Forget France and Italy... here are three Mediterranean islands to try

Lapping against Italy’s west coast, the Tyrrhenian Sea is a world of big skies and even bigger dreams. It’s also where the African and Eurasian plates collide; a place of natural drama and human intrigue.

Its main islands – Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily – are united by a history woven by the Greeks and Romans. Yet all three remain defiantly, deliciously unique, with cultures, cuisines and political systems quite distinct from neighbouring Italy and France.

CORSICA
The Greeks knew they were on to a good thing with Corsica, dubbing it the ‘most beautiful isle’. Over the millennia, everyone from the Carthaginians to the Romans coveted this strategic island between France and Italy, with the Romans lending the land its dialect.

France ultimately seized control in 1768, yet the region remains fiercely independent in spirit – with its own assembly and bilingual street signs. Taxi driver Paul extols its virtues. “We have it all,” he says. “We are Corsican number one, but the island is like France, Italy and Africa too."

You feel that everywhere, from up at an old Genoese watchtower and the city’s bastions. For a unique insight into the former French commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, visit his birthplace.

Now a museum, its most intriguing exhibit is a trapdoor he used to escape from supporters of the military leader Pasquale Paoli. But Ajaccio is more than just Napoleon. See its mighty Citadel, then make time to explore Palais Fesch, which houses masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo and Titian.

Inland, a spine of kilometre-high mountains makes Corsica feel like a Leviathan bursting from the Garden of Eden. Most visitors hug the coast, but in this craggy hinterland, chocolate-box pretty hill towns await discovery.

In the heart of the island, Corte is home to the Museum of Corsica, which showcases Corsican culture and the struggle to preserve the island’s identity while part of France. Meanwhile, its lofty fortress – nicknamed Eagle’s Nest – affords views of the surrounding mountains that are as impressive as any of the museum’s displays. It’s a window into the wilder side of an isle split between mountain and sea.

In the south, the historic town of Bonifacio is set atop limestone cliffs that peer across a marine reserve. The old town rambles over crags in a tight warren of stone streets while restaurants entice, offering grandstand views to accompany the seafood.

Corsica’s white-sand beaches dazzle as brightly as any in the Caribbean, weaving around the rugged coastline like an ivory necklace. Ostriconi in the north attracts those looking for seclusion, while Lonely Planet voted Rondinara, in the south, the finest beach in France.

You can also swim and snorkel off Petit Sperone, a gorgeous inlet just out of sight of Bonifacio’s most popular beaches. Alternatively, just slip into the local pastime of gazing out over the Mediterranean towards the Lavezzi Isles, which are nestled between Corsica and Sardinia.

SARDINIA
Sardinia’s history is bathed in Roman and Byzantine intrigue, with later incursions by
the Vandals and Arabs, who first raided Sardinia in 711. The French had a go at snatching the island, which was also coveted by Austria and Spain, but by the time Victor Emmanuel II became king in 1861, Italy held sway.

This rich history is reflected in a smorgasbord of intriguing architecture, language and culture. In DH Lawrence’s Sea and Sardinia, the author swooned over the isle. “Sardinia is something else. Enchanting spaces and distances to travel, nothing finished, nothing definitive. It is like freedom itself.”

This is an island adrift in the Med, blessed with vaulting skies, bountiful beaches and seas as clear as an aquarium; an island for writers and dreamers. “We have the world’s best beaches,” he says. “You’ll find them all over. No one can resist our Costa Smeralda.”

It’s hard to argue as there are holiday brochure contenders dappled around 2,000km of coastline. The highlights of Costa Smeralda in the north include Capriccioli and Principe beaches and the 700m-long expanse of Liscia Ruja. For calmer waters, head to the far southeast tip and Cape Carbonara, home to Simius and Riso beaches.

Sardinia is blessed with remarkable prehistory too. The Nuragic people occupied island between 1600BCE and 1200BCE, leaving behind 7,000 mysterious conical towers known as nuraghe. A guided tour is the best way to learn about the myriad theories swirling around their creation.

Elegant, Catalan-tinged Alghero is Sardinia’s urban star in the north, known as ‘Little Barcelona’ with its bilingual street signs and Spanish architectural influences, most noticeably in its cathedral. Ambling around cobbled streets, past stone houses topped with wrought-iron balconies, feels like sifting through the pages of a dusty novel.

As dinner approaches, the aroma of Catalan lobster and hearty porceddu (roast suckling piglet) wafts from traditional trattorias. Follow your nose to Michelin recommended La Saletta and order a bottle of Vermentino, the local white wine, which is the perfect accompaniment with its zingy citrus and grapefruit flavours and its New World punch. The restaurant’s proprietor, Gian Luca Chessa, says: “Sardinia is an island of balance and our wines perfectly balance our food.”

Sardinia was known as the Island of Wine in the 16th century, and it still has more than 20 wine-growing regions. Sella & Mosca is one of Europe’s largest wineries, its vines spread over 650 hectares or more than four times the area of London’s Hyde Park. While Vermentino is similar to Sauvignon Blanc, Sardinian Cannonau is a cousin of Grenache – and a Mirto digestif, made from the purple berries of the myrtle bush, will definitely put hairs on your chest.

Sardinia’s cheese is a reminder that the island is home to far more sheep than people. The creamy and sweet local milk conjures up the trademark Pecorino, best enjoyed when it’s soft and fresh. Cheese spiced with myrtle is delicious, while Casu Martzu – sheep’s cheese infested with live maggot larvae – is more of an acquired taste.

Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, swaps Barcelona’s laidback swagger for the frenetic action of Naples. For superb value shopping with a mixture of brands and bijou boutiques, head down Via Roma, or rejoice in the ocean breeze as you devour seafood on the waterfront.

