In 2026, St. George by Heinz Beck in Taormina holds two Michelin stars, and Mec Restaurant in Quattro Canti and Coria in City Centre each hold a Michelin star, all with tasting menus. Duomo in Ragusa Ibla’s latest Michelin award is a Plate (2026), alongside a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence.
St. George by Heinz Beck in Taormina is a modern Mediterranean restaurant with two Michelin stars (2026), a tasting-menu format, an exceptional wine programme and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. It occupies The Ashbee Hotel’s early-20th-century villa, and its terrace frames the Straits of Messina through palms.
Locanda Don Serafino in Ragusa Ibla holds a Michelin star (2026) and an exceptional wine programme, with an extensive list of over 2000 labels. It serves a tasting menu and a la carte. The restaurant occupies a vaulted cave in the UNESCO Baroque historic district.
In Quattro Canti, Mec Restaurant holds a Michelin star and pairs tasting menus with an exceptional wine programme. It is one of Palermo’s most distinctive fine-dining rooms, set inside a palazzo with a strikingly unusual interior.
Coria in City Centre holds a Michelin star and builds its reputation on modern Sicilian tasting menus with an exceptional wine programme. The room is elegant and art-filled, with pairings shaped by a skilled sommelier.
The picks mix bars and restaurants. Enoteca Picone in Politeama Libertà and Renda, Enoteca - Salumeria in Centro are bars, while Principe Cerami in Taormina and Ristorante Don Camillo in Ortigia are restaurants holding a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence.
Enoteca Picone in Politeama Libertà has been a wine bar since 1946, with over 7,000 labels of Sicilian and international wines. Falstaff cites it as a wine bar for 2026. The format combines shop, tasting room and bar.
Principe Cerami in Taormina holds a Michelin star and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, with a list of 1,190 selections and depth in Sicily, Italy and France.
Ristorante Don Camillo in Ortigia holds a Michelin Plate (2026), a White Star from Star Wine List (2026) and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. The wine programme is exceptional, with one of the deepest Sicilian wine cellars in the area. The restaurant sits in the upper tier of Ortigia’s formal dining, with tasting menu, a la carte and prix fixe formats.
Renda, Enoteca - Salumeria in Centro brings Trapani a wine-and-food format centred on local olive oil, cured meats and a considered bottle selection. It works as a serious western Sicilian stop where the bottle list and salumeria counter sit together.
San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Villa Igiea near Palermo Harbour and Seven Rooms Villadorata in Centro Storico hold Michelin Keys and have dining on site. San Domenico Palace and Villa Igiea also have La Liste Top Hotels scores.
San Domenico Palace in Taormina holds three Michelin Keys in 2026, a Michelin-star restaurant and three additional dining venues. The property is a cliffside former Dominican convent with a full spa and views across the Ionian Sea to Mount Etna.
Villa Igiea, near Palermo Harbour, holds two Michelin Keys in 2026. It stands on a clifftop at the foot of Mount Pellegrino. It has three dining venues and panoramic views of the Gulf of Palermo.
Seven Rooms Villadorata in Centro Storico occupies the Nicolaci family palace, a ten-room princely palace built in 1774, and holds a Michelin Key in 2026. It includes an in-house osteria in the former wine cellar.
The three picks are Buatta Cucina Popolana in Historic Center, Me Cumpari Turiddu in Centro Catania and L'Orso in Duomo. Buatta Cucina Popolana and Me Cumpari Turiddu hold Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for traditional Sicilian cooking, and L'Orso holds 50 Top Pizza rankings.
Buatta Cucina Popolana in Historic Center holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026) and serves seasonal traditional Sicilian cooking. The format is straightforward a la carte dining with an extensive wine list.
Me Cumpari Turiddu in Centro Catania holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026) and mixes Sicilian specialities with a lighter bistro offer. The wine programme has an extensive list.
L'Orso in Duomo brings a contemporary pizza approach to Messina, with a wine list alongside a la carte and small plates service. 50 Top Pizza Italia ranked it 41 in 2026, and 50 Top Pizza Italy ranked it 45 in 2025.
Enoteca Picone in Politeama Libertà has over 7,000 labels of Sicilian and international wines, Locanda Don Serafino in Ragusa Ibla has over 2000 labels, Principe Cerami in Taormina lists 1,190 selections with depth in Sicily, Italy and France, and Coria in City Centre, Catania, has an exceptional wine programme. St. George by Heinz Beck in Taormina, Duomo in Ragusa Ibla, Ristorante Don Camillo in Ortigia and Principe di Belludia in contrada Belludia hold a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence.
