rkkwan's Sicily and Amalfi driving trip report
Jan 8th, 2007, 07:43 PM
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<b>Thursday 12/28/06 Catania</b>
We were staying at Hotel Savona in Catania for two nights. Now you may ask, why? Is that really that much to see there?
Well, honestly, I didn't pay that much effort in planning this trip (I spent a quarter of the time planning this trip than the 5-day one to France in September), and it was my dad's idea to stay two nights in Catania. This way we would have a full day in this 2nd largest city of Sicily, only after Palermo.
It was both a right and wrong decision, in my opinion. Wrong as I was finding out that there were much better place to stay - like Siracusa or Taormina - than Catania, and the city isn't THAT interesting. But it's also the right time to stay at one place for two nights for us to slow down, for me to recuperate from several days of driving, for us to do laundry, etc. If I were to plan this trip again, I probably will change the itinerary somewhat, but ours wasn't really too bad. I would summarize this later when I finished with the Sicily report.
So, remember our car that I left on the street one block from our hotel on Via Vittorio Emanuele II? I didn't forget. In fact, I went into a tabacchi the night before to buy some more scratch tickets. I thought I would need 10 for this day - 5 for the morning session 8:30-1, and 5 for the afternoon 3:30-8 - for €7.50. But when I asked for 10 tickets, the nice lady explained that I could just buy two half-day ones for €2.40 each, or €4.80 total. She keeps saying "mezza, mezza" and use hand signal showing cutting stuff in half. Then I understood she meant half-day. I scratched out one for the morning so I didn't have to come down at 8:30.
So, this would be our "off" or "easy" day. I slept in, and we didn't set off until after 9. First stop was what I would say is the highlight of Catania - <b>Mercato della Pescheria</b>, or the Fish Market, which is just 2 blocks south of our hotel. In fact, we drove through the streets the night before coming into town when the market was closed. And while the focus was seafood, there were plenty of other food stalls as well. We saw strong men hauling half a cow, sausage making, whole lamb being sold, etc in additional to all the fishes. Lots of swordfish, each probably 10-foot long, as some of the "swords" on display are 3-4 foot long already.
Second stop was <b>Castello Ursino</b>, a medieval castle that survived the 1693 earthquake, and is now a civic museum (free). It was by the water, but now surrounded by buildings.
We came out of the castle, and suddenly saw <b>Mount Etna</b> for the first time. The previous afternoon, it was hiding behind clouds. At 11,000ft tall (three times that of Vesuvius), Etna is the largest volcano in Europe, and it looks majestic with the snow cover. From the city, it's often blocked by buildings, but we would get a much better look of it the next day from Taormina.
Third stop was the <b>Roman Theater</b> (3&euro
just across from where I parked my car. It's surrounded by ugly buildings today, and was under restorations. Then in the afternoon, we walked around the town some more, seeing some churches, Piazza Stesicoro, Via Etnea, Teatro Bellini, and of course the <b>Duomo</b>.
Dinner was at an elegant ristorante, "1 Crociferi", right across from the beautiful <b>San Francesco d'Assisi</b> and half a block from our hotel. It was our most expensive meal, €90 for three, all-in. Again, all Sicilian seafood.
Knowing that we have a long day the next day, we rested early right after dinner.
<b>Wrong route this day: 0
Wrong route so far: 12</b>
We were staying at Hotel Savona in Catania for two nights. Now you may ask, why? Is that really that much to see there?
Well, honestly, I didn't pay that much effort in planning this trip (I spent a quarter of the time planning this trip than the 5-day one to France in September), and it was my dad's idea to stay two nights in Catania. This way we would have a full day in this 2nd largest city of Sicily, only after Palermo.
It was both a right and wrong decision, in my opinion. Wrong as I was finding out that there were much better place to stay - like Siracusa or Taormina - than Catania, and the city isn't THAT interesting. But it's also the right time to stay at one place for two nights for us to slow down, for me to recuperate from several days of driving, for us to do laundry, etc. If I were to plan this trip again, I probably will change the itinerary somewhat, but ours wasn't really too bad. I would summarize this later when I finished with the Sicily report.
So, remember our car that I left on the street one block from our hotel on Via Vittorio Emanuele II? I didn't forget. In fact, I went into a tabacchi the night before to buy some more scratch tickets. I thought I would need 10 for this day - 5 for the morning session 8:30-1, and 5 for the afternoon 3:30-8 - for €7.50. But when I asked for 10 tickets, the nice lady explained that I could just buy two half-day ones for €2.40 each, or €4.80 total. She keeps saying "mezza, mezza" and use hand signal showing cutting stuff in half. Then I understood she meant half-day. I scratched out one for the morning so I didn't have to come down at 8:30.
So, this would be our "off" or "easy" day. I slept in, and we didn't set off until after 9. First stop was what I would say is the highlight of Catania - <b>Mercato della Pescheria</b>, or the Fish Market, which is just 2 blocks south of our hotel. In fact, we drove through the streets the night before coming into town when the market was closed. And while the focus was seafood, there were plenty of other food stalls as well. We saw strong men hauling half a cow, sausage making, whole lamb being sold, etc in additional to all the fishes. Lots of swordfish, each probably 10-foot long, as some of the "swords" on display are 3-4 foot long already.
