rkkwan's Sicily and Amalfi driving trip report
 

There's actually a subtitle to my subject line. It's <b>&quot;Let's guess how many times rkkwan took the wrong route?&quot;</b> I'll keep a tally, and everybody can start guessing.

Here's the background. It's the second year in a row that my parents and I vacationed in Italy for Christmas. Last year we used public transportation for Rome, Florence and Milan. This time we decided to visit the south, in a car.

I was a truck driver in the US for 2.5 years and am excellent in directions. I've driven in the UK twice, Israel and France, and all over US/Canada of course. I hardly ever get lost, and only occasionally go the wrong way. But as I'd find out, road signs are just horrible in Italy, and while I didn't really get lost, I had to turn around and go back so many times it was ridiculous.

Let me first list our itinerary before the actual report:

12/22 Houston to London.
12/23 London - Palmero. Picked up car.
12/24 Palmero
12/25 Palmero - Monreale - Segesta - Selinunte - Agrigento
12/26 Agrigento - Ragusa
12/27 Ragusa - Siracusa - Catania
12/28 Catania
12/29 Catania - Taormina - Messina - Sorrento
12/30 Sorrento - Amalfi - Sorrento
12/31 Sorrento - Pompei. Returned car at Naples Airport. London
1/1 London - Houston

Anyways, I've already started a few threads on other aspects of the trip:

The Continental flights IAH-LGW, Ryanair STN-PMO, and British Airways NAP-LGW here:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=126&amp;tid=34880799

Traffic on Amalfi Drive:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34920517

And our hotel near Sorrento, which is so great I have to give it its own thread:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34921467

Oh, and here's my other thread about LGW-STN transfer:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34917343

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<b>12/22/06 Friday</b>

Got afternoon off from my employer, and because of reported freezing fog problem, we decided to try to get to London early. Continental has two flights IAH, one at 4pm and one at 6:55p. We were booked on the later on.

Got to IAH just after 1pm and put ourselves on the wait list for the early flight. That flight was fully booked, but we were on the top of the list. And we got on. My parents got seats together, and I had a window seat closer to the front. Then I did something many people found incredible. <b>I agreed to switch my window seat for a middle seat</b> with someone on this 8.5 hour flight.

Anyways, flight was uneventful, though I didn't get much sleep. Not because of the middle seat, but that it was simply too early to go to bed on this early flight.

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<b>Saturday 12/23/06</b>

With 9+ hours between flights, we would &quot;leisurely&quot; made the transfer in London and used the cheapest method possible. First, Southern Trains have a off-peak (this was a Saturday) group ticket for 3 for Gatwick-Victoria <b>plus</b> all day London travelcard for just <b>19.8&pound;</b> for three people traveling together. That's just 6.6&pound;/person, compared to just &pound;9 for a regular day single for Gatwick-Victoria alone! Super deal!!!

No deal at the left luggage, though. &pound;6 /bag per day.

With the travelcard, we went around Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Leichester Square, Oxford St, etc before going back to Victoria. Took the bus in additional to the tube.

Another good deal was a full English breakfast at a little coffee shop near St Martin in the Fields. &pound;16.6 for 3 people is less than IHOP here.

We then took the Terravision bus to Stansted. It was a mob scene at the Green Line Coach station, and if one's in a hurry, I recommend taking the Stansted Express instead. But at &pound;8/person, the Terravision bus is just over half the price of the train.

Stansted was very crowded on this heavy travel day. Security line alone took 25 minutes to clear. We had an early dinner there as we know there would be no food served on Ryanair, and it would be late when got to Palmero.

The flight was about 20 minutes late, but otherwise uneventful. It was first time I flew Ryanair. I won't again, if I have a choice. It's the only airline that flies London-Palmero non-stop, however.

(to be continued)

Picked up car from Hertz (booked through AutoEurope) with no problem. They did ask for the IDP. Our car is a Renault Clio 5-door, A/C, manual. Best of all, it was a diesel.

The Clio is in the Economy category, and it's really the perfect size to negotiate Italian roads and traffic. Its trunk is just long enough for 22&quot; rollaboards, so 3-4 people each carrying one WILL fit such cars.

It's a 1.5 &quot;direct common rail&quot; diesel with 90HP but lots of torque for such a small car. Very easy to drive, though it had trouble maintaing 130km/h (80MPH) on a couple of uphills on the A3 in southern Italy. According to some specs I've read, it should get about 50MPG, but overall, I only got 40MPG, probably because of my heavy foot.

I have Michelin's Italy 1:300,000 road atlas. Not as good as the 1:200,000 France one, but okay. I've also printed out local maps of my hotels from viamichelin.com and have studied the routes (inclding which streets are one-way) quite a bit. I thought I was fairly well-prepared, but I was wrong.

