Late Planning for a Trip to Sicily in Late November
 

I am trying to plan a trip to Sicily during the Thanksgiving holiday this year with my husband and 9 year old daughter and really need to get in gear. To avoid multiple connections, I was thinking of flying into Rome (direct from Philly) and making our way to Sicily via the train (or plane if that is insane in November). I was thinking of leaving on Wed. 11/18 and returning Friday 11/27 or 11/28. We have been to Rome so it won't be tragic if we cannot spend tons of time there. I am looking for suggestions on how to allocate my time (we like food, wine, ruins, shops, art), especially factoring in the weather. One must-see is Ragusa, where my husband has family. I know that there are many other must-sees, but would very much welcome input on how to do justice to this wonderful island in this space of time (and hopefully not have my kid sucking lemons the whole time - she is curious and well behaved but also is a kid). I suspect I will want to fly back from Palermo or Catania rather than wasting time getting back to Rome. Thanks in advance for any help provided. (I read bon voyage's post and replies so do have much helpful advice from that).

We took a tour of Sicily with Grand Circle Travel. (It's generally for people 50+, but they make exceptions for families). This trip was beyond our expectations. It's in their "extended vacation" category, meaning you'd have time on your own while others take an optional excursion. I don't have a map handy to see if the town you want to visit is close to their stops. The accommodations were very nice and the cost was relatively low because of the large volume they serve. We had wonderful sightseeing walks in Palermo, good food and so much to see! Visited Catania too, but Cefalu, Taormina, and Agrigento are incredibly memorable because of the scenery, the ruins,excellent guides. We dined at some places especially planned for us in the countryside. Whatever you decide, you'll love Sicily!

This is going to be a very quick trip: 8 or 9 nites total in Sicily. Here is a sample itinerary:

1. Fly PHL-FCO-CTA
2. Take bus from CTA direct to Ragusa. Three nites in Ragusa. Visit Modica from Ragusa.
3. Take train or bus to Siracusa. Three nites in Siracusa. Possible visit to Catania from Siracusa.
4. Take bus to Palermo. Two or three nites in Palermo.
5. Fly PMO-FCO-PHL

www.segesta.it [bus from CTA to Ragusa and from Siracusa to Palermo]
www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it [bus from Ragusa to Siracusa]
www.ferroviedellostato.it

NOTE: This itinerary excludes Agrigento, Segesta and Selinunte, as well as the Roman Villa at Casale (Piazza Armerina). Cut one night from each of Ragusa and Siracusa, and you can get to at least one of the other sites. Are you renting a car or taking public transportation?

If you must stop in Rome, I strongly recommend that you either proceed to PMO or CTA by air (there are low cost carriers), or take the overnight car ferry from Naples to either Palermo or Catania. That way, you avoiding wasting an entire day by taking the direct IC daylight train (10-11 hours).

www.tirrenia.it
www.snav.it
www.tttlines.it
www.blu-express.com
www.volawindjet.it
www.alitalia.it
www.easyjet.com

GAC, I would have to vote for Taormina over Siracusa although the latter is fascinating, particularly the cathedral...

Hi LizTD,

As for some suggestions on where to go, in addition to Ragusa (a beautiful city by the way) I recommend spending a few days in Palermo to see its sites and allowing time to take in all of the restaurants and cafes that the city has to offer. For a unique tour, try contacting SottoSopra. 091 580433 to visit one of the qanats (ka-naat), an Arab-designed underground canal/irrigation system.

The area around Agrigento is wonderful too - we stayed in Siculiana, which was less touristy than some other areas - you could spend a day touring the temples and a day enjoying the beach and one day relaxing near la Scala dei Turchi, which are beautiful chalk “steps” carved by the wind and now perfect for relaxing or having a picnic.

Here is a Google map that contains some of our additional favorite sites, perhaps it will help you frame your itinerary: http://bit.ly/TBSgp

Enjoy your trip!

