Reviewing holidays in Sicily.

Sicily is one of those destinations that begs you to ask why you ever bothered with anything else. If you're unlucky, every corner of the island is like a piñata of experiences—something sweet, sticky, or a bit crazy. One morning you can stroll among old Greek temples, have espresso at a sun-baked piazza at lunch, and by evening you find yourself bargaining with a street vendor over a lemon the size of your head. It's equally exhilarating and tiring, yet you seem to love every second somehow.

Going to Sicily is somewhat like entering a postcard the gods have secretly enhanced for dramatic impact. Rising above the island, Mount Etna sulks and smokes as if constantly annoyed by visitors. You know, this is a real volcano, not only a beautiful setting for your Instagram photo in case someone forgets. And regarding stories, the communities themselves are different. Palermo is wild in a way that makes it look like cats, scooters, and a very loud sense of purpose have taken over. If you're okay with trying to understand street signs that appear to be there just to perplex visitors, Messina is lovely.

Then the cuisine could just as easily be its own celebration. Sicilians are able to create wonders out of basic items. Cannoli are basically edible pleasure bundled in pastry, pasta alla Norma is soothing, arancini are fried joy balls. The irony is, of course, that following a week of royal feasting, you will be fighting to button your pants while wondering, perhaps, just maybe, you should have walked more. That is, until you recall the closest gelato store and rethink the whole concept of self-restraint.

The beaches offer still another tale. You'll discover patches of beach so gorgeous it seems the sun is making up for all the hard work it takes to get there. While some are calm and selective, the sort you would see in travel brochures, others are full of youngsters, canines, and families all aiming to prove that excitement and volume are not incompatible. Either approach teaches you patience or, at least, the skill of developing your tan without dropping your Aperol Spritz.

Sicily also pushes some self-reflection. Soon, you see that the time for you is a strange idea here. Shops open when they feel like it, trains run on their own mysterious schedule, and life moves at a pace that seems designed to make tourists slightly paranoid about punctuality. That's the appeal, though. It shows you how to slow down, accept surprises, and sometimes let go of your need to be in control without acting out.

Going to Sicily ultimately mixes enchantment and frustration. You come for the beaches, the cuisine, the volcano, and the history, but you stay for the ridiculousness of it all. You leave with sunburn, sand in uncomfortable areas, and the uneasy feeling you might never quite understand the pulse of the island, which, really, is most likely for the best.