No problem getting onto the autostrada from PMO, but at night, the road signs were very hard to see. The autostrada ended just outside Palmero and became a sort of a pseudo freeway that one can't cross to the other side except at certain junctions. Sort of like Rte 1 north of Boston.

Anyhow, I missed the very small sign for &quot;Centro&quot;, and had to travel at least 1.5 miles further to get back. <b>Wrong Route #1</b>. Found the right street towards central Palermo, but then turned just a tiny bit too early the next time. Instead of going diagonal SE towards the center, I was traveling South. <b>WR #2</b> No big deal, as I found a way to get back east towards Teatro Massimo and only added a few blocks to my route.

Then it was too late before I found the tiny street that cuts over to the main street my hotel was at, so had to go around the block before getting there. <b>WR #3</b>

We stayed for two nights at <b>Hotel Elite</b>, one of the better 3* hotels in central Palermo. Lots of restaurants and highend stores nearby, and Teatro Massimo is only about 3 minutes walk. Location can't be better.

However, it only occupied 2 floors of a large building with three different blocks. Hard to explain, but the entry-way to our hotel is also for 4 others in the same complex. I think of the 5, 3 were 3* and two were 2*. [I later found that the embassy for Ivory Coast is also in the complex.] I had to leave the car with my parents double-parked on the street while I went in. The lobby is on the 5th floor, and one guy working the front desk (who spoke good English) came down with me and drove us around the block to get to the locked garage. (Only he has key).

Our triple room is quite spacious and decent looking. Better than the 3* Sonya we stayed in Rome last year. Our window looked out to the roofs of other buildings, but the mountains to the north is also visible.

It was midnight when we settled in. It was a long long day.

<b>Wrong route this day: 3
Wrong route so far: 3</b>

Oh, I have no idea why I kept mistyping Palermo. Something in my head wasn't wired correctly. Palermo Palermo Palermo... Sorry. :D

As someone who once went hours out of her way as a result of a wrong turn in France, I am enjoying your trip report.

I also loved Sicily, but went on an elderhostel trip when I went--and missed all the &quot;interesting&quot; driving and aggravation.

I didn't notice your typos until you pointed it out. :-))

Anxious to hear more.

<b>Sunday 12/24/06 Palermo</b>

Didn't touch the car today, so no increase in the total tally.

It's an easy day walking around the old town. Tried not to over-stress ourselves after the long travel day. Breakfast is excellent at the Elite. Their breakfast hour is a late 8-10:30. I didn't realize until later that work day doesn't start until 9. More on that later.

First stop is the <b>Teatro Massimo</b>, just 2 blocks from our hotel. They opened for visitors at 10a sharp, and first tour departed at around 10:15a. It's a shorter tour than say the Garnier one in Paris, but still pretty interesting. Good English-speaking guide, 25 minutes, &euro;5. Senior &euro;3, and doens't need to be EU citizens. I think there were about 7-8 in our group.

Next stop, the <b>Cathedral</b>. They were having mass when we got there, so we couldn't only stand at the back. No walking around.

Then, we went to the <b>Palazzo dei Normani</b>. Its <b>Cappella Palatina</b> has really limited opening hours, and we just caught the 12-1p window on the Sunday. Entrance fee is a steep &euro;9 (highest in the whole trip except for Pompei), but includes the palazzo itself.

Unfortunately, most of the roof and the choir inside the capella are under restoration and are covered. Still, we caught a glimpse of the golden mosaic. We're quite disappointed until we got up to the upper level to tour the palazzo. It's a brief tour by one of the guards, but the place was amazing. Together, it's well worth the admission.

What's not is the <b>San Giovanni degli Eremiti</b> next door. The cloister was closed, and the red Arab domes can be seen from outside better. Nothing to see inside for &euro;3.

It was well past 1pm, and time for lunch. There's a little tent place across from the church with interesting food, so we sat down. Basically they guy has a huge piece of roast pork leg, and it came with bread, and lots of cooked and picked vegetables on the side. We ordered two portions plus soft drinks. Food was excellent, but the guy definitely overcharged us. We weren't aware of how cheap things are in Sicily yet at that time, so we paid our &euro;34 happily. &euro;24 would be more like it.

Enjoying this very much indeed - am planning a March or May visit to Sicily and am wondering whether to do the &quot;return the car at naples&quot; route - so will read with interest the rest of yor trip report

After lunch, we walked along Via Vittorio Emanuele, the main thoroughfare of the city, towards <b>Piazza Marina</b>, via landmarks like <b>Quattro Canti</b> and <b>Fontana Pretoria</b>.