There are 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in our guide, with 11 Michelin stars in total. They are St. George by Heinz Beck, Principe Cerami, Otto Geleng and La Capinera, each in Taormina; Vineria Modì in historic centre; Mec Restaurant in Quattro Canti; Coria in City Centre; Sapio in Catania; Crocifisso in Upper Noto; and Locanda Don Serafino in Ragusa Ibla.
Taormina is the clearest place for tasting-menu dining, with St. George by Heinz Beck, Principe Cerami, Otto Geleng, La Capinera and Vineria Modì all on that format. Palermo, Catania, Noto and Ragusa also have tasting-menu rooms with strong wine programmes.
Duomo in Ragusa Ibla, St. George by Heinz Beck in Taormina, Principe Cerami in Taormina, Ristorante Don Camillo in Ortigia and Principe di Belludia in contrada Belludia, Noto, hold Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence recognition.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Awards in Sicily
Hover any badge for the full award name. Counts reflect venues holding each accolade in Sicily.
Sicily
Selected entries from the current guide for Sicily.
Ragusa, Italy
Two-Michelin-starred Duomo Ragusa showcases Chef Ciccio Sultano's deeply personal interpretation of Sicilian cuisine within an intimate baroque palace setting. Located steps from the historic Duomo di San Giorgio, this celebrated restaurant transforms island traditions into contemporary haute cuisine through signature dishes like sea urchin pasta and an extraordinary Sicilian wine program.
Taormina, Italy
Set within The Ashbee Hotel's early-20th-century villa on the edge of Taormina's historic centre, St. George operates under a dual-chef model: Heinz Beck's two Michelin stars and La Liste recognition (84pts in 2026) sit alongside resident chef Salvatore Iuliano's Calabrian-rooted Mediterranean sensibility. The terrace, framing the Straits of Messina through palms, is among the more considered dining settings in southern Italy.
Taormina, Italy
Principe Cerami holds a Michelin star inside the San Domenico Palace, a former monastery perched above the Ionian Sea in Taormina. Chef Massimo Mantarro's kitchen draws from across Sicily, with seasonal produce, coastal ingredients, and the island's volcanic interior all represented. The wine list runs to 1,190 selections, with particular depth in Sicily, Italy, and France.
Catania, Italy
Volcanic artistry meets modern Italian finesse at Coria in Catania, where Etna-inspired art, a Michelin-lauded kitchen, and a stellar sommelier craft refined Sicilian-accented tasting menus in a serene, elegant setting.
Noto, Italy
Crocifisso holds a Michelin star and sits in Noto's historic upper quarter, close to the church that gives it its name. Chef Marco Baglieri's contemporary menu draws on Sicily's larder, artichokes, cuttlefish ink, black truffle, anchovy, and frames those ingredients inside a cooking style that is sophisticated without losing its regional grounding. The glass-fronted cellar visible from the street signals that the wine program matches the kitchen's ambition.
Taormina, Italy
A Michelin-starred address on the coastal road below Taormina, La Capinera channels Sicilian produce through tasting menus that map the island's four elements: sea, air, earth, and fire. Dishes named after films and raw Mazzara prawns paired with mozzarella foam signal a kitchen working at the intersection of regional tradition and contemporary technique. The wine list spans Sicily, Italy, and Europe with uncommon depth.
Ragusa, Italy
Hidden within the honeyed stone labyrinth of Ragusa Ibla, Locanda Don Serafino distills Sicily’s sun, sea, and centuries into a Michelin-starred conversation between memory and modernity. Chef’s seasonal tasting menus honor island terroir—wild herbs, line-caught seafood, pistachio, and citrus—polished by precise technique and lyrical plating. Candlelit alcoves carved from ancient rock, a quietly polished service cadence, and a cellar deep with Etna crus and Old World jewels transform dinner into an intimate pilgrimage for the senses. For travelers who collect experiences rather than reservations, Locanda Don Serafino is Sicily at its most refined: soulful, rarefied, and memorable.
Palermo, Italy
A 2024 Michelin-starred address on Via Vittorio Emanuele, Mec occupies a 16th-century palazzo steps from Palermo Cathedral, where Chef Carmelo Trentacosti reinterprets Sicilian ingredients with precision and restraint. Three frescoed dining rooms share the building with a permanent Steve Jobs exhibition, creating an atmosphere unlike anything else in the city's fine-dining tier. The cheese trolley and cathedral balcony are both worth the reservation alone.
