THE DOCTOR AWAY…When I think of Sicily two things come to mind. Mafia and volcanoes. While the latter is still rather exciting, the former leaves a queasy feeling in your stomach when you are on the road with a camper that has been polished to a high gloss. What do you do there: google it. "How dangerous is the mafia in Sicily?" "How often are campers stolen in Sicily?" and and and. My conclusion: many meaningless answers to questions that are meaningless.

The godfather has announced himself

Sure, there are probably more in southern Italy Uomini d'Onore, but times have changed (at least increasingly). The Sicilians don't feel like it anymore either and have campaigns like this, among other things Addiopizzo, started. If you still have concerns, it should be said that tourists are rarely bothered, because you will not slaughter the cow you want to milk. And last but not least, it doesn't take luck to get away with it in Sicily - just don't be unlucky. By the way, I'd rather drive the camper a hundred times to Sicily than to Berlin or Hamburg, from a stealing point of view!

Pure coastal romance

Off the ferry and past Messina, we head north to get to our first destination as quickly as possible: Cefalù. A small coastal town at the foot of the national park dei Monti delle Madonie. Unfortunately, in winter, even in the south, the sun sets so early that we arrive in the dark. Nevertheless, we walk through the beautifully illuminated old town and climb the castle hill Rocca di Cefalu. But we don't stay long, because we still have delicious lemons from Naples that need to be boiled, so we retire for the night near Gibilmanna in the direction of the mountains.

Lemons as far as the nose can reach

Probably my absolute favorite dish, which can also be perfectly prepared in the camper, is and remains Pasta Aglio e Olio al Limone. I could eat that stuff every day! Especially when you also have such delicious ingredients from grandpa and homemade noodles from the market. So the carbo-loading for our trail run tour in the Parco delle Madonie was successful the next day. The weather is wonderful, the landscape is rugged and yet there is a little beauty hidden around every corner. In fact, the park is filled with many endemic plants whose name is a mystery to me, but at least I could make out thistles, gorse and a variety of colorful orchids. In addition to huge palm trees in the park is also the Macchia dell'Inferno to meet, an oak whose age is said to be in the four-digit range! A varied place to stay for nature lovers.

Red sand under your feet

The next day we are drawn further west and above all we finally want to get back on the rocks. So it takes us to San Vito Lo Capo, where we don't just meet one winter camper. The sea breeze is not only salty, but above all rough and we have to dress warmly for the first few days. Nevertheless, it is wonderful to unpack small Christmas souvenirs in a pre-heated van at Cala Rossa and actually spend the Silent Night undisturbed except for the sound of the sea. Climbing in the region is short-lived and long walks on the beach with fun scrambling sections are also fun. What strikes us in Sicily, however, is that the curbs are literally folded up in winter - everything is closed except for the supermarket. So, as always, there's home-cooked pasta, pasta, pasta and not enough of it.

Bella Italy

As people fleeing the city, we avoid Palermo and Catania, but ultimately treat ourselves to a bit of sophisticated flair in Taormina on New Year's Eve. Since we spent the last few days in the Etna desert landscape, we are happy about something green and head straight into the public garden. A green oasis in the middle of the historic town with a great view of the bright blue bay. After a little stroll through the city, we can also enjoy another feast for the eyes, namely the Isola Bella - from afar, before we look for a supposedly cozy place to spend the night.

New Year New luck

There are no fireworks on New Year's Eve in Sicily, but with a bit of luck you can get a 2-person table by the toilets in the self-proclaimed best pizzeria in the world. The La Napoletana was okay, but nothing compared to the really best pizza in the world in Bassano! After a nice evening anyway, we stroll to the camper, which is parked outside of town, and really try our best to last until midnight again this year. Unfortunately not made it. Still, there isn't much sleep, because as it turns out, we're standing in one of the probably popular Italian fuck parking lots. The traffic of any kind makes for a decent background noise that robs us of sleep and, above all, our nerves, so we decide to flee north. Camping doesn't just have a golden side!

We will be back!

Other tips for the wanderlust is also Cavagrande del Cassibile, a great place for hiking near Avola. If you are looking for archaeological gems, you will find them in Agrigento. If you are more interested in salt mining on the west coast, you might also discover a few flamingos in Trapani. Last but not least, the Scala di Turchi is certainly a natural phenomenon worth seeing, which is teeming with self-proclaimed influencers... Better a few volcanoes then!