DTrippin

My husband and I are going to Sicily for eight days in mid-September and are having trouble culling the itinerary, so we'd love some help.

As is, we have:
Saturday afternoon: Arrive in Palermo
Sunday: Leave for Cefalu for some beach and wander time and then move on to Taormina by late afternoon via the Giardini-Naxos road
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Taormina
Thursday: Cross through Enna on the way to Agrigento for a look at the ruins. Move on to Trapani or Erice for the night.
Friday/Saturday morning: Erice, Segesta, and Calatafimi (where my family is from).
Saturday afternoon: Head back to Palermo, possibly with a stop at Mondello, to do some more exploring in the city before our flight on Sunday morning.

So, the questions are: Are we shortchanging ourselves by cutting out Siracusa and not spending much time in Palermo? We're not big on cities, but we don't want to miss the heart of Sicily, either! Also, is it possible to do Erice, Segesta, and Calatafimi all in a day and a half, or are we fooling ourselves? If you were taking this trip, what would you change?

Thanks so much for your help!

kja

Hi, DTrippin -

> Are we shortchanging ourselves by cutting out Siracusa and not spending much time in Palermo?

I loved both Siracusa and Palermo, but you won't be able to see everything in 8 days, and if you aren't big on cities, I can see why you might skip them. But do consider stopping to see the cathedral in Monreale (on the outskirts of Palermo) - it is magnificent!

> If you were taking this trip, what would you change?

Taormina is in a stunning setting and has some things that are well worth seeing, but unless you plan to go to Mt. Etna for a day, you might want to consider spending less time there. Two days would probably be enough.

> Thursday: Cross through Enna on the way to Agrigento for a look at the ruins. Move on to Trapani or Erice for the night.

Depending on your preferred pace, that could be a very long day. Enna is an interesting place to roam around and take in some amazing vistas and the ruins at Agrigento are extensive.

Hope that helps!

travel2live2

I totally agree that Taormina, while pretty, can easily cut down by at least one night. If you had longer it definitely would be worth spending more time there but your trip is so short. I would hate for you to miss out on other things you have planned!

Cefalu is gorgeous but especially so at night when there are far less people around. See if you can drive up the road above the city - the views down are positively mindblowing.

Erice is far more atmospheric than Trapani so I would highly recommend spending the night there if you can. Very charming and pretty. Good thing you are going in September rather than July or August!

I agree with seeing Monreale - it would truly be a pity to miss the wonderful cathedral. To be honest Palermo is interesting to me but not my favourite place. For some reason fast-paced cities sort of intimidate me.

bobthenavigator

I think you have a good start with your short time. Frankly, I would skip Agrigento and include Selinunte enroute to Trapani--more impressive to me. Do not miss Monreale--it is special.

thursdaysd

Another vote against spending much time in Taormina - way too touristy. One or two nights and one day should be plenty. I just loved Ortigia (Siracusa) and you can day trip to Noto from there. I'd also vote for spending at least one night in Erice, which has wonderful views and is a great place to just wander around. While I also enjoyed old town Trapani, it is another city.

For me, aside from Ortigia and Erice, the best sights in Sicily were the mosaics at Monreale and Villa Casale, and the walk through the Zingaro National Reserve.

crckwc1

For us, one full day in Taormina would have been enough (we spent two full days). We didn't care for Palermo but enjoyed staying in Monreale and day tripping to Erice. The Valley of the Temples was a highlight, but I wouldn't recommend staying in Agrigento. We stayed outside Agrigento near the Valley in a great B&B, Villa Diana, booked through Venere and rated very highly on TripAdvisor. Another highlight for us was a full day on Ortigia Island, very different from Siracusa and quite charming. I think you'll find everyone has slightly differing opinions, so you will need to choose what seems like the places you are most interested in. Good luck -- whatever you choose, you'll enjoy Sicily.

DTrippin

Thank you all so much for your helpful advice and quick responses. Since we're planning on seeing Etna and the Alcantara Gorge while we're based at Taormina, we don't want to lose a ton of time there, but an almost-unanimous vote to reduce the stay is pretty unignorable! We're thinking we'll skip out a half day early and then spread the extra time, letting us have a saner Thursday (when we'll stay at Erice, as suggested) and making room for a stop at Monreale at the end. Phew! I feel better already!

PatrickSch

No one has mentioned the Norman Palace in Palermo. We were just there about two weeks ago- it had just reopened after a renovation paid for by a German billionaire. We thought it was more beautiful than Monreale ( which I wouldn't miss either.)We enjoyed two relaxing days in Taormina but I agree that you could cut that down to one. We had 10 days in Sicily.

laverendrye

ttt

thursdaysd

Patrick - lucky you getting to see the Norman chapel - it was still closed for renovations when I was there. In fact, renovation was going on all over the place! One site I particularly enjoyed in Palermo was the Palazzo Mirto - beautifully decorated rooms. BTW, my Sicily TR is at http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35133064

galaxygrrl200

I would make it to Sicusca, cut out time in Taormina and i would add the Roman Villa at Piazza Amerima and cut out Enna. You can the Roman Villa on your way to Agriento.

Enjoy!

DTrippin

Hmmm...has anyone been to the Alcantara Gorge? Is it worth dropping that to make it to the Zingaro Reserve?

Also, we want to get a good sampling of places. Since Erice and Enna are both medieval cities, should we skip Enna? I'd consider going to Piazza Armerina instead, but, thursdaysd, I saw that you said the Villa Casale is the real draw there. So would we make the most of our time by more or less driving through the interior?

