Golf in Sicily: Where to Play, What to See — and the Three Resorts About to Change Everything

by Francesca Galeano

I was born in Taormina. My father was a carpenter — 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, recommend the little trattoria where they should have lunch — and later he would pass by the owner to say: “They are friends of mine. Treat them well.”

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 — 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, 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.

Getting there and getting around

Sicily has two main international gateways: Catania Fontanarossa on the east coast (for Taormina, Etna, Syracuse and Ragusa) and Palermo Falcone Borsellino in the north-west (for Cefalù 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.

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

The courses you can play today

Verdura Resort (Rocco Forte)

Two 18-hole championship courses + 9-hole par 3, designed by Kyle Phillips — Sciacca, south-west coast

The course that put modern Sicilian golf on the map. Verdura 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 — the architect of Kingsbarns — designed the East and West courses, and Rocco Forte added a resort that is a destination in itself: one of Europe’s 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) or go all in with Sicilia d’Autore — Palermo & Verdura with Rocco Forte.

Insider tip: 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.

Il Picciolo Etna Golf Club

18 holes on the northern slopes of Mount Etna — Castiglione di Sicilia

Sicily’s 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 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 — nerello mascalese in the glass, crater on the skyline. It is the heart of our Sicily East: Taormina & Mount Etna Golf package — 7 nights, two 5-star hotels, golf at Il Picciolo, a helicopter tour of Etna and wine tasting — and of our Wine & Golf experiences.

Personal note: 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.

The big news: three resorts coming back to life

I Monasteri Golf Resort, Syracuse — reopening in 2027

18 holes among centuries-old olive groves — Dolce by Wyndham Siracusa

In the hills behind Syracuse, the I Monasteri course is undergoing a complete renovation and is scheduled to reopen in 2027, 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, Syracuse’s island old town, and within easy reach of Noto, the capital of Sicilian baroque.

Donnafugata, Ragusa — two courses relaunching in 2027

36 holes: a Gary Player links-style course and a parkland course — Contrada Piombo, Ragusa

Golfers with long memories know Donnafugata: its two 18-hole courses hosted the 2011 Sicilian Open 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 — Costa Ragusa Borgo and Costa Ragusa Resort — debut in 2026, and both golf courses return, fully renovated, in 2027. All of it in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Val di Noto.

Le Madonie Golf Resort, Collesano — the comeback nobody expected

18 holes between the Madonie mountains and the sea — near Cefalù

Closed since 2012, the Le Madonie estate — hotel, villas, even its own olive press — 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 Cefalù and its Norman cathedral twenty minutes away. We are watching this one closely and will update you as soon as dates are confirmed.

What it means for your trip: by 2027 Sicily will offer a real golf circuit — Etna and Taormina in the east, Syracuse and the baroque south-east, Verdura in the south-west, Cefalù in the north — each leg with a five-star base and a completely different face of the island.

When to go and playing conditions

• Best months: April–June and September–October. Perfect golf temperatures, warm sea, long days.
• Summer: July and August are hot — play at dawn, swim at noon, dine at ten like a true Sicilian.
• Winter: Sicily is one of the few places in Europe where golf in January is genuinely pleasant, especially at Verdura.
• Wind: a factor on the coastal holes at Verdura — bring one extra club and a sense of humour.

Off the course: what not to miss

• Taormina: the Greek theatre with Etna behind it, Isola Bella, the Corso at sunset. Yes, I am biased. No, I am not wrong.
• Etna wines: one of the world’s most exciting wine regions right now; cellar visits pair perfectly with a round at Il Picciolo.
• Ortigia and Noto: Syracuse’s island old town and the baroque jewel of the Val di Noto — both ideal rest-day trips.
• Agrigento: the Valley of the Temples, 2,500 years old and forty minutes from Verdura.
• The food: arancini, red prawns from Mazara, pistachio from Bronte, cannoli that ruin you for all other cannoli. Come hungry.

Planning your Sicilian golf trip

Sicily rewards those who plan well: tee times, transfers, the right hotel on the right coast, a table at that trattoria nobody finds alone. It is exactly what we do at Golf Tour Experience — an Italian DMC and IAGTO member, with one travel designer at your side from quote to green. And in Sicily’s case, your travel designer was born there. Want Sicily as part of something bigger? Our Grand Tour Rocco Forte — Florence, Rome & Sicily combines the island with Italy’s other icons.

My father used to walk lost travellers to the door and tell the owner: “They are friends of mine. Treat them well.” Decades later, that is still exactly how we hand over our guests, all across Sicily.

Planning a wider Italian golf trip? Read also our guide to playing golf in Rome at Marco Simone.

Planning the bigger picture? See our complete guide to luxury golf vacations in Italy — bespoke tours across Tuscany, Lake Como, Sicily and Rome, designed by a local DMC.