The Italian Islands
Travelers typically think of Greece as the Mediterranean’s island nation, but in fact, Italy has hundreds of islands as well—from the usual suspects (Sicily and Sardinia) to the 120 islands in the Venetian lagoon. Some are absolutely enormous—Sicily and Sardinia are the first and second largest islands in the Mediterranean, respectively, and each has dozens of dialects and subcultures within it. But there are also small islands like Pantelleria and Salina, which are governed by Sicily, and Sant’Antioco and La Maddalena, which are part of Sardinia. Then there are the Neapolitan, Pontine, and Tuscan archipelagos, which rise in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the western coast of mainland Italy, and the Tremiti chain in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Puglia. The islands of the Venetian lagoon vary in size from less than an acre to the larger clusters connected by bridges that comprise the city of Venice. Here are some of my favorite places among and within the Italian Islands.
Sardegna
I’m starting with Sardinia here, not because it comes before Sicily alphabetically, but because I want it to be the destination of your next Italian holiday. Naturally, I think all the islands should be a priority, but realistically, you have to choose one as a starting point, and this should be it. It’s wild. The island lies about 150 miles off Italy’s west coast, just opposite the mainland regions of Campania and Calabria. Corsica is a short ferry ride to the north, while Tunisia is due south. Sicily, which is just a bit larger than Sardinia, is about 200 miles southeast and is home to around 3.5 times the number of inhabitants.
Most visitors head straight to the Costa Smeralda in the northwest. This is the only place in Sardegna that I do not endorse. Go everywhere else. Start in Cagliari, one Italy's most dynamic cities. Drink wine at Sabores (and take some home from their shop Sapori di Sardegna nearby). Eat modern Sardinian dishes at Old Friend and old-school cookies at Durke. And dedicate a serious amount of time to exploring the Mercato di San Benedetto.
Just southwest of Cagliari, Capoterra is home to La Terrazza, a wine bar and bistro serving classic and creative dishes. Nearby Sa Cardiga e Su Schironi has an insane wine cellar. Pair decades-old vintages of Dettori Bianco with grilled eels.
Next, head north into the Sarcidano sub-region and stay at Domu Antiga in Gergei. Book a cheese tasting at Sinnos, the same family’s caseificio (dairy), and book an aperitivo at Sa Mola Experience in the neighboring town of Escolca. Stock up on handmade copper pots--or commission the custom copper piece of your dreams--at the Pitzalis family laboratorio.
If you’re into coastal locales with fish traditions, visit Tortolì where the local fishing co-operative produces bottarga–some from hand-fished grey mullet–and farms oysters in the lagoon. Beside the facilities, their seasonal restaurant Chiosco del Ponente serves fish with a sea view.
From Tortolì venture into the mountainous Supramonte di Baunei zone where you can hike down to unspoiled beaches. One of my favorite places to eat on the island is Ovile Bertarelli, a working farm accessible only by a long, unpaved road. The specialty is suckling pig, which is roasted on spits powered by car batteries.
Get more Sardegna tips on my Eater Guide.
Sicily
Let's get this out of the way
If you're loaded, sure, go stay at the hotel from White Lotus for a couple days. Otherwise, I would skip Taormina. It was developed for Anglophone tourists 150 years ago and that's exactly what it feels like. Every second you spend in Taormina is a second robbed from another part of the island. Catania and nearby Mount Etna are way cooler (more on that below). No one listens to this advice, though, so when you go to Taormina, at least eat at Osteria Divino Rosso.
Don’t Skip Palermo & Its Environs
This is seriously the most vibrant city in Italy and it just keeps getting more interesting. Rent a place near the Ballarò market and shop and cook and you’ll have an incredible time. Eat lots of street food like pane ca meusa (spleen and lung sandwich) at Pani ca’ Meusa di Porta Carbone or Nino U Ballerino. Also head to Piazza Ballarò and you'll find loads of stalls frying things (the panelle and potato croquette sandwiches are the best things there). There are a bunch of stalls there including a frittularu (a dude selling fat and cartilage and random veal trimmings, either in a paper cone or on a bun). My full Palermo guide is here. And do yourself a favor and book a market tour with Linda Sarris.