Second stop was <b>Castello Ursino</b>, a medieval castle that survived the 1693 earthquake, and is now a civic museum (free). It was by the water, but now surrounded by buildings.
We came out of the castle, and suddenly saw <b>Mount Etna</b> for the first time. The previous afternoon, it was hiding behind clouds. At 11,000ft tall (three times that of Vesuvius), Etna is the largest volcano in Europe, and it looks majestic with the snow cover. From the city, it's often blocked by buildings, but we would get a much better look of it the next day from Taormina.
Third stop was the <b>Roman Theater</b> (3&euro
just across from where I parked my car. It's surrounded by ugly buildings today, and was under restorations. Then in the afternoon, we walked around the town some more, seeing some churches, Piazza Stesicoro, Via Etnea, Teatro Bellini, and of course the <b>Duomo</b>.Dinner was at an elegant ristorante, "1 Crociferi", right across from the beautiful <b>San Francesco d'Assisi</b> and half a block from our hotel. It was our most expensive meal, €90 for three, all-in. Again, all Sicilian seafood.
Knowing that we have a long day the next day, we rested early right after dinner.
<b>Wrong route this day: 0
Wrong route so far: 12</b>
Jan 9th, 2007, 07:14 PM
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<b>Friday 12/29/06 Catania - Taormina - Sorrento</b>
This would be the last half-day we had in Sicily, and I feel that we've left the best for last, as we would stop in <b>Taormina</b> on our way from Catania to Messina.
It was an easy drive out of Catania after breakfast along A18. Beautiful route between Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. We could see mainland Italy already. A18 went through a couple of tunnels underneath Taormina, then we exited (toll 1.4&euro and climbed the dramatic road to the town. We found a paid lot near the Porto Messina side of town (€1/hr x 2).
First stop was the <b>Greek Theater</b> with the unbelievable view of Mount Etna and the Ionian sea. I think 4€ out of the 6€ admission is for the view, and 2€ for the theater itself. Which was probably the case for the ancient Greeks too. I am not afraid to say that it has one of the most beautiful views of Southern Europe.
We then spent the rest of the time walking along Corso Unberto I, window-shopping and people-watching. We stopped at Piazza 9 Aprile, ten to the Duomo and back, before going back to the car.
Back onto A18, we soon arrived at <b>Messina</b> to catch the ferry back to the mainland. Signage from the autostrada was poor as to which exit to take for the ferry, so I just took the one for Centro, which proved to be correct. Traffic was horrible near the port, and then we had another problem.
There are two companies that run ferries from Messina across the strait to Villa San Giovanni, one called Bluvia, the other Caronte & Tourist. At first we were following a motorhome from Austria, so we thought we would just go where it goes. But it stopped at a shop for something. Then when we got to the port, sign for Bluvia pointed to the right, Caronte & Tourist to the left. Most traffic bear left, so I followed.
But that road simply went along the front of the town center away from all the ferries I could see. So we said forget Caronte & Tourist, we would go back to Bluvia. Turned out Bluvia is the new name for the ferries run by the Italian railroad. Before they were all just FS, then trains became TrenItalia, and the ferries became Bluvia.
Anyways, I turned back and followed the signs again. It led us through some strange streets, then a long overpass across the train tracks before coming to an empty parking lot. Hm... We went inside something like a cafeteria to buy the ticket (23&euro and waited. I guess we had just missed a ferry as other cars kept arriving.
The wait was just a few minutes, and we got onto the ferry. But the funny thing was that while we were the second car in that line, there were already like 10 cars on the ferry. It appeared that one didn't need to follow the signs and went over the train tracks, but just drove straight to the front of the pier and got on. Just like so many things about driving in Italy, signs are only for those who don't know better!
So, at 12:37p, we left Sicily, completing our 5.5 day driving tour of the island. We logged 740km, or about 460 miles, including all the wrong routes I took.
Before going on, I would make a short summary about my impression of Sicily and our itinerary in my next post.
This would be the last half-day we had in Sicily, and I feel that we've left the best for last, as we would stop in <b>Taormina</b> on our way from Catania to Messina.
It was an easy drive out of Catania after breakfast along A18. Beautiful route between Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea. We could see mainland Italy already. A18 went through a couple of tunnels underneath Taormina, then we exited (toll 1.4&euro
and climbed the dramatic road to the town. We found a paid lot near the Porto Messina side of town (€1/hr x 2).First stop was the <b>Greek Theater</b> with the unbelievable view of Mount Etna and the Ionian sea. I think 4€ out of the 6€ admission is for the view, and 2€ for the theater itself. Which was probably the case for the ancient Greeks too. I am not afraid to say that it has one of the most beautiful views of Southern Europe.
We then spent the rest of the time walking along Corso Unberto I, window-shopping and people-watching. We stopped at Piazza 9 Aprile, ten to the Duomo and back, before going back to the car.
Back onto A18, we soon arrived at <b>Messina</b> to catch the ferry back to the mainland. Signage from the autostrada was poor as to which exit to take for the ferry, so I just took the one for Centro, which proved to be correct. Traffic was horrible near the port, and then we had another problem.
