{"id":12242,"date":"2026-06-07T11:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T09:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golftourexperience.com\/?p=12242"},"modified":"2026-07-15T13:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:28:13","slug":"golf-in-sicily-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golftourexperience.com\/en\/golf-in-sicily-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Golf in Sicily: Where to Play, What to See \u2014 and the Three Resorts About to Change Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Francesca Galeano<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Taormina
Taormina, the Greek theatre with Etna on the horizon \u2014 where Francesca was born<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I was born in Taormina. My father was a carpenter \u2013 nothing to do with tourism. But I remember, as a child, that whenever a tourist got lost in our streets or stopped to ask for directions, he would put down his tools and leave everything: he would not point the way, he would walk them there himself<\/strong>, recommend the little trattoria where they should have lunch \u2014 and later he would pass by the owner to say: \u201cThey are friends of mine. Treat them well.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the philosophy of hospitality I grew up with. It is not a job: it is the passion of someone who had the luck to be born and raised surrounded by beauty, and who cannot help wanting to share it with everyone who arrives. So forgive me if I am not entirely objective: I believe Sicily is the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean. For years, though, I had to admit one thing to my golf clients \u2014 we had wonderful courses, but only two of them. That is about to change. By 2027, three historic golf resorts will come back to life<\/strong>, bringing Sicily from two playable destination courses to as many as six. Here is everything you need to know: where to play today, what is reopening, where to stay and what to do when the clubs are back in the trunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting there and getting around<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sicily has two main international gateways: Catania Fontanarossa Airport<\/strong> on the east coast (for Taormina, Etna, Syracuse and Ragusa) and Palermo Falcone Borsellino<\/strong> in the north-west (for Cefal\u00f9 and the Madonie). Both are well connected to Rome and Milan with frequent one-hour flights, so reaching the island from the US, Canada or Australia is easier than most travellers expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One honest piece of advice: distances in Sicily are longer than they look on the map, and driving here is \u2014 let\u2019s say \u2014 a local sport. For a golf trip with bags, private transfers with an English-speaking driver<\/strong> are worth every euro: you enjoy the landscape, your driver handles the rest. It is how we organise every Sicily itinerary we design<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The courses you can play today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Verdura Resort (Rocco Forte)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two 18-hole championship courses + a 9-hole par 3, designed by Kyle Phillips \u2013 Sciacca, south-west coast<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Verdura
Verdura Resort: links-style golf along the Mediterranean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The course that put modern Sicilian golf on the map. Verdura<\/strong> stretches along almost two kilometres of private Mediterranean coastline, with a links-like feel, sea views from nearly every hole and no buildings breaking the horizon. Kyle Phillips \u2014 the architect of Kingsbarns \u2014 designed the East and West courses, and Rocco Forte added a resort that is a destination in itself: one of Europe\u2019s great spas, restaurants built on Sicilian produce, and service that explains why Verdura hosts everyone from tour professionals to honeymooners. Start with our Verdura Golf Experience (4 nights, 2 green fees)<\/strong><\/a> or go all in with Sicilia d\u2019Autore \u2014 Palermo & Verdura with Rocco Forte<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insider tip:<\/strong> Book spring or autumn. You will play 36 holes a day in perfect temperatures and still swim in the sea before dinner. This is also our first choice for couples where one partner does not play: nobody gets bored at Verdura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Il Picciolo Etna Golf Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

18 holes on the northern slopes of Mount Etna \u2014 Castiglione di Sicilia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Il
Il Picciolo: golf on the slopes of a living volcano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sicily\u2019s historic course, and one of the most unusual places you will ever tee it up: fairways between hazelnut groves, walls of black lava stone, vineyards on every side and an active volcano<\/strong> smoking gently above your backswing. The course is not long, but it is clever, and the setting is unforgettable. We always pair it with a cellar visit on the Etna wine route \u2014 nerello mascalese in the glass, crater on the skyline. It is the heart of our Sicily East: Taormina & Mount Etna Golf Package<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 7 nights, two 5-star hotels, golf at Il Picciolo, a helicopter tour of Etna and wine tasting \u2014 and of our Wine & Golf experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal note:<\/strong> From Il Picciolo, you are about forty minutes from Taormina, my hometown. Greek Theatre, Isola Bella, a granita at dawn before the crowds arrive: trust someone who grew up there, schedule a rest day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big news: three resorts coming back to life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I Monasteri Golf Resort, Syracuse \u2014 reopening in 2027<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

18 holes among centuries-old olive groves \u2014 Dolce by Wyndham Siracusa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"I
I Monasteri, in the hills behind Syracuse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In the hills behind Syracuse, the I Monasteri<\/strong> course is undergoing a complete renovation and is scheduled to reopen in 2027<\/strong>, with the resort now flying the Dolce by Wyndham flag. Its position may be the best golf base in eastern Sicily: twenty minutes from Ortigia<\/strong>, Syracuse's old island town, and within easy reach of Noto, the capital of Sicilian baroque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnafugata, Ragusa \u2014 two courses relaunching in 2027<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

36 holes: a Gary Player links-style course and a parkland course \u2014 Contrada Piombo, Ragusa<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golfers with long memories know Donnafugata<\/strong>: its two 18-hole courses hosted the 2011 Sicilian Open<\/strong> before the resort closed in 2020. Now the entire estate is being reborn under new management as part of one of the most ambitious golf resort projects in Italy: two new five-star properties \u2014 Costa Ragusa Borgo<\/strong> and Costa Ragusa Resort<\/strong> - debut in 2026, and both golf courses return, fully renovated, in 2027<\/strong>. All of it in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Val di Noto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Madonie Golf Resort, Collesano \u2014 the comeback nobody expected<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

18 holes between the Madonie mountains and the sea \u2014 near Cefal\u00f9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closed since 2012, the Le Madonie<\/strong> estate \u2014 a hotel, villas, and even its own olive press \u2014 has been bought by new owners and is being brought back to life. An official reopening date has not been announced yet, but for those who know the site, the prospect is mouth-watering: fairways suspended between mountains and the Tyrrhenian Sea, with medieval Cefal\u00f9<\/strong> and its Norman cathedral, just twenty minutes away. We are monitoring this closely and will update you as soon as dates are confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Sicily Golf Circuit at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
East \u2014 Etna & Taormina<\/strong><\/td>Il Picciolo Etna Golf Club \u00b7 Etna wine route \u00b7 Taormina \u2014 See the package<\/a><\/td><\/tr>\n
South-East \u2014 Syracuse & Val di Noto<\/strong><\/td>I Monasteri (2027) \u00b7 Donnafugata, 36 holes (2027) \u00b7 Ortigia & Noto<\/td><\/tr>\n
South-West \u2014 Sciacca<\/strong><\/td>Verdura Resort, 45 holes \u00b7 Valley of the Temples \u2014 See the package<\/a><\/td><\/tr>\n
North \u2014 Cefal\u00f9<\/strong><\/td>Le Madonie (reopening, date TBC) \u00b7 Cefal\u00f9 & the Madonie mountains<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What it means for your trip:<\/strong> By 2027, Sicily will offer a genuine golf circuit \u2013 Etna and Taormina in the east, Syracuse and the baroque south-east, Verdura in the south-west, Cefal\u00f9 in the north \u2013 each stage featuring a five-star base and a completely different facet of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to go and playing conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n