Taormina, Italy
A Michelin-starred terrace on via Teatro Greco 59, Otto Geleng distills the Sicilian fine-dining proposition into eight tables, an Etna-facing view, and a tasting menu format that re-reads regional classics through a precise modern lens. Among Taormina's upper-tier restaurants, it occupies one intimate end of the €€€€ bracket, where format discipline and a 400-label wine list carry as much weight as the cooking itself.
Catania, Italy
Sapio occupies a restored warehouse on Piazza Gandolfo Antonino, where chef Alessandro Ingiulla plates modern Sicilian cuisine built on produce from his own garden, earning consistent Michelin recognition. The space divides between a main dining room, a chef's table in the kitchen, and a wine cellar stocked with bottles from across the island. Dinner service runs Tuesday through Sunday from 7:30 PM, at a price point of €€€€.
Taormina, Italy
A Michelin-starred address on Via Calapitrulli that evolved from a wine bar into one of Taormina's most considered contemporary Sicilian kitchens. Chef Dalila Grillo's cooking leans on Sicilian provenance with broader Mediterranean influences, supported by a wine list that remains the programme's spine.
Ragusa, Italy
A Michelin-starred address on the Lungomare Andrea Doria, Votavota makes the case that southern Sicily's seafood tradition can hold its own against Italy's more celebrated coastal kitchens. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Mediterranean while two chefs work an open kitchen, turning the day's catch into technically assured dishes. The wine list, steered by sommelier Cettina, is a focused tour through Sicilian labels.
Noto, Italy
The gourmet restaurant at Il San Corrado di Noto sits in the rural hinterland of Sicily's Baroque south, where executive chef Martin Lazarov applies a creative lens to the island's produce with a pronounced emphasis on vegetables. Holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, Principe di Belludia occupies the upper tier of Val di Noto dining and draws guests willing to combine serious cooking with a resort setting.
Siracusa, Italy
Don Camillo occupies a 15th-century tufa-walled dining room on Via della Maestranza in Syracuse's Ortigia, holding a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 and a White Star from Star Wine List. The restaurant runs four named menus, including Miteco, Artemide, Archestrato, and La Nostra Storia, each built around ambitious Sicilian cuisine with serious wine credentials.
Messina, Italy
In Messina's evolving pizza scene, L'Orso has built a reputation around contemporary, ingredient-driven dough work under pizzaiolo Matteo La Spada. The kitchen is celebrated for its honeycombed, high-risen crusts that carry serious flavour without weight. It represents a strand of Sicilian pizza-making that treats sourcing and fermentation as seriously as any fine-dining kitchen.
Palermo, Italy
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for two consecutive years, Buatta Cucina Popolana occupies the historic rooms of a former shop on Via Vittorio Emanuele and draws a loyal crowd of locals and tourists alike. The menu rotates with the seasons, running from sardines to offal to vegetarian plates, and prices stay firmly in the single-euro bracket. Book ahead: the room fills quickly and turns over constantly.
Catania, Italy
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for 2024 and 2025, Me Cumpari Turiddu occupies a convivial corner of Piazza Turi Ferro with old chandeliers, a shop stocked with Sicilian produce, and a cocktail bar running from late morning into the early hours. The kitchen under chef Gianluca Leocata works a menu of Sicilian specialities alongside a lighter bistro offering, placing it firmly in Catania's mid-range, tradition-first dining tier.
Agrigento, Italy
A former bakery in Agrigento's historic centre, Osteria Expanificio holds consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) for its grounded Sicilian cooking under Chef Fabio Mazzolini. The menu draws from the island's coastal and pastoral larder, running from stuffed sardines to ricotta cassata, at prices that keep the single-euro bracket. An evening cocktail bar, the Buvette del Panificio, now extends the offer beyond the dinner table.
Catania, Italy
Historic ceilings, minimalist elegance, and Manuel Tropea’s deeply Sicilian tasting menus define Concezione Restaurant in Catania—where memory, market, and precision create the city’s most compelling fine dining experience.
Palermo, Italy
A consistent feature on the 50 Top Pizza list, Archestrato di Gela operates from Via Emanuele Notarbartolo in Palermo's residential Libertà district, making a case for contemporary pizza as a serious culinary discipline. Under Pierangelo Chifari, the pizzeria has built its reputation on digestibility and ingredient sourcing rather than spectacle, positioning it in a different register from the city's street-food tradition.
