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 From gelato to exploding volcanos, the Italian island of Sicily offers plenty of treats for kids.
Go to bed or witness a volcano erupting? Needless to say, my 10-year-old son didn’t hesitate when given the choice. We’d just flown into Sicily’s Catania airport and it was close to midnight, but nothing – repeat nothing – was going to prevent Max from checking out the spectacular lava flow issuing from Mt Etna.
After weeks of traipsing through museums, churches and galleries throughout northern Italy there was finally something really cool to see, and there was no way his mother’s tedious adherence to bedtime curfews was going to keep him away.Fortunately, Gaetano Failla and Maria Sanciolo-Bell of Echoes Events, an Australian-based travel company specialising in tours to Sicily, know exactly what young travellers like.
 A Greek temple in Sicily.
Give and take, I’ve travelled with Max since he was a toddler, and have learned that successful holidays are those that balance adult-oriented activities with kid-focused ones. On this trip I’d followed a two-hour visit to the Uffizi Gallery (my choice) with a gelato stop (his), bartered a three-hour pilgrimage through churches in the medieval town centre of Lucca for an hour’s bike ride around the city walls, and traded two hours exploring the Palatine archaeological site in Rome with a session at the city’s interactive cinema. We had agreed that the holiday’s Sicilian finale would involve lots of kid-friendly (aka ‘cool’) stuff.
Max had researched travel guidebooks and the internet, and had put together a list of things he would like to see and do when in Sicily. I passed this onto Maria and Gaetano, who then came up with an itinerary that was immediately appealing to him, while also managing to avoid theme parks (meaning that I was happy, too).
The day after arriving, we spent a wonderful morning at the Alcantara Gorge, a spectacular river gorge created by millennia-old lava flows. Gentle white water, alluring rock pools and loads of rocks to clamour over makes it an enormous hit with kids. After a swim, we hopped on quad bikes and drove to a different stretch of the gorge for a trek. Max’s assessment? “That was totally awesome, Mum!”
Cheap and Cheerful
One of the best things about visiting Sicily was its affordability. The first part of our trip had been spent in Venice, Milan and Florence, none of which can be described as economical destinations (the term ‘ruinously expensive’ immediately comes to mind). The perfect solution in Sicily was to stay in agriturismi (farm stays) – Max loved exploring the farms, and I adored staying in the stylishly converted historic farm buildings, most of which were surrounded by picturesque vineyards, olive groves and fruit-tree plantations.
 Max hitches a ride in Sicily.
Tasty treats
And the food was simply sensational. Max was in seventh heaven when he discovered the island’s naughty secret – breakfasts of brioches filled with granita Siciliana (fruit sorbet) – and he and I both developed an infatuation with the local cakes, pastries and biscuits, many of which are made with sweetened ricotta. Seasonal specialities abound – seared swordfish steaks with a side salad of sun ripened tomatoes and fragrant basil, plump prawns in spicy cous-cous, and farm-style pork and fennel sausages accompanied by a tangy orange and onion salad are just a few of those we sampled. Max ate everything with alacrity – there were no requests for junk food fixes, just plea upon plea for second helpings.
On the plane from Palermo back to Rome, I asked Max if he’d enjoyed his time in Sicily. His answer said it all: “When can we go again?”
By Virginia Maxwell
Pics by Gaetano Failla
Echoes Events is an Australian-based company specialising in travel to Sicily. Visit the Echoes Event webpage for more information about enjoying a holiday in Sicily.
This article appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine, issue 81, November 2008.
Used with permission of Echoes Events.
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