Evening restaurants and stone buildings in Marzamemi, south-east Sicily
Eastern Sicily self-drive holiday

Mount Etna, the Val di Noto and Siracusa

Explore Etna’s volcanic slopes and vineyards, wander the Baroque towns of the Val di Noto and finish beside the sea in Siracusa. Three generous stays leave time for the gardens, pools and terraces of your hotels.

Duration 14 nights
Travel style Self-drive
Accommodation rhythm 5 nights · 5 nights · 4 nights
Price guide From £3,250 pp
Ask us to shape this holiday around you
Holiday overview

Etna, Baroque towns and life beside the Ionian Sea

Begin with five nights between Mount Etna and the Ionian coast, with days for the volcano, vineyards and Taormina. Continue to the Val di Noto for five nights of Baroque towns and countryside, then spend four nights above the sea in Siracusa, within reach of Ortigia’s lanes and restaurants.

Price guide

14 nights from £3,250 per person

Based on two people sharing and including the principal land arrangements shown below. The final price will depend on your travel dates, hotel availability and preferred room categories.

What’s included

Your land-only holiday arrangements

  • 14 nights’ carefully selected accommodation
  • Breakfast each morning
  • Fully comprehensive car hire
  • Personal route planning and support from ExpertoItaly
Why this holiday works

Volcanic scenery, country lunches and time by the water

A car gives you the freedom to combine Etna’s wine-producing slopes with Noto, Modica and Ragusa, and to stop at smaller coastal places along the way. Leave some afternoons free for a swim or a long lunch at your hotel.

Best for

Curious, independent travellers

Particularly well suited to couples and grown-up travellers interested in culture, scenery, food and wine, with space for quieter afternoons by the pool or sea.

Pacing

Five nights, five nights, four nights

Spend five nights at Donna Carmela and five at Masseria della Volpe, mixing days out with time in their gardens and pools. Four nights at La Giuggiulena bring breakfasts by the water and evenings in Siracusa.

Transport

Explore at your own pace

Self-driving gives easier access to Etna, wine country, Baroque towns, nature reserves and smaller coastal places, without shaping each day around fixed public transport.

Route contrast

Countryside, culture and the sea

The journey moves from Etna’s volcanic landscapes to the open countryside of the Val di Noto, before finishing beside the Ionian Sea within easy reach of Ortigia.

Where you stay

Gardens, countryside and a house above the sea

Donna Carmela’s gardens welcome you between Etna and the coast. Masseria della Volpe brings broad countryside views and a large pool, while La Giuggiulena ends the holiday with personal hosting and terraces above the Ionian Sea.

Donna Carmela Resort near Mount Etna in eastern Sicily
Etna countryside · 5 nights

Donna Carmela Resort

Walk through Donna Carmela’s Mediterranean gardens, swim in the pool and enjoy dinner at the hotel after exploring Etna or the coast. Five nights give you time for the volcano’s landscapes and wine country, as well as quieter days among the plants and terraces.

Why it fits
  • Botanical resort setting with Mediterranean gardens
  • Well placed between Mount Etna and the Ionian coast
  • Pool, food and polished service after exploring
View hotel details →
Masseria della Volpe in the countryside near Noto
Val di Noto countryside · 5 nights

Masseria della Volpe

Masseria della Volpe places the middle stage of the holiday in open countryside, giving you practical access to Noto, Modica, Ragusa, Vendicari and the south-east coast. The longer stay allows cultural days and coastal outings to be balanced with quieter time by the pool.

Why it fits
  • Refined countryside base for the Baroque south-east
  • Large pool, gardens and open Sicilian landscape
  • Good self-drive access to towns, coast and nature reserves
View hotel details →
La Giuggiulena overlooking the Ionian Sea in Siracusa
Siracusa seafront · 4 nights

La Giuggiulena

Sabrina and Claudia welcome you to La Giuggiulena, a small house above the Ionian Sea. Start with breakfast by the water, spend time on the terraces and head into Ortigia for its lanes, squares and restaurants. Direct access to the rocky shore is a distinctive part of the stay; sea conditions determine when swimming is suitable.

Why it fits
  • Sea-facing rooms and terraces above the Ionian Sea
  • Personal hosting from Sabrina and Claudia
  • Breakfast by the water and direct sea access
View hotel details →
Helpful guides

Explore eastern Sicily in more detail

These guides provide useful background for the main stages of the journey, from Mount Etna and the Ionian coast to Siracusa and the Baroque towns of the south-east.

Mount Etna

Volcanic landscapes, wine country and practical ways to explore

Plan your time around Etna’s viewpoints, crater landscapes, scenic roads and wine-producing slopes, with advice on how the different areas fit together.

Discover guide → Taormina

Views, gardens and Sicily’s celebrated coastal town

A practical introduction to Taormina’s Greek theatre, historic centre, gardens and coastal setting, including why timing matters when planning a visit.

Discover guide → Siracusa

Ortigia, archaeology and life beside the sea

Explore Siracusa and Ortigia through their history, sea-facing walks, architecture and food, with ideas for using the city as more than a brief sightseeing stop.

Discover guide → Val di Noto

Baroque towns, coastal scenery and the Sicilian south-east

Discover how Noto, Modica, Ragusa and the surrounding countryside can be combined with beaches, nature reserves and slower self-drive days.

Discover guide →
Holiday ideas

Other ways to experience Sicily

This eastern Sicily route is one way to explore the island. These alternative journeys offer different combinations of city culture, wine country, coast and island life, including both self-drive and carefully arranged car-free travel.

Aeolian Islands coastal scenery on a car-free Sicily holiday
Car-free Sicily

Palermo, Salina and Taormina

14 nights | Private transfers and hydrofoils | City, island and coast

A different rhythm from the self-drive route, combining Palermo’s culture with a settled Aeolian island stay and an elegant coastal conclusion in Taormina.

View this holiday →
San Vito Lo Capo and the western Sicily coastline
Western Sicily self-drive

Palermo, Menfi and San Vito Lo Capo

14 nights | Self-drive | City, wine country and coast

A journey focused entirely on western Sicily, moving from Palermo’s history to Menfi’s vineyards before finishing with relaxed coastal days near San Vito Lo Capo.

View this holiday →
Route map

From Mount Etna to the Val di Noto and Siracusa

The route moves gradually south through eastern Sicily, beginning between Mount Etna and the Ionian coast, continuing into the countryside near Noto, and finishing beside the sea in Siracusa. The sequence keeps driving manageable while giving each area enough time to feel distinct.

The map shows the broad route rather than a fixed daily schedule. Exact directions, arrival arrangements and suggested stops are shaped around your flights, dates and preferred pace.

Plan this journey

Shape this eastern Sicily holiday around you

Tell us which places and experiences appeal to you, and we will adapt the nights, hotels and days out around your dates. Enquiring early gives you the best choice of rooms, especially at the small sea-facing La Giuggiulena.

Tell us what you have in mind
Adapt the journey

Make the holiday your own

We can alter the number of nights, hotel categories, room choices and route order, or add private guiding, food and wine experiences and extra time by the sea.

What to tell us

Your dates, priorities and preferred pace

Share your likely travel dates, departure airport, room requirements and the places or experiences that matter most. It is also helpful to know how active or relaxed you want the journey to feel.

What happens next

A route designed around your plans

We will bring your hotels, car hire and chosen experiences together into a personal itinerary with a clear land-only price. Flights are booked separately.

Your enquiry

Start planning your eastern Sicily holiday

Tell us as much or as little as you know at this stage. We can help refine the route, pacing and accommodation choices from there.

(Places, who’s travelling, special occasions, interests, anything you'd like me to know)
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