I recently had the pleasure of visiting Sicily for a much-needed week of loafing around an elegant pool with views of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Only a two-hour flight from where I live in Spain, Sicily has become the place to vacation for me and my partner. It’s guaranteed to be affordable, relaxing, and chock-full of all the right things—like small restaurants with Nonna cooking in the kitchen, quaint beaches with views of ancient towns, and dramatic views.
If you’ve been to Sicily, I’m sure you felt the type of sleepy magic that keeps me and my partner coming back.
If not, I’d like to take you behind the curtain—not to explore my favorite towns and tours, but to show you how I pack for my annual one-week trip to Sicily.
And, no, I’m not going to tell you to pack X amount of shirts and X amount of pants. Instead, I’m going to cover what I packed from a more qualitative perspective. In other words, not what you should pack but how you should approach packing, using Sicily as an example.
Want to see how I pack my Muji 36L Carry-On? Here’s how to pack for a one-week trip to Sicily.
Packing for a one-week trip to Sicily in September: the weather
If you’ve read any of my packing guides before, you know that my main focus is on packing appropriately for the weather. Not what the weather should be like, either, but based on the most accurate forecast you can find. (No wishful packing!)
For my trip to Sicily, temperatures hovered in the high 80s during the day. Some days were hotter with temperatures in the 90s, while nights would cool off into the 70-degree range. The heat is dry.
That means one thing: time to bust out the silks, linens, and other long, breathable, and flowy materials. The same for men—a trip to Sicily or another place prone to dry heat is the ideal time to bust out linen pants, shirts, and similar pieces.
That means one more thing: you can usually overpack a little bit. Unlike traveling in the winter, traveling to hot areas with dry heat means you’ll be packing clothes made from lightweight materials. I didn’t just pick out one or two flowy pieces—I had three skirts, two dresses, and two pairs of silk-blend pants, plus a few silk bandanas that I used as shirts. (Very cute.)
Consider this your reminder that silk-blend and linen-blend articles of clothing, though not often pitched as travel-friendly, are some of the most packable pieces out there. Plus, they look effortlessly stylish—and that matters if you’re heading to Europe, especially the Mediterranean.
Packing for a one-week trip to Sicily: the activities
The weather dictates most of my packing list. The next important consideration for me is the type of activities I’ll be doing. Like I already mentioned, my annual one-week trip to Sicily is all about downtime. I don’t plan a single thing beforehand. Usually, my partner and I show up, start relaxing, and then see if we can be bothered to book a tour or restaurant date.
Most of my packing list for Sicily consisted of casual, lightweight pieces that I could wear to and from the pool and/or beach. But I also made sure to pack a few nicer pieces and, most importantly, a pair of lightweight but formal shoes.
Do not forget to pack nice shoes. They don’t need to be formal, but they need to be acceptable. My partner and I booked a table at a highly rated restaurant, only for the manager to call us and let us know that they were hosting an ultra-special three-part meal with three separate Michelin-starred chefs.
We were thrilled—until I realized my partner only had slides with him. We went, we were welcomed warmly to the dinner event, and nobody made a fuss about his slides. (I like to think my silk dress made up for it.) But if we had been turned away, I wouldn’t have been surprised, either.
Final packing list
Now that we’ve covered the weather and activities, let’s get into brass taxes. What ended up in my carry-on for a one-week trip to Sicily? Here’s the list.
- 4 swimsuits
- 3 lightweight, flowy dresses
- 2 lightweight skirts
- 2 lightweight pairs of pants
- 1 pair of jeans (for the plane)
- 6 shirts, from formal to tank tops
- 2 pairs of shoes, including one semi-formal pair
- 3 hats, mostly for sun protection
- 1 nightgown (also silk)
- 1 pullover
- 1 scarf (as a cover-up or for cool night)
- 2 huge fantasy books for poolside entertainment
