for most of the last four decades, the Palazzo Butera has been transformed by its gallerista owners, Massimo and Francesca Valsecchi, into one of Sicily’s (and Italy’s) most imaginative museum collections. Its labyrinthine rooms now display a heady mixture of old and new art. The collection’s strength lies in its bold juxtapositions, with works by an international roster of experimental modern artists of the likes of Gilbert and George, and David Tremlett, exhibited alongside classical landscapes and graceful Sicilian furniture from the 19th century. Painted ceilings remain from the palace's Baroque beginnings, some of them artfully peeled back to reveal the wooden construction behind them. Diverse temporary exhibitions displayed on the ground floor add to the mix. There’s a lot to take in, but if you need a break from all the hectic creativity, head for the terrace, accessed from the second floor, which provides benches and a walk around one of the two courtyards as well as views over the harbor. You can get even better views from the viewing platform reached from the roof, while further up, steps lead to a lofty view of the harbor, Monte Pellegrino, and, inland, the whole of the Conca d’Oro plain in which the city sits.

Extending for 7 km (4½ miles) along the western edge of the Golfo di Castellammare, the Riserva dello Zingaro nature reserve is one of the few stretches of coastline in western Sicily that is not built up. It's only accessible on foot, using a good choice of paths, and offers exhilarating views and some fabulous small beaches. The best time to visit is late spring when both wildflowers and birds are plentiful.

The reserve's two entrances are roughly 1 km (½ mile) north of Scopello and, at its northern end, 12 km (7½ miles) east of San Vito Lo Capo. Entry costs €5 per person. The reserve is open daily all year (until 6 in summer, or 4 in winter), and in winter (October–May) it is possible to stay overnight in very rudimentary shelters for up to two nights. The shelters, which lack electricity, gas, heating, beds, toilets, and drinking water, can be booked for €10 per person per night via the reserve's website.

Route maps can be picked up from either of the entrances. There are three main routes, color-coded green (for the coastal trail), yellow (for the central trail), and orange (for the high trail). A few trails connect the routes, but these are not always where you might want them. The coastal trail is the easiest, while the high trail is the hardest.

The terrain is mostly rock and scrub, with little shade. Along with the variety of vegetation, there is plenty of unusual wildlife to look out for, including buzzards, kestrels, hoopoes, owls, and the rare Bonelli's eagle. Bees, grasshoppers, and lizards are ubiquitous, and snakes (mostly harmless) are also common. You can pick up illustrated guides to the reserve's flora and fauna at the two entrances.

The only food and refreshments you'll find are also at the two entrances, where you can fill up your water flasks. Be sure to carry plenty of water, and you should also come equipped with sun protection and sturdy footwear (sandals are not permitted).

There are numerous small, niche swimming spots in the Capo San Vito area, but the grandest and by far the most popular beach of all—and the centerpiece of the whole town—is San Vito Lo Capo's beach, a blissful arc of silky, white sand at the foot of Monte Monaco. Most of its length of nearly 3 km (2 miles) is public and free to use, but sections have been roped off as private lidos, where you'll pay €15–€20 for a full day's use of sunbeds and a parasol, plus access to bars and bathroom facilities. Needless to say, both public and private beaches get intensely crowded in July and August, which is the perfect time to seek out all those other lesser-known beaches in the vicinity. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; toilets; water sports. Best for: families; swimming; walking.

Built over an ancient temple dedicated to Venus (hence the name), the ruined Castello di Venere dates from Norman times and is erected in a position to afford the best possible views of the sea and coast. For this reason alone it's worth the 20-minute walk to the southeastern corner of Erice's triangular layout. There's plenty of background to absorb from the information boards (also in English), but not much to see inside, so it's all about the spectacular vistas where you can take in Trapani, the salt pans, and the Egadi Islands.  Confirm it's open before visiting; it was closed for renovations in 2024 but expected to reopen by spring 2025.

The spookiest sight in all of Sicily, this 16th-century catacomb houses more than 8,000 corpses of men, women, and young children—some in tombs but many mummified, preserved, and hanging in rows on the walls, divided by social caste, age, or gender. Most wear signs indicating their names and the years they lived, and many are Capuchin friars, who were founders and proprietors of this bizarre establishment from 1599 to 1911. The site is still managed by the nearby Capuchin church, but was closed to new corpses when an adjacent cemetery was opened, making the catacombs redundant. Though memorable, this is not a spot for the faint of heart; children might be frightened or disturbed.

This church is a lesson in Palermitano eclecticism—originally Norman (1182), then Catalan Gothic (14th to 15th century), then fitted out with a Baroque and neoclassical interior (18th century). Its turrets, towers, dome, and arches come together in the kind of meeting of diverse elements that King Roger II (1095–1154), whose tomb is inside along with that of Frederick II, fostered during his reign. The exterior is more intriguing than the interior, and it's worth walking round to the gracefully decorated back of the apse to view the interlacing Arab arches inlaid with limestone and black volcanic tufa. The climb to the cathedral's roof is also recommended for some fabulous city views.

