Provence and/or Sicily in June?

Old Sep 30th, 2016, 05:39 PM
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Provence and/or Sicily in June?

We are in the early stages of planning a 19 day trip in Southern Europe at the beginning of June. Since we are using miles to book flights, we have to make a decision on flights sooner than I would like as I usually like to work out an daily itinerary before booking flights.

Our last trip to Europe was combining Andalusia and the Campania region in Italy, which we loved, and we are considering Provence and Sicily, as there is a Ryanair flight between Catania/Palermo and Marseille. After our time in the Amalfi Coast / Naples / Paestum, we said that if we ever return to Italy, we would go further south. But we have always wanted to go to the south of France as well and cannot seem to give up one over the other.

Do you think it is feasible combining the two regions in a 19 day itinerary and how do they combine together as regions? We are considering splitting the time 11 days in Sicily and 8 days in Provence.

For Sicily, we are considering focusing on 3 regions, the Aeolian islands being one. In Provence, we would fly into Marseille and considering splitting the 8 days between St. Remy and the Luberon.

Would value your thoughts on this rough itinerary.

Though we would like to see both Sicily and Provence, if we ended up going just to France, what region would pair nicely with Provence? From my understanding of the region, it seems like 19 days would be too long for us to spend entirely in Provence, and from what we have read, we are not as enthusiastic about the French Riviera, the logical area to add to Provence. Would much rather substitute the French Riviera for Sicily for the Greek temples, food, and what we found so wonderful about Naples and the Amalfi Coast, but don't want to sell both regions short.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 06:41 PM
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Dordogne/Lot and Provence make a good combination for 19 days.
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 09:06 PM
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IMO, Sicily itself really deserves at least 2 weeks, if not 3. And It would not be my choice for June -- too hot!

For France, consider adding the Dordogne -- I would think it would make a nice 19-day pairing with Provence. And I think there have been some trip reports on that ... you might want to check.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 02:33 AM
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Provence and Sicily have different cultural mixes: Sicily = Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic/Moorish, Norman, Spanish Habsburg. Provence = almost no surviving Greek remnants, much Roman, and its own Provencal culture, but none of the others. Sicily feels more exotic to me and if you liked the southernness of Naples and the Amalfi Coast, then you will really love the "deep south" of Sicily.

To pair with Provence, why not go to a very different part of France, to Alsace for example? It's a beautiful blend of French and German cultures on top of the native Alsatian culture (the Alsatian language is still spoken btw). Visit not only Strasbourg but Colmar, a real jewel, and the route du vin.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 02:45 AM
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Depending on what two areas of Sicily you want to see besides the Aoelian islands, your 11 days might be pretty short. Transportation within Sicily isn't the easiest even if you're driving. IMO I would give Sicily and the islands a month.

Also to consider besides the Dordogne and Alsace. The Italian Alps/French Alps, the Basque Country of Spain and France and the French coast from Nimes to Perpignan and then maybe into the Pyrenees.

Too many choices. Good luck!!
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 03:31 AM
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Barcelona and the Costa Brava (or Dorada) could also be a good combination with Provence, especially if you're after some coastal time but don't like the look of the French Riviera.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 05:49 AM
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We too loved Sicily--had three weeks and didn't see it all. BUT, I would take the weather into consideration, especially for Sicily. It might be much too hot for you to enjoy yourselves.

I agree with the person who suggested just doing two completely different parts of France. Brittany is our all time favorite and should be lovely in June. The Loire Valley should also be great then.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 08:26 AM
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Honestly, if you've got 3 weeks, just do Sicily.

I can't answer for the heat in June but I doubt that it's worse than September, and we coped with that, even when we were traipsing round the site of a greek city with absolutely no shade save the odd tree in 30C. [how did the Greeks manage ?]

And you would probably have some spring/summer flowers to see, longer evenings.....I think it sounds great.

Or go to France.

But not both.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 11:25 AM
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I am not clear on what you mean by what areas pair nicely with another. If you just mean logistics, you can get most anywhere in France from Provence in a fairly short time by train, except perhaps Brittany and the Dordogne. Bordeaux is a bit more of a hike than some, but still, just about anywhere else isn't that long a trip. Otherwise, I don't think there is a clear answer as some people might want an area with the same flavor but others would want something completely different. Some might only want rural, others might want to combine a rural area with an urban one, etc.