Spend a couple of days near Palermo at the Tonnara di Scopello, hike and swim every day in the Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro. Pop down to Segesta to see the 5th century BCE Doric temple then drive over to Erice for pastries at the legendary Pasticceria Maria Grammatico. Make sure your offline maps are working and head up to Balzo Rosso in Belmonte for the most incredible ricotta and other cheeses--not to mention sweeping views over Palermo.
Go to Catania
Catania is magic. The black volcanic buildings from nearby Mount Etna are visually striking and the city has a fantastic energy. For food and drinks, check out: Fud (donkey and horse burgers are the specialty), Trattoria N'ta Za' Carmela (horse steaks on Via Plebescito!), Le Tre Bocche, and of course, the fish market near the Duomo. Scirocco is the spot to grab a bite with a view of the fish market. Savia is an institution for sweet and savory treats and Forno Biancuccia is great for breads and savory pies. Nelson is a great bottle shop with a huge natural wine selection. A few blocks north, Vermut serves vino and cocktails. I'd spend at least a night in town (Habitat is my choice) and whether you stay there or not, absolutely prioritize eating at chef Bianca Celano's restaurant Materia Spazio Cucina in the hotel. Her austere but flavourful contemporary Sicilian dishes are next-level.
Visiting Etna
To really experience Mount Etna, beyond just getting the view of it from Catania, you should stay in one of its surrounding towns. I usually stay in Randazzo, which is a great base for exploring Etna’s vineyards. Plus Giovanna Musumeci's pastry shop is there. Nearby, San Giorgio e Il Drago serves homey classics. Cave Ox in Solicchiata has an outstanding wine list (food isn’t quite perfect, but it’s greatly improved over the years, plus it’s Frank Cornelissen’s local). Vitis in Castiglione (though soon possibly moving to Randazzo) is an awesome place to drink wines. In Linguaglossa, the butcher shop Dai Pennisi sells meat and serves it on-site. The meatballs grilled in citrus leaves are bonkers. Vino Di Anna and Calabretta are a couple of my favorite producers and can occasionally accept visitors by appointment, and SRC Vini has a tasting room where they serve wine with snacks (book ahead). For food, I love Quattro Archi in Milo and I Vigneri di Salvo Foti for a vineyard visit nearby. If you want a stellar food- and wine-focused tour on the volcano, contact Brittany Carlisi.
Visiting the Southeast
On the way down from Catania and Etna, stop at I Rizzari in Brucoli for an excellent fish meal. Choose a base in or around Modica, Noto, Siracusa, Scicli, Palazzolo Acreide, or Ragusa--the southeast’s Baroque towns--and explore as many of these architectural gems as you can with day trips into each. I’m partial to Noto since it’s the home to Corrado Assenza’s Caffè Sicilia. Since this perfect pastry shop was immortalized on Chef’s Table, the crowds have become a bit unpleasant, but Assenza’s excellent pastries and cookies (not to mention the most pure and life-altering almond milk) just keep getting better. Since most people tend to go for breakfast, the crowds are typically less of an issue in the afternoon, which is still the perfect time for a caffè, granita, and the best sweets around. The pasta at Il Crocifisso in Noto is relatively solid. Il Crocifisso’s sister restaurant, Dammuso is one of a growing number of contemporary restaurants that TRIES SO HARD but. Càssaro on the main drag of Noto is good enough and the wine list is amazing. If you're just in town for a snack, hit Panificio Maidda for bread and savory treats.
In Modica, Caffè Adamo is great for granita and sweets in general, and Enoteca Rappa is great for wine. If you’re coming into town on the train, take the short walk into the center and stop at Arancineria on the main street (Corso Umberto I) for perfect arancine (plus all the fun Sicilian fruit sodas) that belong to the ideal level of slightly elevated street food that doesn’t go too crazy with unnecessary flavors. In Ragusa, I like I Banchi for baked things, especially breads, as well as cheeses and cured meats. I’m not wild about the dishes that come out of the kitchen but, as the name suggests, the stuff from the banco (counter) is the move rather than sitting at a table. My favorite place to eat and drink in Ragusa is Delicatessen in Drogheria. They have it all--cheeses, cured meats, vegetables, pasta, meat, and groceries. It's fantastic.
