Sicily from above: Palermo, Catania, Taormina, Ortigia and Cefalù

On the roof of the Ambasciatori Hotel, on Via Roma in the historic centre. The hotel invites you to "sail among the rooftops of Palermo": mixology and food on one terrace, with the city spread flat around it. A good first evening in Palermo, to understand how the old town is put together.

A ticket at the cathedral gives access to the roofs: a narrow stair inside the wall and then a walkway along the nave, with the small domes beside you and the city below as far as the sea and the mountains. It is the best lesson on Palermo's layers of Arab, Norman and Baroque you can get in half an hour.

On the seventh floor of the Palace Catania, on the main street of the city. The terrace does what the street's name promises: it points at Etna, with the dark lava-stone roofs of Catania in between and a strip of sea to the south. There is a dedicated aperitivo on the terrace; one guide lists it open daily until midnight.

The first hotel built in Taormina, beside the ancient theatre. The hotel's own words are enough: spectacular Sicilian views, with Mount Etna in sight. A drink on its terrace is the classic of the town, priced accordingly; the Michelin-starred restaurant Otto Geleng is here too.

A five-star boutique hotel on Corso Umberto, by the clock tower. It asks you to "allow yourself a sunset aperitivo on our panoramic terrace", and describes itself as a point of view more than a hotel. The terrace faces the bay; the corso, with its evening walk, is one step behind you.

Villa Carlotta is a boutique hotel just outside the centre of Taormina, on the road that climbs from the coast. It has a rooftop bar and a restaurant, Euphoria, grouped by the hotel under "food, cocktails and view". Smaller and quieter than the grand hotels: the choice when you want the sea without the parade.

Castelmola is the village on the rock above Taormina, and the Turrisi is its bar. The house speciality is almond wine, served cold; the place is famous for its unembarrassed décor. It is here because the best reason to leave Taormina for an hour is to look down at it from Castelmola.

The historic hotel at the entrance of the island of Ortigia has its restaurant on the roof garden, with a view of the Porto Grande and the seafront. The hotel proposes it for breakfast, for the sunset aperitivo and for dinner. The harbour where Athens lost its fleet makes a quiet backdrop.

The great rock that stands behind Cefalù. A path climbs from the old town past ancient walls to the top, where the Norman cathedral, the roofs and the long beach are all straight below. It is a real walk, not a stroll: go early or late, with water and proper shoes, and check the opening times at the gate.