Palermo, Italy
AMMODO is the forty-year project of master pizzaiolo Daniele Vaccarella, whose approach to dough science through pre-ferments and sourdough has made this address on Via Empedocle Restivo one of Palermo's most considered pizza destinations. The name translates as 'my way,' signalling an independent creative stance within Sicily's evolving bread and pizza tradition.
Agrigento, Italy
A family-run pizza shop in Villaggio Mosè, just outside Agrigento, Sitári draws a local following with its informal atmosphere and careful approach to dough. The Sorce family covers classic, gluten-free, black rice, and Roman-style thin-crust formats, with each variant reflecting attention to flour selection and slow fermentation rather than shortcuts.
Palermo, Italy
A Michelin Plate-recognised address in Palermo carrying the New American flag of chef Cindy Wolf, Charleston sits in a category that raises immediate questions about culinary geography, how a Baltimore dining institution projects into Sicily's food capital. Ranked #504 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list, it occupies the upper tier of the price range and draws a crowd that arrives knowing what it wants.
Palermo, Italy
A' Cuncuma occupies a compact room in Palermo's historic centre, where chef-owner Gianfilippo Gatto applies modern technique to Sicilian ingredients without losing sight of where those ingredients come from. The wine list is drawn entirely from Sicily, with dedicated Etna sections representing multiple sub-zones. Michelin has awarded the restaurant a Plate in both 2024 and 2025, recognising consistent kitchen quality at the €€€ price point.
Sicily
Selected entries from the current guide for Sicily.
Taormina, Italy
A 14th-century Dominican convent turned Four Seasons property, San Domenico Palace occupies a clifftop position above Taormina with views across the Ionian Sea to Mount Etna. Recognized with two Michelin Keys (2024) and a La Liste Top Hotels score of 93.5 points (2026), the 111-room hotel holds its Michelin-star restaurant, three additional dining venues, and a full spa within walls that predate the modern town below.
Taormina, Italy
Occupying a cliff-edge position beside Taormina's ancient Greek Theatre since 1873, Grand Hotel Timeo is Sicily's senior grand-tour property and a Belmond flagship. The 70-room hotel holds Michelin 2 Keys (2024), a Star Wine List citation (2026), and a La Liste score of 92.5 points, placing it in the upper tier of Italy's historic luxury hotels. The hotel closes seasonally and reopens 1 May 2026.
Taormina, Italy
A converted 1919 seaside villa in Taormina Mare, Villa Sant'Andrea is one of Sicily's most quietly positioned beach hotels, placing 66 rooms and four dining outlets directly on the Bay of Mazzarò. La Liste ranked it 93 points in 2026, and Condé Nast placed it 48th among global hotels in 2025. Reopening 19th March 2026 after seasonal closure, it sits inside the Belmond portfolio alongside sister property Grand Hotel Timeo.
Palermo, Italy
Opened in 1900 and restored to its Art Nouveau form by Rocco Forte Hotels in 2021, Villa Igiea occupies a clifftop position at the foot of Mount Pellegrino on the Gulf of Palermo. Architect Ernesto Basile's Liberty-movement palazzo holds 100 rooms, three dining venues, and a B Corp-recognised spa, scoring 91.5 points on La Liste's 2026 Top Hotels ranking.
Noto, Italy
A late 19th-century rural estate turned Michelin Key-recognised eco-resort in the Val di Noto UNESCO zone, Country House Villadorata spreads across 57 acres of biodynamically farmed land outside Noto. Sixteen rooms and Ecosuites sit within a landscape of ancient olive groves, almond trees, and citrus orchards, with a farm-to-table restaurant and mineral salt pool rounding out one of Sicily's more grounded luxury propositions.
Noto, Italy
A ten-room palazzo in the Baroque heart of Noto, Seven Rooms Villadorata occupies the Nicolaci family palace, built in 1774 and awarded a Michelin Key in 2024. Frescoed ceilings, wind-named rooms, and an in-house osteria in the former wine cellar make it a considered retreat for travellers who want history without formality. Rates from $507 per night.
Noto, Italy
A restored 19th-century manor farm set on agricultural land southeast of Rosolini, Masseria della Volpe offers 22 rooms across an unhurried, solar-powered estate with a restaurant terrace, heated pool, bocce and tennis courts, and organic produce grown on-site. Vineyard-bearing limestone hills frame one horizon; the Ionian Sea catches the other. It sits roughly an hour's drive from Catania Fontanarossa Airport.
Taormina, Italy
Positioned on the waterfront at Mazzarò Bay rather than on Taormina's clifftop, this Leading Hotels of the World member trades altitude for direct sea access, with rooms and suites oriented toward the water and Mount Etna beyond. Among Taormina's five-star properties, it occupies a distinct tier: beach-adjacent and lower-elevation, where the Ionian is close enough to hear from a private terrace.
