Jim Zurer

My comment...too many stops and not enough days. Of course, it all depends on what your priorities for your trip are. If I were designing this trip, I would drop three of your one night stops...Enna, Erice (a nice town, but not significantly different than hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria), and Cefalu' (again, a very nice town but I don't think you can do everything.) <BR><BR>I would go to Taormina first--good place to relax after your flight into Sicily--and spend three days. Take day trip to Etna and the countryside. Then go to Siracusa for three nights--lots to see, both in town and in the towns to the south--Noto, Ragusa, Modica. Drive to Agrigento, stopping at the Villa Romana in Piazza Armerina en route. Two nights in Agrigento. Three nights in Palermo--a fascinating city with amazing churches, mosaics, markets, etc. You can do Segesta and Erice in a day trip. Finish with your three nights in the Aeolians and skip Rome on your way home. Save it for your next trip.<BR><BR>In Italy, less is more. Try to slow down and savor.<BR><BR>Jim Zurer<BR>Washington DC<BR><BR>PS On rereading the note, an option would be starting in Taormina and going counterclockwise--Lipari, Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa, and out.

Patrick

Although I've already voiced some comments I will comment on a couple of other things. We did Erice as a day trip -- but I suppose spending a night there (and only one) would border on the magical, so I say go for it. We did spend only one night at Agrigento and that was fine, arriving early in the morning, doing everything we wanted to do, having a spectacular dinner under the stars and temples, then moving on the next day. Wouldn't do Agrigento again any other way. With a car, I think some of these one night stops are fine. Although I still agree that I wouldn't spend a single night in Celafu.

judy

OK guys, here's plan B. What do you think? <BR>Syracuse 2 nights. <BR>Drive via Piazza Armenia to Agrigento arriving late afternoon?(still not sure about driving times)<BR>2 nights in Agrigento so we have time the next day to see temples.<BR>Drive to Palermo for 2 nights.I was going to skip it because of the driving nightmares I read about. Maybe stay somewhere outside the city and take public transportation?Please comment on that one.<BR>Do day trips to Erice, Segesta, Monreale from Palermo.<BR>Drive directly from Palermo to Milazzo stopping in Cefalu and the pottery town(thanks for that tip). How late do the ferries run? It looks like a long trip, is that true? Anyone give me an average idea of how many hours it takes?<BR>3 nights in Lipari <BR>3 nights in Taormina<BR>1 night Rome. Fly home and cry!

gac

From Agrigento, I would drive to Selinunte, Erice and Segesta BEFORE going to Palermo. This is a horseshoe itinerary. That will give you a FULL DAY to see downtown Palermo and Monreale. You could even take the city bus to Monreale, to avoid driving up the hill and finding parking. Palermo to Milazzo is less than three hours by car (you can leave around lunchtime if you wish). Plan for 90 minutes in Cefalu. The last car ferry to Lipari leaves Milazzo at 18:30 (SIREMAR lines) and takes TWO hours. The last passenger hydrofoil (no cars) leaves at 19:30 (one hour)(SNAV lines) (These are September 2002 schedules).<BR><BR>www.siremar.it<BR>www.snavali.com

Judy

Thanks all of you for your insights. I think I have a handle on it now. I can go ahead an start booking hotels. Any good ideas for Palermo?

Ann

There has been so much useful info. so far, please keep it going

panvan

I worked in Sicily for about four months in 1999 and loved it. The prior summer I actually vacationed there and had a schedule similiar to yours. Here are a few comments based on my experiences there --<BR><BR>Don't miss Palermo! It is a city full of rich cultural treasures and great food! The cathedral, the palace, the various teatros, and of course a visit to Monreale, which has spectacular mosaics. If you are interested in beach time, I would skip Cefalu (charming, a good place to stop on the way from Palermo on to Lipari) and devote your beach time to the Taormina area. Also, if you want to go where the Italians go in Sicily, stay in Giardini Naxos instead of Taormina. Taormina is lovely, the theater there is incredible, but it is overpriced and packed with American and German tourists. GN is next door, fairly low-key and you will be surrounded by Italian families on their summer holiday instead. I would do two nights in Lipari instead of three if you are already spending two nights in Taormina/GN. While you're in the neighborhood, hike up Mt Etna -- incredible!<BR><BR>Agrigento is incredible, be sure to visit the Valley of Temples at sunset -- it's incredible to wander around the temples as the sun goes down and the spotlights on the monuments go on. <BR><BR>I agree, don't miss Siracusa if at all possible. <BR><BR>Sicily is a treasure, one of my favorite places in Italy. BTW in Palermo I would totally recommend staying at the Hotel Centrale Palace. The best terrace in Sicily.<BR><BR>Places NOT to bother with: Messina, Catania, Corleone (my boyfriend was obsessed with the Godfather and insisted on stopping there!).

