bilboburgler

Given the low season and that the majority of the family are vegetarian, I suspect we will need to cook rather than hunt for restaurants. Does this make sense?

bon_voyage

Lots of good ideas above. In addition, you might want to check in with Vagabonda and the other locals on Tripadvisor's Sicily board.

sundriedtopepo

There are apartments in Ortygia, and I'm pretty sure you can rent for less than a week. Do your friends eat cheese, eggs, any fish at all? Pasta alla Norma, caprese salad, margherita pizza just off the top of my head....they make lovely tomato sauce with cooked down cherry tomatoes, there's a pistachio pesto, the capers and lemons are amazing...
You may want to cook at times, but I don't think it's necessary every night. YOU don't want to miss out on the fab tuna, sea urchin, octopus etc.

There will be lots of activity in the cities, but not Taormina or the beach areas. So depending on where you are... I don't think you will have too much problem.

dwdvagamundo

Bilbo, I strongly second KJA's warning about cars on Ortygia. My spouse and I drove around and around and around (literally as the main street runs around the island and is one way)trying to find our hotel. We finally spotted it right after we'd passed it, but were shooed away from a parking place by a policeman. I finally parked the car in a parking structure and walked to the hotel to check in, then got a taxi to pick up my spouse and the luggage and take them to the hotel. This all took several hours, in the course of which I mislaid my Blackberry with all our reservation and contact info. Luckily, someone found it and figured out where we were staying from the "recents" call list, called the hotel, and we reclaimed the Blackberry the next morning. Everything settled down after that and we had a great time.

Moral: I would take the bus to Siracusa and rent a car there for your trip to Agrigento (if that's what you decide to do).

Also, we stayed a few nites in Catania and enjoyed it--my spouse's family is from near there and we wanted to explore her roots--even saw her step-father's family name on a storefront! An interesting, funky city but unless you have a reason to stay there, other places on Sicily are more worth your time during a short stay.

sundriedtopepo

There's a huge car park at the entrance to Ortygia island. You can drive through, drop your bags then park. NP.

I forgot caponata, and there's a salad made with lemons, another with oranges, fennel etc

bilboburgler

Thanks guys, great information, still discussing with the other half of the team to agree the final plan but your advice has been fantastic.

Fish is off the menu (the expression "having a head and an a$$e kind of takes it off the menu for vegetarians" as my old work colleague used to say), but eggs and cheese are ok (which always amazes me, but hey)

annhig

I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at the range of veggie dishes available in the restaurants and cafes on Sicily - and what a great opportunity to practice your Italian, Bilbo, while you explain what your travelling companions will and won't eat!

sundriedtopepo

Bilbo here are some food pics and restaurant recos from our trip in May 2016.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vxtceu0t3...OW9PtuvBa?dl=0

And here are a few photos to whet your appetite. We started in Taormina, went to Agrigento, then Modica, then Syracuse.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5h1omrd2d...eLbN2nywa?dl=0

bilboburgler

siamo vegeteriani, non mangiamo il cibo ch'era avere una faccia o un ano, semplice!

annhig

mmm, bilbo - secondo me, sarebbe essere:

"siamo vegetariani, non mangiamo il cibo che ha [avuto] una faccia o un ano, semplice!"

perhaps better would be:

"siamo vegetariani, non mangiamo il cibo che ha [avuto] una bocca o un ano, semplice!"

[I had to look up "un ano", just to be sure - it hasn't featured much in my Italian lessons!]

bilboburgler

it came early in my lessons when I was trying to "hear" double consonants, so easy to say "I am 50" but also "I have 50 @@@@"

for those who are not in this conversation

"an nee" or "an ee"

annhig

bilbo - have you been watching Rick Stein's long weekends? This week's episode is Palermo. OK he starts off with fish, and lots of it, but then there are plenty of veggie dishes.

Worth a look i think!

bilboburgler

had a quick look at Rick Stein in Palermo (9 anni fa) and he reckons Sicily is a vegetarian's paradise.

Now watching the unpacked series

annhig

eccellente, bilbo, ma penso che questa serie sia una nuova. Rick ha visitato Palermo 9 anni fa ma anche quest'anno.

[he's been there again this year as part of the new series].

annhig

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...nds-10-palermo

sundriedtopepo

annhig Sadly the bbc iplayer only works in the UK. I would have loved to watch it. Can only get the previews on youtube. I really enjoyed the Sicily Unpacked series though.

annhig

sorry sundried. perhaps ! there'll be a book.

bilboburgler

a couple of veggie options there
pasta trapanese and then some pasta with tomatoes and capers

bilboburgler

thanks ann

annhig

Bilbo - Did you see the upside down pasta cake made with slices of aubergine on the bottom [which became the top] and then was filled with a pasta/tomato/ herb mix? it was made by the lady who said that her nona always said to her "esagera", "esagera" when it came to adding oil, or seasoning or tomatoes - anything really. something to try if you self-cater.

the best dish I had in Sicily was spaghetti with squash and ricotta; the plain spaghetti with truffle shavings was also very good. You can also find rosticcerie [shops selling roasted and over-cooked dishes] that as well as offering roast meat and made up dishes such as lasagna al forno, also sell roast veggies and vegetable based dishes. You could also ask for a selection of antipasti "ma solo delle verdure, niente con una bocca o un'ano" or "né carne né pesce" [ and né uova if they don't eat eggs].