So you could easily combine Alsace, Ile de France, Loire, Languedoc, or Burgundy areas with Provence. I haven't been to the Dordogne and obviously you can go there, but it will take longer, although you seem to have plenty of time. It probably takes longer than to Bordeaux by train (as I imagine you have to go to Bordeaux from Provence, then transfer trains). If you are driving, that isn't an issue. To get to Brittany, you'd have to go to Paris basically, to transfer trains. Both Brittany and the Dordogne probably will take 7-9 hours by train.

And then you'll have to figure out how to get home. If you go to Paris, you can easily fly from there, for example. Other major airports are Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice or Lyon, but even from those, I doubt you could get a nonstop flight home from most cities, but I don't know where you are from. If you live in the UK, you probably could.

It really depends what you want, I'd combine Paris with Provence, but that's just me. If I were picking another area of France, I'd pick the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
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Old Oct 1st, 2016, 02:01 PM
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Thank you all for your very helpful replies. Very much appreciated. By nice pairing, I meant contrasting destinations. Though there is a convincing argument to be made for more depth, as many of your have done, we thought it may be nice to experience two very different places.

Had we not been to Barcelona and the surrounding area, we would have probably picked that as one of you suggested.

Admittedly, I do not know much about, nor have I had much interest in, the other regions of France as a tourist destination. We have been to Paris, but that is it. The lack of current interest is probably related to the lack of knowledge so I will look into the destinations mentioned here to see whether any sound interesting enough to replace Sicily.

Thanks!
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Old Oct 2nd, 2016, 12:35 PM
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I feel that you must expand your reasons for discounting certain areas of France - the French Riviera and other areas of France - before proper recommendations can be made other than those based on the personal preferences of those posting. I presume your decisions are related to your interests which you haven't actually mentioned in your post.
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Old Oct 2nd, 2016, 04:25 PM
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I agree that we really need more information about your interests to make serious recommendations.

That said, I would note that I often find that two different parts of a single country can offer as much, or even more, of a contrast than regions of different countries -- it all depends on their history! I don't know where you are from, but I think it's easy for many people from the U.S. to forget that different provinces of many current European countries were parts of separate kingdoms / empires / whatever for centuries; while different parts of several countries were part of the same kingdom / empire / whatever. So, for example, different parts of the vast region of what was once the Austro-Hungarian Empire can seem much more similar than adjacent provinces of France or Italy or Spain.... So, if what you are seeking is contrast, you might not want to rule different parts of a single country. Just something to consider....
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Old Oct 3rd, 2016, 06:04 PM
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Although most here do not recommend it, I support your desire to see both. Clearly the fact you will have less time in both areas to discover and enjoy local culture than if you simply stayed in one area hopefully comes as no surprise to you. I love both countries and fully appreciate your interest. When in Sicily, I wanted to visit the Aeolian Islands but did not have enough time. I will say we really enjoyed the area around Trapani and Erice but we had a car to make periodic road trips in the area.

As the other posters emphasize, time is a precious commodity. I am the kind of person who likes to see as much as I can but also stay somewhere long enough to get a feel for the place. I'm not always successful but I have a good time no matter where I go so I don't worry about it too much. You must have reasons for wanting to go to both Sicily and Provence so "just do it". Whatever you decide, I'm thinking you will have a very good time- and that is what it is all about.
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Old Oct 3rd, 2016, 07:45 PM
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Since you've visited Andalusia and Campania on the same trip in the past, you know country hopping is okay by you. I don't mind it either, frankly. So check Skyscanner.net & whichbudget.com to look at the feasibility of flights between Catania (for example) and Marseille (for example). You want to make sure there are direct flights from somewhere near where you want to be in Sicily to somewhere near where you want to be in Provnce. Don't want to spend 18 hours to get someplace.

If you can figure out the travel times between your desired areas, I'd say 11-12 days in Sicily and 7-8 days in Provence is fine.
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