Lexma90

I have read many of your trip reports and ideas on Sicily destinations - we definitely don't have time to see everything we want to! We would appreciate input on our preliminary draft itinerary. We will be in Sicily for 12 nights in October. We have traveled quite a bit in Europe; I speak a a bit of Italian. We are a couple, mid-50s, quite active. Love history - that's our primary reason for going to Sicily. Both ancient Greece and Roman sites appeal, as do the Norman and Arab periods. LOVE mosaics (Palermo and Cefalu are musts). We live in the mountains, so while we love magnificent views, a mountain view may be less impressive to us. We are not beach people; we are very much in-town cafe-with-a-glass-of-wine people. We love old castles (medieval), even ruinous ones. I am the designated Europe driver, hubby is an excellent navigator.

Due to time constraints, time of year, hubby not loving boats, we won't visit any islands (this trip). Baroque architecture is not so appealing to us, compared to other periods/styles. We're back and forth on visiting Erice, and currently it's not on the list.

Any old castle ruin types of places that are not on standard "top 10" lists but still interesting? We have visited wonderful places like this, in the Languedoc area of France for example, where we were the only visitors (except the ticket-taker).

Thanks in advance. Here are today's thoughts:

Arrive in Palermo, 3 nights there, with day trips to Cefalu and Monreale
1 night Sciacca/Menfi, possibly visiting Segesta on the way and definitely visiting Selinunte after checking into our hotel.
1 night near/in Agrigento (Valley of the Temples)
2 nights Piazza Armerino (Villa Casale, possibly Morgantina and/or Caltagirone, depending on time)
3 nights Siracusa (day trips to Necropolis at Pantalica and/or Noto, depending on our mood and time)
2 nights Taormina (primarily to visit Mt. Etna, Taormina sounds pretty touristy for us)
Leave from Catania, for 2 nights in Rome before heading back to the U.S.

Other thoughts / questions:
- Drop off rental car as we leave Taormina, take a tour to visit Mt. Etna, take some sort of transport to Catania airport. Does this make sense? Driving in Taormina looks a little too "exciting," and I have some fear of heights, so driving up Mt. Etna to the allowed point may be very stressful for me (would be easier if someone other than one of us was driving).
- Does this order make sense? Or should we go from Piazza Armerina to Taormina, then Siracusa, then Catania? (Then we would have to keep the car, to allow for day trips from Siracusa)
- Hotel recommendations for Palermo and Piazza Armerina?
- I'm thinking a countryside stay would be good at some point in the trip, so any suggestions there would be great too

bobthenavigator

This is the near perfect itinerary for Sicily.
It is very nearly the reverse of what we did, only with some improvements.
I am sorry it is not May with the flowers and longer days, but you will have fun.

kja

I’m glad you realize that you will be skipping a lot! Even so, you should have a great trip. Given your interests, you might consider:

· Adding a night or two to Palermo (Norman and Arab architecture, a very good archelogical musuem, great opportunities for café-with-wine, an old castle); and

· Cutting down to 1 night at or near the Villa Romana del Casale (since you are not much interested in the Baroque, and BTW);

I don’t ever use “top X” lists, so I’m not sure what sites you know, but if ruined castles are of interest, consider Enna and, above Taormina, Castelmola (its just a short bus ride). You’ll learn MUCH more about your options from a good guidebook; I found the Rough Guide particularly useful.

Yes, Taormina is often quite unpleasantly overrun by tourists, particularly during the day.

Visiting Mt. Etna can mean visiting the top or visiting the wineries around its sides. These are VERY different objectives, although you can do either by tour – be sure you get the one you intend. The one to the top involves a series of different types of transportation including bus, train, cablecar, and a big tracked vehicle. Many of the tours to the top also include the Gole dell’Alcantara, which I was glad to see. You cannot drive yourselves to the top.

Consider dropping the car upon your arrival in Siracusa (and do stay in Ortigia) – you won’t need the car after that.

Hope that helps!

natylou

You can check which days cruise ships Are in Port in Giardini Naxos /Taormina on this website
https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cru...os-sicily.html

if you can avoid those days it will be less crowded during the day. Be sure to see the Greek/Roman theater as soon as it opens in the morning. Love Sicily! Enjoy.

natylou

Enna is indeed an interesting stop. The views from the castle there are quite fantastic, it’s not terribly busy either. Just watch out for afternoon closing times if you’re driving through on your way to Siracusa.

kja

BTW, the drive into and out of Enna might be a bit challenging for those with a fear of heights.

Lexma90

Thanks for the help! I know, as usual, we don't have enough days of vacation to do everything we want to do.

Re Mt. Etna, we haven't yet decided what kind of visit we want to do, and it will be partly dependant on the activity of the volcano and the weather when we're there. While we do a lot of hiking here at home, husband often doesn't want to do that on vacation elsewhere. But I'm intrigued by the volcano, so we may end up making a more vigorous trek.

Enna was already on my list of possibilities - thanks for the warning. While I am the primary driver, we have had to switch occasionally, so husband can drive while I stare at the floor of the car. A favorite family story is the panic attack that I had while driving up to San Marino, husband "remembering" that I stopped in the middle of the road, and me pointing out that no, I pulled into an apartment parking area just off the side of the road. But San Marino was a wonderful overnight stop.

The reason for two nights in Piazza Armerina is that I was thinking we would spend a part of the arrival day in the Valley of the Temples, which I have scheduled as a one-night stop. Or I could schedule two nights in the Valley of the Temples, but Piazza Armerina seemed like a more interesting town to stay in or near.

I've already checked out a bunch of guidebooks from the library, and own the Sicily Michelin Green Guide and the Blue Guide to Sicily, but I hadn't looked at Lonely Planet yet, so I'll do that. And I'm such a history geek that I also bought a book that focuses on the Arab / Norman architecture of Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu. And I may get the Blue Guide to

kja

Sounds like you have a wealth of information at your fingertips – which explains why your trip is so well planned.

Some people who visit the top of Mt. Etna do a bit of a hike to get to the very highest part; I didn’t, instead using the time to join a group with a (free) guide who showed us key featrues of the terrain. I found it very interesting! When I was there – late May / early June – it was very cold at the top, so I was very glad to have brought layers with me to don as I moved higher. And it was EXTREMELY windy – I was the envy of my tour for having protective glasses and 360s with me. J Be sure to bring very thick-soled shoes, as the lava rock at the top has lots of sharp edges, and when I was there, it was surprisingly warm.

Your logic for Piazza Armerina makes sense! Another option would be to add another night to Agrigento – either would work depending on when you would arrive and depart. If it helps you plan, I spent about 5 hours on site at the Valley of the Temples (I could have used more time, but it was an excruciatingly hot day) and then another 1.5 hours at the archeology museum. I found the medieval town worth a delightful stroll, and otherwise enjoyed sipping wine while admiring the night-lit temples. (The place I stayed no longer exists, sorry.) I didn’t spend any time in Piazza Armerina itself – I just stopped at the magnificent Villa Romana del Casale en route.

bon_voyage

Here’s a thread with information on castles in Sicily from the Tripadvisor forum:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ta-Sicily.html

Vagabonda, the DE who seems to know every square inch of Sicily, might have additional suggestions.