sandralist

(Sorry, should have added I would be more inclined to your original idea of finishing up in Castelmola. Even if you wanted to flip it, then I would go to Agrigento after Catania. But I think the way you originally ordered it was a better mix of alternating world class sightseeing with lower-key curiosity/charm.

I would be planning this:

Day 1 - [Friday] arrive Catania airport at about 10.30 am. Tour Catania after lunch.

Day 2 - Sat'day visit Etna/wineries on guided tour.

Day 3 - Pick up car at airport, drive to Villa Casale, then Ortygia for night

Day 4 - Sights in Siracusa center + Ortygia (tiny), dinner & sleep

Day 5 - drive to Modica via Noto

Day 6 - Ragusa in Morning, drive to Agrigento

Day 7 - Agrigento

Day 8 - Drive to Taormina via Enna

Day 9. 10, Taormina

Day 11 - fly home

sandralist

(Should have said that you can see the fish market morning of Day 3. Go early, pick up car after, stop for lunch on way to Villa Casale or after depending on timing. If I were going to drop anything, it would be wineries and seeing Etna up close and personal. Or save it for your last days in Taormina, when you might want to be out of town anyway because of daytrippers; come back later in the afternoon and swim)

thursdaysd

@ann - sorry, reading too fast, I missed the last paragraph in your first post.

Ortygia is a magical small island, with a mix of crumbling palazzos, restored palazzos, ruins, and modern buildings. Siracusa is a town with a museum and good Roman remains. Ortygia is, or at least was, far less touristy than Taormina.

annhig

thanks you both for the ideas, and especially Sandralist, for the detailed itinerary.

That certainly looks like a good plan, and leaves us with only one one-night stand, in between two longer stays which is good, and gives us the longest drive on a day when we haven't got anything else.

now to sort out my hotel/B&B bookings!

BritishCaicos

Ann

Hope you had a good time in Cuba, presume you are back ; planning a trip whilst on one is far too decadant!

Now sure whether anyone mentioned the Teatro Di Puppi in Ortigia. It's absolutely magical and proves that any art for taken to the highest level can be truly impressive. It's a Sicilian institution.

Also you could look at the nature reserve at Vendicari which has good birdlife, including flamingo, although much of it is migratory and September is early in the season. There a beautiful beach to walk down with a disused tuna factory to provide great atmosphere.

Had you considered staying in Montalbano's house? which was a B&B , not sure if it still is trading. It's on the beach near Ragusa.

If you need a house rental , there are some stunning single villas on the hill below Noto, most have incredible sea views. It's an area which is well located for all the day trips.

In the SE corner it's worth just driving around the back roads of Noto and Ragusa, we stumbled on many beautiful old houses.

We spent the day in Taormina, other than the views, it was truly depressing in comparison to the rest of Sicily. Just lots of low quality shops and stalls servicing the tour bus and cruise ship hoards.

You'll love the town square in Ortygia, particualry at night when the Baroque architecture is flood lit.

BritishCaicos

If you can justify £300 a night, my parents stayed at San Domenico Palace in Taormina. They've stayed in many notable world hotels, they still talk about San Domenico seven years on.

annhig

Hi Dickie,

Thanks for dropping in and for the ideas.

Sadly I think that £300/night is out of our reach [no, not even for my 60th birthday!] but we have found a nice place to stay up in Castelmola, which I suspect [and hope!] is more our style.

I toyed with the idea of a large hotel in Syracuse, but despite what I've read about the development of Ortygia [a bit like Havana Vieja! - yes we're back and had a great time - TR started if you care to click on my screen name] I think that it would probably suit us better, so at the moment we are looking at the Hotel Livingstone.

I have a friend who did spend a night in Montalbano' house, but she was somewhat underwhelmed, so I struck it off my list. I did have it in mind to go and look at the flamingos on the way to Noto so thanks for the tip about the walk.

We don't have time for a house rental unless we completely change our plans; Sicily doesn't seem to lend itself to "spoke and wheel" style travelling, it's more linear than that I think. And we like somewhere to wander around at night with restaurants and bars, especially where there are just the two of us, as there will be this trip.

gertie3751

You must be psychic annhig! I had just seen this thread and was about to add some gems of wisdom when I got sidetracked by someone commenting on my own Sicily post!!

I would like to say that IMO the less time spent in Taormina the better. Half a day to see the Greek Theatre (which is spectacular), preferably at dawn or dusk when the light is good and the crowds are absent. The hordes of cruise-shippers and tour buses will put you off any more of Taormina. Or if you have to, Castelmola is a good suggestion.