The lovely Benedictine cloister of the abbey adjacent to the Duomo was built at the same time as the church but enlarged in the 14th century. The enclosure is surrounded by 216 intricately carved double columns, every other one decorated in a unique glass mosaic pattern. Afterward, don't forget to walk behind the cloister to the belvedere, with stunning panoramic views over the Conca d'Oro (Golden Conch) plain toward Palermo. If you wish to visit, reserve a tour online at least a week in advance.

The entrepreneur Ignazio Florio played a leading part in the regeneration of Favignana's tuna fisheries in the 19th century, a tale told in his company's former fishery, a huge complex located on the outskirts of Favignana town, now converted into a museum. Hour-long guided tours take you through the fascinating history and gruesome methods of bluefin tuna fishing, including the ritualistic and bloody culmination of the fishing process, La Mattanza, or "The Killing." These traditional methods died out with the growth of modern industrial practices and overfishing. Tours must be booked a least a day in advance. There's also a separate section focusing on the Battle of Egadi (241 BC), which saw the defeat of the Carthaginians by a Roman fleet and their subsequent expulsion from Sicily.

Located on Levanzo's rugged northwestern coast, Italy's most important example of cave art, the Grotta del Genovese, displays a stunning set of paintings and incised drawings dating from the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. The guide explains in fascinating detail how the small red and black figures of animals, fish, and insectlike humans were created here between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, and how they were discovered by a holidaymaker in 1949.

Transport to the grotto, which is privately owned, may be included in the price of the ticket. Arriving by sea, a 20-minute ride, allows you to experience Levanzo's beautiful coast, but is not possible when the sea is at all rough as the boat must negotiate a narrow inlet in order to disembark passengers. The alternative is overland via Jeep, though this involves a downhill walk along a track for the last half mile. The whole excursion by boat or Jeep takes around 90 minutes. You can also make your own way here on foot along inland paths from Levanzo town, a walk of around one hour each way.

Visits to the site must be booked online, by email, or by phone at least 48 hours in advance, but ideally several days ahead during the busy summer months. Note that neither touching the engravings nor photographing them is allowed, and sturdy shoes are advised.

The town's beach is a 2-km (1-mile) stretch of sand, unusually clean for its proximity to the city. You can choose between public areas or private lidos where you can rent sun loungers and a parasol and gain access to washing facilities with hot showers and changing rooms (expect to pay €15–€20 for an entire day, though afternoon rates may be reduced). The private beaches are also noticeably tidier and are patrolled by lifeguards. All the beaches get very busy on weekends but you should always be able to find space. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; water sports. Best for:  swimming; walking.

A sense of Marsala's past as a Carthaginian stronghold is captured by the well-preserved Punic warship displayed in this museum, along with some of the amphorae and other artifacts recovered from the wreck. The vessel, which was probably sunk during the great sea battle that ended the First Punic War in 241 BC, was dredged up from the mud near the Egadi Islands in the 1970s. There's also a good display of maritime and archaeological finds, as well as some Roman ruins with mosaics just beyond the museum's doors. A combined ticket allows you to take in the rather sparse archaeological area behind the museum, too.

A former Benedictine monastery near Piazza Repubblica is now the home of the Complesso Monumentale di San Pietro, a series of exhibition and conference rooms that include a collection of items relating to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the flamboyant hero of Italy's 19th-century war of independence. The resistance leader's name is ubiquitous in Marsala, for it was here that he disembarked his army of one thousand "red shirts" to battle against the Bourbons, a struggle that eventually led to a unified and independent Italy. Two rooms—including the monastery's former refectory—display guns, swords, busts, paintings, photographs, and uniforms from the campaign, including examples of the famous red shirts worn by Garibaldi's fiercely loyal followers. A box in the center of the room holds the guerrilla general's own pistol.

Other parts of the museum complex hold archaeological fragments from Roman hypogea and necropolis in the area as well as traditional masks and costumes worn in Marsala's Easter Thursday procession. The wide central courtyard is the venue for concerts and open-air movies in the summer.

This collection of more than 4,000 masterpieces showcasing the traditional Opera dei Pupi (puppet show), both Sicilian and otherwise, will delight visitors of all ages with their glittering armor and fierce expressions. The free audio guide to the colorful displays is only available in Italian, but the well-designed exhibits include video clips of the puppets in action, which requires no translation. There are also regular live performances in the museum's theater (Monday 11 am and Tuesday–Saturday 5 pm), which center on the chivalric legends of troubadours of bygone times. The museum can be hard to find: look for the small alley just off Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5.

Trapani's foremost museum collection is located in a former Carmelite monastery that was attached to the important religious site of Santuario dell’Annunziata. The art sections take in some excellent examples of medieval and Renaissance art, including statuary by Antonello Gagini and a painting by Titian. Among the archaeological exhibits is a selection of low-key finds from Mozia and Selinunte. There's also a guillotine from 1800, and a good collection of memorabilia from Garibaldi's Sicilian campaign against the Bourbons in 1860.

