sundriedtopepo

Annhig you are so diplomatic �� I meant to add that you could adapt our itinerary by taking one day from Taormina/Castelmola and one from Syracuse. Just a thought , no answer necessary...

kja

If you do spend 2 nights in Agrigento (and given your most recent plan, at least as I understand it, I think that makes sense!), I agree with EYWandBTV that you might want to spend a bit of time in its medieval core, which is surprising untouched (or at least was when I was there) -- lots of old "streets" (sometimes just alleys or stairs or whatever) turning every which way, a combination of things much in need of repair and things that have been patched up, etc.

If your goal is to have a bit of a rest at the end of your trip, I don't see why you couldn't do that in Ortygia. I would make the choice between routes based on what lets you either pick up your rental after visiting Siracusa <u>or</u> turn it in before visiting there. So, for example, you could spend a night in Catania, take the train to Siracusa, visit there, and then pick up a car before moving on. I think we've already told you that a car will likely be more of an encumbrance than an advantage while you are in Siracusa, and Ortygia itself is off limit to tourists' cars.

BTW, I think there is a beach NEAR Siracusa -- to the south, and I believe it can be reached on foot from Ortygia, though it might be a few kilometers away. My information could be out of date.

JulieEC

We rented a house in Modica for a week as part of a 2 week trip. We enjoyed it (tho I remember thinking I might have preferred Noto--I forget why?!) In any event, we all enjoyed our stay.

Our friends went onto Taormina and we passed. Later, they told us they wish they had. They felt it was just too touristy and expensive.

For what it's worth..

BritishCaicos

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

Is a good point.

But with all this confusing conflicting advice, face up to facts - September is frequently the best month for weather in Cornwall, the kids have gone back to school : stop at home!

Sorry.

sandralist

I would not use Ragusa as a base and would plan to keep out-of-town sightseeing "day trips" to an a minimum because of risks of mid-day heat.

As usual, you get everybody's subjective take, and I will add mine. Ortyigia has charm, but if I've had "my fill" of anything in Italy it is charming seaside towns. The duomo and its piazza is an outstanding, fascinating sight, but I found much of the island tweaked and boutiqued for tourism and the restaurants blah. I greatly enjoyed the antiquity but for me, the highlight of my Sicilian runaround was Modica and Ragusa, and Noto rather in third. Almost zero tourists, great food, loads of unique vistas, just lots of surprises.

But these days, when I bother to leave home (it's almost always nice weather where I am), I want a cultural payoff. That can be a chance to be in the middle of a very different piece of Europe and its society --- and Sicily absolutely offers that away from its tourist attractions -- but I also want to see the antiquity, the art, because I remain very interested. Never get my fill.

Listening to you, I might tweak the itinerary I gave you for this:

Arrive Catania, tour town, spend night, next morning early see the fish market, then pick up a car from the airport, drive to Agrigento via Villa Casale (2 nights in Agrigento).

Then drive to Modica via Ragusa (2 nights in Modica, visiting Scicli as an afternoon day trip that includes a swim). Drive to Ortygia (see Noto en route and stop somewhere for a countryside lunch). I would give Ortygia 2 nights + half a day, leaving after lunch for Castelmola.

annhig

Thanks all.

I will come back with more individual replies later but over night I realised why I am finding this so hard: I am trying to achieve the prefect trip, which is exactly what I keep telling other people is impossible. How come it's so easy to see where others are going wrong and help them to tweak their itineraries, but it's so hard to do it for oneself? [it's ok, i know the answer, the question was purely rhetorical].

the other problem is this [which is why Taormina appeals] : our idea of a perfect holiday day is to go out in the morning sightseeing, a long lunch, possibly a bit more sightseeing or a drive, a rest, a swim, [preferably in the sea] dinner and an evening stroll round somewhere interesting. The closest to that in eastern Sicily that I have found [plus those views of course] is Taormina/Castelmola. [and yes, the hotel I've found does have a shuttle bus!] and I have a romantic and probably stupid idea that it would be nice to end the trip somewhere like that. if anyone knows of somewhere else that fits that bill, please let me know!

at the moment, I'm leaning to something like this [but it omits Agrigento, which I realise may be a mistake]