Taormina, Italy
Built in 1860 for a local aristocratic family, Hotel Villa Carlotta occupies one of Taormina's most panoramic positions, with direct sightlines across the Ionian Sea and toward Mount Etna. The property combines historic gardens, an outdoor pool, and a Sicilian dining programme within an independently scaled format that sits apart from the town's larger branded hotels. Advance booking is advisable, particularly for rooms with terrace views.
Taormina, Italy
Hotel Villa Ducale sits on the heights above Taormina, where its terrace frames an unbroken panorama across the coastline and the flanks of Mount Etna. The property operates at the quieter, more personal end of Taormina's accommodation spectrum, with a Sicilian breakfast spread that draws on local produce rather than international hotel convention. It is the kind of address that rewards guests who want proximity to the town without being absorbed by it.
Noto, Italy
A restored 18th-century palazzo on Noto's Corso, Q92 places guests within walking distance of the city's celebrated baroque architecture, UNESCO-listed street facades, and the concentrated dining scene that has made this corner of Sicily a serious destination. The property occupies a building once used by Sicilian noble families, now running as a boutique hotel that blends period detail with contemporary interiors.
Taormina, Italy
A Leading Hotels of the World member set on the hillside above Taormina's historic centre, The Ashbee Hotel occupies a late-nineteenth-century villa with terraced gardens and Etna and bay views. Its position in the LHW portfolio places it alongside Sicily's most considered small-scale properties, serving travellers who prioritise intimacy and architectural character over large-resort formats.
Agrigento, Italy
A 300-year-old villa positioned within direct sight of the Temple of Concordia, Villa Athena Resort occupies among the more archaeologically loaded addresses in Sicily. Set inside the UNESCO World Heritage Valley of the Temples just outside Agrigento, it offers a restaurant, bar, and landscaped gardens as context for one of Italy's most historically charged overnight stays.
Taormina, Italy
Atlantis Bay occupies a clifftop position on Taormina's Ionian coastline, placing it in the smaller, design-led tier of Sicilian luxury accommodation. A member of Leading Hotels of the World since 2025, it sits outside the historic centre at Via Nazionale 161, closer to the sea than most of its Taormina peers. The property appeals to travellers who prioritise direct water access over proximity to the hilltop town's theatres and terraces.
Siracusa, Italy
A Leading Hotels of the World member occupying a 19th-century palazzo on Siracusa's Ortigia waterfront, Grand Hotel Des Étrangers represents the measured, heritage-led tier of Sicilian luxury. The address on Via Passeggio Adorno places guests within walking distance of the Greek Theatre district and the Duomo di Siracusa, making the hotel a natural base for the city's archaeology and its emerging restaurant scene.
Noto, Italy
It sits in the quieter register of Sicilian luxury, where scale and spectacle have been traded for agricultural land, silence, and architectural restraint.
Ragusa, Italy
A Michelin Selected boutique hotel occupying an 18th-century palazzo in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily's UNESCO-listed Baroque quarter. The 1768 in its name is not decorative: the building predates Sicilian Unification, and its stone walls carry that weight. For travellers who find the larger Sicilian resort circuit too broad in scope, this is a tighter, more architecturally coherent alternative.
Palermo, Italy
Housed inside a centuries old former private palazzo, Casa Nostra Boutique Hotel offers the ideal base for exploring Palermo thanks to its central location in the heart of the city. The 12 contemporary rooms are minimalist in style and overlook the historic centre, some from private balconies. Facilities include the Sicilian restaurant Casa Nostra Bistrot, a gym and small plunge pool. The hotel team can also organize various activities off property, from guided city tours and food and wine tours to days out at sea sailing around the nearby islands with Casa Nostra Yachting.
Modica, Italy
Casa Talia occupies a cluster of restored historic houses in Modica, Sicily, selected by the Michelin Guide Hotels 2025. The property sits in one of the Val di Noto's best-preserved Baroque towns, offering an architectural experience that reads more like inhabiting a neighbourhood than checking into a hotel. It is a measured, context-led stay for travellers who prioritise place over amenity count.
Noto, Italy
A Michelin Selected property on the road between Noto and the Val di Noto countryside, Dimora delle Balze occupies the slower, less-trafficked register of Sicilian hospitality, where the architecture, the light, and the pace of service do more communicating than any amenity list. For travellers who find the Baroque town's busier hotels too close to the tour-group circuit, this is a considered alternative.