The usual entrance to the museum is in the Villa Pepoli public garden; when this is closed enter from Via Madonna, behind the garden.

Arranged in a series of rooms around the cobbled courtyard of the 18th-century Palazzo Fici, this museum in the old center opened in 2024 to showcase the Marsala wine for which the town is famous. It also chronicles the development of wine production in the region generally, from its Phoenician beginnings to the present, in the process providing a good summary of the history of the town itself. It's worth pausing in the first rooms to view the subtitled videos, before moving on to rooms that cover the terrain and manufacture of Marsala wine, focusing on the first British exporters—Woodhouse, Ingham, and Whitaker—and the Italian wine dynasties that succeeded them, notably the Florios.

Despite its grand facade and airy interior, the church of San Domenico itself holds little interest for anyone who isn’t excited by the tombs of Sicilian notables, but the eponymous oratory, located behind the church, constitutes one of Palermo’s great unsung treasures. The private chapel is generously adorned with sumptuous, creamy white stuccos, exquisitely crafted by Giacomo Serpotta (1656­­–1732) and depicting figures representing Patience, Obedience, Humility, Liberty, Justice, and more. Unusually, these allegorical figures take the form of elegant society ladies—something which would never have been possible in a public place of worship like a church. A QR code shown at the ticket office will allow you to download an app that provides background information on what you're looking at, such as the numerous symbols incorporated into each of the sculptures, including the gold-colored lizard on Fortitude’s column, a puny reference to the artist himself, whose name resembles the Sicilian dialect word for “lizard.” Around the allegorical figures cavort a host of playful putti (cherubs), some of them playing musical instruments, while the 1628 painting above the altarpiece, Madonna and Saints, is the work of Anthony van Dyck.

Hidden behind high walls and accessed through a courtyard, the oratory—or private chapel—of Saint Cita boasts one of the finest collections of the graceful white stuccos for which their creator, Giacomo Serpotta (1656–1732), is famous. The centerpiece is an amazingly elaborate rendering of the Battle of Lepanto, at which the Ottoman Turkish fleet was defeated by combined Christian forces in 1571. The walls are inset with a series of Biblical scenes from the life of Jesus. To leaven the solemnity of such scenes, however, Serpotta has introduced some of his most fetching portrayals of the ordinary people of Palermo, from street urchins to wizened old men and sophisticated ladies, while an army of mischievous putti (cherubs) interweaves among them. Fans of Serpotta can find more of his works in the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in nearby Via Immacolatella.

The Four Corners is the decorated intersection of two main thoroughfares: Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda. Four rather exhaust-blackened Baroque palaces from Spanish rule meet at concave corners, each with its own fountain and representations of a Spanish ruler, patron saint, and one of the four seasons. These days it's one of Palermo's major tourist hot spots and a favorite venue for street performers.

Just inside Porta Trapani, the western entrance that most people use to access Erice, the first sight that confronts visitors to the town is the dramatic ensemble of the Real Duomo, Erice's main church, and its detached bell tower, the Torre di Re Fernando. Both are battlemented and retain a formidable Gothic appearance. The church, dating from around 1314, contains traces of a fresco of an angel dating from its original construction, visible in the sanctuary on the left-hand side of the nave. The bell tower was orignally built by the Aragonese as a lookout tower in the late 13th century, and its 108 steps can be climbed for splendid bird's-eye views.

Three striking Saracenic pink domes mark this church, built in 1154 during the Norman occupation of Palermo. The church now belongs to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and has a spare but intense stone interior.

Distinguished by its five reddish-orange domes and stripped-clean stone interior, this 12th-century church was built by the Normans on the site of an earlier mosque—one of 200 that once stood in Palermo. The emirs ruled Palermo for nearly two centuries and brought to it their passion for lush gardens and fountains. One is reminded of this while sitting in San Giovanni's delightful cloister of twin half columns, surrounded by palm trees, jasmine, oleander, and citrus trees.

Dedicated to Thomas à Becket, the English saint famously martyred after provoking the fury of Henry II, Marsala's imposing Duomo is located in the heart of the old town, dominating a stately piazza that is also flanked by the 18th-century town hall. The church's grand Baroque facade is matched by its spacious and airy interior. A painting behind the altar depicts the murder of St. Thomas, while chapels on either side of the nave contain much work by Sicily's prolific Gagini family of sculptors.

This sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary and local saints is one of Sicily's most revered religious sites, visited by devout pilgrims from all over the country. The complex was originally built for the Carmelite religious order in 1332, and its most treasured object is the life-size statue of the Madonna di Trapani, serenely smiling and holding the infant Jesus, thought to be the work of Nino Pisano or his studio. The importance of the sanctuary to the local fishing community is shown in the chapel dedicated to sailors, displaying scallop-shell motifs over every window as well as over the altar itself, and in one chapel dedicated to fishermen, dating from the 16th century. A separate room holds numerous ex-voto paintings of sailing vessels beset by stormy waters.