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Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina

Taormina enjoys a marvellous Mediterranean climate with mild winters, long ensuring its fame as a haven for foreigners of a literary penchant, such as Goethe, D.H. Lawrence and Lawrence Durrell. A must for all visitors to Sicily, the town offers attractive, stately buildings set amid lush vegetation – the likes of the ornamental palm from the Canary Isles shade many a garden. Bougainvillea adds splashes of colour, while omnipresent orange trees thrive in this sun-blessed climate, their divine perfume wafting down back-streets and alleys.

The walk itself follows well-graded mule tracks and, once the town has been traversed, continues uphill to a photogenic sanctuary and Saracen castle. Magnificent views range over the sparkling Ionian Sea and coastline and take in the majestic spread of Etna. An easy route for anyone who can deal with gradual climbs from sea level to 400m in altitude. It is however unsuitable in the central part of the day in summer as shade is scarce, but highly recommended at other times of the year, preferably late afternoon to catch the sunset from the castle. Naturally Taormina has no lack of opportunities for refreshment or accommodation.