palatino82

We leave for Sicily in 3 weeks. Very excited since this is my first trip there, despite having traveled to Italy frequently. Here is our itinerary: (we are picking up a rental car at the airport in Catania and will return it to the Palermo airport Fri evening and take the shuttle into Palermo so we don't have to worry about the car in the city)

Sat. 4 pm – arrival in Catania, drive to Taormina – Hotel Villa Schuler.
Sun – Taormina sightseeing & overnight
Mon – drive to Ortigia/Siracusa via Etna
Etna: drive to Rifugio della sapienza and buy tickets to visit top
Tues-Wed visit Ortigia/Siracusa, possible half day trip to Noto or other nearby town?
Thurs: Ortigia – Agrigento with stops in Caltagirone & Villa Romana del Casale
Fri: visit Valley of the Temples, drive to Palermo to drop off car at airport & shuttle to Palermo hotel.
Saturday: Palermo sighteeing
Sunday: depart Palermo

I have a few questions:
1) If we would like to see Monreale should we do it on the same day we do the Valley of the Temples, before returning the car to Palermo airport or on our one day in Palermo? (assuming it will take about half the day by the time we get the public bus there)
2) Does anyone have suggestions for guides (1/2 day) for Ortigia, Valley of the Temples, or Palermo?
I tried to email Rosa Rizza but she didn't respond. Is it possible to get guides at the local tourist office?
3) Any nice places to take a walk or hike near Siracusa?

And I would be interested in any tips or suggestions.

Grazie!

kja

Some comments:

If there is ANY chance that you will have jet lag, wait until you are ready to leave Taormina -- or Ortygia! -- to pick up your rental car. Many people don't realize that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourselves and others -- as driving drunk, and there is excellent public transportation that you can use for a few days while you recover from jet lag.

Noto is a lovely and easy visit from Ortygia, if you have time. (And yes, you can get there easily by bus or train.)

The Villa Romana del Casale is, IMO, a stellar destination. Caltagirone, less so. Time yourselves accordingly.

It seems like you are giving Palermo only one full day? That's very little for a city that offers as much as Palermo offers. Be sure you think through your priorities in advance.

The cathedral in Monreale is really magnificent and deserves a visit. I don't see how you could reasonably visit the Valley of the Temples (which can easily take 5 or 6 hours, not counting the museum there) not to mention the drive and still have time for Monreale. YMMV. It doesn't take much time to get from Palermo to Monreale -- you might make it your first priority on a full day from Palermo rather than trying to visit it en route.

IME, you don't need guides for Ortygia, the Valley of the Temples (which has a good audio guide), or Palermo -- just consult a good guidebook (e.g., <i>the Rough Guide</i> or two) -- but if you prefer a guide, your call!

Good luck!

sundriedtopepo

Just to add to above, Monreale is not on the route to the airport. It's much easier to visit from Palermo.

TrendGirl2

MONREALE is so easy & convenient to visit from Palermo.

We even took a bus that left from Palermo stop location "JOHN LENNON." That name was easy for me to remember.

Many other tourists were waiting at the bus stop, as it was easy direct way to get to Monreale (only about 20 minutes total on the bus) The bus stop in Monreale was even a few feet from Monreale entrance. The reverse trip back to Palermo was just as easy.

I suggest adding a few more days (or at least additional day) to Palermo, as there are many wonderful places to see and explore.

We did not use a guide in Palermo.....it was an easy city to navigate on our own. Ortigia was charming!!!

Food was amazing.
TrendGirl2

sandralist

My first trip to Sicily was a bit similar to yours, in that I started in Taormina, visited Etna and Ortygia and some of the Baroque area, and also Agrigento, but I didnt tour Palermo, and visited Monreale instead.

On your Thursday, which is a busy day, rather than

(a) ending the day by going to Palermo airport, drop off the car, and heading into Palermo to sleep (and then spending the next day seeing Monreale via public transportation)

I suggest that you

(b) drive to an area on the way to Monreale and spend the night there. You will be too late to see the cathedral, but you can see it the next morning. Skip Palermo altogether, so after seeing Monreale, use the car to visiting some small towns between Monreale and the airport, spending your final night near the airport.