South-facing in its wide Mediterranean bay, Cagliari is a criminally unheralded city. But it’s
an underdog whose charms are as varied as its signature pizza, a flaky pastry stuffed with vegetables and salami. Waiter Paolo says, “We’re like our pizzetta sfoglia – rich and very mixed up.” Mixed up in a good way, though, as you’ll discover in the medieval city’s Castello district, a collage of churches where all roads lead to the Romanesque Cathedral of Santa Maria.

If you’re fascinated by history, the Roman ruins of Nora lie just 45 minutes’ drive west of the city. Here you can stroll on stones once smoothed by Roman sandals around the amphitheatre, baths and Temple of Aesculapius.

But what makes Nora unique is the chance to literally dive below Roman history. Scuba divers follow a Roman road into the Mediterranean to discover Porto Nord Occidentale, an underwater world still littered with Roman amphorae (storage jars).

Sardinia’s interior is as compelling as its coast. While shoreside rambles tempt, hiking routes on old shepherds’ trails climb 2,000m into the heavens. Gennargentu National Park is a Mecca for outdoor fanatics, and the island is home to two more national parks and a sprinkling of nature reserves.

A more leisurely way to explore Sardinia’s wild side is on the Little Green Train which sets off at cycling pace from Bosa, just south of Alghero. Take a pew beside DH Lawrence on the stately old- world adventure he adored. Lawrence hailed the solitude and insight into the wilder, less inhabited side of Sardinia. You will too.

SICILY
After more than 10,000 years of human occupation, Sicily’s archaeological legacies demonstrate just how pivotal this island – and former island state – has been in the historic tapestry of the Med. The Greeks made their statement with a cluster of temples, then the Romans left their imprint too, while the Arabs conquered the land in 965, quickly followed by the Normans.

Sicily’s golden age came when it was one half of a kingdom with Naples. In 1861 the island was incorporated into Italy, though since 1947 it has enjoyed a degree of regional autonomy.

If you love the way Mediterranean port cities assault the senses, you’ll adore Sicily’s northwestern capital. Naples gets the fame but Palermo is the destination of choice for savvy visitors. It’s the sort of city where people whizz around on mopeds with their families, savouring lunch as they go – outdoing the pace of Naples.

Waitress Isabella works on a palm-fringed terrace at the A-list bolthole Villa Igiea. “Palermo never stops and neither do we Sicilians,” she says. “This is an island you have to dive into
with passion and we’ll share it with you.”

Naples has pizza; Palermo has arancini. At Arancinado these lightly fried risotto balls are a moist, flavoursome thing of beauty that melts in the mouth. Palermo has many markets but Mercato del Capo is the best – the restaurant Sit & Mancia specialises in calamari in a
light Sicilian lemon-infused batter, it’s a quintessentially Sicilian experience. This is an island where seafood reigns supreme.

Palermo excels with sightseeing too. Palermo Cathedral is the star attraction – built in 1184 by the Normans on the site of a Muslim mosque – but stroll around and you’ll discover other Norman churches next to overblown Renaissance edifices, all connected by little squares with fountains and greenery. One sobering spot is the No Mafia Memorial, with its gallery depicting the violence that shook Sicily until all too recently.

Many visitors head to the well-known Greek relics of Agrigento in the south; few to the fishing town of Sciacca, home to delicious red prawns and historic treasures. Walk through the Renaissance portal of the old Santa Margherita Hospital and the hulking 14th-century gate, Porta San Salvatore, and delve into a slice of Italy that feels effortlessly cinematic. Luna Castle even has its own Romeo and Juliet story, thanks to the feuding Luna and Perollo families.

Sciacca’s ‘5 Sensi’ initiative brings together a web of independent local artisans, showcasing Sicily’s cultural side. Jeweller Giuseppe Conti’s love of the volcanic corals from the 1831 eruption off Sciacca is clear. He says, “We have a passion for detail and heritage and you can take a permanent slice of that away with you.” A few streets away, fine ceramics await at Maioliche Gurreri, where the owner explains, “Everything we do is built on tradition. It’s very Sicilian.”

Pushing east along the coast, you may be the only person around. Sicily’s symbol, Mt Etna, showers the isle with lava on occasion, although it also gives it superb mineral-laden wine. Everywhere is a potential city break, from the working town of Catania to the historic site of Syracuse where the Archaeological Park offers a Roman amphitheatre, a Greek auditorium and the Orecchio di Dionisio, a limestone cave in the form of a human ear.

With its unbeatable volcano views, Taormina is most dramatic of all. You won’t forget peering across to Etna from the well-preserved Greek amphitheatre. Afterwards, shop on Corso Umberto I for souvenirs made from Etna lava and pottery from Caltagirone city, or swish fashion from the likes of Armani, Gucci and Prada.

Messina is less renowned but a popular cruise destination and a pleasure in its own right. The city sits on the Messina Strait, with mainland Italy tantalisingly close. Spires crowd the sky above the old town, where it’s a joy to wander among churches whose beauty will linger in your mind long after their saintly names have drifted away.

From Messina, Italy may blink back across waters once sailed by Greeks and Romans, but few visitors to Sicily would rather be anywhere else.

GET ON BOARD
Nicko Cruises’ seven-night Islands of the Western Mediterranean cruise aboard Vasco da Gama, from Mallorca to Malta via Menorca, Ajaccio, Olbia, Cagliari and Catania, departs on 25 September 2024. From £1,595 including flights

Celebrity Cruises’ nine-night Italian Riviera and France cruise aboard Celebrity Ascent, from Barcelona to Rome via Nice, Ajaccio, Cagliari, Valletta, Messina and Naples, departs on October 5, 2024. From £1,505.