Dayle

I spent five days on Lipari during my Sicily trip. Visited Salina, Panarea, and Stromboli. I absolutely loved the islands and would recommend them highly. However, you have so little time allotted to Sicily on ths trip, that I would say just keep it simple. Visit Ortigia, Siracusa, Cefalu for your coast time and finish with Palermo. I had 3 1/2 days in Palermo and it was about right for me. I could have seen a couple more places of interest with one more day. I would recommend getting that third day at Otigia however! Its wonderful.

AirBalloon

We have been to the Amalfi Coast twice before as well as in Naples. We have seen Ravello, Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri (we have not been to Ischia, maybe we will take a day in Naples and go). We also drove to Paestum, which was simply amazing.

We loved Naples so much that we just have to get back there again. The first time we were there, we were there for 4 days and did not see close to everything we wanted to see. And the pizzas....

We do like the coast, and enjoy those medieval seaside villages where we can relax during the day and walk during the evening. Italy has so many of them.

We will allocate the extra day to Ortigia from Palermo. The Aeolian Islands will have to wait for another trip.

Thanks guys.

whitehall

Pizza is a good reason to stay in Napoli. We usually have multiple pizza stops along via dei Tribunali, our favorite street, when there. But we have found equally good pizza in nearly every corner of Italy, generally very similar to what you find in Naples. As kids, we developed our taste for pizza in NYC, where they sold large slices from stainless steel carts in front of restaurants in places like Arthur Avenue. My Italian Dad always said that when you folded a pizza, it should crack (a crispy crust). Neapolitan pizza is great. I can eat it every day. But when I make a pizza, it has to be a little more crispy, and a little less bready crust, than they do it in Naples. When we stayed in the Testaccio area of Rome, our landlord directed us to what he called authentic “Roman-style” pizza (not to be confused with the thick rectangular slices, “al taglio”, often pre-cooked that is one type of Roman pizza). It is thinner (crust not as plump) and crispy. When in Sicily, you will find a much thicker pizza, but the thinner varieties can be found as well. I think your final itinerary is a winner. Enjoy!

AirBalloon

The pizza we had in Naples, no matter where we ordered it, was the best we had tasted in all of our years of travel.

I have another question:

Are there any must-see villages or towns in central Sicily that we could visit on our drive from Syracusa to Cefalu? The drive is only about 230km so we would have time to stop and see one if it was worth seeing.

Thanks again.

whitehall

We have kept to the coast on our visits to Sicily. But our son has recommended to us both Enna and Caltagirone as places worth at least brief visits. Others here may have some thoughts.

bilboburgler

Air, you really need to get a book (say the Rough Guide) as Sicily has 7 or 8 World Unesco sites and everywhere has something interesting. Just stabbing out a few Enna old town/castle is fascinating and just down the valley there is Villa Romana del Casale. 230km is a long way in such a dense-site based island.

https://www.charmingsicily.com/en/un...e-sites-sicily

TCC

We made Enna a stopover on a drive from Siracusa to Palermo a few years ago. It is a lovely hilltop town with great views and some worthwhile sites to visit. We regretted that we only had a couple of hours there, mostly consumed by a very good lunch.
We also really enjoyed Agrigento, (amazing temples), Noto (baroque architecture), and Scopello (crystal clear sea) on our trip(s). Not to mention our trip up to Mt Etna. There are so many places to see in Sicily, that you could easily spend all your days there and have a fabulous trip.

bon_voyage

Also inquire on the Tripadvisor Sicily forum. Several locals post there, including the exceptionally knowledgeable Vagabonda.

whitehall

I second the motion on TA's Vagabonda's knowledge of Sicily.

AirBalloon

All of these great places in Sicily that you have mentioned but I am dedicating 3 days, including driving time, to Matera, as I drive down the coast from Naples to Tropea into Sicily.

Now that I have researched it, the Enna province and its many gorgeous towns, including Piazza Armerina, Aidone and Gagliano Castelferrato, among others, looks like a more natural time to spend these days as we drive from Syracusa to Cefalu.

What would you do? Enna or Matera?

Thanks

whitehall

I think you already know the answer that is right for you. And, that's all that matters! Matera will always be there for your next visit to Naples or perhaps Puglia.

AirBalloon

Yes, but it is always good to have some affirmation that what you think you should do is the right thing. We have been to Puglia before (spend time in Lecce and Otranto) and fell in love with that part of Italy and we will go back there one day, and we will then visit Matera.

Thanks whitehall. Much appreciated.

whitehall

The beautiful thing about Italy is that there are no wrong answers. And, fortunately, there are so many fantastic options to the usual Rome, Venice, Florence circuit. Enjoy and please report back.

AirBalloon

Hi everyone,

We are almost done with our vacation planning but need advice on one issue.

Is Taormina worth visiting for two nights?

We will be in Tropea for 3 nights after spending 3 nights in Naples, then driving into Sicily and spending 6 nights in Ortigia and Ragusa. As want to spend 3 nights in Palermo (where we are leaving from), that would leave us 5 nights and we think it may be more interesting to drive to the Western part of Sicily and spends the time there.

If you think it is worth seeing Taormina for 2 nights, where should we spend the remaining 3 nights? We were thinking Cefalu, but 3 nights there seems a little much.

Hope this makes sense.

Andrea

whitehall

Both of my visits to Sicily have been in late fall, and, at that time, Taormina was not overrun with tourists. Many posters here have had such bad experiences with crowds there, they generally recommend against going there. To me, the crowds affirm that there is a significant attraction to the place, and we found that. Having said that, if I went in summer, I would retreat during the day to Castelmola, the small hilltop village above Taormina; maybe even take a side trip to Mt. Etna, depending on volcanic activity. You could do this on arrival to Sicily, before Siracusa. That way you would have sufficient time to see western Sicily, Agrigento, Selinunte, maybe Trapani (which we enjoyed as a base) and cable car to Erice; and then do Cefalu as a day trip from Palermo. Of course, this would cut out the once discussed route through central Sicily, but it sounds like you have already dropped that. Unless I misunderstand, it sounds like you would be doing a somewhat clockwise tour of Sicily around the coast. And, that makes a lot of sense for a first trip there.

AirBalloon

One question we have:

If we decide to spend 5 nights in Lipari and the Aeolian Islands instead of Western Sicily, can we rent a car when we are in Lipari? We have read that in July, we would not be allowed to ferry our rental car with us as there is a minimum 7 night restriction to bring cars to Lipari.

Thanks

SusanP

whitehall, do you have specific restaurants in Testaccio for that pizza? I love Rome (have been there many times) and also like the Testaccio area, so if you have recommendations, would love to hear them. Not that I didn't love the pizza in Napoli!

whitehall

Don't misunderstand. We also love pizza in Napoli and pretty much everywhere in Italy. The thinner, crisper pizza of Testaccio can be found at two places that I recall: Pizzaria Da Remo and Nuovo Mondo. Simple, well done and tasty.

SusanP

Thanks, whitehall. Of course, I've heard about Da Remo but haven't been there. I'll check them out.

AirBalloon

In Ragusa, should we stay in the historic Ibla area or just outside (about a 15 minute walk). We are spending three nights in Ragusa and plan to take a day and visit Modica and Scicli.

Thanks