A Week in Sicily Booked...Tips Welcome
 

Hi all...

Our week in Sicily in May is planned, and I would appreciate any tips/tricks to help me.

• Day 1 - Arrive Catania from Rome by air and take bus to Siracusa...most of the day is shot.
• Day 2-3 - Three nights (two full days) in Siracusa (Hotel)
• Day 4 - Get rental car early and drive to Agrigento by lunch - see Valle dei Templi (It's open late) - night in Agrigento (Hotel)
• Day 5 - drive to Palermo by lunch and drop car.
• Day 5-7 - 2.5 days in Palermo with a day-trip to Monreale - Three nights in Palermo (AirBnB)
• Day 8 - Mid-day flight back to Rome.

I know it's a little hectic, especially the first day, which is mostly travel...but it's the best we could do time-wise.
As I said, any tips/tricks about Siracusa, Valle dei Templi and Palermo -- and driving -- are appreciated.

We're not foodies, or outdoors/hikers types -- more interested in history and culture.

FYI:
We have a night in Rome before and three nights in Rome after...coming from the East Coast of USA.
We've been to Rome three times, so what we do there is irrelevant to this discussion. We had to get to Sicily via Rome on specific days because of the restraints of using air miles and a cancellation of a planned flight to Catania from PHL via MAD.

ssander

I think your plan looks good! Yes, it could be more leisurely but oh well, you work with the time you have.

If you have an interest, you could go to the archaeological museum in Siracusa. It is big, but you can get an overview of Sicily and how it developed, the early people, the invaders, the various visitors, etc., that have formed what is today a fascinating culture. Then when you're hopping about the island you will have a good foundation for understanding all its marvels. (We arrived in Palermo and Siracusa was our last stop, so when I was in the museum I realized how edifying it would have been to go there first.)

I consider Monreale a half-day trip, so you might want to go in the morning and then return to Palermo in the afternoon and do a little more sightseeing. If I remember correctly, the bus takes about 40-45 minutes. If you're pressed for time you could take a taxi, I suppose.

IMO, the archeological museums in Siracusa, Agrigento, and Palermo are all worth seeing, and with so very little time for the island, it might make sense to choose one based on your time. As Leely2 notes, it can be great to see a good museum first to get the perspective before seeing places, but you can also get that perspective by reading in advance. Because I do read in advance, I often prefer to visit museums as "capstones" after seeing places. To each his / her own.

The Museo del Papiro in Ortigia is often overlooked, but is, IMO, well worth the little time it takes to visit.

Stay in Ortigia for your time in Siracusa. Have you already booked lodging there? If not, you might want to consider L'Approdo delle Sirene.

There's a ton to see / do in Palermo -- you would do well to think through your priorities in advance.

Consider making time for puppet theater in Palermo or Siracusa -- such fun!

If you don't already have it, get a copy of the Rough Guide to Sicily.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the thoughts.

Sleeping already booked:

• Ortigia - B&B Vittorio
• Agrigento - Hotel Colleverde
• Palermo - an AirBnB just off Piazza San Domenico

Museo del Papiro sounds intriguing -- will investigate,
Have looked at the Rough Guide and will do so again.
Probably will visit the Archaeological museum in Siracusa -- beginning of trip visit makes sense. Definitely in Agrigento...walking distance from hotel.

Though not foodies, we would appreciate resto recos...not expensive. We have used The Fork in Paris and lyon (La Fourchette) to boost our quality at discounted prices. Looks to be active in Rome...not sure about Sicily.

ssander

The Fork is active in Sicily. On the website click 'altre città' and click on a town in the column 'isole'.
https://www.thefork.it/

Looks like a good plan! Your choices for accommodations also seem to be well-located.

We aren't foodies, either, so whatever our recommendations are, take that into consideration (good or bad!). You might find my trip report from a few years ago helpful:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...journ-1112174/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...na_Sicily.html

https://flic.kr/p/8hRnyw

This sounds like a good plan and quite similar to what we did but in reverse (started in Palermo and ended in Siracusa.) If you have time, we also really enjoyed the mosaics at Villa Romano del Casale.