Noto, Italy
The selection reflects the property's position among Noto's more considered small-hotel offer, alongside peers such as Seven Rooms Villadorata and Country House Villadorata.
Agrigento, Italy
Selected by the Michelin Hotels guide for 2025, Doric Eco Boutique Resort & Spa sits in the agricultural plateau south of Agrigento, positioning itself as a low-impact, design-conscious retreat within reach of the Valley of the Temples.
Catania, Italy
Duomo Suites & Spa occupies a historic address on Via Garibaldi in central Catania, selected by the Michelin Guide Hotels 2025. The property sits within the city's baroque core, positioning it among a small tier of design-conscious accommodation that treats historic fabric as the primary architectural statement rather than backdrop.
Catania, Italy
A Michelin Selected property on Piazza Stesicoro, Elle Dimora di Sicilia places guests at one of Catania's most historically charged addresses. The hotel sits within the layered volcanic-stone fabric of a city where Baroque architecture meets active street life, positioning it in the smaller, design-conscious tier of Sicilian urban accommodation. Guests seeking proximity to both Catania's food markets and its cultural centre will find the address does significant work.
Sicily
Selected entries from the current guide for Sicily.
Palermo, Italy
Perched above Palermo's waterfront, Igiea Terrazza Bar occupies the terrace of the Grand Hotel Villa Igiea, one of Sicily's most architecturally significant Art Nouveau buildings. Ranked #304 in the Top 500 Bars (2025), it represents Palermo's growing presence in the international cocktail conversation, pairing serious bar craft with among the more storied views in the city.
Taormina, Italy
Bar Timeo at Grand Hotel Timeo belongs to Taormina’s high-theatre aperitivo culture: terrace views, a golden-hour rhythm, and cocktails built for the sunset rather than for speakeasy obscurity. Its known reference point is the Sunset Spritz, a fruit-inflected Aperol serve with Sicilian sparkling rosé and ginger beer, set within a bar that shifts from midafternoon ease to live-music evenings.
Palermo, Italy
One of Palermo's most established wine bars, Enoteca Picone on Via Marconi has anchored the city's serious drinking culture for decades. The format sits between a traditional enoteca and a standing wine counter, where the selection of Sicilian and Italian labels meets a food offer built around what works alongside a glass. A reference point for anyone mapping the island's wine scene from street level.
Taormina, Italy
Osteria Rosso Divino sits on Via De Spuches in the historic centre of Taormina, earning a White Star recognition from Star Wine List in 2024 for the depth of its wine program. The osteria format places it in a different register from the town's high-ticket tasting-menu restaurants, with a focus on Sicilian and Italian wine culture alongside the kitchen.
Taormina, Italy
Taormina, Italy
Bar & Chiostro sits on Via S. Domenico in Taormina, where the town’s evening drinking culture is shaped as much by cloisters, hotel terraces, and passeggiata rhythms as by cocktail technique. With no public awards, menu, or price data in the record, it is better read as a setting-led bar for a measured aperitivo rather than a credential-chasing destination.
Trapani, Italy
Bar Incontro occupies a spot on Via Archi in Trapani's historic centre, operating in a city where the bar counter is a social institution as much as a drinking destination. The address places it within walking distance of the salt flats and the Arab-Norman street grid that defines the old town. For those exploring western Sicily's drinking scene, it represents a local fixture worth finding.
Palermo, Italy
Bar Pasticceria Alba occupies a corner of Piazza Don Bosco in Palermo's residential fabric, operating in a tradition where the pasticceria and the bar are the same institution. Against the city's more theatrical drinking venues, it represents the quieter, neighbourhood-anchored tier of Sicilian bar culture, where the craft behind the counter serves daily ritual as much as occasion.
Taormina, Italy
Bar Sant'Andrea belongs to Taormina’s lower, coastal drinking circuit rather than the hill-town passeggiata around Corso Umberto. With, it is best read through setting and category: a bar address on Via Nazionale where the aperitivo decision depends on timing, appetite, and how much structure the evening needs.
Palermo, Italy
A corner fixture in Palermo's historic judicial quarter, Casa Stagnitta occupies the kind of unhurried position that neighbourhood bars in Sicily have held for generations. Locals arrive for aperitivo, linger longer than planned, and return the next day. The address alone, on Discesa dei Giudici, signals a place embedded in the city's working fabric rather than its tourist circuit.