Yes, stay in Ortygia which is a magical island floating a few yards off the mainland, connected by a causeway, at Siracusa. I stayed at Domus Mariae which has 2 parts to it: a hotel and an albergo across the road. I stayed in the cheaper property with a breathtaking view of the bay. Not to be missed and quite affordable. Lovely people.

Siracusa itself is good for the Roman amphitheatre and Greek theatre. I spent a day mooching around those. But the cruise-shippers et al might have got there by now. I found the town itself unremarkable and not worth spending time in.

I think we talked about Montalbano during my visit. Could be the Montalbano Tour is a separate trip. I loved Noto, Modica and Ragusa, would be hard pressed to choose one from t'other. I think I managed all 3 in 2 days by public transport. Can't comment on doing them by car as I don't do car hire.

I loved Agrigento, spent a day there also by public transport. It was very hot and there is no shade... this was also Sept or Oct as I recall. Not the recent trip report but an earlier one (2005).

My biggest regret is not getting to the Villa Casale despite my best efforts. I believe it is not-to-be-missed and will see if I can do it third-time-lucky!

I would skip Catania; although it is interesting, other places are better IMO given your shortage of time. I reckon you might end up like me and several others: so taken with Sicily that you return for more!

kja

I agree that Castelmola would be a great alternative to Taormina.

Be sure to give yourselves enough time for the Valle dei Templi – I think I spent about 5 hours on site, plus another 1.5 or 2 hours in the museum. And be sure to take lots of water, sunscreen, etc. Try to find a room that gives you a view of the temples lit at night.

Another decisive vote for Ortygia, not Siracusa per se. IME, Ortygia has a delightful charm about it, whether by day or evening, with lots of great restaurants and plazas of various sizes, and (as already noted) a mix of ruins and restored buildings from the ancients onward. I was very pleased with my B&B in Ortygia:
http://www.apprododellesirene.com

I would be tempted to move a night from Ragusa to Ortygia, but then, I'm not particularly fond of the Baroque and spending as much time as you are planning in these towns would not be my choice, given the things you have to sacrifice to make time for them. I did enjoy Noto, though, in part because of the warmth of its stone and even more because of the playfulness and humor of some of its ornamentation. YMMV.

Dayle

Hi Ann,

I am thrilled for you that you are finally going to Sicily! Happy Birthday to You!

Put me in the camp of didn't like Taormina. I had originally planned to stay at Hotel Sonia in Castelmola for the one night I was willing to spend in Taormina (just to see if it was as pretty as everyone claims). Changed my mind thinking it wasn't worth going up and down just to see the Greek Theater in Taormina on such a short stay. My mistake to stay in Taormina. I should have stayed in Castlemola. Taormina was shoulder to shoulder with cruise ship visitors and the theater was busy with tour groups. Unfortunately Mt. Etna was obscured by haze, so no great views for me that day.

I do think you will be sorry to only have 1 day in Ortigia. There is so much to see and enjoy there. If you do have a car at that point, just park in the large lot next to the main bridge and taxi to your hotel. Easy. Didn't care much for the Arch. Park in Siracusa, again just because it's tour bus central. Really loved the museum!

Can't say whether Catania is "worth it" or not. I chose to skip because Palermo was my big city visit of the trip (4 nts) and I din't feel the need to visit both.

I chose Scicli for my Baroque town and really enjoyed it. Almost completely untouristed, enough Baroque to enjoy and fabulous people and food! Again, no great need to visit all the other Baroque towns as I wanted to just enjoy where I was!

I would almost recommend skipping Agrigento this time. Since you live relatively close to Sicily, you should be able to return for another trip. I think this is a bit rushed with the last version above and you would enjoy it more with one less stop.

Definitely include Villa Romana. My greatest highlight!

Buon viaggio

kja

Dear annhig – Please forgive me if these comments seem unhelpful, and trust me that my intention is to be of benefit. In your planning to date for this trip, and IIRC, for you planning for your time in Naples (the last of your trip planning threads that I remember), two things struck me:

(a) You seem to have based your planning on trip reports, without consulting trip planning threads – which can often provide a much wider range of perspectives from those of us who didn’t file trip reports for one reason or another or did so too long ago or in ways that you didn’t readily find. And

(b) You seem to make decisions without giving even 24 hours for people to respond to your threads. As someone who still works and lives in a different time zone than you, I must admit that it’s a bit frustrating to find that you have asked for input, but then already finalized certain plans before giving me the chance to offer any ideas I have, whether they prove useful or not.