There are two companies that run ferries from Messina across the strait to Villa San Giovanni, one called Bluvia, the other Caronte & Tourist. At first we were following a motorhome from Austria, so we thought we would just go where it goes. But it stopped at a shop for something. Then when we got to the port, sign for Bluvia pointed to the right, Caronte & Tourist to the left. Most traffic bear left, so I followed.
But that road simply went along the front of the town center away from all the ferries I could see. So we said forget Caronte & Tourist, we would go back to Bluvia. Turned out Bluvia is the new name for the ferries run by the Italian railroad. Before they were all just FS, then trains became TrenItalia, and the ferries became Bluvia.
Anyways, I turned back and followed the signs again. It led us through some strange streets, then a long overpass across the train tracks before coming to an empty parking lot. Hm... We went inside something like a cafeteria to buy the ticket (23&euro
and waited. I guess we had just missed a ferry as other cars kept arriving.The wait was just a few minutes, and we got onto the ferry. But the funny thing was that while we were the second car in that line, there were already like 10 cars on the ferry. It appeared that one didn't need to follow the signs and went over the train tracks, but just drove straight to the front of the pier and got on. Just like so many things about driving in Italy, signs are only for those who don't know better!
So, at 12:37p, we left Sicily, completing our 5.5 day driving tour of the island. We logged 740km, or about 460 miles, including all the wrong routes I took.
Before going on, I would make a short summary about my impression of Sicily and our itinerary in my next post.
Jan 9th, 2007, 08:00 PM
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Let me make a few general points about Sicily:
- It's amazing. Not a big island, but the landscapes really vary among region. Same thing with architecture. It's also quiet. We saw very few tourists, almost no tourist groups, and at some sites we were the only visitors there. [I absolutely hate crowds.]
- The ancient Greek sites are more amazing than those in Greece, except for the Acropolis in Athens. [But in Greece, you won't see the Arab-Norman or the Baroque churhes.]
- Besides the Greek sites, I particularly like the Baroque towns in southeastern Sicily, like Ragusa and Modica. I also like Siracusa and of course Taormina.
- I am less impressed by the big cities. Monreale is probably the only must see just outside Palermo. Catania not interesting enough either.
- Food is wonderful, especially all the fresh seafood. And very affordable. For those who complain about the high euro, go to Sicily.
- Hotels are also reasonable. I got the triple at the 4* Mediterraneo Palace in Ragusa for 89€, and others are not much more. Most expensive was Hotel Elite in Palermo - 125€ for the triple. And no complains with any we stayed at, except for the old room at the Tre Torri in Agrigento.
- The driving itself is very easy. Traffic was light on the autostrada, as well as on S115 along the SW coast. Only heavy traffic in the rural area is between Siracusa and Catania. [BTW, I checked the satellite pictures on Google Earth, and there is some work being done there for the construction of the autostrada.]
- Parking also not a problem as long as you're willing to pay. Locals park for free on sidestreets, leaving the paid parking spots on main roads and piazzas open. Just buy the scratch tickets from a tabacchi (0.5€ - 0.75€ per hour, depending on the town). Very reasonable.
- Unfortunately, road signs on Sicily is just horrible. I am very proud of my directions and map reading skills, but I have never took so many wrong routes driving anywhere in the world. It's absolutely ridiculous.
- One really have to observe the opening hours in Sicily. Nothing's open between 1-4, except the archaeological sites (which closes early). Even churhces are closed during that time. And restaurants don't open for dinner until 8. Best to spend 1-4 on the road going between towns, or taking a nap in your hotel.
---
Now, to the most important questions:
<b>1. Will I change my itinerary and how will I change it?</b>
First, 6 days is really not enough to go around the island, in my opinion. There are more places I had wanted to go - Cefalu on the north coast, Trapani in the western edge, Enna and other hill towns in south-central.
And there are places I think deserves more time - Siracusa, Taormina. I would cut down the time we had in Palermo and Catania. The Sicilian countryside and smalltowns are too beautiful to waste time in the larger cities.
<b>2. Will you recommend others to visit Sicily by car? If not, how to visit?</b>
I guess the travel logistics is what keeping many tourists away from Sicily thus far. [I mean tourists who go from sites to sites, not vacationers staying at just one place.] Road signs are so bad everywhere and streets so confusing in the larger cities that it makes really hesitant in telling people to just rent a car and go.
But public transportation is spotty with very slow trains on Sicily. Siracusa or Agrigento may be okay, but I don't know how one goes to Segesta or Selinunte.
In fact, my parents had wanted to visit Sicily for a long time, and if I wasn't coming with them, they'd probably join a coach tour like Cosmos. A coach tour may be the best way for many to see the main sites of Sicily. I think it'd be pretty good, as the scenery is amazing already.
---
Anyways, I'll continue with the report up to the Sorrento/Amalfi/Pompei area. I've seen a lot more trip reports on this board for those areas, so I will keep them brief. Meanwhile, I'll need to catch up with the photo postings.
