Need help with Sicilian itineraries

Old Feb 21st, 2015, 06:45 PM
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Need help with Sicilian itineraries

I just booked tickets to Sicily for next September, and currently in a very early stage of planning, and looking for Fodorites help.
We will be arriving to Catania on Sunday afternoon on September 6, and leaving on Saturday, September, 19 from Malta.
Originally, we did not plan to go to Malta, and wanted to spend two weeks in Sicily. However, I used mileage awards to get tickets, and it did not work our as I planned. I could not find any tickets for a return flight from Sicily, so I purchased a return flight from Malta.
With that, I think we will spend 10.5 days in Sicily and 2 last days on Malta.
I realize, we cannot see everything we would want to see (not even close to that), so for this trip, we would rather focus on old towns, country side, atmosphere, rather than ancient sites. We also would like to see some interior parts of Sicily.
We plan to rent a car, and do not mind changing hotels often.
I drafted my initial plan, and looking for your input, so I can proceed with my further research.
So, here is what I was thinking.
1. Arrive to Catania on Sunday afternoon, rent a car and drive to Taormina
2. Spend Monday, Tuesday at Taormina/Castemola. Not sure if should stay another day to go to Stromboli for a volcano
3. Wednesday - Cefalu
4. Thursday, Friday – Palermo (not sure what to do with my car in Palermo)
5. Saturday – day trip to Trapani/Erice from Palermo (or possibly make this trip a day before, so can catch Saturday market in Palermo)
6. Sunday - Enna
7. Monday - piazza Armerina , Siracusa
8. Tuesday - Siracusa
9. Wednesday – Trip to Noto/Ragusa (?)
10. Thu – morning ferry to Malta (it looks like a ferry from Pozzallo, but not sure where to drop off our car)
11. Fri – Malta
12. Sat – fly home
Please share your thoughts on this!!! What to add, what to skip, any opinions on including Stromboli, or anything else... Thank you!
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 07:47 PM
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"Arrive to Catania on Sunday afternoon, rent a car and drive to Taormina"

A car will be a decided liability in Taormina. See if you can wait to rent one until it will actually be of use. ;-)

"Tuesday at Taormina/Castemola. Not sure if should stay another day to go to Stromboli for a volcano"

Perhaps you meant Mt. Etna? (Stromboli is in the Aeolians.) It depends on what YOU want to see and experience. It will take the better part of a day to visit Mt. Etna. If you decide to go, it might make more sense to join a tour than go on your own, because you can only go so far in your own vehicle (which won't otherwise be of much use to you at this point in your travels) AND because joining a tour will allow you to "jump the line" at several points where LONG lines are the norm for those NOT in groups. And if you do decide to join a tour, try to join one that stops at the Gole Alcantara en route.

"Thursday, Friday – Palermo (not sure what to do with my car in Palermo)"

Right -- another place where a car will not serve you well. Consider using public transportation until you are ready to leave Palermo.

"Sunday - Enna"

It obviously depends on your interests, but FWIW, there isn't that much to see in Enna. I'm glad I saw it, but then, I didn't spend a full day there.

"Wednesday – Trip to Noto/Ragusa (?)"

I haven't been to Ragusa, but loved Noto, which can be seen VERY easily by public transportation from Siracusa.

"not sure where to drop off our car"

Perhaps when you arrive in Siracusa?

"Please share your thoughts"

While in Palermo, do NOT miss Monreale -- it is truly magnificent.

While in Siracusa, stay in Ortygia.

Of the half-dozen guidebooks I used when planning my time in the area, the Rough Guide was by far the best.

Hope that helps!
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 08:25 PM
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Kja,

Thank you!!!

I agree with you on car issues, but then, I need to figure out when to use public transportation, and when to rent it. Perhaps, we can use private transfer from Catania to Taormina (not sure). Looking for suggestions/help on driving/public transportation logistics.

I actually meant Scromboli. I know it is one of the Aeolian islands, and I read there is a day trip from Taormina to Scromboli. I think it is called Scromboli by night, and you can see volcano lava from a boat at night. There is also a night hike to volcano, but I do not think we are up to it.

I was not sure if I should include a trip to Etna or not. Was it impressive?

Thanks for your input on Enna. Are there any other interesting stops while driving thru interior part?

Thanks for tips on Ortyga/Monreale and a guide book. All advice is apreciated.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 08:28 PM
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Once again, my tastes concur with kja's. I also loved Noto and the cathedral in Monreale is my favorite church in the world. We arrived on a Sunday just after the first mass finished, walked around the church a bit then out through the magnificent courtyard, then attended all of the 11:00 mass when tourists are not allowed to walk around and there are these incredible mosaics to sit and look at. You just have to be quiet, respectful, put some money in the offering. My anti religious Italian husband says if you don't speak Italian you have the advantage of not understanding the sermon.

