Nizza di Sicilia: An authentic alternative to Taormina

It's been a few days since I returned from Sicily. I really love Sicily with all my heart. The people are friendly. The daily life of the residents strikes me as a completely different pace from the one you know in big cities.
My partner and I live in the picturesque town of Nizza di Sicilia. It stretches along the sea and has a completely different rhythm from nearby Taormina, just 22 km away. It's just 26 minutes by car. Well, great, I thought to myself when my partner and I went on a car trip.
When we are in Sicily, we live in a small apartment in this town. It's magical, and the locals are incredibly warm. Although they don't speak English very well, they try to communicate in any other way. In the end, in this cozy town, one sentence is enough: "Caffè freddo con panna montata."

A peaceful holiday in Sicily

The town has a great location. It is a short distance from Taormina, which you can easily reach by car (or you can take the local train that runs around the entire island), and at the same time, you can visit Messina, where you can take a romantic walk. Nizza di Sicilia is completely authentic. It is not crowded with tourists, so if you decide to stay here, you will have peace, comfort, and plenty of space on the pebble beach. The town is currently renovating the edges of the beach. Thanks to this, it already offers an outdoor gym and children's playgrounds. You can run on the beach in the morning and evening, because it is firmer, pebbly, or on the newly built sidewalks, which form a long promenade with street lighting. Most of the beach entrances have also been renovated. I was very impressed that the town is currently undergoing renovation. We have already had a great time here. Peace, quiet.
The sea offers beautiful views, and you can see the lighthouse on the horizon at night. It is not an extremely busy tourist place. But it is beautiful here. Plenty of space for everyone. There are also several supermarkets and plenty of shops with a variety of things. So if you need anything, you will find it here.

Nizza di Sicilia the hidden gem of Sicily?

What I find very attractive about this town, besides its spirit, is its location. It is absolutely fantastic. If you are planning to move around this area of ​​Sicily, accommodation in this picturesque town is a financially attractive option for you. Taormina is a worldwide magnet for tourists. Everyone wants beautiful photos of the beautiful beaches and monuments. It is a real gem of beaches. This status comes with a downside: "tourist prices." Personally, I am very happy to live in Nizza di Sicilia because everything is more affordable, and it is 100% authentic Italy. You can buy delicious baked bread here, a great coffee for 1 Euro, and wave hello to the locals. If you are looking for relaxation, you will find it here. No packaging, just here and there with some garbage on the street, but that is part of Italy. It's a clean town, you can only find something here and there. But I think that's actually everywhere.

Beaches in Nizza di Sicilia

They are pebbles. This smaller town is a bit off the beaten track. I would definitely recommend water shoes for children. But adults can walk. The stones are not that big. The water is clear, and the entrance to the sea is smooth. So you can relax undisturbed by the shore, and no one will look at you for taking their place. This town stretches along the sea. Technically speaking, it's only a few streets inland. But it's all the longer. There is a classic siesta here, so everything closes at 2 pm and reopens at 6 pm.

Local Gastronomy

Every place has its own attractions. This picturesque town is no different. I got used to cold coffee with cold whipped cream really quickly. We didn't even make coffee at home and if you visit this place or stay somewhere here, you will probably have it anyway. But what surprised me, I still don't understand it to this day and I'll probably try it next time, is the ice cream in a bun. Like when you go to a fast food restaurant and have a cheeseburger, here you only have the bun and they put two scoops of ice cream in it. People eat it normally here. I was surprised because I never thought of eating ice cream instead of a cone from a bun. On the other hand, you eat a little, right? Anyway, I thought I'd try this test next time. I have never had ice cream in a bun before.....

Of course, you will also find beautiful monuments, churches and cozy corners where you can take pictures or soak up the local atmosphere.

Logistics and transport

If you want to enjoy Sicily to the fullest, rent a car from a rental company. Get insurance when you rent one. You will pay more money, but you will have peace of mind, because traveling on Italian roads is a bit like sailing the sea among pirates. There is absolutely no point in taking a luxury or large car. If you want to move safely, take a small car, ideally a shopping bag on four wheels. As soon as you drive among the locals, you will immediately know that you made a good choice with a small, cheap car.
You can also travel around Sicily by train, but it is more time-consuming and less comfortable, because not everywhere is easy to get to by train.
In Catania, you can rent a car from one of the local rental companies as soon as you leave the airport. There are really many of them. You can also use traditional public transport, but outside the city you have to deal with a transfer by train or another alternative. When I compare how much time we would spend figuring out where to go, and then buying tickets, etc., renting a car is the best option.
Italians don't drive fast and furious, they just don't care about scuffed fenders and the occasional wrong-way drive. Once a car pulled up to us like this. There was another one in front of us, and we were going the right way together. So we all stood there for a while. The lady in the wrong direction honked her horn for a moment (she probably thought she was going the right way) and then backed out with a smile.
We also came to a roundabout once. That was really fun. I think the man in the van was probably a local who quickly realized the other two cars were driven by tourists. 🙃 It was a classic roundabout with four exits. There were cars from three directions, we were in the middle, and now who should go? Hmmm, we all stood there looking at each other with shy smiles, wondering who would be the first pirate to go… A quick meeting took place in our car. Should we take the risk? Should we have the right of way? Normally, in the city where we live, we would know exactly how to drive. But in Sicily, traffic rules are not a dogma for everyone, so we hesitated. I think we probably didn't have the right of way, but we carefully entered the roundabout, and both looked at the drivers of the other cars. The car on the left had the right of way according to the normal rules, but the driver was timidly looking into the intersection, the poor guy terrified that he had to deal with something. What's great: the local truck was completely fine, so you don't have to be afraid to drive here. You'll meet all sorts of people here, but never at extreme, frantic speeds. The cars here are worn out, you drive among pirates in shopping bags, but it has its own incredible charm, and we enjoyed it here.

We also really enjoyed the little local bistros where we went for a delicious coffee in the morning. Most locals use these places as their social spaces. They sit there first thing in the morning, have a coffee and a croissant, say hello and then move on. It's so nice to be part of this different pace. It's a gem in the jewel box of Sicily, untouched by tourists, where you can experience the real Italy as it is, without the frills and frills.