- It's amazing. Not a big island, but the landscapes really vary among region. Same thing with architecture. It's also quiet. We saw very few tourists, almost no tourist groups, and at some sites we were the only visitors there. [I absolutely hate crowds.]
- The ancient Greek sites are more amazing than those in Greece, except for the Acropolis in Athens. [But in Greece, you won't see the Arab-Norman or the Baroque churhes.]
- Besides the Greek sites, I particularly like the Baroque towns in southeastern Sicily, like Ragusa and Modica. I also like Siracusa and of course Taormina.
- I am less impressed by the big cities. Monreale is probably the only must see just outside Palermo. Catania not interesting enough either.
- Food is wonderful, especially all the fresh seafood. And very affordable. For those who complain about the high euro, go to Sicily.
- Hotels are also reasonable. I got the triple at the 4* Mediterraneo Palace in Ragusa for 89€, and others are not much more. Most expensive was Hotel Elite in Palermo - 125€ for the triple. And no complains with any we stayed at, except for the old room at the Tre Torri in Agrigento.
- The driving itself is very easy. Traffic was light on the autostrada, as well as on S115 along the SW coast. Only heavy traffic in the rural area is between Siracusa and Catania. [BTW, I checked the satellite pictures on Google Earth, and there is some work being done there for the construction of the autostrada.]
- Parking also not a problem as long as you're willing to pay. Locals park for free on sidestreets, leaving the paid parking spots on main roads and piazzas open. Just buy the scratch tickets from a tabacchi (0.5€ - 0.75€ per hour, depending on the town). Very reasonable.
- Unfortunately, road signs on Sicily is just horrible. I am very proud of my directions and map reading skills, but I have never took so many wrong routes driving anywhere in the world. It's absolutely ridiculous.
- One really have to observe the opening hours in Sicily. Nothing's open between 1-4, except the archaeological sites (which closes early). Even churhces are closed during that time. And restaurants don't open for dinner until 8. Best to spend 1-4 on the road going between towns, or taking a nap in your hotel.
---
Now, to the most important questions:
<b>1. Will I change my itinerary and how will I change it?</b>
First, 6 days is really not enough to go around the island, in my opinion. There are more places I had wanted to go - Cefalu on the north coast, Trapani in the western edge, Enna and other hill towns in south-central.
And there are places I think deserves more time - Siracusa, Taormina. I would cut down the time we had in Palermo and Catania. The Sicilian countryside and smalltowns are too beautiful to waste time in the larger cities.
<b>2. Will you recommend others to visit Sicily by car? If not, how to visit?</b>
I guess the travel logistics is what keeping many tourists away from Sicily thus far. [I mean tourists who go from sites to sites, not vacationers staying at just one place.] Road signs are so bad everywhere and streets so confusing in the larger cities that it makes really hesitant in telling people to just rent a car and go.
But public transportation is spotty with very slow trains on Sicily. Siracusa or Agrigento may be okay, but I don't know how one goes to Segesta or Selinunte.
In fact, my parents had wanted to visit Sicily for a long time, and if I wasn't coming with them, they'd probably join a coach tour like Cosmos. A coach tour may be the best way for many to see the main sites of Sicily. I think it'd be pretty good, as the scenery is amazing already.
---
Anyways, I'll continue with the report up to the Sorrento/Amalfi/Pompei area. I've seen a lot more trip reports on this board for those areas, so I will keep them brief. Meanwhile, I'll need to catch up with the photo postings.
Jan 13th, 2007, 10:33 PM
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My daughter who spent a semester last spring studying in Ortigia just read your trip report-her comment"yes,he should have spent more time in Ortigia"! Also,why didn't he enjoy the chocolate the spice in Modica? Isn't Sicily magical?
Jan 14th, 2007, 07:00 AM
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francophile - Zenfolio is doing a relatively long maintenance this weekend. Check back in a few hours and it should be back up. [I think they're adding function to order prints directly, but may be wrong.]
I will continue the travelogue later today.
I will continue the travelogue later today.
Jan 14th, 2007, 08:03 AM
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Yes, zenfolio is back up, and they did add the purchase option, from two printers. I'm very glad one of the option is Mpix, which has a very very good reputation in print quality. [At $0.29, they are about twice the cost of many other services too.]
Jan 14th, 2007, 09:19 AM
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<b>Friday 12/29/06 Continue...</b>
So where were we? Oh, we finally got onto the Bluvia ferry from Messina to Villa San Giovanni. But a little more clarification here too. My otherwise excellent DK Eyewitness guide keeps mentioning Messina-Reggio di Calabria, the larger town on the mainland south of Villa San Giovanni. But the main car and train ferries actually go to San Giovanni. I was initially looking at signs for Reggio, but gave up soon.
Bluvia is sister company of Trenitalia, both state-owned, and our ferry <b>M/S Riace</b> has railroad tracks on the deck too. In the superstructure, there are two large passenger cabins with snack bars. Reminded me of the old vehicle ferry between Yau Ma Tei and Central in Hong Kong that I used to take often as a kid.
I thought we may use this time for lunch, but too many photos to take, too much to see we didn't have time. A Caronte & Tourist departed about the same time and we went side by side. The last sight of Sicily was the golden <b>Madonnina</b> statue that sits at the entrance of the port and protects it.