Day 1 - arrive Catania mid morning, stay Catania.
Day 2 - public transport to Ortygia. Stay 3 nights.
Day 5 - pick up car and drive to Lido di Noto [or that area]. Stay 2 nights, tour Noto, Scilcli and Modica.
Day 7 - drive to Piazza Armenia via Ragusa. Stay night.
Day 8 - early morning visit to the villa. drive to Taormina area. stay 3 nights.
Day 11 - early flight home. [10 am]

To accommodate Agrigento, I think we may have to lose Catania:

Day 1 - arrive Catania mid morning, pick up car/bus to Ortygia. Stay 3 nights.
Day 4 - drive to Lido di Noto [or that area]. Stay 2 nights, tour Noto, Scilcli and Modica.
Day 6 - drive to Agrigento via via Ragusa. Stay 2 nights.
Day 8 - drive to Piazza Armenia to visit the villa. drive to Taormina area. stay 3 nights.
Day 11 - early flight home.

Alternatively, there is SL's suggestion:

Day 1 - Arrive Catania, tour town, spend night.
Day 2 , next morning early see the fish market, then pick up a car from the airport, drive to Agrigento via Villa Casale (2 nights in Agrigento).
Day 4 - Drive to Modica via Ragusa. 2 nights in Modica, visiting Scicli as an afternoon day trip that includes a swim.
Day 6 - Drive to Ortygia (see Noto en route and stop somewhere for a countryside lunch). I would give Ortygia 2 nights + half a day,
Day 8 - leaving after lunch for Castelmola - 3 nights
Day 11 - drive home.

Thoughts, anyone?



BTW, the flights are booked so that mistake has already been made! [and Dickie, my kids are way past school age - did you see what birthday this is?]

jamikins

Hi Annhig

I promised to chime in with my research. Now we are planning 2 full weeks around the whole island, and want to include 4 nights in Palermo so a bit different. But on the eastern side I am looking at:

Agrigento hotel: www.hotelvillaathena.it/en/

Near Noto: www.planeta.it/en/territori/noto-buonivini/

Near Catania: www.monacidelleterrenere.it/en/

Ortygia: www.apprododellesirene.com

These may be a bit pricey...can't remember what price point they are and I am at work so can't really check.

We want to focus more on relaxation so I am looking at farm or winery stays, places with pools etc...

Hope this helps!

EYWandBTV

Hi again Ann,

Oof, are you posing the question "Catania or Agrigento"? Sort of like wondering if you should have a big fat plate of lasagna or sole meuniere...

Catania: for me, has a kind of little Naples feeling (btw I love Naples); gritty, vibrant, noisy, baroque, watch-your-wallet, always keep the doors of your rental car locked even at stoplights.

Agrigento: the Valley of the Temples must be one of the most fascinating groups of extant Greek temples. The Greek colonies in Sicily continued to develop temple plans beyond the template of their home cities on the Greek mainland. In Agrigento, for example, the temples are built in a single line on the crest of a hill which overlooks the Med to the south and also looks up to the centro of Agrigento on a higher rise of land to the north. Wondrous here are the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, supposedly the largest Doric temple ever built. The roof was supported not only by columns but also by huge statues of atlases incorporated into the structure. Outstanding museum in the archeological zone. Well, you get the idea. If you want to see Greek temples, go here!

TDudette

DH and I took a city bus from Palermo to visit Agrigento as a day trip. We had enough time to walk from the bus stop to the ruins and back and to walk to the top of the town itself. Our return to Palermo was a mess as they had to get another bus to accommodate all of the people returning to Palermo.

All I'm saying is that you might could find a tour to Monreale from Agrigento and that it would be a do-able day trip without having to drive in Palermo.

We had to miss Casale because of bus scheduling. We also missed Taormino as there was no hotel in our category then ran out of time.

After Palermo, we took a bus to Siracusa. We enjoyed the colosseum and Papyrus museum there a great deal. I may be the only Fodorite who found Ortygia area nice but it didn't WOW me. One day in one place, so one must give and take advice lightly, eh?

