Sicily in Feb: vacillating...
 

At least one poster says to wait until April/May to see Sicily...but we are living in Rome for the year with our two kids (5 and 2.5) and our daughter has a 10-day school break in mid- to late February and Sicily is tempting us, specifically east coast, flying into Catania and venturing north and south in a rented car. Partly because we were in London for Christmas and we live in Rome, I want something less citified and more outdoorsy and with somewhat warmer weather than we'll get elsewhere in Europe at that time. But of course our kids can't go for long walks or anything. In Sicily it seems as though we could drive to Greek ruins (which interest my daughter), see the sea and the mountains and Etna, visit Baroque churches (which we all like), etc. But what about the rain in Feburary?? And is it perverse to go to a place that is so beautiful in springtime right before springtime? Thanks for any guidance!

Jennifer

Hi, Jonnofor -

I really enjoyed seeing Sicily in May - the wildflowers! - but I can't imagine thinking that visiting that wonderful island at any time would be "perverse". I think the almond festival in Agrigento is in February, and it could be lovely to see that.

Hope that helps!

Jonnofor-

I lived in Sicily for 5 months a few years ago. It can be a bit chilly and rainy during January but I found February in Sicily to be quite pleasant. If you have ten days, I would fly into Catania, see Mount Etna and visit Taormina and/or Siracusa which have considerably less tourists during the winter months. Both cities have incredible Greek ruins. I would then rent a car or take the bus along the southern part of Sicily through Noto, Modica, and Ragusa which have the Baroque churches you mentioned you guys liked. The almond festival in Agrigento is not to be missed! It usually occurs around the 2nd week of February. During this time, the valley of the temples with all the greek ruins is just covered with almond blossoms. In the town itself, there is a huge parade with almond everything available. It's a blast and I think your kids would enjoy it as well. From Agrigento, I would head up to Trapani and see the Egadi Islands if possible and then fly out of Palermo.

Jonnofor,
We did a very similar trip to that mentioned by Siciliansaailor. Siracusa, Taormina, and Agrigento are not to be missed for their Greek ruins (plus our 20 month old loved running around in them). I can only imagine how beautiful Agrigento is during the almond festival. You don't really drive through the ruins, you are walking through them but with a stroller for your youngest, you should be fine if you take your time. Plus, what a place to have a picnic lunch! there are snack bars right outside all these ruins where you can pick up a sandwich or bring them in with you. Palermo was the hardest place with our daughter jsut because there wasn't the space to run, but we loved it and flying out of there worked our really well.

Thank you all! Sounds pretty great. It hadn't occurred to me to fly into one city and fly out of another, so thank you. It looks as if we'll probably miss the festival itself in Agrigento, because my daughter's school break doesn't start until the 15th...still, knowing that the place is in bloom is appealing.

Jennifer