There are good signs from the port to the autostrada A3, and we stopped at the first service area to do our picnic lunch. This area is probably the first coming out of Reggio and was packed! They have all kinds of service, but not as modern or nice as those on French autoroutes.
It's about 400km on A3 to Salerno. The vista is magnificent, especially for the first 100km or so. The autostrada was built on the side of the cliffs, often times hundreds of feet above the valley or ocean below (or it seems). In certain stretches, it's tunnel-bridge-tunnel-bridge-tunnel and so on. There was also significant rebuilding going on, with newer parallel tunnels and bridges being built. As a result, long distance (till around Vibo Valentia) are one-lane traffic, averaging perhaps 70-80km/h.
The autostrada goes inland soon, and passes between, and sometimes through, snow-capped mountains. Traffic was lighter and it was easy cruising at 130km/h, except on a couple of uphills where our diesel Clio couldn't quite maintain speed.
There was light rain early on, and we saw a destroyed BMW on the autostrada. [A day before, we saw a motorcyclist getting hit by a car at an intesection in Catania, near the Roman Theater. Minor damage.]
We stopped at another service area near Castrovillari for fuel and coffee. Beautiful vista from there as well.
Traffic got much heavier around Salerno, and we paid €1.40 for the section of A3 to Pompei. We switched to S145 towards Sorrento. We came to a fork, and the signs were too dark to see at speed, so I stayed right (WRONG!) and had to go through the horrible traffic of Castellammare instead of the tunnel bypass.
We started looking for our hotel, <b>Palazzo Torre Barbara</b> after the tunnel bypass for Vico Equense. Turned out it has a huge lighted sign just before the hotel on the main road, and it's the easiest hotel to find on our whole trip.
My review of the amazing, yet afforable, hotel is in this seperate thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34921467
It was time for dinner, and the very nice and attentive young guy at the front desk (probably one of the owners) recommended the Mustafá, at the Seiano Harbour, just a few minutes drive down to the water. Best seafood we had in the trip, excellent service, in a very very quiet (like totally dark) fishing harbor. With everything, our bill came to 75€. Unbelievable value.
<b>Wrong route this day: 1</b> (I do not count the turnaround at Messina, as I could have gone on and take the other ferry).
<b>Wrong route so far: 13</b>
So where were we? Oh, we finally got onto the Bluvia ferry from Messina to Villa San Giovanni. But a little more clarification here too. My otherwise excellent DK Eyewitness guide keeps mentioning Messina-Reggio di Calabria, the larger town on the mainland south of Villa San Giovanni. But the main car and train ferries actually go to San Giovanni. I was initially looking at signs for Reggio, but gave up soon.
Bluvia is sister company of Trenitalia, both state-owned, and our ferry <b>M/S Riace</b> has railroad tracks on the deck too. In the superstructure, there are two large passenger cabins with snack bars. Reminded me of the old vehicle ferry between Yau Ma Tei and Central in Hong Kong that I used to take often as a kid.
I thought we may use this time for lunch, but too many photos to take, too much to see we didn't have time. A Caronte & Tourist departed about the same time and we went side by side. The last sight of Sicily was the golden <b>Madonnina</b> statue that sits at the entrance of the port and protects it.
There are good signs from the port to the autostrada A3, and we stopped at the first service area to do our picnic lunch. This area is probably the first coming out of Reggio and was packed! They have all kinds of service, but not as modern or nice as those on French autoroutes.
It's about 400km on A3 to Salerno. The vista is magnificent, especially for the first 100km or so. The autostrada was built on the side of the cliffs, often times hundreds of feet above the valley or ocean below (or it seems). In certain stretches, it's tunnel-bridge-tunnel-bridge-tunnel and so on. There was also significant rebuilding going on, with newer parallel tunnels and bridges being built. As a result, long distance (till around Vibo Valentia) are one-lane traffic, averaging perhaps 70-80km/h.
The autostrada goes inland soon, and passes between, and sometimes through, snow-capped mountains. Traffic was lighter and it was easy cruising at 130km/h, except on a couple of uphills where our diesel Clio couldn't quite maintain speed.
There was light rain early on, and we saw a destroyed BMW on the autostrada. [A day before, we saw a motorcyclist getting hit by a car at an intesection in Catania, near the Roman Theater. Minor damage.]
We stopped at another service area near Castrovillari for fuel and coffee. Beautiful vista from there as well.
Traffic got much heavier around Salerno, and we paid €1.40 for the section of A3 to Pompei. We switched to S145 towards Sorrento. We came to a fork, and the signs were too dark to see at speed, so I stayed right (WRONG!) and had to go through the horrible traffic of Castellammare instead of the tunnel bypass.
We started looking for our hotel, <b>Palazzo Torre Barbara</b> after the tunnel bypass for Vico Equense. Turned out it has a huge lighted sign just before the hotel on the main road, and it's the easiest hotel to find on our whole trip.
My review of the amazing, yet afforable, hotel is in this seperate thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34921467
It was time for dinner, and the very nice and attentive young guy at the front desk (probably one of the owners) recommended the Mustafá, at the Seiano Harbour, just a few minutes drive down to the water. Best seafood we had in the trip, excellent service, in a very very quiet (like totally dark) fishing harbor. With everything, our bill came to 75€. Unbelievable value.