Have a super trip. We loved what we saw. We took a train from Siracusa to Sorrento--it crossed the Strait of Messina in the ferry!

sandralist

Whatever itinerary you choose, I think you will be happier having a car from whenever you leave Catania. You might want to take a day trip from Ortygia, and it is easier to drive to see the sights of antiquity in Siracusa than hang around waiting for public transportation in the heat.

Also, you could do the itinerary I suggested but substitute Lido di Noto for Modica. I know zilch about Lido di Noto, but if you haven't already, I would read lots of reviews for all the possible beach locations around there and see which one has the most to offer. Might be Lido di Noto. Don't know, but have often heard that beach locations in Sicily vary wildly as to quality.

I don't think of myself as a "fodorite," but as I said Ortyiga didn't WOW me, so TDudette isn't the only one. I don't understand why Palermo or Monreale is now in the discussion -- unless the anecdote is meant to illustrate some of the possible frustrations of relying on bus transports.

Mimar

The problem is there are too many interesting sights in eastern Sicily and too little time. And the more you research the more interesting places you find. Isn't that true with every trip?

And we Fodorites all have our favorites.

What you cut depends on your interests. Are all the Sicilian Baroque towns necessary? The cathedral in Ortygia has a Baroque exterior -- in addition to remains of a Temple to Athena.

We took a train from Siracusa to Taormina/Giardini-Naxos. It stopped in Catania and was a comfortable trip stopping. So Catania airport to Catania train station to Siracusa/Ortygia is an option.

Ortygia is smaller scaled and pedestrian friendly so that's a big part of its appeal.

And I want to bravely defend Taormina, where we spent a couple days relaxing at the end of our trip. The views are marvelous. We didn't spend time in town during the day; our hotel (the Villa Schuler) was our refuge, with the view in front and a garden in back, the latter a short distance from the main street. We hit the Greek Theater early one day and spent time wandering in the Giardini della Villa Communale, a spot few tourists seemed to find. Caveat: this was early October.

TDudette

I just threw in Monreale as a possible non-drive from Agrigento (based on our trip), sandralist. Annhig mentioned missing it at the beginning of her thread. The mosaics are stunning.

julia_t

Ann, last October I caught the silly-o'clock flight from Bristol to Catania and spent 24 hours there.

I loved it!

Here's what I wrote on another thread...


I took the bus in from the airport, walked up to the Duomo and then on to my B&B (Liccu in Piazza Francisco d'Asissi)dragging my suitcase and looking very much like a tourist I'm sure.

http://www.liccu-bedandbreakfast.it/en/

I then went exploring, the fish market, down to Castello Ursini where I stopped for wine after getting lost in the maze of side streets. Wandered on up to San Nicolas and around and up to the Bellini Gardens, down Via Etnea (had lunch in a student bar in a side street), back to the Duomo, then the Roman Amphitheatre which I had all to myself and it was wonderful.

After a rest in my room (I'd been up since the middle of the night for a 6am flight) I went out again to join the passiegata along Via Crociferi and Via Etnea and various piazzas and side streets looking for a nice restaurant which I eventually found in Monti Sant Agata (Ristorante Be Quiet). Next morning I re-visited the fish market at its busiest time, and roamed up the Via Garibaldi before heading for the bus station and then the train station for my train to mainland Italy.

Regarding safety, I'd read various reports and views - and was a little nervous. But I felt perfectly safe at all times, even when I got lost, even after dark wandering around alone, even the area round the station which admittedly is a bit sleazy. At no time did I ever feel threatened or anxious.

Catania is a busy vibrant city, but the streets are clean. OK, it does look dirty because it is mostly built of black lava rock, but the architecture is great, a lot of it the lava striped with white limestone. It is very striking, and there are hardly any tourists/visitors.

I would say take the same precautions you would in any major city regarding where you keep your cash and cards, and be alert and aware.

But do not be put off visiting Catania.

kja

I stopped at Lido di Noto -- just for a few minutes though, and back in 2007. I was not impressed. I'm sure it could have changed.

I'm sure you realize that Noto itself is only a half hour or so by public transportation from Ortygia.

As for your current 3 options, I see more advantages and fewer disadvantages to option # 2:

(1) Seems to me like a lot of time in / around the Baroque towns, and you miss Agrigento. From my perspective: too much time in places that really aren't that different than other places you will see or can see, and too little time in a place that is extraordinary. JMO.