The city was basically dead with no traffic and all stores closed. We were thinking that was because it was Christmas Eve. Later on, we found out that the whole Sicily shut down between 1 and 4 in the afternoon.

And then it started to rain. I am pretty sure it's all because during lunch, I text-messaged some people in US and Hong Kong to say Merry Christmas and told them how nice the weather was in Sicily. Anyways, we continued to walk around a bit, and out towards the harbor, before going back to the hotel for a nap. I have to say that this &quot;Northern&quot; part of Palermo isn't as interesting as the &quot;Southern&quot; part we visited in the morning. (North Palermo is actually east of South Palermo).

At around 8, we went to find dinner. Some restaurants in the area were closed for Christmas Eve, but otherwise the street was pretty lively. The hotel staff recommended <b>Lo Sparviero</b> just north of Teatro Massimo, and the food was pretty good. Moderately priced. When we got in, we were like the first customers. But more and more people came in later on, and the place was basically packed by around 10.

Since, we didn't use the car today,
<b>Wrong route this day: 0
Wrong route so far: 3</b>

Super report and so interesting.
You really put things in a precise order which is great!

Hi rkkwan, you do get around! Last time, not so long ago, you were in Normandy. As always, I am enjoying your report - love your writing style.

You mention you wouldn't use Ryanair again from London to Palermo. What was it about that airline's policies/procedures that got to you?

Sue - I went to Belgium and France in September, and then a long two-week trip to Hong Kong and China in early November. I had a couple of very long threads in the Asia board on that trip.

As for Ryanair, here's why I wouldn't fly them if I have a choice:

- Check-in. You can't do online check-in with checked luggage, so it's back to the old ways. The check-in lobby was an absolutely mess at STN when we got there, and had to squeeze through interlocking lines for various flights to get to ours. Fortunately, we got there early and the Palermo line was very very short. Granted it was 12/23 and lots of British vacationers leaving town.

- The security line took 25 minutes to clear. It was orderly, but still 5 times longer than I've waited at IAH, or twice than EWR.

- Then once we got to the gate, which was about 40 minutes before flight time, all the seats adjacent to the gate were already taken, and the boarding line has formed. In order for us to sit together, we had to line up too. If I were traveling alone, or on a shorter flight (STN-PMO is almost 3 hours), then I'd just wait until everybody has boarded.

- It's stairs down to the tarmac and then walk to the plane and up. I don't have problem with walking, but if one doesn't walk fast, then others will overtake you to get to the plane first for choice seats.

- The seat pitch is about 29&quot;, and no recline. I am a short person that's particularly large, but when the tray table is lowered, there's only about 1/2&quot; of clearance between the table and my belly. [Not that you need the table for anything...]

- Even though the whole flight was in darkness (we departed about 5pm London time and arrived PMO 9pm Italy time), they never dimmed the lights. That's because the FAs spent the whole trip selling stuff. 80% of the announcements over the PA are also about shopping and the lucky draw (one free roundtrip ticket to be given away on each flight to the shoppers). Add to that the non-reclining seat and banaana-yellow seat shells, it's hard to get any real rest. (They don't want you to, as you can't shop while sleeping).

---

But that's just me. Perhaps if our tickets weren't that expensive (full fare, about $200 for the one-way), I may be able to overlook some stuff. And if you're the type that lines up overnight to shop at Wal-Mart the day after Thanksgiving, then Ryanair is probably for you.

Just not for me.

&lt;&lt; - The seat pitch is about 29&quot;, and no recline. I am a short person that's particularly large, but when the tray table is lowered, there's only about 1/2&quot; of clearance between the table and my belly. &gt;&gt;

I think you meant to type &quot;I am a short person who's <b>not</b> particularly large&quot;?
:)

BTW, I've only flown Ryanair once - back in 1999 from Stansted to Treviso (aka &quot;Venice&quot;). It's relieving to see that the chaos at Stansted never change! :P

Yes, thanks, yk. I remember your little Ryanair experience back then, and was thinking about it the whole way. Well, since that time, Ryanair has become a much larger airline, making buckets load of money and flying very new planes. Apparently, the UK vacationers and other budget travelers have quite a different opinion than us.

---

Anyways, sorry for being so slow with the trip report. I'll try to pick it up tonite, and I still have like 900 photos to process and to get them posted.

Photos of London have been posted:

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p828338974/

My Tripadvisor.com review of Hotel Elite in Palermo has been posted. Do a search for that hotel name and you should find it.

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<b>Sunday 12/25/06 Monreale - Segesta - Selinunte - Agrigento</b>

This was Christmas Day and after breakfast we checked out of the hotel, got the car, and headed to <b>Monreale</b>. It is on a hill overlooking Palermo, just a few minutes away.

