Sicily Wedding Photography: Baroque Towns, Volcanic Landscapes & Azure Sea

Sicily is Italy's wildest and most dramatic island — a place where Greek temples 2,500 years old stand in almond groves above the sea, where Baroque hill towns of honey stone rise from volcanic landscapes, and where the ancient volcano of Mount Etna smokes on the horizon. For destination wedding photography, Sicily offers imagery of an intensity that is impossible to find anywhere else in Europe.

The Val di Noto Baroque towns

The southeastern corner of Sicily — the Val di Noto — was rebuilt entirely in golden Baroque after the devastating 1693 earthquake. The UNESCO World Heritage cities of Noto, Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli, and Palazzolo Acreide are among the finest concentrations of Baroque architecture in Europe. Their honey-coloured stone, theatrical staircases and doorways, theatrical piazzas, and aristocratic quality make them outstanding contexts for formal wedding portrait photography.

Taormina and the Greek Theatre

Taormina — perched at 250 metres on Sicily's eastern coast — has the most spectacular position of any town on the island: the ancient Greek Theatre with Mount Etna on the horizon and the blue Ionian Sea below. The Teatro Greco, the Corso Umberto, and the clifftop gardens of the Villa Comunale are all outstanding portrait locations. Taormina is Sicily's most visited tourist destination; early morning sessions provide near-solitude.

Valley of the Temples, Agrigento

The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento — seven Doric temples from the fifth century BC, set in a ridge above the southern coast — is one of the most extraordinary ancient sites in the world. At golden hour, when the honey-coloured stone catches the last light and the sea glimmers below, the Valley is spectacular beyond description. Temple ceremonies are not permitted but photography sessions around and between the temples are among the most dramatic I offer.

Sicily coast and countryside

Beyond the historic towns, Sicily's landscape photography is exceptional: the salt flats of Trapani with their windmills at sunset, the black sand beaches below Mount Etna, the terraced vineyards of Etna DOC producers, and the wild, empty interior with its Norman castles and Byzantine mosaics. Sicily rewards exploration.