Glad you found myTR inspiring. Heaven knows it was long enough! But I try to take the time because I have benefited so much from others' detailed reports.

I'm very excited for you and can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Buon viaggio

Dayle,
I thoroughly enjoyed your TR! And it was very helpful! Loved the description of Scicli, too, so I feel like I'm making a good choice in deciding to stay there. I think it will work better for my needs -- and the hotel looks gorgeous!

Paule

A quick note to say we have just returned from our 2 week trip to Sicily and had a wonderful time! I'm not sure if/when I'll be able to do a TR as I'm back to work today and am already feeling like I need another vacation! But I wanted to say that we LOVED Scicli - a perfect little town, beautifully sited, not too big or too small, with an excellent balance of "real" life and tourism. We stayed in the gorgeous Hotel Novocento and we were upgraded to the suite -- a definite Wow! We were both charmed by this town and were very happy with the choice to stay here.

We did visit Modica, unfortunately, on the only rainy day we had, and the rain certainly intensified the grey stone. We did walk up some of the steps and I realized that I made the right decision in changing to Scicli, as I did have difficulty walking up them. Truthfully, my initial impression of Modica was not that pleasing, but I also know we were there for a brief time and didn't have any time to get to know the town. But I can see why initial impressions do not favor Modica as the stonework is mostly grey, and this was intensified by the gloomy day.

We did a very quick drive into Ragusa Ibla, and this is certainly a much prettier town. We didn't really spend much time exploring, so it wouldn't be fair for me to proclaim a strong opinion on this town; but the initial impression certainly does favor it for its more golden appearance.

Will try, eventually, to write up a TR, though with work (and possibly a switch to another position) being as demanding as it is, I may just be writing brief comments here and there. Please feel free to ask away, and I will answer what I can.

hi progol - welcome home! and thank you so much for coming back to us with your impressions and opinions on this most important subject. Scicli is definitely on my list as somewhere to visit, if not to stay in. What did you see while you were there?

I'm still grappling with our itinerary; I put it on hold for a while while I unexpectedly went on a week's river cruise, but now I need to get back to it. The issue is whether or not to go to Agrigento - any help with this will be gratefully received!

Annhig, for the first time in years, I didn't take many notes while I traveled - just so fried from work this year that I had little left over, and couldn't do my usual detail-oriented note-taking, so please forgive!

In Scicli, we went into a few of the churches -- will eventually try to identify them, though none were so notable that they were must sees. We took the little tourist train around town --'that was fun. And we walked to the top of the hill where an old church mermaids for a great view of the town --' I think it was San Matera, but will need to confirm that. We,really enjoyed the feeling of the town -- and we arrived on a day when Inspector Montalbano was being filmed, so we experienced the excitement of people posing with the actors -- just being around that was infectious.

Re: Agrigento. That's an interesting question and the answer is, of course, it depends. We are really excited by Greek & Roman ruins, and that was really the focus of our trip. So we saw Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento, and of,course the ruins in Siracusa. Agrigento was the least impressive of the sites, mostly because the setting is not that interesting and one can't walk into and among the temples (in Selinunte, one can) -- but if that is the only site you will be visiting and you are excited by ancient ruins, then I'd say visit. There is so much to see that one has to make choices and it's hard.

We also visited Villa Romana dei Casale and loved it -- the mosaics there are amazing and well worth the visit.

I did think of you when we visited Ragusa, and I thought that your choice to,stay there is a good one. It is pretty and there's plenty to see.

We also loved the Villa Romana dei Casale--it was much more than we thought it would be! And the drive through the country to get there was also very nice, as was lunch at Al Fogher.

We did stay in Modica for 2 nights, and while we did enjoy it, and our lovely hotel, the Palazzo Failla, those steps were quite daunting. We did sleep well though!

After talking to a few local people, we hope to one day go back to Ragusa, as it seems to be the one most recommended.

We stopped at Noto for an afternoon, and although beautiful, the tourist trap stuff was too much for me.

Agrigento was the least impressive of the sites, mostly because the setting is not that interesting and one can't walk into and among the temples (in Selinunte, one can) -- but if that is the only site you will be visiting and you are excited by ancient ruins, then I'd say visit. There is so much to see that one has to make choices and it's hard.

We also visited Villa Romana dei Casale and loved it -- the mosaics there are amazing and well worth the visit. >>

progol - that's probably more helpful than you thought it would be. although we enjoy looking at ruins when they present themselves we are not mad about them and I strongly suspect that we would much prefer to spend more time looking at the south east and not chasing around in the heat seeing things that we're not that thrilled about. Also I would very much like to see the mosaics at the Romana dei Casale which are much more up our street, and if we stay somewhere nearby overnight [I have somewhere in mind] we can do that early in the morning and perhaps have lunch at Al Fogher as well. [thanks for reminding me about that, sundried].


So decision made - Agrigento goes. Now to book an extra night in Ragusa.