Of course, there is no reason why you should pay attention to either my input or these observations… just a couple of things to consider.

sundriedtopepo

Hi annhig, I'm so glad that you are going to experience Sicily!
Just a few thoughts to add to the above.
Firstly I add my voice to the pro Ortigia camp. We stayed at b & b Giuggiulina in 2010 which is up near Villa Politi, and we loved the views from our room there. The drawback is its a fair walk to Ortigia, especially since we did so much other walking around in the heat during the day. And the buses are few and far between and the traffic quite busy in that area.
I think first timers to Sicily are often surprised at how atmospheric and pleasant Ortigia is. It's a tiny island full of history, beautiful views, non touristy type people hanging out as families and friends in the evening, fishermen, beautiful spots to watch the sunset etc etc.

And now I'm going to be a total heretic and say we enjoyed Taormina quite a lot. We hiked up to Castelmola during the day but unfortunately it was completely fogged over when we got to the top, despite it being a clear beautiful day. A good hike though.
Went for a walk in the park, gorgeous views and few people, got up early and were the first ones in to the Theater, how magnificent! Hardly a person around, but the tours were starting by the time we left.
At night it was much quieter, kind of like when the cruise ship people leave Venice.
Here are a few ideas for you

http://nydn.us/1ph6tGK

And here's the cruise ship schedule, which thankfully shows no cruise ships while we are there in May.

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/crui...os-sicily.html

One other bit of information about Modica. We got there a bit late in the day, and found it a bit difficult to drive into. It might not be so bad during the day. But it's a gorgeous, really lively town, at least in the evening, and seems more lived in, not so touristy, than Noto.
We will visit Ragusa on our upcoming trip. We have 12 days:

3 nights Taormina to rest up from our drive from Amalfi
1 night Piazza Armerina to see Casale Romana
2 nights Agrigento, stop in Ragusa enroute to Modica
2 nights Modica, visit Noto enroute to Syracuse
4 nights Ortigia, Syracuse
Leave from Catania airport
We will have a car the whole time so we can do day trips. Last trip we loved exploring the SE corner's backroads and a visit to a beachtown south of Ragusa.

sundriedtopepo

Oops that would be Villa Romana del Casale.
Oh and happy planning and enjoy Sicilia!

annhig

@ kja - you have found me out.

The trouble is, on my trip planning threads I tend to lapse into a stream of conciousness which I appreciate may be frustrating for those who are so kindly taking the time to try to help me [and for my DH who is subjected to the same process!] but generally seems to end up with some sort of workable plan.

Thank you all anyway for your input. if we go, I am leaning towards spending two nights at Agrigento - to give ourselves longer to enjoy the Valle De Templi and also to be able to spend sometime on the beach [for swimming, not sunbathing, mainly]. I also take on board what has been said pro and con Taormina, and looking at that cruise schedule [thanks, sundriedtopepo] a cruise boat is due on Taormina while we would be there, whether at the beginning or end of our trip.

In some ways, heading north from Catania [i night] makes more sense than going south - we can driving through the villages round the base of Mount Etna and end up at Castelmola,[2 nights] then via Enna drive to Agrigento, [2 nights] then to Modica [which my laptop always wants to call Monica] via Villa Casale [ 2 nights], and finally Ortygia, 3 nights.

OTOH, it might be nicer to end up at Castelmola where we can have a bit of a rest. Using Sandralist's idea of spending a night in Catania and then picking up
a car from the airport, we could then drive to Ortygia [3 nights] via Villa Casale, then a night in Modica, 2 in Agrigento, and 3 in Castelmola.

@ Dayle - I am in two minds about Agrigento, particularly as there are many other greco-roman remains to see further east. thanks for your other tips/suggestions especially about Scicli.

@ sundriedtopepo - that link you gave was very interesting but their accommodation suggestions were rather out of our league. but it's nice to see that someone likes Taormina!

I liked the look of your itinerary a lot and spent quite a long time looking at it, wondering why we couldn't do the same thing, till I realised that you've got 12 nights, and we only have 10. Rats.

@gertie - thanks for dropping in. It looks as if Ortygia deserves at least 3 nights, giving us 2 full days there plus any other time we we have on the day we arrive. is there a beach there? DH loves swimming in the sea, and I'm not averse to it if the water is warm enough.

Back to the drawing board. I promise not to make any more decisions till I give you all plenty of time to throw up your hands in horror and decide to leave me to my own confused devices.

gertie3751

Hello Annhig

I think Ortygia deserves at least 3 nights. As to swimming, no beaches but there is a 'swimming platform' mainly used by local kids or local men in small tight speedos. It's on the lungomare, you cant miss it. I think it's free. Good for sightseeing.

