Travelling During the Pandemic: A Slow Trip to Sicily
Two weeks ago I was in Sicily; lounging on the beach, swimming in crystal clear waters and navigating my way through my first holiday during Covid-19. I thought long and hard prior to booking our trip, researching air filters on planes, working out the likelihood of destinations being added to the quarantine list and internally debating the ethics of travelling during a pandemic. I touched on my thoughts on travelling during Covid-19 on my Instagram Stories, nervous at sharing such content when so many people have no choice but to stay at home, bracing myself for negative feedback. Ultimately, a large portion of my work is tied into the travel industry - I work as a travel writer and photographer in my freelance work, and not only did I need the inspiration and material to pitch to clients but I also needed to support the industry that I work in. And yes, I was also craving the Mediterranean for its water, cuisine and magical light.
I chose Sicily because it had been on my list for a long, long time, and Italy looked like our safest option for avoiding quarantine upon returning home (we almost chose Menorca or the South of France, which would almost definitely have resulted in our trip being cancelled). I also liked the thought of the isolation of an island. My ultimate Sicilian road trip adventure would have to wait for the future, however. I was in search of a short, slow and simple holiday.
We flew into Catania, because the flights were cheap and fell on the right days. Until I began researching, I didn’t realise quite how large Sicily is (it’s the largest island in the Med). Although several destinations had caught my eye in the north, south and west, we only had five days so decided to stick to the east, close to the airport. We caught taxis between the two destinations we chose, which worked out cheaper and more convenient than car hire, as well as relieving Dave from the chaos of navigating Sicily’s famously crazy traffic.
The thought of travelling during a pandemic kept me up at night prior to the trip, as I worried about everything. Honestly though, it wasn’t as nerve-wracking as I expected. Everyone wore masks inside the airports and during the flight, and there were thermal scanners when arriving in and entering Catania airport. In Sicily, people wore masks more efficiently than in England, many opting to wear them to walk down busy streets and everyone wearing face coverings until they were seated in bars and restaurants. The only times I worried about social distancing were queuing for the cable car up to Taormina (in hindsight, we should have avoided a busy time) and when walking the city’s narrow streets (a blessing in disguise, as we veered off the main avenues and discovered all the charming alleyways).
The first couple of nights of our trip were spent in the small town of Aci Trezza, just a short drive north of Catania airport. I instantly fell for this charming fishing village, drinking in its beautiful views of the scattering of small volcanic islands just off the shore. We stayed in a simple yet wonderful Airbnb just a few short steps from the sea, with a veranda looking out over the water. All we did here was sit on the rocks (no beach here, just large rocks to negotiate) and wade into the clear blue sea for long swims out to the islands. One morning we hired a pedalo to explore the isles in more detail, leaping into the water to cool off. Wandering around the town was calm and quiet, although the streets came to life at night with visitors descending to enjoy the variety of seafood restaurants and a night market by the harbour.
Our second destination was Mezzaro, a small beach resort nestled below the ancient town of Taormina. I was initially attracted to Isola Bella, a small island connected to the beach by a narrow causeway. Views from above suggested a beautiful, unspoiled paradise but reality was huge crowds and piles of rubbish everywhere. I usually stay away from places that are hyped on Instagram for this exact reason. I imagine Isola Bella may have been beautiful before the crowds descended, and I recognise that by travelling there I am part of the problem.
We spent most of our time renting sun loungers on the crescent shaped bay around the corner from Isola Bella (directly opposite our hotel). Again, most of our time was spent in the water, or lying back with a book and an aperol spritz. A word of warning though - jellyfish lurk in these waters and I was painfully stung during the trip. The lifeguards have special cream that takes the pain away almost immediately, but anyone wary of creatures in the water may wish to book a hotel with a pool.
Other than swimming and lounging, we occasionally took ourselves for wanders along the coast or dragged ourselves away from the waters edge for light lunches usually consisting of caprese salad and fries. One evening, we took the cable car up to Taormina to wander around the ancient streets, gorging on cannoli and aranchini and admiring the buildings. This was a slow trip in every sense of the word - we weren’t focused on exploring or seeing as much as possible, rather relishing the opportunity to do nothing other than swim, read, eat and soak up all that sunshine.
I have no idea when I will next travel, which is rare for me. I love having trips to look forward to and usually plan my year around my travels. This made me appreciate every moment of this short trip so much more than usual, relishing everything from the feeling of the salt water against my skin to the tastes of the local delicacies. For me, this short holiday was worth the risks and helped give me a much needed reset to get through the coming months. I’ll definitely return to Sicily to explore more in the future, but for now I am satisfied with my slow and relaxing short break.