PS - as I posted on my planning thread, I couldn't get 2 nights at the hotel in Ragusa, so I opted for 2 in Piazza Armenira - we can use the middle day for visiting the Villa and exploring the area around Enna, and then on the way to Taormina we will be able to drive around Mount Etna and see all the little villages on the way.

PPS - although I'd love to read it, please don't worry about the lack of a TR, progol - you have given me some great tips just in a few paragraphs.

annhig, As I wrote on your thread, I'm glad that this helped you to decide to eliminate Agrigento. I'm sure there will be many folks who will disagree, but I think it's not necessary, especially if seeing the ruins aren't as important as seeing other sites.

The Villa Romana is wonderful! The mosaics are stunning!

Chiming in again a bit belatedly, but yes -- the Villa Romana is one of Sicily's greatest sites, isn't it?

I also wanted to note my sadness at sundriedtopepo's comment that Noto's tourist traps were off-putting -- when I was there (2007), there was almost no evidence of tourism. The cathedral there had been closed for repairs for, as I recall, decades, and it had re-opened literally days before I got there. I'm sure that made a difference. I was very lucky. :-) I have wonderful memories of seeing so many capriciously humorous Rococo forms greeting me in the warm golden tones of the local stone -- such a delight!

@ progol -- welcome home! I'm glad you had a wonderful time (of course! it was Sicily!) I look forward to hearing more, should you have the chance to provide further comments. Unfortunately, I know what that's like to come back home and return to work with barely a minute to spare. :-( Good luck with your re-orientation to the life that lets us accrue leave time!

kja - when I started planning this trip I had never heard of the Villa Casale so I'm extremely grateful to all of you who have encouraged me to include it in our itinerary.

@ annhig -- more than anything, that you hadn't known of this UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site was why I ended up questioning your research. And I still feel bad for having done so!!! But I am so very glad that you decided to include the Villa Romana del Casale in your plans and think you will find it worth seeing. Your trip is coming up, right? A few more months, if I recall.... I am completely confident that you are going to LOVE Sicily!!! :-)

kja - when I went to Sicily 40+ years ago on a school cruise, it was still being excavated and was never mentioned as something to see there; nor does it feature in my admittedly ancient Michelin guide to Italy. Somehow one tends to think [or this one does] that ancient remains remain the same, and it never occurred to me to look for something new!

our trip is in September and I'm sure we're going to love it too.

@ annhig -- I can understand that: I, too, have been tripped up by learning about ancient sites discovered since my guidebooks were written! And isn't it fascinating -- and amazing -- to learn that places all over the world are still being discovered? There are SO many intriguing places in this world....

kja- Many thanks for the welcome home! And to you, too! I do look forward to hearing all about your trip to Bali, Java and Singapore (my original plan for this year until a job change limited my time away). :(
And now I'm in the middle of another job change so my energy for a TR is really limited this year....

But kja - I did want to let you know that we LOVED L'Approdo delle Sirene in Ortygia -- it's such a charming place, and beautifully located. We didn't get the corner room (I'd splurge next time), but we did have a lovely room overlooking the water, and everything about the place just oozed charm. Couldn't have been happier with our choice.

We were also really blessed with opportunity to attend a performance at the Greek theater in Siracusa -- no, we didn't understand a word, but it's not necessary to experience an open-air show in the ancient theater. A beautiful evening and an amazing experience.

And yes to Villa Romana! One of the most remarkable sites! I couldn't get enough of the mosaics.

Though be warned - it is a popular site and there are many tour groups. We were there in an afternoon and saw lots of groups coming and going. I'm sure the morning would be better, but that just didn't work in our schedule.

thanks for the warning, progol - I've rearranged our trip specifically so we stay overnight in Piazza Armerina and can visit the Villa first thing in the morning to miss the heat and the crowds.

I think that's wise to go early, annhig -- we also stayed overnight but having arrived so early in the day, we felt it was just easier to spend the afternoon there and deal with the crowds. At least we made the choice and were prepared!

Oh, progol, I am SO glad that you enjoyed L'Approdo delle Sirene! I absolutely loved it, but it always seems a bit risky to recommend a lodging -- so much depends on one's preferences. But isn't it wonderful? My room didn't even have a view -- just skylights, but OOOOoooh that roof deck! :-) I smile just thinking about it, and about those breakfasts.... Thank you so much for letting me know you were pleased with it! :-)

And I, too, felt privileged to see a performance at the Greek theater in Siracusa. As you say, translation was not a problem, and the chance to experience a drama in that setting was an experience I will always treasure.

And those mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale... well, there is a reason why many of us say that place is a must-see. :-) I believe the facility has been improved since I visited -- when I was there, it was hotter and steamier than a hothouse -- perhaps even hotter and steamier than Singapore or Java! -- and I still couldn't tear myself away!

But seriously, ANOTHER change of jobs, progol? I remember that you were unable to visit Indonesia this year because of a career change. Congratulations on your NEW new position, and my sincere hopes that you will find great rewards, and few downsides, in your new role.