Italy
Sicily in December
🧥 WinterCool and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: light layers
Why December scores 9.3What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.3
- ✓Cool (16.6°C highs / 11.4°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 9.3°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~40 mm rain)
- Air quality9.4
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~9 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Dec | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.3 Excellent | 9.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | 🌷 Spring |
| High / low | 17° / 11° | 24° / 16° |
| Rain | 40 mm | 56 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 9° | dew pt 13° |
| PM2.5 | 9 µg/m³ | 7 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Christmas Day 25–27 Dec · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Immaculate Conception (8 Dec)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore SicilyEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyThe Mediterranean's largest island, at the toe of Italy, known for Greek temples, baroque towns, Mount Etna and a distinctive cuisine.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Feast of Saint AgathaEvery year3–5 February every year
One of the largest religious festivals in Italy, with a huge procession of the saint's relics.
Why go: Streets are packed day and night.
Where: Catania
Almond Blossom FestivalDate variesUsually February or March
An international folk festival held as the almond trees bloom.
Why go: The Valley of the Temples is especially busy.
Where: Agrigento
Infiorata di NotoDate variesUsually a weekend in May
A street covered with carpets of flower petals.
Why go: Busy weekend; arrive early.
Where: Via Nicolaci, Noto
Valley of the Temples
A ridge of well-preserved Greek temples at Agrigento, a UNESCO site.
💡 Very hot in summer; go early or late.
Mount Etna
Europe's most active volcano, with cable car, 4x4 and hiking access to the upper slopes.
💡 Summit access depends on volcanic activity; go with a licensed guide above set altitudes.
Taormina
A hilltop town with an ancient Greek-Roman theatre facing Etna and the sea.
Palermo
The capital, with the Arab-Norman Cappella Palatina, Monreale Cathedral nearby and lively street markets such as Ballarò.
Syracuse and Ortigia
An ancient Greek city with an archaeological park and a baroque island old town.
Val di Noto
A group of UNESCO-listed late-baroque towns, including Noto, Modica and Ragusa.
Arancini
Fried rice balls filled with ragù or cheese.
💡 Bars and street food stalls
Cannoli
Crisp fried pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta.
💡 Pastry shops
Pasta alla Norma
Pasta with fried aubergine, tomato and salted ricotta, from Catania.
💡 Restaurants in Catania
Granita
A semi-frozen dessert, often eaten with a brioche bun for breakfast.
💡 Cafes, especially in eastern Sicily
Panelle
Chickpea fritters eaten in a bun.
💡 Street stalls in Palermo
Caltagirone ceramics
Brightly painted majolica, including the famous Moor's head pots.
💡 Caltagirone and ceramics shops
Bronte pistachios
Pistachios and pistachio spread from the slopes of Etna.
💡 Delis
Marsala wine
Fortified wine from western Sicily.
💡 Wine shops
Modica chocolate
Grainy chocolate made with an old cold-working method.
💡 Modica chocolate shops