Italy's grand, sun-baked island — the deepest history, the biggest markets and the lowest cost of the southern favourites.
Get in touchSicily is Italy at its most vivid: layers of Greek, Arab and Norman history, markets that spill into the streets, and some of the mildest winters in the country.
It's also the most affordable of the three southern favourites, and the biggest — which means real cities with hospitals, airports and amenities alongside hundreds of small towns where the 7% flat tax applies. For a retiree who wants culture and value in equal measure, few places compare.
Four very different corners, each suited to a different kind of retirement.
The lively capital: grand markets, an airport, a major hospital and real city energy, right on the sea.
At the foot of Mount Etna — an airport, a university buzz and easy access to the Ionian coast.
Baroque towns and the golden island of Ortigia — beautiful, walkable and a little quieter.
Salt pans, seafood and lower prices, with Scopello and the Egadi islands on the doorstep.
Sicily is among the most affordable regions in Italy. Away from the resort towns, a couple can live comfortably on roughly €1,800–€2,300 a month, with low rents and cheap, superb local food. These are rough guides; we work out real numbers for the town you're weighing up. See the full cost of living
Once you're a resident you can join the national health service for a low yearly fee starting around €2,000. The largest hospitals are in Palermo, Catania and Messina, with clinics and family doctors across the island; for specialist care from a small town you'll travel to a city. More on cost & healthcare
Because so much of Sicily is made up of smaller towns, a great many qualify for the 7% flat tax on foreign income — pension included — for up to ten years. It's a big part of why the island stretches a fixed income so far.
Sicily has four airports — Palermo (PMO), Catania (CTA), Trapani (TPS) and Comiso (CIY) — with flights across Italy and Europe, plus ferries from Naples and the mainland. For the US, you'll usually connect through Rome or Milan.
Sicily is among the most affordable regions in Italy. Away from the resort towns, a couple can live comfortably on roughly €1,800–€2,300 a month.
In Palermo or Catania you can manage without one; almost everywhere else a car makes life much easier.
Mild and short on the coast — one of the reasons retirees love it. Summers are hot, so many head for the sea.
In the cities and tourist areas, often enough to get started. A little Italian helps everywhere else.
Palermo and Catania for amenities, Siracusa and the southeast for beauty and calm, Trapani for value.
Yes — a great many Sicilian towns qualify. You can check which ones on the interactive map.
Tell us what you're picturing and we'll help you find the right town — and set up the tax and paperwork properly.
Prefer to read first? The whole journey is in Marco's book.