(2) Could work quite well, IMO, particularly because you would be able to spend some time in Catania from Taormina (or Castelmola).

(3) Not enough time in Ortygia for my tastes -- but it's not my trip! BTW, if you opt for this routing, I'd return the car upon arriving in Siracusa.

As you've noted, you don't need to make your trip "perfect" -- and I suspect that any choice you make will come close!

sandralist

I spend a lot of time touring around Italy and see a lot of baroque, and one of the delightful surprises of the baroque towns of Sicily is that they have their own character, and are more aesthetcially pleasing than the baroque architecture you see in other parts of Europe, and even southern Italy, for a variety of reasons. But the real enjoyment of the Sicilian baroque towns for me was the absence of commercialized tourism and loads of tourists. Sicily has a culture that is different from the rest of Italy, and that gets obscured discern in the tourist-magnet sightseeing parts of Sicily. The Sicilian sights are all worthy of putting up with crowds and souvenir hawkers en route. But if you are curious about Sicilian culture, and Italy, then the fun of the baroque towns (when I was there some years ago) is that there are memorable sights of architectural accomplishment and full-blown Sicilian culture surrounding you. The towns themselves are mainly prosperous and lively, and yet like no other town of their size and prosperity in Europe that I can easily think of. They retain their Sicilian attitudes and rhythms while still be modern and sophisticated. It's not what I expected.

sandralist

I'm going to add something about this notion about spending your time doing what others deem is unique to Sicily (including myself): There are better Greek temples in Paestum. There are better mosaics in Ravenna. It's possible many would say the floor mosaics in Aquiliea are better, or the ones in Taranto. There are better seaside village/islands than Ortygia, beaches than Lido di Noto, yada yada. In fact, about the only sight I can think of in Sicily that is "better" than anyplace else in Italy is the Greek theater in Taormina, and it's the one place most people are telling you "ewww, pew, not for me!"

You've provided a really good description of you and Mr. Ann like to go, day by day, when you travel. That is really the point of going to Sicily, is to enjoy it, so while I am sure --- as much as you dislike reading long posts, especially by me -- you are happy to hear everyone else's take on their trip to Sicily, do what you want!

willit

I cannot really add much that hasn't already been discussed, but my own experiences:
Taormina - One of the few places in Italy I've ever felt targetted as a tourist and fleeced. The Town itself has spectacular views both from the theatre itself and various other points, and for those alone it is worth the effort.

We stayed on Ortygia, and I must say I wasn't really taken with Syracuse itself - but there is plenty to see. The Archeological museum up near the amphitheatre is excellent (if you like that sort of thing)

I preferred Selinunte to Agrigento, but it is well out of your way - That's not to say I didn't like Agrigento - I take sandralist's point, but it would be a very short trip anywhere if we only visited the very best place in any given country.

To me, the Mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale were one of the highlights of my trip. Others may prefer the religious mosaics at Ravenna and elsewhere, but the attraction to me were the "everyday scenes of rich Roman life".

Finally, I entirely agree with BritishCaico about the Teatro Di Puppi - no matter how uninteresting it might sound, it is an absolute gem (I didn't actually see the show in Ortygia, but one similar in Cefalú)

sandralist

willt,

My point was the opposite of what you apparently interpreted. I was reacting to another post, whose gist seemed to be that one should plan a trip around doing what is unique to Sicily -- but many of the sights in Sicily can be found elsewhere, and often in better shape, so what to do?

Given that this trip is occurring in summer, and the travelers like to swim, making time each day, as often as possible, to enjoy swimming as part of a trip that is a birthday treat. That is likely to mean that some sights deemed "must sees" by the people who think that way might not get seen. But Sicily is a fairly short flight from the UK, and sightseeing is more fun in Sicily when the weather is cooler -- which is just another reason not to lose sight of how nice it can be to go swimming on the island.

annhig

Dear All,

Thank you very much for your long and thoughtful posts, every word of which I have read! [having so far as I can remember never expressed an aversion to long posts, especially where the posters are trying to help me!]. And thank you all for sharing your likes and dislikes of Sicily - it's interesting that about as many people as like Toarmina dislike Ortygia, and vice versa.

