glsebs

I have been looking at posts regarding Sicily itineraries and have done a first draft. I know it needs some tweaking, and I know we don't have enough time to do Sicily justice.

We are flying into Rome on April 7, arriving at noon and then plan on booking a flight to Catania, arriving in the late afternoon. We will arrange a transfer from the airport to Siracusa where we will stay for 3 nights.
Thursday, April 7-10

On Sunday, April 10 pick up rental car in Siracusa and drive to Piazza Amerina for one night taking in the Villa Romano and Caltagirone.

Monday, April 11 drive to Agrigento for one night

Tuesday, April 12 drive from Agrigento to Palermo, perhaps stopping at the Planeta Forestiere Resort for lunch or stopping in Sciacca to see the city and have lunch. Drop off rental car at Palermo Airport and taxi into the city.
Tuesday, April 12 to Friday, April 15 Palermo for three nights.

On Friday, April 15 fly from Palermo to Rome for three nights before our international flight on Sunday, April 18.
Friday, April 15-18 Rome for three nights

I am purposely avoiding Taormina and the Baroque towns as my husband has difficulty with stairs, and all these cities would be a challenge for him. Of course, with such a short time it was easy to eliminate these places.

I could eliminate Rome for one night and add a ninth night to Sicily if anyone thinks I need to add a night to the Sicily itinerary. We love Rome but have been there very recently.

Last questiion. Will my husband be able to see Monreale with his mobility issues? It seems the only way to view the cathedral and the mosaics are climbing up over 100 stairs. Is this correct?

Thanks for any help!!

Dayle

Hi G,

This sounds like a nice trip with good use of your time. Here are my questions:

1. Have you checked to see if the rental office you are using is open on Sundays? This is highly unlikely. Perhaps you can pick the car up on Saturday instead, even if you just leave it parked? Often Sat hours are AM only, so check that too.

2. Catalgirone is a rather steep town also. Don't know if your husband has problems with slopes or just stairs. Also viewing the mosaics at Villa Romana requires some stairs up/down to the viewing platforms, but not too many.

3. If you can possibly add days to your time in Sicily, do it! Would one night in Rome prior to departure be enough for you? If you add a couple nights to Sicily, you can see a bit of the western part, which is gorgeous! Maybe spend a night at La Foresteria and see Selinute. Then continue on for a couple nights around Trapani or Scopello? Are you at all interested in the salt pans and museum or seeing Segesta? Some of my favorites pictures are from there. Erice is another place worth seeing if it's a clear day for the views, but also for Maria Grammatica's pastries and the many historical sites and churches.

4. Monreale doesn't require stairs. Only if you were to climb up to the level with a view over the cloisters. I did it and didn't feel like it was worth the charge. Walking around the cathredral and the cloisters is level and amazing.

kja

I'f I'm understanding correctly, your plan is to drive from Piazza Armerina to Agrigento, visit the temples there, and then spend the night in Agrigento? Could work -- but be sure to leave early enough to have enough time for the Valley of the Temples. I think I spent about 6 hours on site, not counting another 1.5 or 2 hours for the museum. And be sure to have plenty of water and sunscreen with you, as there is precious little shade on site.

"I am purposely avoiding ... the Baroque towns as my husband has difficulty with stairs"

I don't remember that many stairs in Noto -- the very small, central area with its glorious facades is, as I recall, fairly flat.

"Will my husband be able to see Monreale with his mobility issues? It seems the only way to view the cathedral and the mosaics are climbing up over 100 stairs. Is this correct?"

Not IME! As Dayle says, there are few, if any stairs, necessary to visit the cathedral and cloisters, and the views from the upper level weren't all that special. But I think I remember a long up-hill walk from the bus stop to the Cathedral, so you might want to either visit Monreale before your return the car or take a taxi.

Hope that helps!

sandralist

I remember very noticeable inclines/grades in Noto, and many stairs to church and palazzo entrances. Using Google Street view or Google images might help you assess the situation.

http://www.visitsitaly.com/images/si...oto_street.jpg

http://holeinthedonut.smugmug.com/Da...erdinandea.jpg

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multim...3-_449135c.jpg

If you are the driver, you might be able drop off your husband at the front entrance to Monreale and park the car in the large parking lot down the hill from the cathedral. However, before doing this, you need to double check if there is a now a ZTL in that area of Monreale. I don't know.

If you haven't done this already, look into the possibility of getting a disability card for your dashboard so you can park in handicapped parking spaces. I know nothing about doing this, but if your husband is eligible, it might be very helpful.

glsebs

Dayle,

Wow! Great advice about the problem renting a car in Siracusa on a Sunday. I had not made any of our internal arrangements nor flights from Rome to Sicily and return, so it seemed easier to reverse our route and do Palermo first and Siracusa last. This way we are renting a car in Palermo at the airport on Sunday, and there is no problem. So thank you very much!!

I also took your advice and took one night away from Rome and added it to Sicily. We are going to stop in Menfi at the Foresteria Planeta where we can do some wine tasting and take in Selinunte as well.

I am so happy that we can manage the visit to Monreale. I plan on taking a private tour which include Monreale and other highlights of Palermo. I love markets and I understand Palermo has a couple of good ones!

So this is how our itinerary is shaping up.

Arrive Palermo in the late afternoon on Thursday, April 7
3 nights Palermo

On Sunday, April 10 pick up car at Palermo Airport and drive to Menfi.
1 night Foresteria Planeta

Monday, April 11 drive to Agrigento. See the ruins and stay overnight at Villa Athena.

Tuesday, April 12 drive to Piazza Amerina to see the Villa Romana and stay in the area, probably at Villa Clementine.

Wednesday, April 13 drive to Siracusa and drop car. Stay 3 nights in Siracusa at the Algila Ortigia Charme Hotel.

Saturday, April 17 transfer from Orltigia to Catania Airport and fly to Rome for two nights.

Now I have to fill in the days with what we want to see in the short time we have. I know it really takes weeks to see Sicily, but I think that this itinerary works well for us in the time we have. What do you think?

Thanks to all for your input. Any other advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

kja

"renting a car in Palermo at the airport on Sunday"

No reason to go to the airport to pick up your rental unless that's your preference. There are car rental locations near the outskirts of Palermo that might suit your needs better. Just a thought.

Dayle

You might investigate kja's suggestion of renting outside of,Palermo. I have heard that picking up at the airports can take hours. I've never done it,so can't say from personal experience.

I would also hustle on those lodging reservations. You are planning to stay at popular places that have been recommended by many here to many other planners.

I think you have a wonderful trip shaping up.

kja

Just to be clear, I did not recommend renting a car OUTSIDE of Palermo. I recommended renting a car ON THE OUTSKIRTS of Palermo. From my perspective, the distinction is meaningful.

Dayle

Sorry kja,

I didn't choose the best word!

kja

No worries, Dayle!

I just found my old notes -- I picked up a Europcar at the Piazza Matteo Boiardo. It was easy to get from there to the autostrada that I needed. I think there are other auto rental agencies there, too.

glsebs

Thank you for all your suggestions. I will find out if there is another rental car location on the outskirts of Palermo that is open on Sunday.

So far we have reservations at Foresteria Planeta, Villa Athena (temple view), Algila
Charme Hotel(sea view) but still need a hotel for Palermo. Has anyone stayed at Hotel Wagner?

Also, I am deciding between Villa Clementine and Vecchia Masseria in Caltagirone which is an Agriturismo for our night near Piazza Amerina and the Villa Romana.

Thanks in advance for any opinions!