We were really lucky to find a parking spot right across from the Catherdral. A police woman kindly instructed me to buy the parking scratch tickets at a tabacchi, and even showed me how to do it. We bought two, &euro;0.5 each.

The <b>Monreale Cathedral</b> with the golden mosaic interior is a must see for any visitor to Palermo, and so is the cloister. The latter has a steep &euro;6 admission with a seperate entrance. One can also get a great view of the city from a terrace next to the church.

Leaving Monreale, we continued on the winding S186 over the hill and then got onto A29 at Partinico. Segesta is off the 1st exit after the split towards Trapani.

Two things to see at <b>Segesta</b> (6&euro;). The well preserved Greek temple and the theater on top of Monte Barbaro. Feeling fresh and strong, we decided to hike up Monte Barbaro instead of taking the bus &euro;1.5. It was actually quite a hike, taking about 45 minutes going up, and perhaps 20 down. The view from up there was majestic. The temple was equally amazing. There were very very few visitors. Fewer than 10 cars at the parking lot, where we had a lunch picnic.

After lunch, we rejoined A29 to cross over to the SE side of Sicily and visited <b>Selinunte</b> (6&euro;) on the Mediterranean Coast.

If you're into Greek temples, this is the mecca for you. The archaeological site, with 3 colossal temples on the Eastern Hill and several mall on the well-preserved seaside acropolis, was more amazing than anything I've seen in Greece itself, except for the Parthenon. This place is a MUST SEE for any visitor to Sicily and another person interested in ancient Greece.

This place was even more empty than Segesta. There were 4 cars including ours when we got there, 3 cars when we left. But signs were non-existent there. We walked from the Eastern Hill to the Acropolis, and could barely found our path. Later I realized most people drive over instead.

Just before leaving Selinunte, we drove down to the seaside village where my dad stayed for a couple of days 40+ years ago during his last visit to Sicily.

It was late in the afternoon when we started the 100km drive along S115 to Agrigento. We would follow this highway all the way to Siracusa 2 days later.

I missed a turn at Sciacca. The road came to a W-shaped fork. No time to read the sign, and I went straight. Turned out S115 is the left fork. No big deal, just turned around and rejoined it.

It was totally dark (~6:30) when we approached Agrigento. Our hotel is in Villagio Mos&eacute;, east of Agrigento, so I was looking for the bypass. Can't remember the detail, but I turned off too early and ended up in some residential area in Porto Empedocle, the port city of Agrigento. Had to make a couple of turns and got back to the highway.

To this date, I still can't figure out where the actual turnoff for the bypass is, and what I did wrong, but this time I went up to Agrigento center. Had to make a U-turn, came down the hill, and pulled into a gas station to figure out my way. I knew the relationship between the Vallei de Templi and my hotel, so I followed the signs for Vallei de Templi and finally got to Villagio Mos&eacute;.

But I still made a turn too early for my hotel. No big deal, I just came around from the back side to the hotel instead of the front.

We stayed at <b>Hotel Tre Torre</b>. Decent price from hotels.com and reviews on Tripadvisor looks okay. It's a large 3* with about 100 rooms, but the place definitely needs a major refurbishments. The corridor and interior of the room dates from the 1970's, though windows are new and well-sealed.

Due to the Christmas holiday and low-season, the hotel restaurant was closed 12/24-26, and many others in Villagio Mos&eacute; as well. But the excellent front desk staff recommended us &quot;Kokalos&quot;, about a 3 minute drive away. It sits on a ridge over some vineyards and have a great view of the well-lit Temple of Hera. Good was great and reasonably priced.

We wouldn't have time to visit the town center of Agrigento the next day, so we decided to just drive up to it after dinner. Agrigento is a classic Italian hilltown, with zig-zagging roads leading up to the town center. We drove along the main street, Via Atenea, and later found the narrow one-lane road to the main Cathedral. There was a lot of construction around it, and it seemed to be temporarily closed. I found my way back to our hotel with no problem.

<b>Wrong route this day: 4
Wrong route so far: 7</b>

Oh, my little review of Tre Torre in Agrigento has also been posted on Tripadvisor.com now. I say give it a pass.

Ooooooooooh! I think I'm the first visitor to look at the London photos!

Anyway, I don't think I've ever seen Leicester Sq Tube station so empty.

Great report, as always rkkwan.

In one of Rick Steves videos he also comments that the Greek ruins are better in Sicily than Greece.

also enjoying reading your report. We were in Sicily earlier this year and it brings back nice memories.

