My wife and I are finishing our month long Italy holiday by hiring a car and driving down and back to Sicily from Rome. The question is ...should we stop along the way or concentrate our last week on Sicily?
We have been to Almalfi, Pompei etc a few years ago. Thought we could hug the coast and take a couple of days to get to Sicily, but open to suggestions.

I am not really familiar with the areas once you get past Salerno and Agropoli, but you are looking at around 8 hours direct to Messina if you stay on motorways. If you deviate to take scenic coastal roads, that is going to add considerably to your journey time.


I presume it is your own car as if it were rental I would consider dropping it in Rome, flying to Sicily, and hiring another there.

If you do drive, I suppose it depend on what you want to see in Sicily. I love the Island because of its history, so particularly wanted to see Agrigento and Selinunte. Were I driving from Rome, I would want to stop to see the Greek Temples at Paestum (3-3.5 hours from Rome), although this would mean a slight detour.

Sorry, misread your original post. I would fly to Sicily, hire a car and spend the entire time on the Island. A week is barely time to scratch the surface, so IMO you wouldn't want to waste the time on long motorway drives.

I would also fly from Rome to Palermo, pick up a car & spend the week in Sicily. There's much to see: mosaics in Monreale, Erice, Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento, Syracuse, etc. Then on the drive back to Rome, I'd suggest stopping to see the temples at Paestum with an overnight in Salerno, and return the car in Rome the next day.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.