Anyway, while I was watching a rather boring [and what seemed to be an overlong] rugby match this pm. I came across this website:

http://www.bestofsicily.com

now I know that it that it exists to sell their own tours [which get very good reviews on TA, BTW] but it seemed to me to be full of excellent information, including, for example, a list of the best beaches in the island which I intend to study further.

as for "must sees" they are surely subject to the practicalities of the trip and the tastes of the poster. Palermo, for example is a "must see" on Sicily, but we aren't going there as it's far too far out of the way for us. However, the fish market in Catania and the surrounding restaurants ARE very much part of our interests which is why I'm keen to spend at least enough time time enjoy them both. I think that the rest of the day that we arrive, and the evening should do it, but as SL has pointed out, we can always have a look the following morning, if we've missed it the night before. so I think that that IS a must for us.

That then is one problem solved. Another must for me [and part of the point of the trip] is to see the gorgeous Baroque cities that are so much a feature of the Montalbano series - the question is how long to spend there. So far we have votes for 1,2, and 3 nights - and recommendations for staying in Modica, Ragusa, and Scicli. Ditto Ortygia - 1 or two nights? And though I had never heard of the Villa Casale before I started this thread, you have all sold it to me so that goes down on the list along with the puppet show in Ortygia.

So the two big questions remain - Agrigento or not? and if not Castelmola, where to end the trip? [I've started looking at other places on the eastern coast between Catania and Taormina but none of them have really grabbed me yet]

[I'm not expecting answers BTW, just thinking out loud!]

BTW, Dickie, I've remembered why we're going when we are, despite the evident benefits of staying at home - direct flights from Bristol to Catania stop at the end of September! I suppose that we could have flown home via Rome or Naples, but that just gets too complicated for a trip of this length.

willit - thanks for your input - and the push towards the Villa. I can see that Taormina itself might well be somewhere to avoid during the day time, but what about when all the cruise passengers and coach groups go home? what's it like at night?

kja - thanks for sticking with me and for your analysis of my latest itineraries. The controversy between you and SL seems to be how much time to give the Baroque towns as against Ortygia, plus your suggestion that we visit Catania from somewhere else. I can see the point of that, but I just don't think that we would end up doing it, and certainly not by car - I've read enough to know that I don't want to drive into and out of Catania.

julia t - I'd forgotten that you'd already been to Sicliy, albeit for a flying visit! thanks for the endorsement of Catania - i think that a day and a night there will be perfect for us.

<<The problem is there are too many interesting sights in eastern Sicily and too little time. And the more you research the more interesting places you find. Isn't that true with every trip?

And we Fodorites all have our favorites.

What you cut depends on your interests. Are all the Sicilian Baroque towns necessary? The cathedral in Ortygia has a Baroque exterior -- in addition to remains of a Temple to Athena.

We took a train from Siracusa to Taormina/Giardini-Naxos. It stopped in Catania and was a comfortable trip stopping. So Catania airport to Catania train station to Siracusa/Ortygia is an option.

Ortygia is smaller scaled and pedestrian friendly so that's a big part of its appeal.

And I want to bravely defend Taormina, where we spent a couple days relaxing at the end of our trip.>>

Mimar - that's it, exactly. trying as ever to squeeze a quart into a pint pot [the sort of phrase that has my kids scratching their heads, but I'm sure you know what I mean!]

TD - I think that your suggestion about going to Monreale from Agrigento would work if we had more time there. But 2 nights is really all that I can stretch to - and even that is possibly too long. [but I've just had an idea about that!] Thanks anyway for the thought.

ok, itinerary no 4 [or is it 6?] coming up:

Day 1 - Catania.
Day 2-4 - Ortygia
Day 5 -6 - Baroque towns
Day 7- Agrigento
Day 8 - Piazza Armerina
Day 9-10 - Castelmola
Day 11 - home.

Now the problem with that is that there are two "one night stands" in a row and we've lost a night at the end.

oh dear!

Dayle

Ann


I think your latest plan is well balanced and will meet your goals for the trip.

Yes you have 2 one nighters, but that's not bad really. I did 4 one nighters in a row in order to visit my priorities. It really wasn't bad at all.

You will have a wonderful tie , and you will return! Lucky you!