I'm with you on the road signs, we had a lot of unvoluntary detours as well. I'v never had a problem in the rest of Italy but in Sicily I just couldnt figure out the system (if there is one...). Also may I compliment you on driving through Palermo traffic. We weren't planning driving into Palermo but ended up there after taking a wrong turn :(. I swear there were about 9 cars driving next to each other on a road with only 4 lanes! I was very happy to get out safe and sound (also because we didn't get an all risk insurance :) )

Let me say something about <b>food</b> first, before continuing on the travelogue.

- All our hotels include breakfast. All are very good, with bread, croissant, various jams, cheese and ham, juice, cereal, fruits. Yes, for some reason, they love croissants there! Coffee are made when ordered.

- We bought smoked salmon, canned sardines, juice, sparkling wine at supermarkets to have picnic lunches on many days.

- We would then have a decent dinner at a trattoria or ristorante.

- Seafood is really inexpensive in Sicily. Lots of clams, mussels, sardines, various small fishes, squid, calamari, octopus, tuna, swordfish. In fact, we have seafood for all meals except one (will get to that in the main trip report).

One thing about the Sicilian menu, besides the abundance of seafood, is that portion size of the 1st course (i.e. the pasta dish). They have lots of seafood in it, and is a meal by itself. Therefore, it's totally adequate and acceptable to just order two of the three courses, and that's usually how we order. My dad may have a antipasta and 1st course, my mom may have a 1st and 2nd course, while I may have a antipasta and a 2nd course, etc...

The prices are very very reasonable. Antipasta usually 3.5 - 5 EUR, 1st course &lt;10, and so is second course. With a carafe of wine, a liter bottle of water, and three capuccinos at the end, it's usually only about 60-75 EUR for three people, including coverage charge. No tax or extra tip necessary.

Because of the 9-1 and 4-8 work hours, restaurants don't open until 8. We are used to early dinner at home, so we were usually the first customers. The place would then gradually fill up, and many locals don't dine until 10p or later.

- So, if one likes seafood, Sicily is really great. If not, there are still various meat dishes and pizzas. So, no need to worry.

Thanks rkkwan, I'm enjoying your trip report.
My father was born in Syrucusa, maybe that's why I live seafood so much :)

rkkwan - This is a great report. Very helpful in planning a trip!

Thanks!
Sally

Excellent report and I love your photos. I am saving this for my next Sicily trip.

Wow, I'm glad to hear so many responses. I guess it's a little more daring and uncommon to drive around Sicily than Normandy and the Loire Valley. :D

And sorry, last installment was actually Monday, 12/25. Not Sunday.

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<b>Tuesday 12/26/06 Agrigento - Comiso - Ragusa</b>

First, let me comment on the weather. Before our trip we did worry about rain in Sicily and perhaps snow on our drive up to the Naples area. But after the rain in Palermo, it was clear all the way. On most days, we didn't even see a piece of cloud. Temperature was around 60F during the day, 45F at night. Almost the same as in Houston, or perhaps a little warmer.

After an early breakfast at our hotel, we headed to the <b>Valle de Templi</b>, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Well, my dad has been to over 150 and is kind of &quot;collecting&quot; them. Agrigento would first of 5 sites we visited on this trip.

Admission is 6&euro;, and covers a huge area and a museum. With limited time, we only walked along the Via Sacra and saw the Temples of Hera, Concord and Hercules. Temple of Concord is probably the best preserved Greek temple in the world, but one side of it is under scaffoldings. Not that bad, though. This is a really impressive site, though the temples are significantly smaller than those we saw in Selinunte the day before.

Then it was a beautiful and relatively easy drive along the coast to Ragusa, with a stop at Comiso. The route gets pretty confusing through Gela - involving several strange turns and overpasses to go across rail lines. Gela and other towns in this area look quite poor and very &quot;dusty&quot;. Reminded me of smaller towns in Israel or Egypt.

<b>Comiso</b> is only a few km from Ragusa, and is built along the side of a hill. Several large churches (all closed probably because it was after 1pm) overlooking the plains below. Then it was a series of switchback behind the town to go up to the plateau. The newer part of <b>Ragusa</b> starts on the plateau and then the road keeps going down and down towards town center of the &quot;new town&quot;, where our hotel is.

Ragusa is one of 8 towns that make up another UNESCO World Heritage site in the Val di Noto, for its 18th century baroque buildings. Its geography is hard to explain, and one really have to be there to experience it. I'll have photos posted later on, but they probably won't do justice.

Anyways, as another example of how driving was never easy in Sicily, even though I had everything printed out, when I got to the street of our hotel, Via Roma, I found that it was blocked as a pedestrian zone and I couldn't turn into it. I went around, crossed a bridge to the opposite side of a deep ravine, came back, and found myself on a street TWO LEVELS below the main entrance of the hotel. [Again, very hard to explain, but if you have been to places like Edinburgh, it may be more clear.] But miraculously, that's where the entrance to the hotel's gated garage! I found it out of serendipity.

