In case you didn’t get enough of Sicily on my Instagram feed, thought I’d pop in on this holiday with a little recap of our trip — it was one of those places where it was literally impossible to take a bad photo, and I just have to share them with someone (#CantStopWontStop). So bear with me and keep reading if you want to see them (or click onto the next story if you don’t – swear I won’t be mad.) After Chanel’s wedding in the Loire Valley last month, we hopped a flight to Taormina, a resort town perched on the side of a mountain with the most spectacular views and all the homemade pasta we were in search of. It was everything we hoped for and more; I’m already dreaming of our return trip to this magical place, and I brought home so much inspiration that’s already bringing a little of that Sicilian dolce vita into our everyday lives in the meantime. Scroll down for the highlights.
Sicily was full of the most amazing gardens I’d ever seen; overflowing bougainvillea, olive and citrus trees, and clematis vines make every corner feel so lush.
The view from our room at Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea (really, I felt like I was on the set of a movie.)
*my dress is from halston heritage
The city center of Taormina is so charming, with stuccoed buildings that are just faded enough to appear sunbleached and faded into the natural surroundings.
The amazing food is definitely one of the highlights in Sicily, and my best advice is to find the closest classic family-run trattoria and order whatever they recommend. Like we did here with this prosciutto appetizer and arugula parmesan salad that was one of our favorite meals of the trip.
I took a break from exploring and took a seat next to this handsome gentleman on the church steps.
What to do on an afternoon in Sicily? Order a granita and go for a stroll with no destination in mind, popping into stores and admiring the pretty little buildings like this one that are on every street.
We stopped for a bite at the best waterfront spot, Il Barcaiolo, before hopping on a boat of our own.
The four hours we spent on board exploring the bays around Taormina were some of my favorite from the entire trip.
Breathtaking view of our hotel from the boat.
Since it was the end of September, the water was pretty icy, but swimming in the Mediterranean was an experience I couldn’t pass up and one that I’ll never forget.
This gelato… I’m swooning just thinking about it. We heard from several locals that C&G Cioccolato e Gelato made the best gelato on the island, so we trekked to the end of Taormina and had our efforts rewarded. Adam had the stracciatella; I ordered pistachio and hazelnut.
All dressed up for a night out.
We headed to dinner at our hotel’s sister property, the breathtaking Grand Hotel Timeo, that was higher up on the hill in the middle of Taormina town.
We discovered on the first night of the trip that we loved the local mineral-y white wines from Mount Etna, and it became our nightly happy hour order throughout the trip.
The produce on the island was unreal, and my favorite dishes were the simplest. These fresh salads were bursting with sweet cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula and thick shavings of salty parmesan.
Sicily’s most famous pasta dish is Pasta Alla Norma — roasted tomatoes, lightly fried eggplant, and basil made one of the most to-die-for combinations that we couldn’t stop eating.
Stopped for a snap in front of the prettiest vines on our way out to dinner on the last night.
Spent our final day in Sicily lounging on these chairs soaking up the sun and the incredible people-watching.
Can’t stop dreaming about the gorgeous sorbet shades of the buildings in Taormina.
Already dreaming up our return trip to this magical island.