<b>Wrong route this day: 1</b> (I do not count the turnaround at Messina, as I could have gone on and take the other ferry).
<b>Wrong route so far: 13</b>
Jan 14th, 2007, 10:00 PM
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<b>Saturday 12/30/06 Sorrento/Amalfi Coast</b>
There are many experts on the forum for this area, so I'll just keep the rest of the travelogue brief.
Anyways, we arrived at our hotel in the evening the previous day, so no chance to see the vista. First thing I did after waking up is to open the curtains and guess what I saw? The most amazing view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius from our little balcony. That view alone was worth the cost of our hotel room. [Will have photos up hopefully by tomorrow.] I also want to mention on that Saturday morning, traffic on S145 leading to Sorrento was extremely light.
After breakfast, we drove into <b>Sorrento</b>. We found a lot near the far (western) end of town. It costs €1.5/hr, and they parked it for you NYC style. We walked back along Corso Italia to the Duomo, then Piazza Tasso, then walked along the waterfront past the Bellevue Syrene and backed to the car. Just about 2 hours.
We then continued on S145 up to Sant'Agata to visit <b>Il Deserto</b>. This was a very very clear day with no wind at all, and because of that, the tiny bit of smoke from <b>Mount Vesuvius</b> actually formed a piece of cloud that stayed at the top for periods of time.
But what's most surprising is that there's also smoke and clouds coming up from <b>Sant'Angelo Tre Pizzi</b>, the mountain just behind Positano on the Sorrento Peninsula. I did not know this was or is a volcano, but I have pictures to prove it.
Anyways, on the way down from Sant'Agata to Positano, there is a overlook where the road makes a 180-degree hairpin turn. Like a few others, we pulled over, and had picnic lunch overlooking the Mediterranean. It was warm, sunny, no wind. Absolutely fabulous.
On our way along <b>Amalfi Drive</b>, we pulled over several times for pictures, but didn't actually stop at Positano or Praiano, as we wanted to have some daylight left for Amalfi. Traffic was no problem and we got to Amalfi at around 2pm, but spent about 15 minutes just to get into the crowded parking lot on the harbor causeway.
We took our time taking pictures, visiting the surprisingly beautiful Sant 'Andrea, having coffee, etc. I was really surprised by the history of Amalfi, as previously I only knew of its beauty and nothing about its historical significance.
Anyways, traffic out of Amalfi to Salerno was horrendous, as I've described on this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34920517
It took us 2 hours to get to Salerno to pick up A3 again. This time, on S145, I stayed left on the fork and got on the bypass around Castellammare.
So, it was slightly too early for dinner, I decided to drive into Vico Equense to take a look and see what kind of food is there, and one of the restaurants recommended by our hotel is there too, called Al Buco. I thought Vico Equense would be a sleepy little town, but I couldn't be more wrong. It seemed like on this Saturday before New Year's Day, everybody from Naples with a car was there!
Making it worse was some road construction, and we were stuck for half-an-hour just to get into the center of town. We saw Al Buco, but it was impossible to find any place to park. We decided to leave and I tried a different road, thinking it should get us back on S145. But the road just climbed higher and higher towards Mt Faito, so I had to turn around, go through the traffic again and then got out of there.
Thinking that Mustafà we had dinner the night before was excellent with easy parking, we just went there again. It was a lot more busy, but food and service was just as good for our last real dinner in Italy, and last real dinner for 2006.
<b>Wrong route this day: 1
Wrong route so far: 14</b>
There are many experts on the forum for this area, so I'll just keep the rest of the travelogue brief.
Anyways, we arrived at our hotel in the evening the previous day, so no chance to see the vista. First thing I did after waking up is to open the curtains and guess what I saw? The most amazing view of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius from our little balcony. That view alone was worth the cost of our hotel room. [Will have photos up hopefully by tomorrow.] I also want to mention on that Saturday morning, traffic on S145 leading to Sorrento was extremely light.
After breakfast, we drove into <b>Sorrento</b>. We found a lot near the far (western) end of town. It costs €1.5/hr, and they parked it for you NYC style. We walked back along Corso Italia to the Duomo, then Piazza Tasso, then walked along the waterfront past the Bellevue Syrene and backed to the car. Just about 2 hours.
We then continued on S145 up to Sant'Agata to visit <b>Il Deserto</b>. This was a very very clear day with no wind at all, and because of that, the tiny bit of smoke from <b>Mount Vesuvius</b> actually formed a piece of cloud that stayed at the top for periods of time.
But what's most surprising is that there's also smoke and clouds coming up from <b>Sant'Angelo Tre Pizzi</b>, the mountain just behind Positano on the Sorrento Peninsula. I did not know this was or is a volcano, but I have pictures to prove it.
Anyways, on the way down from Sant'Agata to Positano, there is a overlook where the road makes a 180-degree hairpin turn. Like a few others, we pulled over, and had picnic lunch overlooking the Mediterranean. It was warm, sunny, no wind. Absolutely fabulous.