The <b>Best Western Mediterraneo Palace</b> is a true 4* hotel, probably nicest place in all of Ragusa. Modern room, well appointed, and there's a Lavazza Blue automatic expresso machine in our room! Very nice. The front desk staff gave me good direction how to walk down to Ibla and take the bus back, which is what we did after have picnic in our own room.

(to be continued...)

My review of the Ragusa Best Western Mediterraneo Palace has been posted on Tripadvisor with a couple of pictures from its roof-top terrace.

RKKWAN:I am finding your trip report quite interesting--since a friend and I will be taking a tour of Sicily + Sorrento(Amalfi Coast, too) and Rome in March. The information about the food is helpful--sometimes, it's easy to &quot;over-order.&quot;

Another reason I'm finding YOUR report interesting is that about a year ago, my husband and I were planning a cruise and were spending several days in Osaka prior to it. So, I spent some time on the Asia Board and several times, you came through with pertinent info.
Ciao!!mhm

Great report, rkkwan.

Good pics too. Looking forward to your report on driving the Amalfi coast. Suppose to be crazy and you might not have had a chance to take in the scenery if you were driving, from what I've heard.

I've only driven in France but I may do it for Tuscany/Umbria some day.

But I think I will invest in a GPS. ;)

P.S. Curious to see if you have pics of Hong Kong. You might remember me complaining about the smog there on the Flyertalk boards when I went there last Jan. Maybe you were able to go when the smog wasn't so bad.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. At the main traffic circle outside Valle di Templi in Agrigento, we were stopped for a police check. They looked at my driver's license <b>AND</b> requested the International Driver's Permit. So, the IDP was indeed needed at both the Hertz counter and for police check.

Pictures of Palermo posted!

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p680472421/

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wco81 - You can read about some of my thoughts on the Amalfi Drive in this thread:

fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34920517

I have no problem with the driving other than the traffic jam, and I can see a lot being the driver. It's not an issue. Having said that, next time I'll take a boat to visit Amalfi instead.

I have lots of Hong Kong pictures from my recent trip in this folder:

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/f49037224/

<b>Continue for 12/26</b>

After the late lunch, we started walking down from hotel to <b>Ibla</b>. We passed by the duomo in the new town, just 2 blocks from our hotel, but it was closed (of course! It's not 4pm yet!). We followed Corso Italia to the end, which becomes a series of switchbacks to go down to the Piazza della Republica that seperates Ragusa and Ibla. There are also a series of stairs for pedestrians. Sitting on top is Santa Maria della Scale, with a great view of the old town.

We walked down, then over to the old town area, and arrived at San Giorgio a little early and had to wait for the nun to open up at 4pm. This is one of the several elegant baroque churches built by Rosario Glagliardi in this area after the earthquake of 1693. Signature features include the concave facade and the Corinthian columns. The interior is also very elegant.

After the visit, we passed by more churches and along Corso 25 Aprile, the main street of Ibla lined with restaurants and shops. Finally we got to Giardino Ibleo at the edge of town, with a great view of the valley below and has several more churches on site.

It was getting dark and cold, so we had coffee and then took the bus from the main piazza there back to new town Ragusa. Ticket is &euro;0.85, and it's just one line, so no need to worry about getting on the wrong one. It's just one bus that runs the circular route, and departs roughly at the top of the hour.

The ride was pretty fascinating, as the bus has to maneuver the narrow switchback road that goes up to Ragusa. That road is barely wide enough for one car, yet it has two-way traffic. Oncoming traffic has to back up, get on the curb, etc, to let our bus passes by.

We got some rest back in the hotel after the 3+ hour walking tour. Some restaurants in the new town are closed for Christmas, so we decided to just eat at our hotel. There is a regular restaurant and a Brazilian steak house (churrascaria). Hm... I know there are several popular ones here in Houston, but the cost ($35 + extra) is too high. But at the Mediterraneo Palace, the all-you-can-eat meal is only 20&euro;!!! Can you believe that one can actually get a great deal eating meat in Europe?

Anyways, it came with a great salad bar, then 9 different types of meat presented in a skewer (1 chicken, 2 pork, 2 lamb, sausage, 3 beef) plus grilled mozzarella. To tell the truth, I was less impressed by the beef ones, as they aren't the aged USDA Prime we get here in the US. But the other meats are superb! Total bill including everything for three - just 69&euro;! So, this was the only non-seafood dinner we had during our whole stay in Italy (or almost).

---

I have to say, Ragusa is really amazing. It's impossible to descibe in words. One just have to be there to see and experience it. The view of the old town in the afternoon sun was absolutely incredible. I will have photos posted later on.

