Agave

After visiting the Villagrazia di Carini Catacomb (five minutes’ drive), with its brightly frescoed walls, continue towards the coast for another couple of minutes to the Bioparco di Sicilia. As well as exotic plants such as birds of paradise and frangipani, there is a zoological garden populated by capybaras, wallabies and lemurs. Borgo Parrini Case Museo ‘I Campanili A Borgo Parrini’ (25 minutes) is a pretty hamlet whose houses have been painted with vibrantly coloured scenes, decorated with mosaics or ceramic tiles or inscribed with verses. Stop at the bar on the square for a drink, then head to the San Cataldo Terrasini Beach (a further five minutes) for a dip in the sea. In Palermo (50 minutes), check out the Palazzo dei Normanni, where the splendid Palatine Chapel is covered in gilded mosaics. The cathedral, which has Norman, Moorish and Neoclassical elements, houses the tombs of the kings and queens of Sicily, while the Church of Saint John of the Hermits is topped by distinctive red domes.