Palermo, Italy
Pasticceria Costa occupies a quiet stretch of Via Gabriele D'Annunzio in Palermo's western residential belt, operating in the tradition of the Sicilian bar-pasticceria: a format that collapses the distinction between morning coffee ritual and afternoon sweet counter. In a city where the pasticceria functions as a social anchor rather than a destination, Costa represents the neighbourhood tier of that tradition.
Palermo, Italy
A Palermo pasticceria on Via Ernesto Basile operating within the city's deep tradition of Sicilian pastry and bar culture. The address places it in a residential quarter south of the historic centre, where neighbourhood regulars and passing visitors share the same counter. For anyone tracing Palermo's sweet-and-bitter morning ritual, it belongs on the itinerary alongside the city's better-known confectionery institutions.
Trapani, Italy
An enoteca and salumeria on Via Giovanni Battista Fardella in Trapani, Renda sits within a Sicilian tradition that treats wine selection and cured meats as two sides of the same curatorial act. The back bar and bottle list reflect a considered regional focus, placing it among the more serious wine-and-food stops in western Sicily. Visit for the combination of local producers, serious charcuterie, and a format that rewards slow afternoons.
Sicily
Selected entries from the current guide for Sicily.
Marsala, Italy
Donnafugata is a family-owned Sicilian estate operating since 1851, with vineyards spread across the island and a flagship winery in Marsala. Visitors follow a guided tour through underground barrique halls before tasting across a wide portfolio alongside local cuisine.
Palermo, Italy
Tasca d'Almerita sits at Via dei Fiori, 13 in Palermo. The address puts it within reach of Palermo's historic centre, and the recognition positions it alongside the island's most serious expressions of Sicilian viticulture and table culture.
Catania, Italy
The address places it inside a production and tasting culture shaped entirely by altitude, lava soil, and mineral intensity. For those tracing Sicily's most characterful liquid expressions, this is a serious point of reference.
Trapani, Italy
Assuli gives Trapani’s wine scene a clear western Sicilian reading: organic farming, native grapes, vineyard immersion, and an 18th-century baglio restored with ecological materials. The draw is not spectacle but terroir literacy, with Perricone, Grillo, Zibibbo, Insolia, and Nero d’Avola used to explain how heat, wind, altitude, and mineral soils shape this corner of Sicily.
Ragusa, Italy
Avide is a historic family-run winery in Ragusa, rooted in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG and focused on organic estate viticulture. The draw is not spectacle but place: Frappato, Nero d’Avola and other Sicilian varieties interpreted through a rustic agricultural setting, with educational tastings by appointment and a small-estate feel.
Marsala, Italy
A historic Marsala winery founded in 1860, Azienda Agricola Rallo reads western Sicily through native grapes rather than cellar theatrics. Its frame is unusually broad for the area: Grillo from Marsala, Catarratto and Nero d’Avola from Alcamo, and Zibibbo from Pantelleria, all tied to an organic production philosophy and a quiet, guided-tasting format.
Marsala, Italy
Baglio Diar reads Marsala through native grapes, organic farming, and a small-scale tasting format rather than cellar-door spectacle. The emphasis is on western Sicily’s sun, sea breeze, calcareous-sandy soils, and a portfolio built around Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo, Nero d’Avola, and Perricone, with label design tied to Sicilian literary references.
Marsala, Italy
Baglio Oro gives Marsala wine touring a countryside frame: restored farm buildings, vineyard views, guided cellar visits and a portfolio built around Sicilian varieties. The draw is terroir rather than ceremony, with Grillo, Catarratto and Nero d’Avola used to show how western Sicily’s sun and sea breezes shape still, sparkling and dessert wines.
Marsala, Italy
Botticella belongs to the quieter side of Marsala wine: a small, family-run organic estate working with Sicilia DOC bottlings rather than the region’s familiar fortified shorthand. The draw is terroir over scale, with Nero d’Avola, Syrah and Grillo shaped by western Sicilian conditions and a production story that dates to 1980.
Agrigento, Italy
Campisidrasi reads as a coastal Sicilian wine address shaped by Punta Bianca rather than by cellar-room formality. The draw is terroir: estate-grown Nero d'Avola and Grillo from a small family-run property in Agrigento, with sustainable farming, outdoor tastings, and a quiet, nature-led atmosphere.
Catania, Italy
Canestrini is a small Campania-focused winery entry for Catania readers who prefer rural, appointment-led hospitality over a polished tasting-room circuit. The draw is the format: seated tastings, food-paired lunches or dinners, vineyard views, and local varieties such as Pallagrello Bianco and Casavecchia framed through the Alto Casertano countryside.