<b>Wrong route this day: 0 (amazing!)
Wrong route so far: 7</b>

I love the sense of humor that infuses these reports. A sense of humor is often needed in Europe when glitches develop (or wrong turns).

Look, do a lot of home exchanges and am capable of even being unable to find the right house once I get to the housing development in which I am staying!

I do have a France story where I was looking for my exchange home and it was late at night and difficult to read the signs. Yes, I was on the right street (probably one of the 9,500 French streets named after General LeCler), but I was in the wrong town! I was one or two towns over. Eventually I got there. Europe is always an adventure!

And then there was that trip to the Auvergne. Do not ask.

Pictures of Monreale, Segesta and Selinunte posted:

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p990331635/

<b>Wednesday 12/27/06 Ragusa - Modica - Siracusa - Catania</b>

There's a nice breakfast at the 5th floor of the Mediterraneo Palace, with American-style breakfast. However, coffee from the machine is horrible. I don't understand this. Last Christmas, it was the same at the also 4* UNA Century in Milan. These nice hotels have great breakfast but horrendous machine coffee. We also got a great view of the new town of Ragusa from the rooftop next to the breakfast room. Unfortunately, an ugly building blocked the view towards Ibla from the hotel.

We fetched the car from the garage (8&euro;, free if one parks in the open lot outside), got directions from the front desk, and departed for <b>Modica</b>, just a few kms away, which is another UNESCO World Heritage site under the &quot;Val di Noto&quot; listing.

The main thing we want to see is the Duomo - also by Rosario Gagliardi, but even more pretty and imposing than the one in Ragusa - and it sits between Alta (the upper town) and Bassa (lower). We came to a roundabout and a choice has to be made - Alta or Bassa?

I chose Alta, which led us to the new town above, but there was no more road signs for the Duomo or for Modica Bassa. I followed a street by basically instinct and only had to turn around once (just past an intesection) to find the main road that leads down from Alta to Bassa. We passed by a big church and stopped, but that wasn't it. The tourist office across was closed. My dad asked a local, and he told us to just go straight down the street and we'd find it. So, my instinct was useful.

That little street switched-back on itself a few times as it descend the hill, but then we found the <b>Duomo</b>. It sat on the top of a huge flight of stairs leading from Ragusa Bassa, and offered a wonderful view of the lower town. The church was also magnificent, and very unusual with 4 aisles, 2 on each side of the nave.

Also interesting about Modica is that this town seem to be built as a mirror image of Ragusa, again just a few km away. Ragusa is built on top of hills, with houses spreading down the slopes. On the other hand, Modica's old town sits in the bottom of the valley, and houses spreads upwards. One really should visit both.

We found our way back onto S115 towards Siracusa. Traffic seems heavier in SE Sicily than the SW, or perhaps it's because Christmas holiday was over. I was just driving along in the middle of nowhere when suddenly there's a blue highway sign that says &quot;Siracusa&quot; pointing to a small road to the left. I turned and then realized that it's just a secondary highway that also goes to Siracusa. Turned around, got back onto the main road.

We approached Noto, a city with some magnificent Baroque churches, including several by Rosario Gagliardi. But the dome of its Duomo collapsed in 1996 and is still being rebuilt. We decided to skip Noto and leave it for next time.

But like many times before, I missed the turnout for the bypass. [This is getting extremely annoying!] That wasted a few minutes, but got us a closer look of the center area of Noto.

We skipped the autostrada approaching Siracusa, and went along the coast to town center. No problem finding our way onto the island of Ortygia or finding parking. Bought a couple of scratch tickets for parking, but only used one as parking's free 1-3:30pm.

(to be continued...)

Hello rkkwan, I just saw your trip report today and have put aside doing laundry to read it! A fantastic trip report, and I too love your sense of humor! Keeping track of how many time you went the wrong way, priceless!

Continuing on...

Let me just say this. I love Syracuse/Siracusa. I think of all the larger cities of Sicily. It has pretty harbors on both sides. Very lovely Ortygia/Ortigia, a new magnificent Cathedral, and of course the Greek ruins. We should have stayed here for a night instead of Catania. And BTW, we saw some tourist groups again, first time since we left Monreale 2 days ago.

Anyways, after parked the car, we walked through Ortygia, pass the Temple of Apollo, to the <b>Duomo</b>. Very interesting church that incorporates an ancient Temple of Minerva, but with a 18th C Baroque facade. Fascinating.

Instead of picnic, we found a nice cafe facing Porto Grande, and we had nice sandwich lunches facing the sea under the tent. Beautiful and relaxing!

