Month: May 2025

Sicily has been a popular holiday spot for holidaymakers from the US and Canada for many years and recent TV series such as the White Lotus and Netflix’s The Leopard have further boosted the island’s popularity. But if you’re wondering whether it’s a good destination for seniors or want to know how to get the very best out of a holiday here, read on for inspiration.

Spring and Autumn Are the Best Seasons to Visit Sicily

If you can, try to avoid the months of July and August when temperatures soar and Sicily is at its busiest. From April to June, temperatures hover between 20-29°C (68-84°F), with plenty of sunshine each day, so you can enjoy meals outside and sightsee in comfort.

The hills and countryside are awash with spring flowers and mini mountains of fresh asparagus and glistening cherries appear on market stalls. Temperatures return to this level in September and October when the big draw is the sea, still warmed by the heat of the summer sun.

Top tip: Visit in spring or autumn for quieter beaches and attractions as well as cheaper prices.

Planning Your Sicily Holiday

Think hard about whether to spend your whole holiday in one place and travel around or to split your stay between two, or even more, locations. Of course, it will depend partly on what you want to see and how long you’re staying for.

If possible, try to go for two weeks so that you can fit in plenty of relaxation time – after all, it is a holiday! If you can manage two weeks, then splitting your holiday between two different locations – for example, the island’s northwest and southeast – is a good idea. You certainly won’t want to spend too long in the car and getting around can take longer than you think.

Top tip: For one week holidays, a base in south east Sicily gives you easy access to the towns of the Val di Noto, gorgeous Syracuse and some of the island’s best beaches.

Dive into Sicily’s History, Culture, Art, Architecture and Gastronomy

Yes, Sicily really does appeal to everyone! The difficulty, however, particularly for first time visitors, is prioritising what to see and do. My advice is that unless you have a particular interest or hobby, try to create an itinerary that incorporates a mix of things.

For example, include one ancient site or Greek temple, such as the temple at Segesta, instead of trying to visit all of them; take in one big city – Palermo, Catania or Syracuse – rather than all three; and visit just one or two of the eight baroque towns of the Val di Noto.

Top tip: Throw in a couple of fun hands-on activities that will also enhance your cultural understanding of the island, such as wine tasting or a cooking class.

Explore Sicily on a Guided Tour

As an older and possibly seasoned traveller, it’s tempting to skip the guided tour and explore independently. But for a quick initial overview, it’s definitely worth organising one or two tours by local experts. Firstly, if you’ve just arrived in the city, a tour is the quickest way to get to know its rough layout and key points of interest. You may not get to spend as long as you want in some places but you can return to those at leisure.

A tour is also a brilliant way of getting to grips with the local culture. As well as communicating information about the various sights, a good guide will provide insight into their historical context and their relevance to the city today. A street food tour in Palermo is the best way we know to dive deep into the city’s culture!

Top tip: If you’re visiting several towns in one day, it’s far less stressful if someone else takes care of the driving and parking.

Swap Driving for Train Travel

You may be slightly daunted by the prospect of driving overseas but actually, driving in Sicily is fine – although you may want to avoid Palermo city centre! However, if you prefer not to drive, staying within easy reach of a train station will give you much more flexibility. The main towns and cities of Palermo, Syracuse, Catania and Taormina are all well connected by train, and the baroque towns of Noto, Ispica, Scicli, Modica and Ragusa are all accessible from Syracuse.

Top tip: For a more laidback beach holiday, the little town of Finale Pollina is linked by rail to many of the seaside towns along the north coast, including Cefalù.

Ways to Keep Active in Sicily

Seeing new things will definitely keep your brain active while you’re away. But if you’re used to a regular fitness routine, you won’t want to abandon that. Provided you’re not visiting during the hottest months, you’ll find plenty of ways to keep physically active.

The northern stretches of Sicily are characterised by two national parks, the Madonie and Nebrodi Mountains. Just walking up and down the steep paths through the pretty villages may be as energetic as you want them to be, but hiking, cycling and horse riding are other options.

