From Etna’s Ashes to Taormina’s Shores: A Weekend in Sicily

March 2025

One evening in February, Pauline, Baptiste, and I met over aperitivo with one goal in mind: figure out where we should go for our next trip. The three of us had been tossing around ideas for weeks, but that night, as I scrolled through Google Flights for mid-March, one option appeared that instantly felt right. Catania, Sicily. Something about the name, the sea, and of course the promise of Mt. Etna immediately clicked.

Fast-forward through an all-nighter at Bergamo Airport (that chaotic night deserves its own article) and I was finally on a 6 a.m. flight to Catania. Running on zero sleep but high on adrenaline, I had one clear mission: make the most of Sicily, and more importantly, check off one of my longest-standing bucket list items - hiking Mt. Etna.

Mount Etna from the plane

Landing in Catania, my first thought was how different it felt from Milan. Honestly, it was like stepping into a different country. Where Milan is polished and urban, Catania felt raw, coastal, and alive. The sea shimmered in the distance, and looming over it all was Etna herself, larger than life and impossible to ignore. That combination - a body of water and a dramatic mountain - gave me this almost ridiculous burst of joy. At my hostel, I was greeted by the sweetest owner who handed me breakfast while I attempted to cover up the fact that I had just spent the night slumped on an airport bench.

Ostello Degli Elefanti

Meanwhile, Pauline and Baptiste had gotten a head start on the trip, having arrived the day before. While they were still rubbing the sleep from their eyes, I headed out to wander along Mount Etna Road, a lively street lined with shops but framed by the volcano in the background. People always say you’re either a mountain person or a beach person, and walking down that road, with both at once, I realized just how firmly I’m a mountain person. The joy was unreal.

That night, the three of us reunited properly and ended up at a restaurant that served what I will forever call the best seafood spaghetti of my life. I know, bold statement - but truly, it was life-changing pasta. Afterwards, we tucked ourselves into a little wine bar. There we were: Pauline from Taiwan, Baptiste from France, me from Bangladesh, talking about our lives and dreams in this small Sicilian town. It was one of those pinch-me moments you don’t forget.

Seafood Spaghetti at Ristorante Antica Sicilia

The next day was the moment I had been waiting for. Hiking Mt. Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, had been a dream since childhood. As a self-proclaimed volcano nerd, Etna was the stuff of legends, and finally being there, trekking across fields of volcanic ash and hardened lava, was surreal. The wind was so intense it sent my newly-thrifted Stockholm cap flying into the abyss, but even that couldn’t ruin it. Climbing a volcano isn’t just about the summit - it’s the strange, otherworldly feeling of walking on something that is literally alive beneath your feet.

Hiking Etna

Our guide didn’t just take us up the mountain; he led us into one of Etna’s volcanic caves. Squeezing my way down into the dark, uneven space felt like a surprise rock-climbing challenge, but I somehow pulled it off. Later, we wrapped up the day by tasting volcanic wine. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the wine was surprisingly smooth, earthy, and memorable enough that I ordered another glass at dinner that same night back in Catania.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the following day brought yet another highlight. Just an hour away from Catania is Taormina, the coastal town that honestly feels like it belongs on the cover of every Italian travel magazine. You might recognize it from The White Lotus Season 2, but seeing it in person was something else. The views were unreal: the tiny island of Isola Bella surrounded by turquoise waters, pastel buildings perched on hillsides, narrow streets bursting with flowers and lemon-themed shops. The whole place radiated a kind of effortless Italian dream. The best part was that I hadn’t even known Taormina existed when I first booked the trip - it felt like stumbling into a secret paradise.

Taormina, Sicily

And then there was the food, again. Sicily’s food deserves its own love letter. Beyond the seafood spaghetti that ruined me for all future pasta, Taormina also introduced me to cannolis in their purest form. At a little family-run shop, I had one that was so good it redefined what I thought cannoli could be. Crisp shell, creamy filling, perfect sweetness. Baptiste was so taken that he went back for a second, and honestly, I don’t blame him.

Cannoli at La Pignolata Guinness Cannoli

I traveled a lot during my semester abroad in Milan, but when I came back, people kept asking me, “So, what was your favorite trip?” At first, I thought it would be impossible to choose. But in reality, the answer was obvious - Sicily. Between the volcanic landscapes, the coastal magic, the food that still haunts my dreams, and the unforgettable company, nothing else compared. Now, every time Mt. Etna erupts (which is, by the way, fairly often), our group chat lights up again. It feels like Sicily never really ended.