I'd skip Aetna and if you get any chance to go to Lipari or any other of the Aeolian islands, do so.

We actually liked Enna, but for somewhat morbid reasons. I'd skip it though, to spend Saturday night in Palermo and go to mass in Monreale on Sunday. We took taxi. Hotel has parking.

More free association, consider spending one night in Taormorina then head straight to the Aeolian islands for two nights, skipping Cefalu, then go on to Palermo.

I also agree with kja about Rough Guide. Cadogan was once excellent but may no longer be published.

The Palace Centrale is a great place to stay in Palermo. Do not let the fact that it is part of the Best Western chain scare you off. Best Western hotels in Italy are usually 4 stars, often in old buildings. That particular hotel is Art Deco, has wonderful rooftop dining, great management. Makes me smile just to think of it.

The piazza Armorina (spelling again I'm tired) is incredible. We liked Segesta and Selunante better than Agrigento--more intimate, less crowds.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 08:53 PM
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"Looking for suggestions/help on driving/public transportation logistics."

One of the reasons I strongly recommend the Rough Guide is that it provides excellent information on transportation options.

"Perhaps, we can use private transfer from Catania to Taormina (not sure)."

If that's your preference, I'm sure you can. You can also get there using public transportation.

"I think it is called Scromboli by night, and you can see volcano lava from a boat at night."

Ah - sorry about that! FWIW, I took the ferry from Lipari to Naples, going right by Stromboli -- on one of the nights where there was NOTHING to see. NADA. It may be among the most active volcanos around, but there are NO guarantees that you will see anything.

"I was not sure if I should include a trip to Etna or not. Was it impressive?"

I'm glad I went, but then, I'd never been to the top of a volcano before, and I was there within a week of a minor eruption (which I actually watched from Enna - WOW!) I found it a fascinating encounter with the "living earth" -- although it was cold and almost painfully windy (thank goodness I had protective eyeglasses and ear muffs!) and covered with snow (melting from below), I could feel the heat through my thick soled shoes. Other people don't find it worth the time or effort. Your call!

"Are there any other interesting stops while driving thru interior part?"

I don't know! And I'm not saying that you should NOT visit Enna -- just making sure you know it is a minor stop. It might serve your needs well -- it suited mine, and as I said, I'm glad I saw it. But since you are trying to fit a LOT into a VERY short period of time, I thought I should mention it. You could, perhaps, simply go on to Piazza Armerina.

BTW, no need to attend mass at Monreale to see the mosaics and cloister.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2015, 06:43 AM
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Hi Helen,

I'll share my experience of a Stromboli by night boat tour.
I was staying on Lipari for 5 nights, so booked and departed from there.
Trip was supposed to be:
depart Lipari at noon
Panarea 3 hours on island
Stromboli 4-5 hours on island
leave Stromboli and see eruptions at night by boat

Turns out that due to the early May timeframe and not enough people booked, they combined the non-hikers with the hikers. Didn't tell anyone this crucial fact.

While the hikers were on the crater a storm blew in and rain slowed their return decent drastically (plus there were several very young children on the hike?!). The non-hikers had to wait many hours and the boat didn't leave Stromboli until 10pm.

I sat in the Bar Ingrid and enjoyed the views with a glass of wine for 2 hours. When they started serving dinner, I ordered dinner and sat for another 2 hours. Since it was off season everything on Stromboli was closed and dark. Very dark, no lights to even walk around and enjoy the architecture. I wished for a book, but hadn't brought one. The last thing I would have expected to need on this tour! We went out to the dock at the appointed time, but were told we had to wait for the hikers to come down. We returned to the now closed bar, the hotel kindly allowed us to sit there while we waited for another 1.5 hours. Finally we saw the hikers heading to the dock. Thank God.

The eruptions saved the trip from total disaster. Stromboli was very active that night and the clouds had lifted just in time.

We got back to Lipari at midnight. Trying to do this trip from Taormina will make it a very long day and an even shorter night of sleep.

Just be sure to get EXACT and committed itinerary of the trip from the company you book with and be certain it's what you want to do. If it works for you, I'm sure you will have a good time.

Buon viaggio!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2015, 07:08 PM
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Kja, Cmstraf, Dayle, thank you for your help and advice so far!

I read some threads on this topic, and I feel I need to think a bit more of what we want/can see.

Cmstraf, you suggested to spend two day (or was it one day, two nights) on Aeolian islands, which I would like to do, but I will need to cut something else. Are they beautiful? I need to do more reading on them.
I am not ready to cut out Cefalu at this point, I am too visually attracted to it.

Dayle, thank you for sharing your story . I am glad you still saw lava at the end to compensate for all this wasted time. Unfortunately, stories like this, happen in Italy way too often.
I am not so sure about Stromboli after all.

