Italy Guide
Sicily
Ústica
A volcanic, turtle-shaped island 60km northwest of Palermo, ÚSTICA is somewhere you could spend an entire holiday, though it is close enough to Palermo for a day-trip – however, travel doesn't come cheap; expect to pay around €30 return by ferry, €40 by hydrofoil. Ústica's fertile uplands are just right for a day's ambling, while the rough coastline is touted a skin-diver's paradise, the clear water bursting with fish, sponges, weed and coral. Less adventurous types can easily take a boat trip through Ústica's rugged grottoes and lava outcrops.
The small port of Ústica town, where the boats dock, has a few bars, a bank, a dozen restaurants and a handful of places to stay. All these sit around a sloping double piazza, just five-minutes' walk uphill from the harbour. Ústica town has a couple of good hotel choices: Clelia, at Via Magazzino 7 ( 
091.844.9039, 
www.hotelclelia.it ; Price: €76-100), with a roof terrace overlooking the sea, and the friendly but basic Ariston, Via della Vittoria 5 ( 091.844.9042; Price: €76-100), which has rooms with views and can arrange diving and boat trips. Alternatively, look out for signs advertising camere (rooms). For a meal with a view, dine at La Luna sul Porto ( 091.844.9799), below the piazza and above the port, on Via Vittorio Emanuele (closed Sun in winter) or try local fare such as fish soup with tomatoes, garlic and capers at the Clelia's restaurant.