Jim Zurer

&gt;&gt;hotel in Palermo&lt;&lt; Depends on your budget...how much do you want to spend?<BR><BR>

panvan

FYI, here's the lowdown on the Centrale Palace from Concierge.com:<BR><BR>Centrale Palace Hotel <BR>Housed in an elegant 18th-century palazzo <BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>Overview <BR><BR>Built in 1892, this luxurious hotel close to delightful Quattro Canti square offers excellent service in the elegant surroundings of an ancient 18th-century palazzo. Recently restored, the hotel interior's classic d&eacute;cor brings a refined elegance to the surroundings, while its splendid dining room provides guests with a bird's-eye view of the city's historic centre.<BR><BR>BTW, it's actually part of the Best Western chain (their hotels are a great bet in Italy -- the one in Bologna is also great). I visited nearly every hotel in Palermo for my work (organised an international conf. there) so if you need feedback on any other options I'm happy to help. But the HCP was my fave, hands down, even though it was not the most famous or expensive.<BR><BR>

judy

Does anyone have a comment on Jim's idea of staying outside of Taormina? Any hotel recommendations?

Angela

We were in Taormina two years ago, but since we did not have advance reservations, the only availability we could find was down near the sea. We would have much preferred to stay right in Taormina and would definitely make reservations beforehand next time. Also, there is a little town above Taormina which looked really interesting called Castelmola (?) with a really nice looking hotel. We visited Giardini-Naxos, had dinner there, but I don't think, given a choice, I would stay there instead of in Taormina.<BR>Also, many people have commented that Erice should just be a day trip. We stayed there overnight and were debating staying a second night. We really liked it there, very medieval, although I can't really single out what our attraction was (could have been the gigantic cannoli we ate from the convent bakery!). Just trying to point out that everyone has different opinions and you shouldn't base your entire trip on the feedback you get here. You will not be disappointed no matter what you choose.

judy

I am going to think about what Angela said. Everyone does have a "thing" that tickels them in a different way. I usually go for the quirky(being an artist)and atmospheric. You have all been wonderful in your suggestions and I thank you all.

Maddy

Hi Judy, <BR><BR>You've received some great advice from the previous posters. I think you ended up with a much better itineray after eliminating all the one night stays and including Palermo. <BR><BR>I'll add my two cents on Giardini Naxos vs Taormina. Unless your primary consideration is the beach, my vote is for staying in Taormina. We drove through Giardini Naxos on our way to daytrips from Taormina. There were loads of tourists at Giardini Naxos also(this was in June)... they may be Italians instead of foreigners but it was still quite crowded. The town seemed nice enough but didn't compare to the beauty of Taormina. <BR><BR>Yes, it is touristy. But Taormina is really special...splendid views of the coast and Mt. Etna. A vibrant pedestrian-only main drag with gorgeous piazzas to linger over a coffee or drink and people-watch. (try Pasticerria Etna on Corso Umberto for delicious chocolate brioche..warm out of the oven if you go early) The greek theatre and Villa Comunale are there if you need proper sights. <BR><BR>One other comment regarding driving in Palermo. Yes you can...it's a bit hairy if you aren't used to big-city driving but it's doable. To minimize the craziness and get your bearings during the easiest times, try to arrive either during siesta hours or on the weekend...preferably on Sunday. Much less traffic on the streets. You'll find that if you can orient yourself using Mt. Pellegrino and the water as reference points, it's very easy to learn your way around the city if you stick to the main streets. <BR><BR>Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy Sicily as much as we did.

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George

Maybe you could consider what we did, Judy. If you want to avoid driving in Palermo. We stayed in Cefalu and did one day trip to Palermo and Monreale by bus. The next day we drove to Erice. It is easy drive and you don't have to actually go through a hell of driving in Palermo.

judy

I was wondering if there is a hotel right on the outskirts of Palermo that would be closer than Cefalu to commute into town. We decided to stay one night in Erice and stop in Monreale on the way to Palermo for one night.

GAC

There is one good hotel in Monreale, and several hotels in Mondello as well, as alternatives to staying Palermo proper. There are also a couple of hotels around Santa Flavia (east of Palermo) and around Terrasini (west of Palermo, near the airport).

Mariarosa

I'm following this thread carefully...if you stay outside of Palermo (Monreale or east or west of Palermo) how easy is it to tour the old area of Palermo and have dinner in Palermo, without having to drive into the city.

gac

From Monreale to Palermo there is bus service (orange bus no. 389) every 20 minutes, going to Piazza Indipendenza (Palazzo dei Normanni), within walking distance of major sites. From Mondello, there is a bus every 20-30 minutes into northern Palermo, but you may need to switch to another, more frequent bus along Viale della Liberta' to reach the historic district. From Santa Flavia, there is hourly (slow) bus service, and faster trains, to Palermo. From Terrasini, there is no good public transport into Palermo. In any event, you may want to dine early in Palermo if you plan to take the bus back to your hotel. It might be easier to garage the car (and stay overnight) in Palermo itself (many hotels have secure parking facilities), rather than fooling with buses late at night. Alternatively, you could have dinner and stay overnight in Mondello, Monreale or Santa Flavia (all have good restaurants). You've got many possible options. The primary advantage of staying out of downtown Palermo is to avoid the car and lorry noises at night.

Frank

Skip the rest... stay in Taormina. Take a day trip to Agrigento and or Siracuse. Sip coffee in the city gadrens over looking the sea. soak up the village atmosphere, drink the local wines, taste everything on the menue. Take the cable car. soak your feet in in the Adreatic. Head back to Rome but stop long enough to vist Capri.