The wine tasting and osteria sounded wonderful. Oh my yes, some of the most handsome young men come from Italy! Your rustic farm lunch must have been great. And your descriptions of Ortigia are wonderful. I hope to read that your purchases got delivered safely. I had to stop at Caltagirone but will return. I really enjoy your TRs.

Thanks for your great TR. Glad, but not surprised, that you enjoyed Sicily. It's on my revisit list....

Ah, you brought back wonderful memories of Sicily. Glad you both enjoyed so much!

Thanks again everyone for sticking with me and all the kind comments! We really did love Sicily and although I haven't started planning any 2015 travels (still have plenty going on in 2014!) I could definitely envision a return visit that soon!

jmct...definitely put it at the top! ;-)

TDudette...yes! our ceramics made it to us all in one piece! You should have seen how carefully each piece was individually wrapped and then wrapped as a whole and in a huge box with lots of packing protection. We arrived home on a Monday and the ceramics arrived by Friday of that week!

Great trip report -- thanks so much for posting. I am another one in love with Sicily, and your report brought back a flood of memories!

Great news!

LowCountryIslander, loved your TR and photos of Sicily! We've just returned from a trip to NYC and the Hudson River Valley, and have been sidetracked with things at home. I'm just sitting here with a glass of vino enjoying your whole experience. Only one problem: it's one more place to add to our wish list. Thanks for your great descriptive detail. Sicily sounds wonderful!

We are simpatico with your feelings about independent travel vs. a tour. As you suggest, independent travel takes a lot of time and energy as we're experiencing right now, being in the throes of planning a trip to western Austria, a bit of the Dolomites, and Switzerland, especially the Berner Oberland. Of course, being in that part of Europe, we couldn't pass up a few day stop-over in Paris en route home. We've never done a Rick Steves tour, but considering the ease, we may be tempted in the future.

There are a few Fodorites whose travels we particularly follow, and you are one of them. We thought it was cool that you and denisea were able to meet for lunch. She's another one of our favs. If schedules work out, we may meet up with maitaitom, a fellow Fodorite whose travels we folow, in Paris,

Thanks again, LCI, for sharing your experiences!

tomarkot...

Thanks for the kind comments! Seems like there is no rest for us travel planners! ;-) Now that I've finished writing about my Sicily travels I'm gearing up for a 2 week trip to Torino and the Piemonte wine country in early September. You could say, I'm completely "head-over-heals" in love with Italy and want to explore as much of "the boot" as I can!

Yes, Denise is a gem, we were fortunate to have been able to meet up twice while she was traveling on business. I'd love to sit down and toss back a couple "adult beverages" with maitaitom one day, that would be a hoot!

LowCountry - I see you are heading to Torino and Piedmonte! We were there in 2010 and I have to pass on this restaurant we went to: http://www.cascinarosengana.it/ristorante/

It was our favourite meal - but go hungry!!! The food went on and on and on and was amazing!

Hope you have a geat time!

I, too, loved Sicily. Thanks so much for this lovely report.

jamie...thanks for the recommendation!

bon_voyage...thanks for reading!

Thank you for your detailed descriptions and links to the restaurants! I am taking this trip within the next couple of weeks and really appreciate your recommendations.

Just discovered this trip report. Thank you so much for taking the time to write about your trip! I love all the details and food descriptions!

Ibuchanan...have a wonderful time, I hope you enjoy Sicily as much as I did!

KayTKay...thanks for reading, I'm enjoying your current report on your trip to Italy! :-)

I just had time to read this. Very interesting and helpful as I hope to get to Sicily next year.

Thanks!

Mille grazie - I am in the throes of planning our independent travel trip to Rome, Puglia and Sicily for just over a month in October/November. This TR is not only an absolute joy to read, it is also a goldmine for me in terms of planning and decisions!! I am not sure how I could ever prepare such a detailed report...without spending hours in my room each night. I planned and then enjoyed a 40-day, 5 country trip to Southeast Asia in the winter/spring and took my first crack at a travel blog (for friends & family to follow). But it is nothing like this... Our interests are very similar, so once again thanks for all the helpful advice. For the benefit of those weighing the pros and cons of independent vs tours, the SEA trip was by far the most complex I have done, and yes it does take a lot of time in research, bookings, etc. but it went off without a hitch... I have never tried a tour but expect that one day I will head down that route (just not yet...) Happy trails...

ChristieKanata...

Thanks for reading and thank you for the compliment. Glad I could be helpful with your trip planning. Enjoy your time in Italy!

LCI, thank you for this comprehensive report on Sicily, especially Palermo. I am in tne early stages of planning an independent trip there next year and this is so very helpful.

What a fabulous report! Loved the restaurant details. Thanks so much! Bookmarking for our trip next Spring.

Thanks HappyTrvlr and hax. Have fun on your trips! :-)