I am so confused. I usually have a great itinerary and go with it but confused about this one.

we are both 60 and mobile. i have always rented a car but last year on our 3 week n italy we had a few scary situations so I want to travel by public transport once we arrive. this is proving to be difficult to see all we want to.

we are flying in and out of linate may 1-22 so have figured those nights in and we have 19 left.

which is more interesting? will be too cold to swim in both spots. husband loves history, we both love good scenery and food.

for sicily, so far i have 5 nights palermo with day trip to cefalu and half day monreale

1 night agrigento and then 1 night catania. may do etna tour from here

5 nights ortigia with boat day and day trip to noto. would love to do ragusa ibla for a few nights but can't figure out how.

1 night milazzo

4 nights lipari or one of the aeaolian islands

would love to ferry directly to palermo but schedule not available.

questions: i still have a few nights. do folks like trapani and erice? it doesn't look that interesting but am sure i am missing something. did anyone do the etna tour? did you like it? wine country looks beautiful but we'd also need a car.

Puglia would be along the main train line starting in Bari and we'd do a Matera 2 night visit- as well as Lecce. Locorondo and Martina Franca look difficult to get to without a car.

Would appreciate any feedback or suggestions. Thanks

IMO, the highlights of Sicily include the Villa Romana del Casale and the Greek ruins of Agrigento. You can visit them by public transportation, and if you do a search on Fodors forums, you will find both trip reports and planning threads focusing on seeing Sicily's highlights, including these ones, by public transportation.

Note that there are two different kinds of tours of Etna: one focuses on its wineries, the other on the volcano and related geological sites (e.g., the Gola dell'Alcantara). I did the latter and found it fascinating. YMMV. You do NOT need a car for the wineries of Etna -- there are tours.

You'll find great food and wine in either Sicily or Puglia. I preferred Sicily because it offers a greater range of the kinds of different cultural, historical, and natural sights that I find most interesting. That said, I'm glad I saw Puglia and Matera and don't think you'd go wrong with either choice.

Good luck with your decision!

Either would be great.
Puglia it is worth understanding the trains a bit more. In the south of the heel the train line (still the main line) changes company for historical reasons (it may even be narrower gauge I forget). So what looks like branch lines really is the main line.

In Italy there is a whole concept called the Pullman which is longer distance coaches, and these are present in Puglia as well as Sicilia. Most seem to link into rome2rio and are worth using, very comfortable, sensible local drivers, heavy luggage storage underneath, buy ticket on the net. Flexibus is just one of the companies in this market places

an example is

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Lecce/M...Martina-Franca Lecce to Martina Franca. You can take the train you can take the bus. But the software is a bit stupid, eg I just ran it at 6pm. It tells me there is only a night bus, no there is a day bus but you have to throw a switch to make the search tomorrow.

I'd check a few different companies to get the best deal.... https://www.omio.it/autobus/martina-franca/lecce-rqoyw

so you have to work at it a bit, google translate is your friend

In SIcilia and Puglia you are less likely to find English speakers compared to the the north of Italy but you will do fine.

Public transport is easier to figure out and more reliable in Puglia in my opinion. Especially because the whole of the east coast is on the main train line making it very easy to visit Barletta, Trani, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Bari, Monopoli, Polignano, Brindisi and Lecce, also Ostuni by train. Inland is a little more complicated but doable. But May is still quiet so you could consider hiring a car just for two or three days to visit Valle d'Itria.
Trapani and Erice are among our favourite places in Sicily. Here's something about Trapani
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...ip-report.html
I think either would be great in May, Sicily may be a bit busier and a higher likelihood of a swim

Both of those are among my two favorite regions in Italy and I/we have been a number of times to both regions.

I have no experience with public transport, as we either rented a car (most times) or hired drivers from place to place, our most recent trip to Sicily last May.

if you go to Puglia, I would be sure to have 2 overnights in Matera, (Baslilicata region, one of my faves) among the most interesting cities I've ever visited..anywhere. It was not crowded with tourists last May, which I think was our this visit to this spectacular small city. If you can get to Tursi, you will find a magical place undiscovered by tourists.....and of course, the abandoned town of Cracco. But Tursi!!!

Ten years from now remember that I predicted that Tursi will become the "next" Matera. Indescribable!

If you go to the Aeolian Islands from Milazzo, I would highly recommend Salina instead of Lipari. It's the next stop on the aliscafi after Lipari. We spent about 6 nights on /Salina May, 2023. and will return for 12 nights in September. It is smaller I think!) greener, and much less touristed than Lipari. There is a bus that circumvents the island. We stayed in Malfa, one of a few population centers on the island...

Yes, you are right that it is too cold to swim anywhere in either region in May, unless you are, perhaps, from Maine or Scandinavia.

I'm happy to answer any questions, and I will refer you to my one among my most recent trip reports, including the one from May of 2023:. I have a few others, on Puglia, where we visited last September (Foggia province and the Gargano) between coastal Basilicata and Molise. I also wrote a few reports on earlier travels in Puglia, dating back to about 2006 or so,....


Sicily..three weeks in may with temporarily handicapped partner




We loved Trapani! Small charming historic city center, on the sea. GLORIOUS!!! Did not take the time for Erice on that trip but if you do decide to go, I recommend an overnight, as the town is flooded with daytrippers during, yes, the days!!! Me,I would just go in late afternoon, walk around and have dinner and then return to Trapani.