On our way along <b>Amalfi Drive</b>, we pulled over several times for pictures, but didn't actually stop at Positano or Praiano, as we wanted to have some daylight left for Amalfi. Traffic was no problem and we got to Amalfi at around 2pm, but spent about 15 minutes just to get into the crowded parking lot on the harbor causeway.
We took our time taking pictures, visiting the surprisingly beautiful Sant 'Andrea, having coffee, etc. I was really surprised by the history of Amalfi, as previously I only knew of its beauty and nothing about its historical significance.
Anyways, traffic out of Amalfi to Salerno was horrendous, as I've described on this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34920517
It took us 2 hours to get to Salerno to pick up A3 again. This time, on S145, I stayed left on the fork and got on the bypass around Castellammare.
So, it was slightly too early for dinner, I decided to drive into Vico Equense to take a look and see what kind of food is there, and one of the restaurants recommended by our hotel is there too, called Al Buco. I thought Vico Equense would be a sleepy little town, but I couldn't be more wrong. It seemed like on this Saturday before New Year's Day, everybody from Naples with a car was there!
Making it worse was some road construction, and we were stuck for half-an-hour just to get into the center of town. We saw Al Buco, but it was impossible to find any place to park. We decided to leave and I tried a different road, thinking it should get us back on S145. But the road just climbed higher and higher towards Mt Faito, so I had to turn around, go through the traffic again and then got out of there.
Thinking that Mustafà we had dinner the night before was excellent with easy parking, we just went there again. It was a lot more busy, but food and service was just as good for our last real dinner in Italy, and last real dinner for 2006.
<b>Wrong route this day: 1
Wrong route so far: 14</b>
Jan 15th, 2007, 02:12 PM
#54
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<b>Sunday 12/31/06 Pompei</b>
New Year's Eve would be our last day in Italy. We were already pretty tired by now, so I only planned for one thing all day - Pompeii - before our 7pm flight from Naples back to London.
Now, the archaeological area of <b>Pompeii</b> is just off A3, but its dedicated exit only applies to travel to/from the North. From Sorrento, I had to get off S145 before it joined A3, passed some roundabouts, the big Auchan Hypermarket, etc. But signs at a major intersection were bad, and I was in Boscoreale rather than Pompeii. Realizing I was too close to Mount Vesuvius, I turned around and got to Pompeii.
Just opposite the ticket office were several restaurants with parking places. We negotiated with one of the enthusiastic attendants and paid 5€ to park there for the day. Very close to the entrance.
Lots have been said about Pompeii (11&euro, so I won't repeat, except to say it did not disappoint. It IS one of the more amazing places in the world.
We spent about 4.5 hours inside total, doing it very slowly and leisurely with Japanese tour groups zooming past us many times. We covered basically all buildings that were open that day from #1 to #48 in the official map, except Villa dei Misteri, and exiting from the Quadriportico dei Teatri. Most of the more interesting buildings were open, except Casa dei Vettii.
Lunch was at the coffee shop at Terme del Foro, of course, as there was no other choice.
---
So, the whole itinerary was done, and it was around 3:30p. There was still time to go somewhere or do something, but we were tired, and I like to "quit while we're ahead". So, we fueled up the car and headed to the airport. Turned out, the rental car lot wasn't as easy to find either. There were no signs coming in from the autostrada connection for rental car, only to the terminal. I turned around, went past it, and then had to U-turn and come back again.
The Naples airport is small and quiet on New Year's Eve. The cafeteria was open, but with very little food left, so we opted for Burger King instead. After 8 days of Italian seafood, a burger wasn't too bad afterall.
<b>Wrong route this day: 2
Wrong route total for trip: 16</b>
---
I have already covered our totally uneventful British Airways flight back to Gatwick in this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=126&tid=34880799
From Gatwick's North Terminal, we took the shuttle train back to South Terminal, walked to the train station and bought three tickets to Crawley, 11 minutes and two stops away. My pre-trip notes says £2.40/person, but we got our tickets for £4.80 total.
Our hotel, the 4* Arora Gatwick International had a private entrance via a locked gate from the southbound platform at Crawley, so it's quite convenient. I got <b>one</b> room on Priceline for US$100, as it was only for a very short stay. I slept on the floor. Next morning, we took their free hourly shuttle back to the South Terminal for our Continental flight back to Houston. The Arora is very very nice, and a great price from Priceline.
---
Oh, let me summarize about the driving trip:
Total driving distance: ~1,200km (750miles). I can't be sure as the starting mileage on the rental agreement was misprinted.
Total fuel cost: 80€
Total fuel pumped: ~70 liter or 18 US gallon.
Average mileage: 41MPG (diesel).
[I think the total miles driven may be a little more than 1,200, so mileage is better than 41MPG.]
Wrong turn or wrong route: 16
Accidents witnessed: 3
# of times I need to fold the driver's side mirror to get past opposite traffic: 1
# of times the passenger side mirror was knocked back: 2 (no damage either)
# of times I hit a curb or something: 0
# of times I need to show IDP: 2
UNESCO World Heritage sites collected: 5
Pickpockets encountered: 0
Mafia encountered: 0
Number of pictures taken: ~1,000
New Year's Eve would be our last day in Italy. We were already pretty tired by now, so I only planned for one thing all day - Pompeii - before our 7pm flight from Naples back to London.
