Sicily with kids 10 years and under
Asking Sicilian parents, “What there is to see and do in Sicily with kids 10 years and under?”
This question comes from one of In their shoes: Sicily’s readers, Stephanie from Australia, who posed this very question: “Things to see and do with children 10 years and under in Sicily?” So, here at In their shoes: Sicily we passed this question over to those who would know the answer best, the Sicilian parents!
Sandro and Morena are parents of two children, aged 8 and 10 | Gela
“Usually, in the afternoon, we accompany the children to the Salesian oratory of Gela where various recreational, sporting and musical activities take place. On Sundays, when both of us are not working, we all have fun together in a well-known district of Gela, Macchitella, famous for it’s green areas, for the various attractions for children and full of commercial activities, such as cafés and pubs.”
Enzo and Nancy are parents to their 9 year old daughter | Gela
“In the afternoon, we often accompany our little girl to the Salesian oratory (sometimes also for study thanks to the after-school activities, therefore not just for leisure). On the weekend, on the other hand, we often prefer to cycle along the Gela seafront, ideal when there are nice days. Or at a shopping centre outside the city, in Licata, where everyone can have fun: adults go shopping while the little ones stay and play within the local attractions thanks to the care and attention of some operators (babysitters).”
Gianmarco and Tamara are parents of two children, aged 6 and 3 | Catania
“During our free time we love to take long walks on Etna, especially on the Altomontana track which is accessed by the Demanio Forestale Filiciusa Milia gate which can be reached from the S.P. 92 Nicolosi-Rifugio Sapienza, turning at kilometre 14.8 towards EtnAvventura, church, Rifugio Ariel up to the entrance to the state property, marked by a lava stone obelisk.”
“Another place where we took the children for an excursion is Lake Maulazzo. It is an artificial basin of about 5 hectares, located in the Nebrodi National Park, on the slopes of Monte Soro. It falls within the municipality of Alcara Li Fusi (metropolitan city of Messina, Sicily). Another thing we like to do on Etna with children are picnics. Also on Etna in the Piana Vetore area there is an equipped area where you can turn on a barbecue.”
“In general, we love being outdoors surrounded by nature. Observe beautiful landscapes, sunsets and even sleep outside in tents in the various campsites around Sicily. For example, last year due to COVID we decided to go to two campsites and sleep in tents. There is a beautiful campsite in San Vito Lo Capo, in the province of Trapani, called Camping La Pineta. It is located not far from the beach”.
Vittorio and Veronica are parents of 2 children, aged 7 and 9 | Catania
“Sicily is a wonderful island, there is everything at your fingertips, culture, mountains, sea and history…healthy food…and people who make you feel at home when you arrive. My children love the sea, they are anxiously awaiting the arrival of summer, because the sea makes them feel good and if they are well, we parents are fine too.”
“Usually I only go to the beach for half a day for convenience sake, because personally it would become stressful to stay there all day, because the sea makes me tired. I am a working mom, I love my independence but I can’t stay without the sea, so I prepare carrots and seasonal fruit for us to nibble on at the beach. I lie on the beach and watch my 7 and 9 year old children play, with each other, but here in Sicily it is also easy to make new friends, with just a word and just like that they seem like lifelong friends. Then you return home shower and eat, often I warm up the food prepared from the day before.”
Alessandra is the mother of two children, Omar and Noa | Patti
“The first trip made with Omar and Noa was to discover the Aeolian Islands. We started with Vulcano. The most exciting thing for them was to climb up to the crater of the volcano. It was their first time and they were in seventh heaven! Well equipped and with a few stops we got up there and their expression in front of such a great natural spectacle is unparalleled. They still remember the beauty of the small accommodations typical of the island, with the scent of a breakfast on the veranda overlooking the sea.”
“We have known the acrid smell of mud and the beauty of a taking a dip at the beach with a strange black colour sand. But what they carry most in their hearts was the friendliness of the inhabitants, the joy of the local children, welcoming and free to play all together, naturally barefoot!! Another wonderful trip with them was to discover the Valley of the Temples (describing it would be very long), but I will describe to you a place that we unexpectedly discovered during that trip. A nearby town – Favara, welcomes one with the Farm Cultural Park an open-air art gallery, where very old houses have been transformed into works of art and art installations, a colorful and culturally intense world, from Pythagoras to the island of Roses, i had to (happily) explain to the children the value of freedom, ideas, resistance.”
“Another extraordinary experience to visit with them was a rock salt deposit formed about six million years ago, still active, in which contemporary artists have created an underground art museum (it has already hosted seven biennials). We wore helmets and we went down into the mine!! We immersed ourselves in a magical world, ancient and modern all at the same time. Very beautiful! Sicily is like a welcoming mother, she gave us nights in tents at Argimusco (Montalbano Elicona), with horses roaming about freely to visit us and there my boys saw their first sunrise. She gave us excursions to fairytale woods (Tassita, Malabotta), she gave us the beauty of the pools of Venus (Milazzo) where the boys were able to bathe on April 25th (Early springtime).”
Giuseppe and Laura are parents of 2 children, Giulio 10 years and Giorgio 5 years old | Catania
“When you could….especially on mild winter or spring days, when it is not to crowded, our children liked to walk along the sea of Acitrezza, climb the rocks and be told the stories about Greek myths, Polyphemus and the birth of the faraglioni. Then we’d stop in a good restaurant to eat some fresh fish with the scent of the nearby sea.”
“When you could….once a year usually in the days and weeks before the Feast of Sant’Agata, a cultural trip to the historic centre (of Catania) was a very nice thing to do. We left from the sanctuary of Sant’Agata to the dungeon where the Saint was imprisoned during the martyrdom located in Piazza Santo Carcere, where a museum is also located. In the adjacent square stands the olive tree from which, the legend cites, Agata took the olives to eat by reaching out from the grate of the cell where she was imprisoned.”
“From that story, there is a typical Catania dessert, in production from January, until the end of the Agatine festivities, the Olivetta di Sant’Agata. From Piazza Stesicoro you can then take Via Etnea, following it along towards the heart of the historic centre. Passing by triumphs of baroque architecture and arriving at Piazza Duomo where you can find the characteristic U Liotru (Fontana dell’Elefante), the Amenano fountain and the Cathedral of Saint Agatha. Immediately after you can pass under the stone arches of the marina and arrive in the characteristic fish market. Perhaps to try some dishes typical to Catania in the local trattorias. The beauty of doing this tour at that time of the year is to be able to breathe the atmosphere of the Festa, especially when you see the characteristic candelore (giant candles used in the festival).”
Danila is the mother to her son, Giorgio 9 years old | Catania
“If there are nice days I prefer to take my son to play outdoors, always introducing him to new places. We usually go to places surrounded by nature, such as the lakes of Regalbuto, a fabulous place to have wonderful picnics, bike rides and long walks in the woods. Sometimes we often return to where we used to go when he was a little younger, because Giorgio has always been fascinated by wind turbines and when it’s possible we organize trips with the whole family to go and see them. They are located in the Sicilian hinterland in Ucria precisely. When we manage to organise to go it is always exciting, precisely because I see the amazement in my son’s eyes still, even now after so many years…!!”
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