Just outside of Ragusa, Trattoria Maria Fidone is one of my favorite trattorias on this side of the island. The hours are a bit weird so call ahead before just turning up.
A very spectacular and very overlooked inland town is Palazzolo Acreide, which has cool ruins of an ancient Greek theater and an overall Baroque appeal. Estro (no relation to the place of the same name in Venice!) is a bit on the fancy/cucina revistata side but the ingredients are great. Trattoria del Gallo is on the simpler side but they go HAM with the squirt-bottle decorations, especially on desserts. I mean the whole island does. In spite of being very early 90s, it’s not a disqualifying factor. Lo Scrigno dei Sapori has absolutely the wackiest decor but the pasta and fried things are very good. They even do some fine pizza. It's my favorite spot in town.
Just outside of Palazzolo, Giannavì is a big farm where they make their own cheese, raise their own pigs, and make awesome salumi. I suggest doing lunch there on a Sunday. It’s kind of a classic Sicilian scene: country meal, you get hammered with food and don’t have to make any decisions because it just all comes to the table, all for around €30 per person. Mental. It’s also a good place to get a crash-course in the food of the surrounding Hyblaean Mountains.
Siracusa and Ortigia, the island part of Siracusa, are hard. They're so beautiful but the restaurants are mostly very bad. This is true for most of the southeast, actually, re: the aforementioned touristy dining situation at the top of this guide, recommendations above notwithstanding. Again, the best places you can eat out will be bakeries/pastry shops, gelaterie, street food, and wine bars.
My favorite place in Ortigia for vino is Enoteca Solaria. The list is incredible. During the day, grab sandwiches at Fratelli Burgio and take them to the beach (east side of the island is best). Fratelli Burgio happens to be on the edge of the outdoor Ortigia market where, again, you should shop for ingredients to cook at home. When you do go out to dinner, eat at Latteria Mamma Iabica (in Siracusa’s center); at Ranieri, a women-powered spot in one of the more pleasant piazzas, with a killer wine list and a couscous arancina that blows minds; or at Taverna Giudecca for charmingly lowkey vibes, busiate al pistacchio, and the most bang for your buck. Le Vin de L’Assassin is a restaurant that feels like more of an aggrandized wine bar, with creative but overall not too fussy plates. Generally speaking, the east side of Ortigia is better than the west when you want an aperitivo on the water; the west gets the sunset views but is consequently more commercialized and generally touristy. For granita and brioche, Pasticceria Artale is the gold standard. If you feel the need to sit in the Piazza del Duomo, Condorelli is worthwhile for almond granita but overpriced in other categories. For gelato, Fiordilatte is the best artisanal with the most fun Sicilian flavors alongside the classics, since most other places focus on granita and leave the gelato a little behind. Buy all of the hundred types of almond cookies at Amàndorla Marciante. I'd love to hear if you find some more great spots. HMU!
Also on the coast in the southeast, the little town of Marzamemi is super cute. Its tonnara (tuna processing plant) is no longer functioning, but the sand-colored buildings have been repurposed as bars and performance spaces. On the waterfront, La Cialoma is nice for seafood, especially crudi. Take a dip nearby at Portopalo and the Isola di Capopassero. On the southern coast, the Faraglioni di Ciriga and surrounding seaside are beautiful for swimming. There’s also the Riserva Naturale Orientata just south of Lido di Noto, where besides beaches you can also enjoy sandy walking trails.
Sicily's Smaller Islands
Obviously Sicily is an island, but it also has lots of little islands around it. (Many of them are covered in my book Food of the Italian Islands. If you’re not already in possession of this independently published title, pop on over to my shop to support my work in the field.) The Aeolian Islands are the most heavily trafficked, just off of the north coast of “mainland” Sicily. Off of the west coast, Marettimo, Favignana, and Levanzo are easy trips from Trapani.