I reckon you should just do as much as you can comfortably in the time you have and plan another trip to do the bits you miss... that's what I did! There are so many unmissable places, even just concentrating on one end of the island, that you won't manage them all. Don't end up rushing about hoping to cover them all in one go.

toledodd

since you are spending some time in ortygia be sure to hit the market. would love to have fish like that available nearby. to me the highlight was the cheese stand near the end of the market. the owner makes sandwiches to die for. they take about 10+ minutes to make and never had a better one - many types of meats, cheese, herbs and oil. all for about 5E. used one for travel food on the way to etna. we are market people and this perhaps is our favorite in the world - very authentic.

BritishCaicos

Ann

I'm going to confuse even further.

We did pretty much the trip you are suggesting which involves lots of travel and day trips. Plenty of time in the car, the road system is adequate as there is a good dual carriageway down pretty much most of the East coast.

We finally put our feet up and hung around piazzas for two days and that's what made the holiday. Like you, we've probably seen our fill of Greek, Roman, Islamic and Lowland Scots historical sites. To us, Sicily wasn't about the sites but what did stand out was the food, the people and the "culture" (horribly abused word but in this context the nuances of Sicilians which define them).

Sicily is totally different to the rest of Europe. It's seems more like South America.

We just had so much fun talking to Sicilians and people watching. ( by the way your Italian lessons in Ortobello may have been wasted, the accents can be difficult to decode).

Would it blow the boat out of the water to suggest basing yourself in say Ragusa Ibla and going for day trips to Agrigento, Noto and Ortigyia? Ortigyia is beautiful but it is quite touristy and when used as a base you are counscious of this.

Personally, I'd skip Toarmina. It's on a limb, in terms of a route itinerary and to us it was just another one of those cruise boat destination which lost it's heart many years ago.

Our over-riding memories of Sicily are encounters like with the old lady " up and downing" my wife with disapproving glances and then grunting "huh" because of her short shirt (on Sunday?). Or the man, early in the morning, climbing out of the back window of a house in Modica wearing only his underpants. Fill the rest of the story in....

Sicily is full of characters and you might just miss this if you spend most of your time in a car.

annhig

I'm going to confuse even further.>>

not confusing, Dickie, helping, or at least trying to.

However, I do think that a day trip from, say, Ragusa, to Agrigento might be quite an ask, especially as we'd be likely to be looking round the Temples in the heat of the day.

I'll certainly think about it.

Marija

IMHO Ragusa is not a good base. We stayed overnight and were ready to head out the next morning, even though we had planned for two nights. It is a long haul from Agrigento to Ragusa. Definitely not a daytrip.

EYWandBTV

Hi Ann,

More thoughts for you to ponder as you think about your ten nights in Sicily:

--must you go in September? Very hot and, in Taormina, totally clogged with cruise ship daytrippers, which will dampen your enjoyment of the magnificent Greco-Roman theater. We went in early November and Taormina was very quiet...and very enjoyable.

--do you really want to stay in Castelmola? It is much higher up the hill from Taormina. There is not-frequent bus service between the two, and also taxis of course. I took the bus up (had to wait a long time in Taormina to catch the bus up), and then walked down. A long, winding walk. Perhaps your hotel has shuttle service between the two? I think some of them do.

--Ortigia: yes, yes, more time please! This is the site of the ancient Greek colony of Siracusa. Medieval bits, narrow streets, but the island itself faces the Med to the east, of course, and there is a massive fortress at the eastern end, great photo opps as you wander through it. We stayed at this excellent B&B: L'Approdo delle Sirene (the landing place of the sirens), run by a family from Rome. I just did a search for you on booking.com and two nights for two people in the first week of September totalled US$212, including their delicious breakfast in the morning room overlooking the harbor. Just a thought. The ruins of the early temple of Apollo are just a couple of blocks away. The island of Ortigia is linked to the modern city of Siracusa by two bridges, and some of the important ruins are an easy walk.

--Agrigento: we stayed two nights in the old centro up the hill, which overlooks the Valley of the Temples, constructed actually on a long ridge. In contrast to almost everything I had read about Agrigento, we loved the centro of Agrigento, with several old dilapidated churches and places to explore, including the Duomo. Also worth a visit: the Kolymbetra, the rebuilt Moorish gardens (from the couple of centuries of Moorish rule of Sicily before the Normans arrived) not far from the temples; they have the Moorish irrigation systems in place. We stayed at Le Terrazze di Montelusa, again an excellent B&B. Check TA for visitors' comments.

--very personal opinions here: skip Catania altogether, and perhaps Etna as well.

But it's hard to make a wrong choice here--Sicily is a wonderful place to visit.