Sicily is not only the largest island in Italy, it’s also the largest in the Mediterranean. To drive from the northwest tip to the southeast tip would take about five hours, so don’t think you can pack it all into one trip. You could easily travel around for a month and still not see everything. For short trips, it’s a good idea to concentrate your time in one area, like Palermo and the northwest; Taormina and Mount Etna; Noto and the Baroque towns of the southeast; or Agrigento and the southwest.

Sicilian cuisine is renowned around the world, with classic dishes like eggplant parmigiana and cannoli appearing on menus at Italian restaurants across the globe—but there’s so much more, owing to the many influences on Sicilian culture and the bounty that the island produces. Try couscous with seafood and pesto trapanese around Trapani; little red shrimps in Mazara del Vallo; as well as panelle, caponata, pane cunzato, sarde a beccafico, pasta alla norma, granita, cassata, and anything made with almonds or pistachios.

If relaxing at the beach is your priority, by all means go in the summer. But if you want to explore cities like Palermo, hike around Mount Etna, and visit archeological sites, maybe avoid July and August, when temperatures can easily soar to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While resort towns like Taormina tend to shut down in the winter, the shoulder season (March through May and September through November) brings milder weather and more affordable rates at hotels. If you want to be able to walk around without melting and encounter fewer crowds, this is the best time to go.

While you could spend all your time in a city like Palermo, Taormina, or Siracusa, if you want to see more of the island, you should consider renting a car. And if you want to explore the countryside and remote beaches, you’ll definitely need a car. Italy’s network of high-speed trains doesn’t operate in Sicily and while there are some regional trains, many places are only reachable by buses that may or may not be reliable.

If everything you know about Sicily comes from The Godfather and The White Lotus, you’re going to have a very skewed perception of the island. Sicily’s history stretches all the way back to the Greek Empire (and you can still visit Greek temples and theaters like the ones in Taormina and Siracusa) and it came under Arab and Norman domination long before it became part of Italy. Perhaps that’s why many Sicilians identify as Sicilian first and Italian second. Spend some time getting to know them and you’ll see that they’re some of the most warm and hospitable people around.