Why Sicily is Europe’s New Luxury Destination to Watch

With its matchless combination of art, culture, exquisite landscapes, idyllic beaches, luxury accommodation and delicious food, the stunning Italian isle of Sicily has emerged as one of the Mediterranean’s newest luxury destinations.

Across the Strait of Messina from mainland Italy’s big toe, Sicily is firmly on the list for high-end travellers. This big, triangle-shaped, mountainous island just off the southern coast of Italy exemplifies the pulse of Mediterranean culture, where old perfectly meets new, with a great foodie scene and a growing number of luxury accommodation options sitting seamlessly alongside archaeological treasures and natural wonders.

No other Mediterranean island has Sicily’s riches. Here are some very good reasons to add it to your luxury travel wish list for 2022.

Luxury accommodation

Sicily has become a hotspot for luxury travel. You are genuinely spoilt for choice when it comes to super-luxe accommodation on this sun-kissed island below the tip of Italy’s boot.

Options vary from ultra-luxe villaswith shimmering infinity pool, lovingly restored Sicilian baglios and sumptuous mansions with awe-inspiring sea views, to architect-designed contemporary homes, secluded countryside retreats and luxury hideaways with beautifully appointed interiors, high-spec amenities and tons of outdoor space in perfect harmony with the surrounding environment.

When you stay in a private pool villa, the whole property is exclusively for you and the group of close friends and family you are traveling with, making it a totally private experience. You can practice effective social distancing from strangers and avoid face-to-face contact with people you don’t know in a way that simply wouldn’t be possible even in the most luxurious hotel or holiday resort. This is especially important after the coronavirus pandemic.

Ever fancied renting your very own luxury sea-view villa with private pool in this gorgeous island in the middle of the Mediterranean? Well, now you can. One of the island’s leading holiday home rental agencies is Select Sicily, based in Palermo.

Founded in the mid-2000s, Select Sicily is a high-end vacation-rental company boasting a carefully curated, ever-growing portfolio of deluxe pool villas, private hideaways and typical Mediterranean mansions all over the island, where the sweetest pleasures of the Italian dolce vita can be enjoyed to the fullest.

Archaeological treasures

Over the course of its 3000-year history, this big island at the very south of boot-shaped Italy has served as a crossroads for every major European and Mediterranean civilization.

Art lovers and architecture buffs will find much to delight them in Sicily, from ancient Greek temples, Roman amphitheatres and Phoenician ruins, to Arabesque domes, Norman basilicas, imposing medieval fortresses and some of the world’s finest examples of Baroque architecture and town planning.

Great food

It should come as little surprise that the layering of different waves of settlers gave rise to one of the world’s richest and most varied, exciting and exotic culinary heritages. Bon viveurs love Sicily.

Sicilian cuisine is literally to die for, with delicious seafood and authentic regional produce, including sweet Pachino tomatoes, wild fennel, incredibly succulent olives, capers, deep purple aubergines, lemons, oranges, pistachios and the bittersweet chocolate produced in the UNESCO-protected Baroque town of Modica.

Natural wonders

A nature-lover’s paradise, the Italian island of Sicily has four regional parks, SEVENTY-SIX, I repeat, seventy-six nature reserves, and a host of other boast-worthy natural assets, including the magnificent Mount Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano, and seven pristine marine reserves.

There is a lot to do on this tri-cornered, mountainous island off the toe of Italy’s boot, from hiking, trekking, biking and rock climbing to kayaking, windsurfing, scuba diving, kitesurfing and paddle boarding.

Paradisiacal beaches

The Mediterranean’s largest and most captivating island is a heaven for beach lovers and sun-worshippers. From secluded coves, sand dunes and hidden bays only accessible by boat to massive rock formations and velvety stretches of soft sand where seafood restaurants serve the freshest of fish straight off the boat, Sicily’s 900-mile coastline has everything you could ever need.

As you can see, in sunny Sicily you can really get the perfect combination of culture, seaside fun and relaxation, modern luxury and superbfood made of the best ingredients of the Mediterranean. Get out your passport, then, and start planning your exclusive villa experience.