LenNYC

Hello everyone,
I am planning to fly to Palermo and will have 8-9 days to drive around island in the beginning of October. I won't mind to hike a bit (and take tons of photos). I will rent a car and going to fly out from Milan (going to spend a day or two there), so I can be flexible with airports. Would you please suggest itinerary, places to see and time to spend? Thank you!

sandralist

Most of the itineraries for Sicily focus on the antique cultural monuments, and if they include hiking, it is mainly around Etna. However, with a car, starting out from Palermo, you could have a fascinating and scenic trip heading to smaller towns in the Madonie mountains. You would even have time to visit some of the more spectacular sights of Sicily, but would not be spending most of your time behind the wheel of car (which is hard to avoid if you try to see the main cultural sights of Sicily in 9 days).

So were it me, I would try to piece together a route that included some of the Madonie mountains, some of Trapani/Erice and maybe Segesta or Selinute, and possibly Cefalu and certainly Monreale somewhere in there.

If you would prefer to hike around Etna, then plan to fly to Cataina, and then I would suggest including a day trip to Taormina but then generally base yourself around Siracusa.

If they idea of going to the Madonie mountains appeals to you, also ask your questions on the TripAdvisor forum for Sicily. A poster named Vagabonda lives in Sicily and can give you great tips for putting together an interesting mix of culture, scenery, small towns and places to stay by the mountains and by the sea, where you'd get a real taste of Sicilian culture and have time to walk around and take interesting photos, not just drive, drive, drive all the time.

http://www.wishsicily.com/madonie-mountains/56

http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/...mountains.aspx

Dayle

Hi Len,

Even if you have a full 9 days to drive around Sicily, you will need to be very selective in what you choose to do and see.

Are you mainly interested in hiking and scenic photography? Then perhaps the Madonie mountains will be a good choice. I did not visit that area on my trip, but on the train between Milazzo and Palermo they looked beautiful.

My favorite scenic countryside photos were of the area around Segesta and western Sicily including Lo Zingaro Nature Preserve. My trip was planned for spring because I love flowers and wanted to see the county green and it certainly was. The Aeolian Islands were also very beautiful.

9 days is very short for Sicily, so focusing on one main area of the island will give you the most return for your time. It does take a while to drive between major sites. I had a car for just 9 days on my 3.5 week trip between Trapani and Ortigia. The rest of my trip was easily done by public trans with a couple of private transfers for convenience when timing mattered.

It's really your choice so do your homework because your trip sounds like it may be quite different from what many visitors do!
Once you know where you want to focus, many here can help with specific questions.

MyriamC

Yes, the Parco Naturale delle Madonie is a very beautiful area. Both for driving and hiking. The area doesn't seem very large, but the roads are in bad condition most of the time. It took us a very long day to drive the area.

Totally different but equally beautiful is the Riserva Naturale Dello Zingaro, in between San Vito Lo Capo and Castellammare del Golfo. This is just for hiking.
http://www.riservazingaro.it/index.php?lang=en

Tommmo

Does anyone know of any not to be missed events in October?
We'll be touring by car then, starting with a night on Mt.Etna, probably Ragussa.

Mimar

Tommmo, why don't you start your own thread. Hit the POST NEW TOPIC button in orange on the top left of this page.

BTW, Ragusa is well south of Etna.

kja

I agree that with this amount of time, you will need to be very selective. FWIW, my favorite places in Sicily included the Cathedral of Monreale; the Villa Romana del Casale; the ruins of Agrigento, Selinunte, and Segesta; Ortygia; and Palermo -- but what matters most here is what YOU want to see.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (always a worthy investment IME, and the Rough Guide is, IMO, particularly good for Sicily, but you can also spend some time with a few in your local library to see which meet your needs best), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

LenNYC

Thank you all very, very much! Now I will concentrate on planning....