We walked around the island a little bit more, then got the car to headback to Syracuse. Here we made a mistake by going to <b>Santuario della Madonna delle Lacrime</b> first, instead of the Greek Theater, because they stopped selling tickets for the latter at 3pm in winter. Anyways, the Madonna delle Lacrime is a new 20th C church, consecrated by John Paul II only in 1994, housing the statue that &quot;weeps&quot;. It's newer, but similar in style to the Cathedrals in Liverpool (which I have visited) and Rio de Janeiro (which my dad has visited).

By the time we got to the <b>Neapolis</b>, they've stopped selling tickets. (My own fault, as my DK Eyewitness guidebooks clearly indicate the 3pm winter closing). Still, we could see the huge Latomie (stone quarries). The <b>Greek Theater</b> is the largest in Sicily, but we've already visited the even more dramatic one at Segesta, and would have visited another dramatic one at Taormina. All of us have visited others in Greece itself. The one here in Syracuse is more important for its historical significance as that's where Aeschylus premiered many of his tragedies.

Slightly disappointed, we walked by the separate entrance for the <b>Roman Amphitheater</b>. The guard felt bad for us and let us in for a quick look for free. :)

Distance from Siracusa to <b>Catania</b> was short, but traffic was horrible. Not hard to see why. The autostrada from Messina down the coast has a 21km gap between those cities, and not only is Siracusa one of the largest city in Sicily, but just north of it are huge tanker ports and refineries near Megara Hyblaea and Augusta. Yet, all traffic has to go on this two-lane road, with a major intersection towards Caltagirone to the west. It's amazing that there's no sign of the construction to bridge this 10-mile gap. Not even as proposed on my atlas. Another thing that boggles my mind. I didn't time it, but that 21km probably took 45 minutes to get through.

Approaching Catania along the coast, I missed the bypass that goes along the beach, and has to go around the airport runway on the old route. Then made a wrong exit at a roundabout, and ended up at the entrance to the commercial port. The police was nice enough to tell me now to get back out.

My mapping skills paid off, and we found our way from the port to our hotel on the Vittorio Emanuele II, through some narrow streets near the fish market. [Think the Nice scene in &quot;Ronin&quot;, though at lower speed.]

We double parked on this main street of Catania to unload our luggage at <b>Hotel Savona</b>, and then I went to find a garage on Corso Sicilia at the middle of the town. Traffic was absolutely horrendous, so I gave up and found my way back onto Vittorio Emanuele. There were plenty of parking spots just one block from the hotel, and I just need to pay for the scratch tickets. Bought 2 at &euro;0.75 each, which lasted me through 8pm, when parking is enforced.

The Savona is a nice 3* hotel, just steps from the Duomo. My review has posted on tripadvisor.com. Unlike Hotel Elite in Palermo, this one occupies the whole building (only 3 stories tall). But there's no elevator, so beware.

We rested a bit and then walked around Piazza Duomo and Via Etnea. At 8, we found dinner at Trattoria &quot;Romantica&quot; on Via Collegiate. They have fixed price tourist menu, but we ordered all seafood a la carte. The bill comes to ~&euro;80 with drinks and coffee. Decent food, but my parents find the pasta/risotto dishes too salty.

<b>Wrong route this day: 5
Wrong route so far: 12</b>

I went to Sicily in one of the infamous tour groups. Actually, there were only 18 of us. We were on a sailboat most of the time and sailed between Catania and Palermo. We concentrated on the Aeolian Islands--which were wonderful. The downside is that we missed some of the equally wonderful things you saw.

We did, by the way, get to the Greek Theater in Syracusa. As luck would have it, however (and we were there in June), the night we were there, no performance at the theater. I did, however, finally get my Sicilian puppet show fix in Palermo when, on the last day of our trip, I literally stumbled upon a puppet show when we had free time in Palermo on our last day.

Puppet show success at last! I hope you got to see one. It was one of the highlights of my trip. Can't wait to return though and see all the sights along the hypotenuse that we missed.

Pictures of Agrigento, Comiso and Ragusa posted:

rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p803170429/

Hi, My dad was born in Syracusa in the village of Bucceri. Did you happen to pass it?

cigalechanta - I couldn't find Bucceri on a map, but a Google search reveals that there's a 15th Century building called Palazzo Lanza-Bucceri at Piazza Archimede in the middle of Ortygia, which we passed by on foot. I have pictures of that square, but can't tell which building is what. Don't know if that's where you're talking about.

sorry wrong url

http://www.oliotereo.it/english/buccheri.htm

Oh, I see. No, didn't go through that way, though the nearby Palazzolo Acreide is one of the 8 towns in the Val di Noto UNESCO Heritage site.

There are so many towns in southern Sicily that's very fascinating. I'd like to spend more time in Siracusa, and visit Noto and other towns in the area some day.