Dayle

Palantino

I think you may decide to skip the day trip to Noto once you get to Ortigia and see how much there is right there. Do a little research in advance for you trip so you can prioritize your time in each location. You will need to be selective!

I did a half day historical walking tour with Jackie Alio and enjoyed it very much. She is extremely knowledgable and a fun person to walk with! We visited one of the markets and most of the highlights of Palermo, going inside do all but a couple. I learned a lot and we covered a lot of ground since we are both fast walkers.

She is very popular and books up far in advance, but see if she is available for your Palermo day.

Buon viaggio!

palatino82

Thanks to everyone for this advice. It is very helpful.

I appreciate the heads up about jet lag kja. We have on occasion had a drive after a transatlantic flight. I think we will be able to manage getting to Taormina. I checked into public transport and shuttles before deciding it was smarter for us to just rent from the airport.

And I agree that I am not leaving enough time for Palermo. Unfortunately I am a teacher and have no flexibility to extend the trip beyond a week. My only other choice would be to go in July or Aug, and my husband wouldn't be able to take the heat. A friend was in Siracusa last year in July and said it was terribly hot.
I am sure we will be making another trip to Sicily sometime to see more.

Dayle thank you for the name of your guide. I will see if she is available.
Sandralist - I appreciate your suggestion too for Monreale. But I really do want to see the Norman Palace and see Palermo, even if it's a quick visit this time. It sounds like maybe getting the earliest bus to Monreale might be the best option on Saturday.

Thanks again.

TrendGirl2

DAYLE'S suggestion for "her walking tour" in Palermo, sounds like that may be a good option for you.....especially since you only plan on being in Palermo for such a short stay.

*DON'T FORGET to eat CANNOLI'S while in Palermo!!! Even if you eat them as take-away. They are fantastico!!!!!

Also: just be prepared.....Palermo is a little bit of a "wild card" as they opening and closing times of museums, sights, etc & surprise closings without much notice is very common there.

I had a few surprises when showing up at various sights that were not opened during their posted times!!!
TrendGirl2

sandralist

Absolutely agree that if you want to see the Norman palace you should go to Palermo if only for that.

I enjoyed Ortygia, but I enjoyed Siracusa and the baroque towns (Ragusa and Modena) more. If you are having a good time in Ortygia, by all means don't feel there you should tear yourself away to go elsewhere, but no reason not to keep Noto or elsewhere as an option, to be decided. I'm glad I went and didn't feel I shortchanged Ortygia.

sundriedtopepo

By all means go to Monreale early. Here are the hours:

8.30am-12.45pm & 2.30-5pm Mon-Sat, 8-10am & 2.30-5pm Sun

We went to the market in the a.m. and when we got to Monreale, had to wait till 2:30 to get in.

palatino82

Thanks for the warning Sundried. I think we will take an early bus Saturday.

I already got in touch with Jackie Alio and although she is booked she gave me another guide's name. I think a guide will be helpful to maximize what we can learn/do in our short time. I'm also curious to get a local perspective on life in Palermo. And I noticed that Jackie Alio has written a few books, including one that might be a good background read: The Peoples of Sicily - A Multicultural Legacy

We usually do things on our own, but are used to having more time to poke around. And Trendgirl hopefully the guide will be aware of the opening hours. But we are used to Italy, so if something does not go perfectly we can cope!

Dayle

Palatino

Yes, I was sure Jackie would recommend another guide for you. You might let the guide know what you hope to accomplish and was your interests are so they can make the most of your time. The few places that Jackie pointed out, I went back and visited on my own. The other sites like the cathedral and other churches, we went inside and she gave me a full history and explanations. We sat for as long as I wanted to just soak it all in.

We ended our tour in a very elegant shopping area of Palermo and Jackie suggest lunch at Cafe Spinato. If you get the chance try it, it was excellent!

TrendGirl2

ANOTHER VOTE FOR CAFE SPINATO in Palermo!

It was the perfect spot for us for afternoon lunch and also for relaxing in between running around Palermo.

We ate outside, but the inside was beautiful!
TrendGirl2