After flying into a major European gateway, connect to a flight to Palermo, Sicily’s largest city. Transfer to the completely renovated Villa Igiea, a Rocco Forte Hotel, located 30 minutes from the airport and 15 from downtown. Take the rest of the afternoon to have lunch and relax at the hotel, which serves as both a self-contained resort and a base for exploring the fascinating city.

Take two days to tour Palermo, visiting the city in half-day chunks with a guide (spend the other half-days at your leisure). Visit the open-air Ballarò street market, one of the great gastronomic spectacles of the Mediterranean. See the sensational Byzantine mosaics in the Cappella Palatina and, just outside the city, the Cathedral of Monreale as well. Connoisseurs of the macabre should also not miss the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, where more than a thousand mummified bodies stand along the walls.

If you have the time and inclination, consider a day trip to the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school, set on a magnificent estate in central Sicily. Its half-day program, which includes a cooking lesson and lunch with wines from the surrounding Tasca d’Almerita vineyards, makes for a memorable excursion from Palermo.

Otherwise, depart Palermo today with a driver-guide. (You can also rent your own car, of course, but in this case a chauffeur is the much more relaxing way to travel.) Stop in Cefalù to see the 12th-century Norman cathedral and its impressive mosaics, and perhaps have a seaside lunch.

If you drive yourself, turn inland shortly after Cefalù (or skip the city entirely). The road that follows the Mediterranean coast is the quickest, but because the mountains extend to the edge of the sea, it has dozens of dimly lit tunnels, which ultimately become extremely fatiguing. I greatly prefer the highway from Palermo to the eastern city of Catania, which crosses the island’s mountainous interior and rewards travelers with grand open landscapes and views of craggy peaks.

Continue on to Sicily’s most popular resort town, Taormina. Forced to choose between the San Domenico Palace, a Four Seasons Hotel, and the Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, I find myself in a quandary. Both are exceptional hotels with idyllic gardens, lovely pools, outstanding restaurants, charming staff and unforgettable views. The Timeo offers a slightly greater feeling of historical continuity, whereas the San Domenico now stands at the pinnacle of contemporary hotel design. During our stays, guests at the Timeo appeared to be primarily European, while those at the San Domenico seemed to be chiefly American. Ultimately, however, I find it impossible to express a preference. It’s a win-win.

The history of Taormina dates back well over two millennia before its recent star turn in “The White Lotus.” Its magnificent ancient Greek theater is still used as the venue for an annual arts festival. The old town sprawls across a rocky outcrop 800 feet above the sea, and it is this elevation that grants mesmerizing views of Europe’s most active volcano, 11,014-foot Mount Etna.

Taormina has been attracting travelers since the 19th century, and by the turn of the 20th it had become a popular retreat for artists and writers. Today, during summer high season the town becomes severely overcrowded. (If you do visit in summer, consider staying at the Villa Sant’Andrea, A Belmond Hotel, since it has a beachfront location and complimentary access to the facilities at the Grand Hotel Timeo.)

See the stupendously situated ancient Greek theater and perhaps visit a winery or two on the slopes of Mount Etna, where vineyards produce arresting wines expressive of the unique terroir.

Heading south from Taormina, the main E45 highway passes beneath the eastern flank of Mount Etna, bypasses Sicily’s second city of Catania, and after approximately an hour and a half approaches the outskirts of the ancient Greek city of Syracuse (Siracusa to the locals). Visit the splendid Greek theater and the nearby Roman-era amphitheater. Head from there to the city’s old baroque center, the island of Ortygia, before continuing south to the Val di Noto.

The entry on UNESCO’s World Heritage list describes this region as “representing the culmination and final flowering of baroque art in Europe.” Today, Noto itself remains a strikingly homogeneous 18th-century city, built from a distinctive honey-colored limestone. (Fans of the Netflix “Chef’s Table” series may recall an episode set in Noto, featuring fourth-generation pastry chef Corrado Assenza and his renowned Caffè Sicilia.)

Check into Il San Corrado di Noto, a masseria (fortified farmhouse) surrounded by a landscape of timeless rural serenity.

Il San Corrado provides a fine base for exploring historic towns such as Modica, Ragusa, Syracuse and, of course, Noto itself. But leave plenty of time to enjoy the resort, taking advantage of its spa and gym, impressive library, tennis courts and magnificent pools. It’s the embodiment of a refined rural hideaway.

Transfer an hour to Catania’s airport. Fly to a major European gateway and connect to your flight home. If it’s difficult to get a flight back to the U.S. without leaving Catania at an unpleasantly early hour, fly from Catania to Rome, which will surely have more convenient connections, spending a night or two at La Posta Vecchia, a palace on the sea about 40 minutes from Rome’s airport.