Top tip: if you’re staying in eastern Sicily, don’t miss the trail through the Pantalica Nature Reserve, a vast canyon that houses around 5000 cave tombs.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you ever been to Sicily? What was your favourite place? Can you share some of your memories of the island with our readers?

There’s enough drama to warrant an episode.

It’s designed for oily, sensitive skin

My impending 39th wedding anniversary jolted me into an introspective state to dissect and learn what keeps long-term couples together. There was a high prediction from the outset that my marriage was likely to fail; after all, we started dating in High School, married noticeably young, and grew and evolved in separate ways both from one another and from our 25-year-old selves.

Any seasoned married couple will tell you that marriage is a marathon, not a sprint, and that you will experience the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, with most days simply being adequate. So how and why do two quite different people with vastly unique needs, goals and visions stay together? We all know that compromise is essential, but I wanted to examine what else was required.

Similarity of Values, Interests and More

After assessing my own marriage, I realized that one constant was that we have retained similar morals and values and have not swayed from those. We have similar interests and hobbies but also separate ones that we enjoy partaking on our own. We both receive our greatest joy from being grandparents and having a rich family history that we can share with and pass on to our grandchildren.

Nevertheless, our daily lifestyles are quite different. My husband still works full-time as he prefers more structure in his life and to keep busy by completing projects. I, on the other hand, enjoy lazier days where I fill up my time with my passions and hobbies. We understand each other’s unique lifestyle needs and have learned to accept our differences. Acceptance is at the very core of any successful union.

Also read, How to Thrive When One Spouse Retires First.

The Theory of the 5 Love Languages and Lasting Relationships

I was fascinated with Dr. Gary Chapman’s theory of five love languages. According to Chapman, partners have a preference of how they express love either through giving and receiving tangible gifts, physical touch, acts of service, quality of time or words of affirmation.

In reviewing my own relationship, I realized that from the beginning of our marriage, my partner and I had always held quality time for each other, had repeatedly told each other that we loved each other, and we like to hold hands and hug often. We do not have to make any special extra effort in those areas as they come naturally to both of us.

In contrast, neither of us are good gift givers nor needed or wanted to receive meaningful tangible gifts. We both prefer to buy our own presents rather than being surprised. I discovered that what we valued most was when the other partner did something special without having to be asked to.

For example, my husband often plans and makes special dinners for our celebrated occasions, and I often plan and organize special get aways and vacations. These gestures that require effort are most expressive to the other and most appreciated. According to Chapman’s theory, we share and value the same acts of service love language. Sharing the same love language(s) or at the very least, acknowledging your partner’s preferred way of showing love, is instrumental to lifelong relationships.

Personality Styles Also Play a Role in Lasting Relationships

I was also intrigued by personality styles and how they impact successful relationships. For example, how do introverts married to extroverts cohabit through life while one craves alone time and the other craves people and attention?

My husband and I are more similar in personality as our natural tendency is being alone and independent, yet we both are social in a group setting. My husband enjoys small talk with strangers and others much more than I do. I desire deep and meaningful conversations with like-minded individuals. I believe going deep is also one of my love languages, although Chapman does not identify it.

Also, I love to discuss topics such as faith, spirituality, psychology, and human nature whereas my husband prefers to discuss topics such as sports, world events, politics, and economics. I believe that we are like other heterosexual couples whereby it is our gender that determines how and what we communicate.

While I have a few close girlfriends that I go deep with, I also want to have similar talks with my partner, so I often suggest opening a bottle of wine during those times that I am requesting we focus more on my topics…. lol.

My Own Reflections

I believe Billy Joel was wrong. Clever conversation and significant discussions are necessary in any lasting union, and that’s possibly why Mr. Joel has been divorced so many times; he needed clever conversation. While it certainly didn’t happen overnight and has progressed over time in our relationship, my husband and I have learned how we can respectfully share deep conversations that fulfill both of our needs, and we have also learned when we need to respect each other’s alone time and own space.

There are so many facets to determining why long-term couples stay together but the key themes appear to be compromise, acceptance, love, and respect.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How long did your most meaningful relationship last? What factors contributed to its duration? What is most important to you in a romantic relationship?

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