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When to Go

Sicily’s climate is typically Mediterranean with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. It could almost be summed up as having only these two seasons, as the others only appear fleetingly. Fortunately the marvellous range of altitudes and landscapes mean the island can be glorious at any time of year. On the coast temperatures average out at 19°C (13°C inland) and rarely drop below 10°C even in midwinter, except during the once-in-a-blue-moon snowfall. Generally, March through to June is the best time to go walking in Sicily as the countryside exhibits brilliant carpets of green with extraordinarily dense, and unfortunately short-lived, masses of wild flowers.

Rocky steps at Pantalica (Walk 11)

In summer, from June onwards, when parched conditions have set in across the lowlands and the island is roasting with temperatures that soar above 30°C under the effect of the blistering scirocco wind straight from Africa, the mountain ranges come into their own with deliciously cool conditions, as do the breeze-blessed islands. Late July–August is understandably the busiest time for visitors and high-season prices apply.