Pantelleria is my favorite of the islands. Stay in a dammuso (traditional dwelling or agricultural building), like at Le Case del Principe, where the dammusi are perfect self-catering apartments. Eat daily at Osteria Il Principe e Il Pirata and swim at Cala Tramontana and Arco dell’Elefante. If you’re not on a budget, stay at one of the Tenuta Borgia villas (the Villa Grande and its pool was immortalized in Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 film A Bigger Splash and it’s €€€€€ but some of the smaller villas also have their own small private pools). For vineyard visits, check out Tanca Nica, Anforaje, Abbazia San Giorgio and Cantina Basile, where you can taste the island’s unique wines and the sweet passito. Visit the Museo del Cappero, which proudly declares itself the world’s first and only caper museum, for a quirky insight into Pantelleria’s role in cultivating one of Sicily’s favorite ingredients--and buy all of the delicious products in the shop from La Nicchia, the top caper producer on the island, to take home. I never leave without at least a half-dozen jars of cured caper leaves.
Trapani port and Palermo’s airport offers year-round connections to Pantelleria (which otherwise can be challenging to reach given the seasonal nature of its transport).
The Pontine Islands
The Pontine Islands, off the coast of Lazio, were resettled in modern times by Spanish Bourbon aristocracy and Neapolitan peasants, which is why their dialect and cuisines are so closely related to Naples. They share a somewhat common history with Ischia and Procida, farther south. The diets are rich in brothy soups like pesce all’acqua pazza and zuppa di cicerchie. The Pontine island Ventotene’s lentil soup is nearly identical to that of Linosa island, off the southern coast of Sicily—an example of two distant, rural island cultures on opposite sides of Italy coincidentally mirroring one another.
Ponza
Arrivals to Ponza from Formia, the mainland port in Lazio, skirt the island’s eastern coast, where sheer tufa cliffs bleached white by the sun are a preview of the dramatic vertical volcanic walls that partly define Ponza’s topography.
Ponza is best appreciated from the water—boat rentals in the port are a convenient and affordable way to explore the island and offer spectacular views, not to mention access to coves and bays not accessible by land. I recommend Divaluna, which rents boats for the day for around €100.
The port, literally Ponza Porto, is the largest village on the island; its pastel buildings follow the volcanic peaks of the area. As the closest island to the Italian capital, Ponza is popular with Romans. As such, it’s crowded on summer weekends and during the high season of July and August, but during the rest of the year, it’s sleepy and downright magical.
Today’s Romans were not the first to discover Ponza. In antiquity, it was a place of exile as well as a voluntary retreat. Aristocrats built villas on the island and, according to legend, carved saltwater swimming pools into the soft rock faces, to bathe without the risk of sunstroke or suntan. Later these caves were used to raise eels, still an island delicacy. But after the fall of the empire, the island fell into a period of neglect, and it wasn’t inhabited again until the 1730s, when Charles III of Spain founded the village that now accepts ferry arrivals. A few decades later, Le Forna on the north side of the island was founded by inhabitants of Torre del Greco, a town on the Bay of Naples.
Nearby, La Marina serves incredible local catch and nopales (cactus paddle parmigiana) overlooking Cala Feola. It’s the greatest. Back in the port side of the island, Da Gerardo serves cicerchie soup, eel, and other island specialties above Frontone beach.
Ventotene
Once a fishing and farming village, Ventotene is now a sleepy island with just a small year-round population. It’s famous for its dried legumes, especially lentils, once a major export that has seen a decline in production due to an economy that has shifted away from agriculture and toward tourism. Eat at Il Giardino every night. They rent rooms, as well.
The Neapolitan Archipelago
The three main islands in the Bay of Naples— Capri, Ischia, and Procida—have a robust relationship with the mainland, so their cuisines share a lot in common with the Amalfi Coast and Naples and are particularly rich in seafood. This is in contrast to other islands, where risk of invasion meant harvesting seafood was dangerous and mostly avoided. But the arcipelago napoletano has been an established tourist destination for centuries (as opposed to the other small islands in this list, which only saw a tourism boom beginning between the 1960s and 1980s).
