Sicily April 2026

We were in western Sicily during Easter week this year and one big reason for that timing was to go to San Biagio Platani to see the town's way of celebrating Easter. Every year, the townspeople create "Easter arches" over one street and all sorts of remarkable “crop art” pictures and floral designs from seeds, grasses, nuts, sunflower seed shells, bread dough, pasta, etc. Easter Monday was a nice day to go, but the display stays in place for a while.
https://www.archidipasqua.eu/archi-di-pasqua-ed-precedenti/

Do try to go to Monreale and do go to its cloisters to see the sculpted tops of the columns, each one a different scene of people, animals, mythological creatures, and some Bible stories.

We also enjoyed the salt flats and their museum near Trapani, although nothing will be happening with actual salt production in April.

In Palermo, try to go when the tiny Palatine Chapel is open in the Palazzo Normanni --- it seemed like you have to go when the government is not in session, so Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Check carefully. You need reservations.

In Palermo, see the exterior of the cathedral, with its mixture of styles and eras.

Imo, a day trip to Agrigento is a bit of a stretch: it's 4-5 hours round trip, only 1/3 of this on highways. Segesta is much closer and just as fascinating, while Selinunte is also nearby and well worth a visit. Both get far fewer visitors than Agrigento, so you’ll have plenty of space to explore.

If you're interested in seeing more recent 'ruins' (not from antiquity), a more alternative destination is the Belice Valley and its ghost towns abandoned after the 1968 earthquake. There’s also a massive concrete artwork called Cretto di Burri, which outlines the former layout of one of the destroyed villages. It's an eerie place...