Marsala, Italy
Cantine Birgi is a working cooperative cellar in Marsala, set by the lagoon-and-salt-pan environment that shapes western Sicily’s coastal wines. The draw is less polished estate theatre than scale, local grape breadth, and a cellar-door format tied to cooperative production, with Marsala, Grillo, Catarratto, Zibibbo, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, and Nerello Mascalese in the frame.
Messina, Italy
Cantine Colosi is a Sicilian winery rooted in Salina’s volcanic viticulture, with family production dating to 1987 and bottling near Messina. The interest here is terroir rather than polish: terraced island vineyards, native grapes such as Malvasia delle Lipari, Nero d’Avola and Grillo, and a portfolio that reads as a practical lesson in Aeolian wine culture.
Marsala, Italy
Cantine Florio is Marsala’s historic fortified-wine reference point, founded in 1833 and built around sea-influenced tufa-stone cellars rather than a conventional tasting-room script. The draw is the relationship between Grillo, oxygen, oak and the coastal air: more than 3,000 casks age in vaulted spaces that make the technical logic of Marsala visible.
Marsala, Italy
Cantine Mothia gives Marsala wine culture a physical frame: a restored 19th-century baglio near the salt pans, with courtyard, cellar and guided tastings built around native Sicilian grapes. The draw is not spectacle but context, especially for travelers who want Grillo, Zibibbo, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Perricone and Marsala DOC explained through place rather than poured without a story.
Marsala, Italy
Cantine Paolini is a large Marsala cooperative winery with a practical cellar-and-shop character rather than a luxury tasting-room gloss. Founded in 1964, it works at significant scale across western Sicily, with organic and sustainable practices, local grapes, guided tastings, food-pairing options, and a clear emphasis on the dry, sunlit character of the Marsala countryside.
Marsala, Italy
Cantine Pellegrino is a historic Marsala cellar experience built around Sicily’s fortified-wine tradition and the island logic behind Zibibbo, Grillo, Inzolia, Catarratto and Nero d’Avola. Founded in 1880, the house gives visitors a structured way into Marsala DOC and Pantelleria Passito, with guided tastings, cellar spaces and a terroir story shaped by western Sicily’s heat, wind and volcanic influence.
Marsala, Italy
Caruso & Minini puts western Sicily’s wine identity in sharp focus: Marsala heritage, native grapes, wind-cooled vineyards and a restored 1904 baglio rather than a generic tasting-room script. The estate works across Catarratto, Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Inzolia and Nerello Mascalese, with guided tastings, food-pairing formats and a cellar experience that suits visitors who want terroir explained through glass and place.
Marsala, Italy
Coste Ghirlanda is a small estate founded in 2003, framed by Pantelleria’s volcanic soils, dry-farmed Zibibbo and the island’s low bush-vine tradition. The experience is quiet, intimate and terroir-led: less a conventional tasting room than a reserved wine-and-food setting shaped by wind, terraces and the severe beauty of the island.
Messina, Italy
Cottanera gives Etna wine a large-estate lens without losing the agricultural detail that makes the volcano compelling. The draw is its north-slope setting, indigenous grapes such as Nerello Mascalese and Carricante, and a guided tasting format that ties vineyard, cellar and contrada identity into one coherent visit.
Noto, Italy
Cozzo del Parroco is a small organic winery in Noto shaped by Val di Noto’s dry Mediterranean agriculture: vines, olive groves, almond trees, and a quiet tasting format rather than cellar-door theatre. The draw is the countryside setting and meal-paired wine experience, with hospitality kept intimate and reservation-led.
Marsala, Italy
Curatolo Arini is a historic Marsala winery in Sicily, founded in 1875 and rooted in fortified wine, indigenous grapes, and cellar-led education. The draw is not spectacle but context: Grillo, Catarratto, Inzolia, Nero d’Avola, and Zibibbo interpreted through a family estate that has helped preserve Marsala’s older identity.
Palermo, Italy
Di Bella puts Palermo’s urban wine culture into a cellar-led format rather than a countryside estate visit. The interest here is Sicilian terroir in compact form: Catarratto, Nero d’Avola and Syrah shaped by the Valle dello Jato, organic viticulture and a small-producer approach tied to Sicilia DOC identity.
Palermo, Italy
Feudo Disisa is a historic Sicilian wine estate outside Palermo, rooted in Monreale’s inland hill country and shaped by vines, olive trees, altitude, and cooling breezes. Its strongest appeal is terroir rather than spectacle: native grapes, selected international varieties, a seventeenth-century baglio, and a family estate history dating to 1867.
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