Capri
Close your eyes. What’s the first Italian island that comes to mind? I’d put my euros on Capri (pronounced CAH-pree). It’s home to Italy’s most famous salad (insalata caprese with mozzarella, tomato, and basil) and a delectable flourless chocolate cake, torta caprese. This tiny island in the Bay of Naples was developed in the nineteenth century for foreign travelers—mainly well-heeled tourists from America and Northern Europe. For well over a century, it has drawn tourists to its famous sea cave, the Blue Grotto, as well as luxury shopping and lemon-tree-dotted coastline. In 2023, Capri drew well over 2 million tourists to its 4 square miles. Compare that to 9 million within Rome’s 500 square miles and you can imagine how absolutely unpleasant Capri can be in high season, unless you can retreat to a private beach club or your boat to enjoy the island away from the crowds.
Ischia
From afar, this ancient island looks like a green volcano rising from the sea. And in a way, it is, though the volcano is barely active, merely emitting heat from springs that warm coves around the southern part of the island. For a couple of thousand years, islanders have been eating coniglio all’ischitana while farming the fertile, terraced terrain of their verdant island. I order this dish and many others at Taverna Pietro Paolo detto Stalino—take the boat from Sant’Angelo to Cavascura—which is actually the perfect seaside trattoria even though it’s 150 meters from the beach. Deus Neptunus in Sant’Angelo is ace for classics from the Bay and the decor is peak Ischia kitsch. In the port, La Terrazza di Mimì is solid for pasta and fish and Bar Epomeo is cute for drinks but do not eat there. Tira Tardi in Forio is a fun wine bar open late. Rejuvenate between meals at the springs and spa at Poseidon.
Procida
My aversion to fancy things is almost as intense as my attraction to that which is unpolished. It is both of these factors that draw me to Procida again and again. As a bonus, the food is better than in Capri and Ischia, too. The place feels like a little slice of Naples has broken off and floated into the bay. The chaotic, soulful, and colorful place has so much more in common with the nearby mainland than with its island neighbor, Ischia. Procida’s port is loud and raucous, with backfiring scooters in the streets and old women shouting from windows. Above the port, the rest of the island’s settlements are a mix of apartment blocks and modest villas surrounded by citrus groves and other fruit trees.
Getting to Procida is easy. Hop on a train from Rome to Naples (book early to get the best deals), then walk 25 minutes to the port, or take a cab, depending on your luggage situation. There are regular Snav hydrofoils from Molo Beverello and Caremar ferries from Calata Porta di Massa. There are also connections from Pozzuoli and Ischia. FYI, Procida is a popular weekend destination for day trippers from Naples, so the hydrofoils can get crowded or booked up on Saturdays and Sundays.
On the island, check out La Panetteria at Via Vittorio Emanuele 155/157 for amazing baked goods. Their pizzas, savory breads, and torte rustiche (savory tarts) are incredible. They also do a sweet shortbread crust filled with an eggy-hammy filling. Insane. In the morning, swing by for a lingua procidiana, a sweet and flaky pastry filled with custard.
In addition to the stellar offerings at La Panetteria, I always eat at La Conchiglia. The food is decent, it is conveniently situated 10 steps above Chiaia beach, and the tables look across the bay to Corricella. The antipasti are very good, especially the antipasto di terra, a selection of excellent island produce cooked in rich olive oil-based sauces. The cappelletti (pasta filled with provolone and eggplant) and stracci cozze e broccoli (strips of pasta with mussels and broccoli) are house specialties.
It’s nice to grab a drink near the port in Marina Chiaiolella before taking the short walk to Girone, a popular place on Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo that serves excellent fish. I am partial to the antipasto sfizioso with a little bit of land, a little bit of sea, and a whole lot of fried stuff. The mussels are fantastic and the spaghetti ai ricci (spaghetti with sea urchin roe) is delicious. If you can stand the idiosyncratic service, you’ll never want to eat anywhere else on the island.