At this point, my main question is still about where to pick up/drop off our car. In each trip report I read, people start or end in Palermo, so do not have to deal with cars. However, I cannot help to have Palermo in the middle of my trip.
It seems reasonable to pick up a car in Taormina and drive to Palermo via Cefalu. Or perhaps, we need to take some type of public transportation from Taormina to Palermo, and rent a car from there.
I am not sure if this is a good idea, but is it possible to stay somewhere near Palermo, where we can park, and take public transportation/taxi into Palermo?
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Old Feb 22nd, 2015, 07:48 PM
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I used a rental for 3 days during a 2-week trip to Sicily. There are several trips reports on Sicily about using public transportation ONLY. You should certainly be able to get from Catania to Taormina and then to Palermo using public transportation. And that would, I think, be true even if you go to Lipari rather than Cefalu, although that might be a challenge given your timing, as I don't know if the ferries run daily at the time you will be in Sicily. There are FEW places in Sicily that can NOT be reached by public transportation. The only real problem you face, as I understand it, is that you are trying to work within a very compressed time frame. Even so, connections between MAJOR cities are, as I understand it, reasonably frequent.

I'm sure you can stay somewhere outside of Palermo, but that would mean skipping some of Sicily's most fascinating city moments.

FWIW, I found driving on MAJOR highways in Sicily relatively easy, but stressful because Sicilian drivers can be VERY aggressive. Even highways with 2 lanes in each direction became de facto 6- or even 8-lane roads as people drove on the berm and in between the marked lanes at high speeds even when approaching turns. Back roads were frankly frightening at times -- but also very scenic and, when not causing my blood pressure to rise, quite enjoyable.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2015, 03:44 PM
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Kja, thank you so much for all this information.

I am inclined to skip Aeolian islands this time around, and leave more time on the mainland. I will read more trip reports and research public transportation or private transfers. There are personal health reasons why we would rather use either car/or private transfer when with luggage.
I can see a reasonably priced private transportation from Catania to Taormina, and I beleive I can find one from Taormina to Palermo.

One more question - I am reading, that is not recommended to leave a car parked with luggage in it in Sicily. Is this true even for smaller places like Enna or Piazza Armerina?
Normally, when we drive from A to B, we stop here and there for some sightseeing. Not sure if we have this option here.

I will post my new plan.

Thank you again for everyones input so far!
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Old Feb 23rd, 2015, 05:17 PM
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"One more question - I am reading, that is not recommended to leave a car parked with luggage in it in Sicily."

I had no problem, but that is obviously no guarantee that the luggage will be safe, and I know I've read that at least one Fodorite ended up with stolen luggage.

I took the usual precautions -- park near an attendant if possible, and if not, in a place that is as public as possible; NEVER open the trunk once parked (if you need to move things from inside to the trunk, do so a few miles BEFORE you get to the parking area); leave NOTHING in the car that can be seen from outside; back in if possible, moving the car as close to a barrier as you can; etc.

Basically, your call based on your comfort level....
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Old Feb 23rd, 2015, 08:30 PM
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Sorry, I dropped off line while finishing a work project. Yes, the Aeolian islands were special (especially a golf cart picnic we had with a law student "taxi" driver in Panarea, but we had three weeks and you have hard, but wonderful choices.

kja is right about the luggage question. In 2002, we traveled by car, kept luggage in trunk all the time with few worries and no problems. For better or worse, we had the idea that the shadow of the Mafia (which we felt in many interesting, troubling, thought provoking ways--I think because my husband is Italian and we were speaking only Italian and people said more to us and Marco noticed more) would make such crimes more rare, not more frequent. We may have just been lucky.

Consider reading the Excellent Cadaver before you go to Sicily and if you want to surprise a Palermo taxi-driver, ask him to take you to the memorial for Giovanni Falcone and his wife--antiMafia judges blown up on a freeway near Palermo in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, no one else injured from the blast.

I loved Sicily, would have liked to have six weeks instead of three, but our trip was in some way deepened though also sobered by this shadow we felt in so many places. Also--the Mafia have not brought only terror and evil to the land, though we found signs of their power (like the water situation in Lipari) appalling.

kja is right--you can see the courtyard and mosaics in Monreale without going to mass. I am crowd phobic and thus do many things to avoid crowds which end up giving us what we find to be special experiences. They also included a very early in the morning visit (maybe 6:30 or 7?) to the Greek theatre in Taormorina. We had it to ourselves...and it was magic.

Ah, for some pasta alla Norma.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2015, 08:34 PM
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"Ah, for some pasta alla Norma."

and some Nero d'Avola!
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 08:50 AM
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Cmftraf, kja,thank you again for all this info! So helpful!

I did a bit more research, and it seems like we may have one less day, than I originally planned. It seems like q ferry to Malta does not go every day in September, so we may need to leave Sicily on Wednesday vs. Thursday as I planned originally. With that, we will only have 9 full days in Sicily.

