You can’t go to Sicily without experiencing one of its most beautiful beaches, so we made a day of checking out the beautiful and historic hilltop town of Taormina near Mount Etna, and its even more beautiful beach, Isola Bella. While our villa had an amazing pool and spectacular views of the sea, there’s nothing like taking a dip in the crystal clear Mediterranean.
Isola Bella is a tiny island connected to the mainland by a narrow gravel bar, surrounded by rocky beaches. If you’re going in the summer, expect it to be very busy. As is the case with many Mediterranean beaches, the beach is lined with private clubs where you can rent a chair and towel, but it’s also possible to access the beach without doing so.
We headed to the beach with our friend Ceri and her adorable dog, Alfio, and arrived to find it completely full, so we found couches on the patio at the beachside La Plage Resort. This turned out to be the perfect spot to enjoy a cocktails in the sun, just steps from the water. This is one of the cocktails we enjoyed, and brought back the recipe to share with you. It’s the perfect refreshing Sicilian gin cocktail.
After a long day at the Sea, we headed back to our villa for dinner where our hosts made us traditional Sicilian dishes, including the best caponata we’ve ever had, and this amazing almond pasta.