Let me know if I can help at all; right now I am thinking of yet another trip to Puglia next spring.....

Oh, here is a report on what we ate in Sicily last May (2023)

https://www.hungryonion.org/t/sicily-dining-in-2023/34398/67

EK, thanks. I have read your Sicily report from last year and do hope our weather is better than yours.

We have always rented a car but last year, on our drive back from Lake Orta to Linate, we drove to Stresa. We could not find a parking lot and we arrived at ZTL and had a horrible time exiting. They WAZE took us down a super narrow street in some small town and I honestly didn't think our super small rental would even fit (it did) and then we got in Friday afternoon traffic back to Milan and were in the middle of some car show with the cars weaving in and out and then we couldn't figure out how to return car. This was our final day and it was so stressful so I really don't want to rent a car for this trip.

So even if we can't swim, the Aeolian islands are worth it and a car isn't needed? So appreciate your help. I am also from NY but now live in Charlotte so need even warmer water to swim!!

thinking the history will appeal to my husband. Matera reminds me of Cappadocia and some of the open air museums that we have visited. It looks beatiful in a haunting way.

Great advice above for you Plambers. And your own comparison of Matera-Cappadocia is also on point. FWIW, our Tropea landlady this past spring raved about one particular Aeolian isle - Salina. A bit longer to get to than the others, but according to her, much the best of the lot. Her opinion. It seems that Sting also favors it, if that matters.
Aside: our experience was that some southerly Puglian trains were ticketed on the honor system. I would not miss Galipolli.
Lastly, if you might want to rent an apartment within a Palermo palazzo, we can recco those on Butera. The palazzo itself is owned by the nephew of the man who wrote the iconic novel 'The Leopard'. Cooking classes with his wife, the Duchess, are a lot of fun.

Gotta go now, I promised to give Bilbo a lift home when he gets out of the Scrubs.

I am done. the pair of choices

Yes, again to Salina..we'll be there 12 days in September......glorious as you maybe read I my TR on Sicily in May.....not Lipari.
Too cold for swimming in May anywhere the I know in Italy.
You need minimum two nights in Matera...

Hi! We actually have an Airbnb in that is inside the Lampedusa palace that looks beautiful and well located so happy to hear this!

the scrubs...

EK, just read your trip report again and loved it (again!). Will contact some of your drivers bc getting from one coast to the other is really worrying me. Should we visit Ragusa Ibla. It seems so confusing. Was planning to visit Noto as a day trip from Ortigia...

Do not miss Ragusa Ibla..minimum one night, if possible..

i can't figure out how to get to Ragusa Ibla without a car...

Did I mention rome2rio

Plam, plz take my additional advice here if the Air B&B is @Butera 28: deal only with the wife, the posh-yet-friendly Duchess Nicoletta from Venice I mean. Some folks are better at being organized than others.
Taking her Cooking Course would allow for a glimpse of the actual palazzo interior.

In Noto, Caffe (Corado) Costanzo (colored here just like their placemats -we kept one) is a thousand times better than their more high-profile, Bourdain-endorsed competitors 'Caffe Sicilia.' Its no hyperbole to say that Costanzo is simply THE BEST gelato on the planet. I mean that literally.
*Noto's Infiriota fest occurs in May, btw.
We reached Ragusa from Siracusa by train. That ride took 2 hrs and traveled via Avola, Noto, Rosolini, Pozzalo, Sampieri, Scicli (awesome valley) and Modica. Cost: 16 euros for two passengers.

I am done. the Sicilians

i don't see any options for ragusa ibla

but that is ragusa not ragusa ibla, correct?

that's not the apartment we are renting but its in the same complex. small world

I know about Noto's flower festival and trying to figure out how to make the timing work and I appreciate your thinking of me!

The Ragusa train station and bus depot are a ways (a mile-plus) from Ragusa Ibla. There's a separate bus/navette to get to Ibla. We did that one way and walked back. It's a long walk.

What do you mean no options for Ibla?

Nothing wrong with staying in the upper town, referred to either as "Ragusa," or ""Ragusa Superiore," or El Centro." Flat walking, easy bus down to Ibla, and you also talk down the steps to Ibla.....one of the best eating in that area, a take out bakery with Ragusa-specificc savory and sweet pastries..I talk about it in my reports. The upper town also has a nice square where few tourists venture.

But why not a B&B In Ibla?

Truly wIi would not miss Ragusa, no matter where you stay,

Zebec knows the magic: Yes to Corrado Costanzo's coffee in Noto..we went only for the, as partner could not walk to explore the town..have you seen the Netflix doc on Italian food, I forget the name but can get it for you if you like.

I would hire a driver to get to Ragusa if public transport is problematic. Gain in time what you lose in cash.

I'm done...scaccia Ragusana is waiting!

https://polentaebaccala.com/2018/11/...tional-recipe/

Also, e-mail the hotel In Ortigya and ask them what they recommend for a transfer to Ibla, or Ragusa Centro..there must be a bus.
Or you an hire the driver we hired lat year and will hire again this year, after we return our car in Catania...if you want I will give you his name.