We stayed in Ragusa, passed very slowly through Modica on a bus, and wandered for a couple of hours in Noto. One day was more than enough for seeing Ragusa, even for Motalbano fans. The big draw of Ragusa for us were the well reviewed restaurants. Dinner at il Duomo was indeed excellent. Modica is much larger and would offer more diversions. Noto is tiny, though very picturesque.

I stayed in Modica two nights. Spent one day driving to Villa Romana del Casale (Piazza Armerina), and one day touring and having a three-hour lunch at Ristorante la Gazza Ladra in Modica itself. Could have used another night there. Modica has 100 churches...or more. I stayed at Casa Talia but I remember there seemed to be quite a few good options at all price points. Casa Talia was our splurge in Sicily.

If I were to visit Agrigento again, I think I would just bite the bullet and stay somewhere un-charming but conveniently located. We stayed at Villa Diana, which was great, but they don't serve dinner. There was a hotel across the street from a little wine bar on the edge of town where we were having our dinner. As my friends enjoyed their meal and their wine, I, the sole driver, stressed about finding our way back to the inn at the end of the evening. And thought, "I wish I had just booked us at that hotel across the street." I think the hotel was called Colle Verde Park.

I mention this only because you said you'll be driving solo.

Leely,

Thanks. I did check that Agrigento Hotel and it looked pretty much OK. Some reviews commented on noise large weddings, etc., but I'll check again.

Scicli looks like quite a nice little town and the hotel vespacurves friend stayed in looks wonderful. Maybe I'm leaning toward staying there 2 nights, visting Ragusa Ilba from there.

It's also near to the Vendicari Nature Reserve which I would like to see. Has anyone gone there? I only remember one trip report mentioning it, but they said it was very beautiful, flamingos and all!

If you are looking for a hotel in Agrigento, try Camere con Vista

thanks, Leely, vespacurves, and Marija for all the tips.

still lots of planning to do but it's coming together.

I posted this on another Forum, but thought it may help some here also



here are some of hotels and B&B i have stayed at that i can recommend.:
Palmermo http://www.bed-breakfast-palermo.com/ nice and clean, great location. good price.
Agrigento :http://www.hotelvillaathena.it/ location location location
Ragusa : http://www.anticabadia.com/home_eng.php
Segesta: http://www.angimbe.it/
Menfi : http://www.planetaestate.it/?lang=en Love the wine , magical place.
Taormina stayed at all of these, hard to choose which one was my favorite, althougth Francesca and Pino at Casa Turchetti make that my favorite : http://www.villaducale.com/ , http://www.casaturchetti.com/en/main.php , http://www.hotelvillacarlottataormin...taormina-villa

i have been looking at this for trip next month, but itis not right in Taormina http://www.luxuryresidencetaormina.i...ents-eolie.htm

Grazie Uma,

I appreciate the hotel recommendations. While they are beyond my budget, some of the other Fodorites can probably consider some of these.

annhig and Rescue,
We must might have the makings of a GTG once we finalize our plans. We should keep it in mind!

We stayed at Hotel Villa Belvedere in Taormina. It was lovely. Phone: 011-39-942-23-791

bookmarking

Carolyn,

Thank you! Hotel Belevedere was one of my main choices for Taormina. May I ask the type of room you had and how were the views. If I'm going to Taormina for the scenery, I'm interested in views!

Dayle,
That would be great to meet fellow travelers. We have posted our tentative travel plans. We arrive in Palermo April 28TH stay for two nights and then travel clockwise around Sicily starting with Cefal'u then Taormina, Siracusa, Modica, Agrigento, and Castellammare del Golfo. Ciao, Louie & Vera.

Dayle - certainly we'd be up for a GTG if our dates co-incide. not sure at the moment when we'll be going so watch this space!


REscue - if you can get hold of the lonely Planet guide to Sicily, they have a very interesting drive into the hills above Cefalu that you might be interested in.

The best views in Taormina are of Etna, not the sea. (You can get sea views anywhere. Etna puffing away is unique.)

vespacurves,

Do you have any recommendations for hotels where I could get that view? Wouldn't it be hard to guarantee the Etna view?

