Artisans of Leisure founder and CEO Ashley Isaacs Ganz visits Italy with her family each summer. They recently spent time in Sicily, where they enjoyed the incredible food, wine, history, culture, landscapes and luxury hotels. Read more about some of Ashley’s favorite places and experiences.

What inspired your most recent visit to Sicily?

It had been years since my last trip to Sicily–I was last there when my sons were very young. I wanted to bring them back now that they are old enough to appreciate Sicily’s layers of history and its architecture, archaeological sites, cuisine, design, landscapes and traditions.

What has changed the most in Sicily over the years?

There are more luxury hotels, and the tourism infrastructure has improved. In particular, the city of Palermo is more vibrant and cosmopolitan than ever.

 I recommend spending a few days in Palermo to really experience all that the city offers.

We stayed at Villa Igiea, a hotel recently renovated by Rocco Forte with spectacular results.

We enjoyed private insider tours of incredible sites around Palermo. The city has amazing history, culture and culinary traditions.

We visited renowned craft studios…

…and stopped in patisseries, marzipan shops and other culinary spots.

We enjoyed private insider tours of historical, culinary and decorative arts sites.

We visited nearby Monreale Cathedral to see its glittering Byzantine mosaics…

…and enjoyed some incredible meals…

…and coffee.

Where did you go from Palermo?

We headed to the southern coast of Sicily. On the way, we stopped at one of Sicily’s most renowned wineries for a private tour with one of the owners.

We toured the estate and vineyards…

…explored the winery and had a behind-the-scenes tour led by one of the owners (pictured below)…

…and had a memorable wine tasting with delicious snacks.

Our clients always love this experience, and so did my family.

We spent time in Sciacca and other local towns. We loved walking around…

…seeing historic harbors and architecture…

…and dining at local restaurants.

We enjoyed being back at Verdura Resort and having time to relax on the beautiful beach.

Verdura is a great resort with upscale boutiques…

…great restaurants, water activities, thalassotherapy pools and much more.

Where did you go next?

We traveled to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples. The most important archaeological ruins in Sicily, the Valley of the Temples was part of a large city built by Greek colonists more than 2,500 years ago.

A highlight was staying in a suite overlooking the UNESCO-listed ruins. It was such a memorable experience to view the temples throughout the day and night, including during our gourmet dinner.

The breakfasts were also very memorable.

Many of our travelers are also interested in learning about Agrigento’s Jewish history.

Our guides help our travelers learn so much about Sicily, from all different angles. For example, our guide taught us about local plants and their use in Sicilian food and daily life.

What were some of the new places you visited?

We visited Caltagirone, a town famous for ceramics. It was a bit of a pilgrimage for me because I love ceramics.

The entire town is filled with ceramics studios and shops, and local ceramics decorate public staircases, walls and churches.

We also went to Piazza Armerina to visit the Villa Romana del Casale, the ruins of an ancient Roman hunting lodge with exceptional, UNESCO-listed mosaics.

Seeing the ancient Roman mosaics had been on my wish list for a long time.

The mosaics did not disappoint.

The incredibly well-preserved mosaics decorate the villa with images of animals, mythological tales and women competing in sporting events.

Where to next?

Next, we visited the Baroque Towns, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Noto, Modica, Ragusa and other towns.

I wanted to return to Noto to visit some palaces, including Palazzo Castelluccio, which has beautiful interiors.

For interested travelers and repeat visitors, I recommend spending a few days in and around Noto to explore the region’s many highlights. We can arrange specialized touring focused on food and wine, in-depth tours of decorative arts highlights, 4WD excursions, scenic hikes and other activities. We can also arrange touring that includes a little of everything.

I also took my family to nature preserves on the coast near Noto.

It was nice to be able to slow down and visit places that the locals love for scenery, beaches, nature walks and birding.

There are some great luxury resorts in this area.

We enjoyed wonderful meals after touring and exploring each day.

Where did you go from there?

After time in more remote nature on the coast near Noto, we were ready to visit a major city, so we went to Syracuse.

It was so nice to be back there now that my sons are older and could fully understand and appreciate the Greek and Roman history.

They also had a great time swimming, looking for sea glass, visiting markets and historic sites and walking around the city.

Next, we visited other cities, stopped at renowned gardens, drove through beautiful countryside…

…and saw Mount Etna.

Where did you end the trip?

We spent a few days in Taormina and had such a great time there.

We love Taormina.

We visited beautiful parks and gardens…

…stopped in favorite shops that I’ve been visiting for decades, including a shop specializing in antique prints…

…and boutiques that sell Sicilian ceramics.

We ate and ate. For the gluten-free members of our family, it was such a treat to have gluten-free cannoli, pizza and other items.

We stopped often to have granita, including coffee granita.

The Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo is one of our favorite hotels.

The views of Taormina and Mount Etna are incredible.

The hotel is right next to the ancient amphitheater. It’s fun to attend concerts there at night.

I love the interiors and Sicilian decorative touches throughout the Grand Hotel Timeo.

We love touring, shopping and eating in Taormina. It’s also a great base for interesting day tours such as private boat charters, hiking on Mount Etna, wine tasting, Jewish touring, visiting ruins, garden tours and much more.

It was an incredible family vacation. We can’t wait to return.

Contact Artisans of Leisure to plan a private luxury tour of Italy, including Sicily, customized to your interests.