Not interested in
Noto - Modica - Ragusa (day 4)
Casale (Villa) and Cefalu (day 5)?
For intercity travel (without intermediate stops) Siracusa - Agrigento and Agrigento - Palermo you wouldn't need a car.

A full day for Monreale is rather too much time.

I honestly do not see a way that you can include Noto, Modica, Ragusa, or Cefalu in your plans without giving up a lot of other stuff. You might, just, be able to squeeze in the Villa Romana del Casale, but I'm not sure. I certainly wouldn't enjoy trying to fit it in. And while I agree that Monreale does not require a full day, 2.5 days for Palermo (to include Monreale) isn't enough for all of that city's highlights, IMO, so you'll need to be selective even with part of that day.

As you've already noted, you can't see everything in the time you have. I'm willing to assume that you made the choices you did after considering your interests and preferences, and in that light, I think your plan makes sense.

These notes on restaurants in Sicily (and other parts of southern Italy) are from 2007, so take them with a heap of salt. Still, you might find something in there of interest to you.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...urants-715071/

Sicily is a problem, because there is just so much to see. I would second the recommendation for the Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina - it is a bit of a diversion, but you could plan your drive to Agrigento via the town. The Roman mosaics at the villa are probably my favourites of any I have seen (and I include Ravenna and those at Monreale cathedral)

Sicilian puppetry is a dying art - and wonderfully entertaining. My wife was literally crying with laughter at a show in Cefalú (I'm not sure that still exists, but there were certainly theatres in Palermo and Siracusa).

We took a long look at going to Villa Romana del Casale, and tried to figure out how to go there, but there wasn't enough time. It would have required waiting till the next day -- a Saturday -- to see the Valle dei Templi...and the auto rental place in Palermo (in the city...not the airport) closes at noon that day. We'd never make it to Palermo in time.

We have to leave Agrigento pretty early that morning. Hence visiting the Valle the same day we go from Siracusa to Agrigento.

Of course, in theory, it's possible to see VRC "on the way" with a diversion, but that's a hell of a lot of driving in one day, and it seemed impossible we'd get to Agrigento with enough time and energy to see the Valle after arrival. We want to take our time there walking around...and see the museum, too.

ssander

If you are there in May when the Greek theater performances are on, it's well worth it to see. Even though we didn't understand a word, we loved the experience of being there.

I described it in my trip report as well.

https://www.indafondazione.org/en/homepage/

i would not change the plan. If you include before going to Palermo just focus on one part of the island and drop Palermo.
Having used the fork you know you must take it with a pince of salt.
Have a great trip

I agree with progol that looking into opportunities for performances of Greek theater are well worth it! I saw a stunning performance at the Greek theater in Siracusa :tu: AND it was in the evening, when other things were closed, so it might be more easily fit into your very tight plan.

We'll look into Greek theater...sounds promising...thanks for the tip.
ssander

If you would do the same by public bus, you would get
Siracusa dp 8.00 - Agrigento ar 12.20
Agrigento dp 8.20, 11.15, 14.30, 17.00 - Palermo ar 2 hrs later

So glad you are staying on Ortigia. Siracusa’s Greek Theater is beautiful. Take the little red bus there from Piazza Archimede on Ortigia.
Locanda dei Collegio on Ortigia is excellent for dinner. For a more upscale dining experience check out Regina Lucia. We ate there twice.
We spent two nights at HotelColleverde in Agrigento, great service from staff and dining room serves delicious high quality food. .

Trip cancelled...too bad! Thanks, all for your advice...maybe we'll go in the fall, if possible.
ssander

We had to cancel our first planned trip to Sicily for medical reasons. Three years later we booked it again, same exact plans but in reverse do to hotel room availability. You now have this trip to look forward to.We loved every minute of this trip!