I've actually seen an erupting volcano up close and personal in Hawaii by both day and night. Also have seen dormant craters all over the westerns US, so I have no interest in visiting Etna up close. Wouldn't mind enjoying the view though.

Carolyn, I did reserve an ocean view room at Belevedere just for the one night and I'll decide as I refine my other reservations where or not I'll actually keep it.

Does anyone know if holiday traffic on May 1 has a major impact on the smaller cities, such as Trapani? Or, it is affects the rental office? I'm guessing car rental offices would be closed on a holiday in the non-airport locations.

Thanks for any first hand experiences!

Public transportation often comes to a halt in Italy on May 1. So if the first of May is a nice day weather-wise, and you are trying to get to someplace by car where Italians would also enjoy having a holiday, you will encounter a traffic jam.


I stayed at the Hotel Paradiso in Taormina, with a view of both the sea and Etna, but the Hotel is quite oddball, so I hesitate to recommend it. Moreover, I hated staying in Taormina, which to me is corny-tourist-central. Were I ever to return to that specific area, I would stay in Castelmola.

Another B&B option in Palermo:
http://www.bed-and-breakfast.palermo.it/eng/

Dayle, we stayed at Hotel Taodomus. It's a small boutique Hotel on the main street, paid extra for a part view room, and really liked it. It has a breakfast terrace with a nice view towards Etna.
Good breakfast, too. The rooms are a tad small, but that's usual.

We liked spending a few days there. It's kind of nice to relax, no driving, and not have to see anything in particular except the Theatre, of course. Go early.

There's also a lovely garden and nice cafes for people watching if you like that sort of thing.

Dayle, our room had a sea view. It had louvered doors, and you walked out onto a patio. You had to climb down steps to the swimming pool, and the walls were all covered with gorgeous bougainvilla. I don't believe there are rooms there with a view of Mt. Etna, but it is a really pretty place and quite walkable to restaurants and shops. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Dayle, in Palermo we really liked the Ambasciatori. It occupies several floors in an old building on the main street within walking distance of the bus/train station. You take an elevator to reception. The staff are really helpful, the rooms are comfortable, and the rooftop terrace is to die for.

For your trip to Lipari, be aware that weather at that time of the year could delay the boats. Ferries are more likely to run than hydrofoils if the weather is bad, but on one trip in May we had to wait a couple of days in Milazzo while the Med calmed down. (Worth it though!) There is a boat from Lipari to Palermo, but it may not run in May (we took it in September). But the trip by boat/train from Lipari to Milazzo to Palermo is easy enough--you can catch a local bus across the street from the port after you get off the boat that will take you right to the station and buy your tickets there for the next train. The train runs along the coast and offers some nice views.

Your idea of getting a villa in Lipari is a good one, but if that doesn't work out I suggest checking out Diana Brown's B&B--very conveniently located on a little alley in the middle of town, no view, but really economical and very clean.

Re: Taormina--I think it's beautiful and definitely worth an overnight.

Re drive from Trapani to Agrigento, with stops. Yes--that's doable in one day. If I could, I'd do Segesta and Selinunte on two different days. Erice is very small and you'd have time to visit Segesta and see Erice in the same day (provided you have transportation or can book a tour locally).

You can drive from Agrigento to Piazza Armerina to Siracusa in one fairly easy day. While up in the mountains, I'd suggest a visit to Morgantina also--quite close to Enna: you'll see signs for it, as they're trying to draw more tourists there. It's Greek (actually Sikel) rather than Roman, but has some very interesting features, and hardly anyone goes there, so you can wander around and imagine what life was like back in the day, and it's very restful after having fought the crowds at Agrigento and the Roman villa.

In Palermo, consider Hotel Garibaldi.

Also, I'd try to squeeze in a day to see some of Catania. Interesting markets (morning fish market near the Cathedral is wild), churches, Roman ruins, and Bellini.

Buon viaggio! Sicily is wonderful.