This week the New York Times announced its annual 52 Places to Travel list. I am thrilled to see Sicily once again on this list at number 45. The Times focused its featured destinations based on *experiences,* mostly those which enable travelers to witness places respectfully through visiting off-the-beaten-path villages and scenic routes – exactly what we love to share with our guests. Specifically, the Times discusses the Sicily Divide, a cycling route that extends from western Sicily’s salt flats of Trapani (pictured) to eastern Sicily’s volcanic Mount Etna and Ionian Sea.
As the piece explains, “the Divide shows adventurers the island’s more intimate side while brining new life to communities that have suffered from depopulation over the last decades.” Certainly, Experience Sicily tours include historic and culturally significant sites, always the initial draw to the Italian region. However, the art of a remarkable itinerary is balancing those renowned sites with poignant, unexpected connections that naturally occur in far-flung places. As the Times article quotes, “it makes it clear that people are Sicily’s real attraction.”