Now, the archaeological area of <b>Pompeii</b> is just off A3, but its dedicated exit only applies to travel to/from the North. From Sorrento, I had to get off S145 before it joined A3, passed some roundabouts, the big Auchan Hypermarket, etc. But signs at a major intersection were bad, and I was in Boscoreale rather than Pompeii. Realizing I was too close to Mount Vesuvius, I turned around and got to Pompeii.
Just opposite the ticket office were several restaurants with parking places. We negotiated with one of the enthusiastic attendants and paid 5€ to park there for the day. Very close to the entrance.
Lots have been said about Pompeii (11&euro
, so I won't repeat, except to say it did not disappoint. It IS one of the more amazing places in the world.We spent about 4.5 hours inside total, doing it very slowly and leisurely with Japanese tour groups zooming past us many times. We covered basically all buildings that were open that day from #1 to #48 in the official map, except Villa dei Misteri, and exiting from the Quadriportico dei Teatri. Most of the more interesting buildings were open, except Casa dei Vettii.
Lunch was at the coffee shop at Terme del Foro, of course, as there was no other choice.
---
So, the whole itinerary was done, and it was around 3:30p. There was still time to go somewhere or do something, but we were tired, and I like to "quit while we're ahead". So, we fueled up the car and headed to the airport. Turned out, the rental car lot wasn't as easy to find either. There were no signs coming in from the autostrada connection for rental car, only to the terminal. I turned around, went past it, and then had to U-turn and come back again.
The Naples airport is small and quiet on New Year's Eve. The cafeteria was open, but with very little food left, so we opted for Burger King instead. After 8 days of Italian seafood, a burger wasn't too bad afterall.
<b>Wrong route this day: 2
Wrong route total for trip: 16</b>
---
I have already covered our totally uneventful British Airways flight back to Gatwick in this thread:
fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=126&tid=34880799
From Gatwick's North Terminal, we took the shuttle train back to South Terminal, walked to the train station and bought three tickets to Crawley, 11 minutes and two stops away. My pre-trip notes says £2.40/person, but we got our tickets for £4.80 total.
Our hotel, the 4* Arora Gatwick International had a private entrance via a locked gate from the southbound platform at Crawley, so it's quite convenient. I got <b>one</b> room on Priceline for US$100, as it was only for a very short stay. I slept on the floor. Next morning, we took their free hourly shuttle back to the South Terminal for our Continental flight back to Houston. The Arora is very very nice, and a great price from Priceline.
---
Oh, let me summarize about the driving trip:
Total driving distance: ~1,200km (750miles). I can't be sure as the starting mileage on the rental agreement was misprinted.
Total fuel cost: 80€
Total fuel pumped: ~70 liter or 18 US gallon.
Average mileage: 41MPG (diesel).
[I think the total miles driven may be a little more than 1,200, so mileage is better than 41MPG.]
Wrong turn or wrong route: 16
Accidents witnessed: 3
# of times I need to fold the driver's side mirror to get past opposite traffic: 1
# of times the passenger side mirror was knocked back: 2 (no damage either)
# of times I hit a curb or something: 0
# of times I need to show IDP: 2
UNESCO World Heritage sites collected: 5
Pickpockets encountered: 0
Mafia encountered: 0
Number of pictures taken: ~1,000
Jan 15th, 2007, 06:07 PM
#55
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A charming and informative report rkkwan, one which I have truly enjoyed. And again, I so love your sense of humor. I can only imagine how much your parents enjoyed their time in Italy with you. Wishing you and your dear parents many more trips together. And thank you for sharing your time in Italy. Best regards.
Jan 15th, 2007, 06:29 PM
#56
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LoveItaly - Thanks for your compliments. My sister and I have traveled extensively with our parents when we were younger, and now I try to go on one long trip a year.
I love driving, while my parents won't drive far outside Houston. So, I'm trying to do some trips with them that they can't easily do on their own. [They now go for at least 4 long trips a year.]
We're thinking about South of France for Christmas 2007.
I love driving, while my parents won't drive far outside Houston. So, I'm trying to do some trips with them that they can't easily do on their own. [They now go for at least 4 long trips a year.]
We're thinking about South of France for Christmas 2007.
Jan 16th, 2007, 11:44 AM
#58
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rkkwan,
That was a GREAT trip report! Brought back the excellent memories of my trip to Sicily in 2003.
I was also chauffeuring a parent (my mom) and can relate to the stories of missed turnoffs for bypasses and the like.
Here's the - forever unfinished - report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34452210
If you ever return, don't miss the Aeolian Islands. They're specacular, no car required ;-)
Andre
That was a GREAT trip report! Brought back the excellent memories of my trip to Sicily in 2003.
I was also chauffeuring a parent (my mom) and can relate to the stories of missed turnoffs for bypasses and the like.
Here's the - forever unfinished - report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34452210
If you ever return, don't miss the Aeolian Islands. They're specacular, no car required ;-)
Andre