As for Ortigia, I'd love to make it there, but we have sort of a circle going on with driving route and I'm concerned about adding lots of travel time. Plus, I've read that the ruins are pretty ruined. Is it that the area is so much nicer than Agrigento? (I'm big on scenic places.) If it's really that much more worth it, do you think we could get a decent feel for it in a day or so (with an overnight stay)? Or if the stay will be that short, should we just leave it till the next trip?

Thanks again!

Oh, PS, thursdaysd: Would you recommend without qualms the Sky Sleeping B&B in Palermo? (I.e., did you in fact find that the neighborhood was sketchy?) It looks great.

zeppole

There is little reason for you to stop in Mondello.

DTrippin

Zeppole (great screen name, btw), the beach at Mondello looks beautiful in pictures. Is it not as pretty as advertised?

zeppole

No, it's not. It's dirty, for one thing. There's a lot of good food there but you'll find that everywhere you go in Sicilia. Mondello is really a suburb. It's rather like the beaches of New York City. And it's not pleasant to drive there.

It's not pleasant to drive almost anywhere around Palermo. You might consider turning in your car early at the airport and taking the train into town for your last night, and taking the train back to catch your flight.

You really can't do everything, but my favorite part of Sicilia is the baroque towns, and the stonewalled farms around them are beautiful. I agree with the general advice you've gotten that Taormina is so touristy it's unenjoyable. But I can't advise on most of your picks because I haven't been there.

Were I looking for scenic beauty, I hear that Zingaro is lovely. Also, isn't there a tiny island of Trapani or Marsala that is supposed to be a little paradise?

If it will bother you to see scaffolding on monuments, you might want to check before you go. Sometimes people here have up-to-date information. Sometimes the Slow Travel website posters do.

JQReports

Hi DTrippin,

Haven't been to the Alcantara Gorge, but have been to the Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro. Very beautiful, but you only have ten days...

Here are some pictures of Sicily (there are a few of the Zingaro starting at the 25th picture) from 2001.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album...ost=good-times

JQ

crckwc1

If you are planning day trips out of Taormina, and if you are driving, be aware that getting in and out of Taormina and especially finding adequate parking is not easy. Once we secured a parking spot with our hotel, we didn't dare leave since the spaces were very limited. Be sure to check with your hotel about parking facilities.

thursdaysd

DTrippin - no, I didn't think the Sky Sleeping street was sketchy, in fact I loved it - it was almost like a little village, with produce stalls and a fishmonger and butcher and baker. However, I think if you went too far north it might get a bit sketchy after dark - but no reason to do that.

I didn't go to the gorge, so can't compare it to the Zingaro Reserve. You definitely need your own transport for Zingaro, but I would NOT plan to drive in Taormino (streets too narrow) or Palermo (traffic). Taormino is walkable, and Palermo has good, cheap public transport.

I loved Siracusa for the old town on Ortigia, not for the Greek ruins and the museum: although they are worth while, the Agrigento temples are better preserved. Ortigia is a great place to wander around, admiring the palazzos in assorted states of (dis)repair, and don't miss the Duomo, said to be the oldest continuously occupied religious building in the world - not the same religion, of course! Definitely plan to stay at least one night, and on Ortigia, not in the new town.

I haven't finished working on my photos yet, but the (unedited) Erice ones are at kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/519560, password erice.

kja

Hi again, DTrippin -

> has anyone been to the Alcantara Gorge? Is it worth dropping that to make it to the Zingaro Reserve?

I visited the Alcantara Gorge as part of a tour to Mt. Etna from Taormina. I thought it quite interesting, but don't know that I would have made it a priority if I hadn't had more time than you will have in Sicily. I didn't go to the Zingaro Reserve, so I can't compare.

> Since Erice and Enna are both medieval cities, should we skip Enna?

Again, I can't compare because I didn't visit Erice. From what I've read, I have the impression that Erice is visited by a fair number of tourists. I don't think very many tourists visit Enna - it certainly didn't seem that way when I visited it!

> I'd consider going to Piazza Armerina instead

As thursdaysd said, the mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale are amazing. If you are in the area and have the time, going there is worth considering.

> As for Ortigia . . . do you think we could get a decent feel for it in a day or so (with an overnight stay)?

I agree with thursdaysd - Ortygia is wonderful for roaming the streets, visiting the Duomo, admiring a Caravaggio, etc. The ruins and museum are interesting, but if you can only visit one ancient Greek site in Sicily, I wouldn't pick Siracusa. Depending on your preferred pace of travel, you could probably get a feel for Ortygia in a single day (with an overnight stay), but as you point out, it doesn't fit neatly into your travel plan. And I don't think you would have time to see both Ortygia and the nearby Baroque towns (like Noto) in just one day.

Hope that helps!

zeppole

Regarding the marvelous duomo in Ortygia, you really need to check if the renovation is complete and the site can be adequately seen. Likewise, some of the temples in Agrigento have been behind scaffolds in recent years, but they may be viewable now.

I also didn't enjoy parking in Taormina, and in general would have preferred just to go in to see the Greek theater, rather than spend the night there. (Not because of traffic, but because it's so touristy. Especially the restaurants, which is a shame because Sicilian cooking is so good.)

Why don't you stay just outside Taormina, on the slopes of Etna or in Giardini-Naxos? Another place I might stay is above Taormina, in Castelmola.