With only 9 days, and taking in consideration my interests (small towns, countryside, etc), here is my revised plan draft:
Sunday - arrive to Cataniya, transfer to Taormina
Monday - Taormina
Tuesday - rent a car in Taormina, drive to Cefalu
Wednesday - day in Cefalu
Thursday - from Cefalu - take a drive for a day to Madonie, see small towns. Night in Cefalu (not sure if one day is enough for this drive)
Friday - to Palermo via Monreale (hotel with parking in Palermo)
Saturday - Palermo
Sunday - drive toward Enna/Piazza Armerina/Catriglione (not sure about where overnight here)
Monday - Drive to Ortyga
Tuesday - Ortyga
I need to get better information on ferry, to see if I can fit one of the barocco towns.

How does this sound?

Thank you again!
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 04:37 PM
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"Catriglione" -- do you mean Caltigirone? If your plan is to visit the Villa Romana del Casale (and I HIGHLY recommend that you give doing so very serious consideration!), then you might plan your overnight based on what ensures that you can give you the best opportunity to visit the mosaics.
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 05:06 PM
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Hi Helen,

In your latest plan I count 10 days. Do you mean your arrival day is not included in the count?

Have you thought about not staying IN Palermo and doing it as a day trip from Cefalu? Train to Palermo, direct express bus up to Monreale. Easy. Trying to drive and park in Monreale will be your worst nightmare and will actually take much longer.

If the rental prices and the math make sense, you could also consider just leaving your car at your lodging in Cefalu (if they will let you) or a public lot, training to Palermo for your 2 nights and returning to the car to continue on to Ortigia.

Having to leave from Malta makes this a bit of an awkward itinerary if it's not Malta you really want to see. My company has an office there and my coworkers who go for business are not big fans. They report that a couple days is enough from a tourism view for the small country.

Just some random thoughts. Maybe a couple ideas to consider.
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 05:07 PM
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The Villa Romana del Casale was one of the highlights of our trip to Sicily. My own memories center around the incredible engineering of ancient Rome, including toilets.
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 06:40 PM
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Kja, yes, I meant Caltigirone... I was multitasking at work, so no time for spell check
Kja, Cmstraf, yes, the plan is to visit Villa Romana del Casale, so I should be planning my overnight base around Piazza Armerina then.

Dayle, correct, I did not count my arrival day.
I did not plan to visit Malta, but this just happened (it was better to fly from Malta using miles, than pay $1400 per ticket to fly from Sicily)

I thought I would leave two days for Malta - Thursday and Friday, but it looks like there is no ferry for on Thursdays in September. This is still to be confirmed.
I've heard that Valletta, Mdina and Gozo island can nicely fill 2-3 days. It is just too bad that I would need to leave Sicily too soon.

I was actually thinking about leaving car somewhere, and take a day (or two day)trip to Palermo. It is a good idea, and I will think about it. Thanks for letting me know about challenges with parking in Monreale.

With that, we can probably stay in Cefalu for a day, take a day or two trip to Palermo, return to our car, and then start driving toward Madonie. In this case, we can stay overnight in one of the Madonie towns and then continue to Enna/Piazza Armerina.

So much to think about!
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 07:05 PM
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"no time for spell check" -- no problem! My system's autocorrect option seems to do "sneak attacks," changing things even after I try to check. I just wanted to make sure I was on the right page....

Leaving a car somewhere so that you can use public transportation (assuming you will still need the car later) is a GREAT idea!
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Old Feb 25th, 2015, 07:32 PM
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Kja, my IPAD does the same thing and drives me crazy...

Ok, then I will work on this Idea!
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Old Feb 27th, 2015, 06:05 PM
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I have a new version of my plan , hopefully it is more reasonable now. I still cannot figure where to drop off a car on the way to Pozzallo, and a convenient way to transfer to ferry port. I cannot believe they do not have car rental agency in Pozzallo around port, but I cannot find any. It looks like, Hertz had a location in there, but I do not think it is there anymore. Anyway, here is my new plan.

Sunday - arrive to Catania, transfer to Taormina
Monday - Taormina
Tuesday - rent a car in Taormina, drive to Cefalu
Wednesday - day in Cefalu
Thursday – to Palermo/Monreale (leave car in Cefalu), overnight Palermo
Friday – day in Palermo, overnight Cefalu
Saturday - drive to Madonie, visit Castelbuono, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, and Gangi . Overnight in one of the towns
Sunday - drive toward Enna/Piazza Armerina/Villa Romana del Casale - overnight Piazza Armerina
Monday - Drive to Ortyga
Tuesday – Ortyga , maybe day trip to Noto. Car drop off
Wednesday – transfer to Pozzalo for a ferry to Malta

Thank you again for all your advice!
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