adrienne

I'll be renting a car for 2 days in Sicily and will be driving from Taormina. I'd like to visit Noto, Ragusa, Caltagirone, and Villa Casale. Will I be able to adequately cover these 4 places within 2 days, including a 3 hour drive each way from Taormina?

I like to explore leisurely and not rush from place to place. If I don't have enough time to do it all is there one of these towns that can be eliminated? I realize there are other Baroque towns in the area and perhaps one of these would be more interesting than the three I've mentioned above.

I don't want to add an extra day to the trip as I would have to pickup the rental car on a weekend day and that will double the price of the rental so I want to see what I can within the 2 days. I can't add an extra week day to the rental as I'll be going to Etna and don't want to miss that.

Any suggestions for which town is best for an overnight?

Thanks for any help!

Leely2

Have you thought of staying one night in Piazza Armerina and one night in Ragusa Ibla or another Baroque town?

We leave in three weeks (yay!) so I really can't say what's more convenient. I have thought about it a lot, believe me. It looks to be about 2 hours, maybe less, from Piazza Armerina to Modica. We are staying in Modica and plan to see the Villa Romana and possibly Caltagirone as a day trip. But if we weren't doing so much other dashing around, I probably would have just put two one-nighters in the middle of the trip to avoid backtracking.

bon_voyage

Adrienne, I'm reading your post as one overnight, 4 potential stops, and six hours of there and back driving time alone for a person who likes to explore leisurely. . Vagabonda on the TA Sicily forum, an expert at dealing with Mission Impossible itineraries, may have some helpful suggestions. We regretfully didn't make it to the Villa Casale, nor Caltagirone. Of Modica, Ragusa Ibla, and Noto, I liked Modica best. Ragusa Ibla is lovely in a somewhat Disney way as most of the town folk live in the modern part of Ragusa. Loved the place we stayed in Modica, Casa Talía, which had great views over the town and gave us a taste of living in a neighborhood. Parking can be a major issue in the Baroque towns--something to check out with the hotel beforehand and especially on a tight schedule.

Zerlina

Before anyone hikes off to Piazza Armerina to visit the Villa Romana del Casale, s/he would be well advised to check whether any, some rooms or all of it is open.

The Web site says it will be open as of March 19, but only in Italian does it helpfully add "Partial opening because of the works that will be ongoing."
http://www.villaromanadelcasale.it/

Of the three Baroque towns that I've visited, I found Noto the most architecturally interesting and unified, and I happily spent an entire day there. Ragusa and Modica were the other two.

Mimar

I don't think you need to go to all 3 Sicilian Baroque towns. The same architects did all 3. The facade of the Duomo in Ortigia/Siracusa is also Sicilian Baroque but in cool white limestone not that beautiful warm golden sandstone we saw in Noto.

I don't know what time of year you're going, but the Roman villa at Casale has a plastic roof. It can get quite warm under there, especially when crowded. So we made a point of going there early.

adrienne

Great information - thank you all!!

In rethinking this (Mimar - you're so right - I do not have to see all the towns) I can see Noto and Modina on day 1, drive to Piazza Armerina and stay over night to be at Villa Casale early on day 2. I did know about the cover but had forgotten all about it. This schedule will allow me to see Enna after Villa Casale and then head directly back to Taormina.

If I run short of time then I will only see Noto on day 1 and be happy about it. Save the rest for another trip.

Leely2 - I can't do 2 overnights because of the high cost of renting a car on Sunday and because Wednesday I'll be going to Etna so I have to be back in Taormina for that.

I'm sure you're wondering why I'm basing myself in Taormina. It's because I had booked a tour to Egypt that I had to cancel and part of the refund was in vouchers. That meant I had to book another tour (or lose the money) and I chose Sicily.

Rather than spending money on the tour optionals I will be doing the excursions I'm interested in on my own and since I have lots of time in Taormina I decided to rent a car and do the one overnight. But I can only fit in one overnight.

I already know I will go back to Sicily since I'm missing so much. I'm reading The Stone Boudoir and I'm itching to get into the villages. I just finished reading the chapter on Polizzi Generosa and I can't believe I'll probably miss this town. The author's description had me panting to see it.

Sher

bookmarking.

Leely2

<i>I already know I will go back to Sicily since I'm missing so much. </i>

I feel exactly the same way. Of course, maybe I'll hate it. Hope not, though.