You have some wonderful recommendations here with specifics on how to get around. I agree--starting in Rome would be a serious time disadvantage for you. I'd hate for you to miss Agrigento and Taormina. The Piazza Amerina is remarkable (archeological site). A guide would be necessary though.

Thank you for all the great feedback. My question is probably clueless, but if it is a mistake to start in Rome is the bottom line that I should endure the connections to make it to Sicily at the start of the trip? I am a bit paranoid about connections given the nightmare stories we hear these days about airline delays generally (and the cliches about Italians and time).

I think that flying directly to and from Sicily is actually less stressful than breaking the trip in Rome. And from PHL, it's only an 8 hr. flight to FCO, which is really not bad. I suggest that you give yourself a 3-hr. connection at FCO to board your flight to PMO or CTA. And in November, there should be some really low air fares available. Just check the airline websites noted above. And carefully study the surcharges for excess baggage: there are very restrictive in some cases.

Thanks much GAC (and all) for the links, thoughts, and good advice on connections.

travel4now wrote: "A guide would be necessary though." I don't see why - I am among many travelers who visited these wonderful locations without a guide.

I meant a guide mainly for touring Piazza Amerina. Unless you are fully informed about this site, its mosaics,and the Roman's ideas for plumbing, you and especially your nine year old child, would leave the site with a very limited understanding. I suppose I should include Agrigento for that reason as well.

Given you need to go to Ragusa, I would make sure to drive to Agrigento and show your daughter the wonderful greek temples as a day trip. I've been to sicily twice and loved them both times. I would also spend another day and drive to Sicusa and go to the greek theature. Taomina is OK, but personally, i think it has a great view, but is overrated besides for that.

The finest restaurant in Sicily is Rqagusa if you want a treat. My parents took me to Sicily and paid for the trip. I paid for diner there. I got the better deal. :)

galaxygrll200, you are funny. Is the restaurant really Rquagusa or is that a typo given the early hour you posted? Restaurants and lodging advice are most welcome, BTW. Speaking of guide books (kja, I agree with travel4now; even it I never crack it just having a guide gives me a sense that I can navigate anything) do you have recommendations? A Barnes & Noble search did not yield a Fodor's guide dedicated to Sicily, but that cannot be the case and it must be what B&N chooses to stock. That aside, if there are better guide books (like Frommers which I always like) please share, although we may all be booted from the site (just kidding of course).

galaxygrrl200 makes a good point: Taormina is great for the view, but I think you shouldn't favor it over Agrigento and Piazza Amerina. n second thought, We were in Taormina when Lent was about to begin, on Ash Wednesday. The traditional parade of children in colorful period costumes was a sheer delight.

Of several guidebooks I consulted, I found the Rough Guide most helpful. BTW, audio guides were available at both the Valley of the Temples and the Villa Romana del Casale when I was there, and I found them informative.

Your other option is to fly in and out of Milan as they have numerous connections to Catania and Palermo. I agree with others-Taormina has a great view but Siracusa (more specifically Ortigia the ancient town on the water that was once the rival of Athens) is fabulous and magical!

I agree that an audio guide would enrich your experience. The one kja suggests is probably better than the tour guide we had because there were a lot of us taking up space in the Romana del Casale. National Geographic's Traveler Italy is a good read before you go. Good photos and graphics. You might find it in your public library.

The National Geographic Traveler's series also has a book specifically on Sicily. As travel4now said, great photos! I did not find it particularly useful for day-to-day planning, but was glad I consulted it.

Gosh, if only I had planned enuf time to peruse both books with photos and practical advice. I think Rough Guides and Frommers are the ticket. Quick question (if I can impose for yet more help). If I book the incoming flight to Rome, am I flirting with disaster by booking a totally separate flight from Rome to Palermo on Easy Jet? I thought I read that this could be a recipe for disaster in another thread (due to the fluctuation of things in Italy) but cannot seem to locate the cautionary tales.