Sicily may not be renowned for its nightclubs and discos, but Palermo, Catania and Siracusa offer a vibrant cultural scene, and there’s no shortage of late-night bars in the main towns and coastal resorts. Taormina boasts the most sophisticated and expensive nightlife, ranging from summer dance clubs and live events at the Greek Theatre to aperitifs at elegant Etna-view bars or an evening passeggiata along the main street. Palermo pretty much empties out on summer evenings, when locals decamp to the fashionable beach resort of Mondello. Catania is the coolest and liveliest city for nightlife, with plenty of late-night bars and music venues.
Some of the most memorable performances – Greek plays, concerts, ballet, dance, jazz – are linked to the summer festivals, held from June to August. Check with local tourist boards for a list of events or look in the two main newspapers, Il Giornale di Sicilia and La Sicilia.
The following listings include cultural venues, plus a small selection of lively nightclubs and bars.
Teatro Massimo in Palermo
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Teatro Massimo
Piazza Verdi; tel: 091 605 3521; www.teatromassimo.it; guided tours Tue–Sun 9.30am–4.30pm
The opera house offers a wonderful programme of ballet and opera. Dominating Piazza Verdi, it’s the largest opera house in Italy, and the third-largest in Europe. The last scenes of The Godfather Part III were filmed here. The opera season runs from late September to late June.
Teatro Politeama Garibaldi
Piazza Ruggero Settimo; tel: 091 605 3421; www.orchestrasinfonicasiciliana.eu
This neoclassical-style theatre stages classical concerts and ballet, plus occasional jazz and contemporary music. It’s currently closed for restoration.
Lo Spasimo
Via dello Spasimo; tel: 091 843 1605
This atmospheric entertainment complex is set in a former 16th-century monastery and was one of the first projects during the regeneration of the La Kalsa quarter. Classical and jazz concerts are held in the cloisters and the roofless church – on a sultry, starry night, with the swaying palms in the background, the atmosphere is wonderfully romantic. Some of the events are free.
Antico Caffè Spinnato
Via Principe di Belmonte 107; tel: 091 329 220; www.spinnato.it
Via Principe di Belmonte is a chic, central pedestrianised zone where the smart set gather at alfresco bars for aperitivi. The elegant Antico Caffè Spinnato is the best-known venue, with a reputation for superb ice creams, cassata and cannoli. It’s also a great people-watching spot.
Kursaal Kalhesa
Foro Italico 21; tel: 091 616 2282; www.kursaalkalhesa.it
This eclectic café, restaurant, arty wine bar, concert venue and mellow club is set within La Kalsa’s ancient stone walls. Evenings with live music draw a large local crowd.
Taormina
Morgana Bar
Scesa Morgana; tel: 094 262 0056; www.morganataormina.it
This late-night cocktail bar, decorated in timewarp 1960s Surrealist style, has a tiny dancefloor and decent cocktails. Don’t expect the action really to get going until midnight, then carry on partying until the doors close much, much later.
Teatro Greco
Via Teatro Greco 40; freephone 800 542; www.indofondazione.org
Nothing beats a classical drama set in Taormina’s stunning Greek Theatre, and visitors come from around the world for the annual summer arts festival in July and August. Performances include classical drama, opera, dance and music. Plays are staged in the original language. The theatre is the setting for screenings during the Taormina Film Fest (www.taorminafilmfest.it) in mid-June.
Catania
Mercati Generali
SS417 Caltagirone to Gela; tel: 095 571 458; www.mercatigenerali.org
This converted warehouse set amid orange groves is a cult music venue. It’s one of the few clubs in Sicily where you’ll find top European DJs, live rock and pop. Summer partying in the courtyard hots up from around midnight nightly in summer. It’s not an easy spot to get to, involving a 20-minute taxi ride from Catania.
Teatro Massimo Bellini
Via Perrotta 12; tel: 095 730 6110; www.teatromassimobellini.it
Named after the famous operatic composer Bellini, the theatre opened in 1890 with his opera Norma. It’s a major venue for opera, classical music and ballet. Tickets (available online) are highly sought after, especially for operas composed by Bellini himself.
Zò
Piazzale Asia 6; tel: 095 816 8912; www.zoculture.it
This futuristic new culture and arts centre, housed in an ex-sulphur refinery near Stazione Centrale, hosts concerts, films, club nights, cutting-edge theatre and offbeat art exhibitions. Some events are free of charge. The centre is also home to two small museums, one dedicated to Catania’s early 20th-century film industry, the other to the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.