drmgchiro

My wife and I are going to Sicily and southern Italy in Sept-Oct. I'm of Sicilian descent & have family I haven't met near Trapani & Messina.We'd like to stay in inexpensive but comfortable places. We're foodies and we eat anything so restaurant recommendations are welcome. We'd like to stay in areas as residents not as tourists. I intend to rent a car We plan on driving North on our way home and stopping on the Amalfi Coast. The reason for doing it last is my wife is afraid of curvy mountain roads So we'll be on the inside lane going North to Rome Any info will be appreciated car rental advice, cel phone advice,parking advice PS Do you think we could add Sardinia to the trip Thank Yous

IMDonehere

I envy you. Sicily is one our favorite places. Although we are not Italian, my wife and I come from Brooklyn and are lives have always been filled with Italian friends and relatives. And of course many of them are of Sicilian descent. On our trip to Sicily we had a lunch with the family of a friend and we do not speak Italian and they did not speak English.

We have not been to this place in a number of years but by the reviews it sounds like the place has gotten better since we were there. It is in Scopello.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ani_Sicil.html

Have a great time, as if you could anything but.

bobthenavigator

You will love Sicily--here is a visual preview:

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3828

Click and then use slide show.

kybourbon

>>>The reason for doing it last is my wife is afraid of curvy mountain roads<<<

Sicily is full of curvy mountain roads. If you wanted to go from Trapani to Erice, it would be a curvy mountain road or you would have to take the cable car.

Some rental car companies have restrictions against taking cars on ferries.

kja

I'm envious of your time in the area! The chance to spend 3 or even 4 weeks in Sicily sounds wonderful. Of course, if you are willing to spend that long, you might not even need a car -- you can easily rely on public transportation for most of your trip, perhaps using a rental only for the things that are relevant to your family.

"Do you think we could add Sardinia to the trip" - Depends on your interests! It sounds like you want to spend a chunk of time in Sicily (assume 3 weeks for the "basics" + whatever time you want for family), some time on the Amalfi Coast (easily 7-10 days), and then you are heading to Rome? (easily another week). I haven't been to Sardinia yet, but from what I've learned so far, I would guess that it merits something on the order of 2 weeks....

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation and see how things fit together.

Its a delightful part of the world, and the food is amazing.

sandralist

The roads in Sicily are not particularly mountainous or curvy except in a few places where there are usually alternatives to driving.

drmgchiro

Thank you all. We are open ended so whatever it takes we'll do it. We've been to Rome twice so we'll just be flying in & out. I didn't realize Amalfi coast would need 2 wks. Good thought about ferry any cel phone info

sandralist

>> I didn't realize Amalfi coast would need 2 wks. >>


It doesn't for 99 percent of the people who visit, even if they include areas not on the coast, like Pompei, Capri and Sorrento.

annhig

however long you stay on the Amalfi coast, the roads there ARE notoriously curvy.

why not fly back to Rome from Catania? or if you want a bi of adventure get the ferry to Naples and spend a few days there before going to Rome.

you don't have to drive all the way back to Rome unless you're going to be in your own car!

sandralist

I am now thinking perhaps you meant to say that you didn't realize Sardinia would take 2 weeks in response to a remark that was made.

Most people do not go to Sardinia for 2 weeks. They pick a scenic beachy area of Sardinia or a coastal resort town and do a few cultural excursions. Some people go to the interior for an active nature vacation of hiking and biking, and also do some cultural excursions. If you want to understand the island in its entirely, and drive all over it, then that would take 2 weeks. But if you want to see a representative sample of Sardinia, it does not take 2 weeks. There are many flights and ferries, and up to you how much time would make for an interesting payoff for the expense and effort of getting on and off the island.

If you actually did mean the Amalfi needed 2 weeks, it actually takes less than 2 hours to drive the entire length of the Amalfi drive. It wasnt all that long ago that driving -- and simply driving -- along the Amalfi road was the only reason anybody went. They stopped for lunch or a swim, but that was it. Now it has become a different place, but you can still drive the road in a day during most times of the year if that appeals to you. However, in summertime, traffic on the road, including many tour buses, doubles and triples the time it takes to complete the drive. If you are going outside of summer, you need to think about rain, since you will not want to drive the road in anything but lovely sunny weather. So you should budget enough time in the area to make sure you get what you want.

SheriMG

We recently returned from several weeks in Sicily, based in Catania, and didn't need a car at all. From Catania there are many buses that took us everywhere we wanted to explore.

If Catania is on your list, I highly recommend eating at Polpetteria. Their swordfish carbonara was the best I've ever tasted. We ate there three times ...

aprillilacs

With 4-6 weeks, I suggest you spend some of your time one the wonderful Aeolian Islands off the north coast (reachable by ferry or hydrofoil from Messina or Milazzo). September is a perfect time to visit them, and even October will be good, though much quieter. You can click on my name to find my trip reports on these islands. I suggest at least 5 days-- we have spent as much as 3 weeks on them at a time and long to return. My favorites are Panarea and Salina, though Lipari also makes a good base from which you can visit all seven islands if you wish (all different).

drmgchiro

Ok Thank you all so much. Right now it looks like we will fly into Palermo 2)Rent a car and travel around Sicily after Palermo 3) Take ferries to Sardinia And the Aeollian Islands for short stays 4)Drive to Amalfi Coast and then home. P.S. We have Iphones with Verizon How do we handle service and costs?