My husband and I are going on a (surprise) romantic 10 year anniversary to Italy for 2 weeks. This is our 1st trip. I would like to have 5 days in Rome, 5 days in Tuscany (renting a car) and then fly to Sicily for 5 days (also renting a car). I would like to base ourselves in at one place in each location so we aren't switching hotels constantly (already a lot of travel!).
- If you had to choose one agriturismo in Tuscany from which you could do a day trip to Florence, which one?
- If you had to choose one B&B location in Sicily, where would you choose? I'm leaning towards Taormina.
- Finally, any recommendations for a good B&B in Rome, centrally located?
Many thanks in advance to all of you wise Italy travelers!
Tuscany & Sicily - where would base yourself in each place?
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There is so much to see in Sicily that five days is hopelessly short-changing it. Also, it's not a place that lends itself well to staying in a "base".
I didn't care for Taormina myself, although it's certainly worth a visit for the views. On that side of the island I'd pick Ortigia. On the west side, with only five days I'd probably pick Palermo and do without the car, although Trapani would also be a possibility.
Click on my name for my Sicily TR.
I agree that 5 days on Sicily is no where near enough and I would not spend them in Taormina as you'll tire of it quickly. There are only about 3 streets and you can walk the length of the town in 10 minutes or less. You're not going to want to leave Taormina for dinner and drive up the winding road after dark and after having some wine. Even if you don't drink I would not want to be driving on those roads after dark.
If I had 5 days on Sicily I'd spend them in Palermo for the diversity of restaurants and sightseeing but since you want a car Palermo would not be on your itinerary as a car is handicap in a city.
I'd pick the Ortigia area as well for 5 days with a car.
I don't think you should limit yourself to B&Bs as you may find the pickings slim. If you also look at hotels you'll have a much wider choice.
The idea of having 3 base locations for 5 days each is a good one, but I would not choose Sicily as one of them.
Save Sicily for when you have more time and use 3 bases to see it. For this trip, I would look at the Amalfi coast or Piemonte.
I agree - wait for Sicily until you can give it more time. There are so many other wonderful parts of Italy that would make more sense for a 5-day stop! But if your hearts are set on Sicily, I agree with the suggestion to base in Ortigia.
Happy anniversary!
Sicily is very diverse, so it really depends what your interest is in going there. Also, you don't say what time of year you're going.
You could stay in Ortigia, there is a multitude of things to see in that area, especially if you have a car.
You could stay in Palermo if you like the excitement of a city. There is also a lot of things to see there, as well as Monreale, and Cefalu, Mondello and further afield, Erice and many others.
I don't think I would classify Palermo as romantic, though. I loved it, but wouldn't choose it for a first time visit.
Or, refer to Aprillilacs trip report of her stay in the Aeolian Islands, if you just want to relax.
For first trip to Italy, the more popular choices are Rome, Florence and Venice.
Perhaps the OP has family ties in Sicily?
Otherwise, there's a geographic advantage to the big 3. Venice isn't a place for cars but you could day trip to Padua and Verona too, or even spend a night or two in Verona.
We will be going in mid Sept for 2 weeks. Thanks all of you for your caution about trying to see even a part of Sicily in 5 days (my husband is part Sicilian, thus the interest. Also the 11,000 ft mountain!).
Instead, I have opted for:
- 5 days in Rome (staying in B&B Trestevere district)
- 5 days in Chianti agriturismo (train from Rome --> Florence, then renting a car from Florence to explore Tuscany)
- 3 days in Venice (train from Florence to get there, and train back to Rome).
Any feedback on this revised itinerary is much appreciated!
Mahalo (thanks!)...and aloha
If you haven't already booked the tickets, fly into Rome and out of Venice, or vice versa.
Yes, fly home from Venice, and you might as well drive to Venice and drop the car there--at Piazzale Roma.
Great trip plan!
In Tuscany as agriturismo I would choose http://www.borgopietrafitta.com which is in Castellina in Chianti, 20 km from Florence and Siena, so you can see both with a daily trip. Then it is in a Middle Age restored village so very romantic! I spent a weekend there and really loved it.
As for Sicily, I just have been in Taormina and stay in http://www.hotelvilladiodoro.com/en/home.html which was great. They have a breathtaking landscape and a wellness center (if you go try the citrus massage).
Hope this can be helpful.
IF you ultimately decide to visit Sicily,you might be interested in staying in Letojjani or Giardini Naxos, which are just a few km away from Taormina, just a very short drive. That way maybe you won't have to drive up and down the winding road every time, and still be very close to Taormina. Since you say that you are mainly interested in visiting Mount Etna, it sure would be a good base to reach it, and also some towns in Sicily. My favourite areas in Sicily are the town of Taormina and surroundings, and the west and north-west coast of Sicily, but of course everyone has their own preferences. A visit to Palermo would be nice, but personally I would not choose this city as a base for my first trip to Sicily.
I totally agree with other Fodorites that I would choose Venice and maybe if you have the time, (3 days would then be too short a stay) visit towns like Padova and Verona over Sicily, just as mentioned already, it makes more sense geographically, and also since you are first timer to Italy, Venice should be on toplist.
You might be interested to have a look at Agriturismo Nicolai - Palagetto di Sotto as an agriturismo in Tuscany. It is situated about just 800 metres away from the walls of the ancient town of San Gimignano, an easy walk or a couple of minutes' drive. It has the most beautiful Tuscan countryside scenary, yet so close to San Gimignano for lunch or dinner or a delicious gelato. They produce their own wine and olive oil, do wine tasting and tours around their cellars, and their dinners are every highly recommended.
You might also be interested in having a look at Relais Maddalena in Rome. It is very centrally locating and also has raving reviews. We were going book a couple of nights there in 2010 but it was booked, however, the owner was still so helpful with suggestions when I asked him some questions via email. Owner seemed like a really nice person.
Agree with bobthenavigator that you fly home from Venice, you drive up to Venice and drop off the car before your stay there. You might pick up hired car from Orvieto or from airport in Rome prior to setting off to Tuscany.
Maybe on your way from Tuscany to Venice you might make a stop in Verona or Padova or maybe even Bologna when driving northeastwards, to break your trip. Be careful though that you don't park or drive in restricted areas like in the city centres, you might easily get fined.