I have outlined my Sicily itinerary. We will have 14 nights on the island during the last 2 weeks in April 2006. I plan to fly into Palermo and leave from Catania. We will have a car.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Palermo - 4 nights (on the way to Tripani stop in Monreale and Corleone)
Tripani - 3 nights (days trips to Scopello, Segesta, Erice and Marsala

Agrigento - 1 night (on the way to next destination, Syracuse, stop in Enna, Piazza Armenina and Caltagirone)

Syracuse - 3 nights (day trips to Noto and Ragusa)

Taormina - 3 nights (day trips to Etna and Lipari

Thanks for your help.

Check out my web page which describes our 10 day trip to Sicily a couple of years ago. We were there in October and enjoyed it very much. With 2 weeks, you will really be able to see the island.

http://www.travel.stv77.com/sicily/sicily.htm

Dear Grosenb,

Your itinerary looks great to me - you will be visiting all the highlights. I wish I could travel with you!

My husband and I did a similar driving trip in April 03. The countryside is a gorgeous green; lots of flowers.

If you like to do pre-trip reading, I suggest "Mattanza" and "The Stone Boudoir" by Theresa Maggio. Both very fast and enjoyable non-fiction books based on her travels in Sicily. The Stone Boudoir may make you think about a visit to the Madonie Mountains.

Also, visit the pasticceria of Maria Grammatico in Erice. Her book is also interesting - " Bitter Almonds, Recollections and Receipes from a Sicilian Girlhood" co-authored with Mary Taylor Simeti. Ms. Simeti also wrote "On Persephone's Island" based on her life in Sicily for these past 20 years.

You have planned for many day trips. You may find that some drop off the list when you are staying in these lovely cities. IMHO do not miss Monreale, Erice, Segesta, and Piazza Armerina.

We really enjoyed staying at Baglio della Luna in Agrigento. Close to the main archeology sites, outside the main city, great meals.

Best wishes, SusanEva

SusanEva, Thanks for your suggestions. I will get the books and read them before I leave.

I am having a difficult time finding a hotel in Trapani. Would you or anyone else have a suggestion? I want to stay in town because I think there will be more variety for restaurants.

Thanks again.

Gail

Two recommendations for Trapani hotels that I have seen on www.slowtrav.com are the Hotel Crystal (Jim Zurer, an Italian travel consultant) and Hotel Baglio Santa Croce (from someone who runs a travel agency in Apulia). Crystal is modern, Baglio Santa Croce is outside Trapani.

P.S. I agree with SusanEva that you may have a few too many day trips planned. I also agree with the ones that she specifically recommends, but I miss Selinunte on the list. Many people prefer it to Agrigento: more natural setting, fewer people.

Looks great! Let us know if you want food/eating ideas. I can dig up my notes from last May from Palermo, Siracusa, Taormina and Agrigento. You must plan your day in Noto on a day other than Wednesday so you can visit the celebrated gelato and pastry shop of the Maestro Corrado Costanzo, who rests on Wednesdays.

Eloise-Thanks for the Tripani hotels. I will check them out. I usually have to many things planned and eventually a few do get dropped from our "must see" list.

I definitely will not miss Selinunte or the other temple sites. I am staying in Agrigento only to photograph the temples at night. After reading here on Fodors, this location appears to be the least desirable. We might get a guide to enhance the visit.

Ekscrunchy-Yes! I would love to have your food/eating notes for all the locations you mentioned. Our time in Noto will coincide with visiting the pastry shop you mentioned.

Thanks again everyone.

Gail

I like your itinerary; it seems like a good balance between the east and west sides of the island. I do have one suggestion, however. I wouldn't stay in Trapani for three nights (or one, for that matter.) You're spending four nights in Palermo, which is only an hour and a half away. Many of the things you plan to do while in Trapani (Scopello, Segesta and Monreale) are just as easily accessible from Palermo. Trapani, itself, IMHO does not have much to offer (except lunch or dinner at Cantina Siciliana) and can be covered in a half-day. If you want to break up the city-feeling after four days in Palermo, you might consider staying in Scopello, itself, or in Selinunte. Both are on the water and have very nice beaches. You can easily reach Trapani, Erice and Marsala from either of them. I also suggest that while you are in the area, take a day trip to Favignana (it's a 20 minute ferry ride from Trapani.) Also, on your way to Agrigento, take some time to have lunch at Da Vittorio in Porto Palo, or you can buy some ceramics at Sciacca, or spend the afternoon at one of the nicest beaches in Italy at Eraclea Minoa.

Topping.

P.S. It's Trapani, not Tripani.

I am going to give you some recommendations for Palermo, Agrigento and Siracusa tonight and then dig up more info on Siracusa and also on Taormina tomorrow when I am not as sleepy.

In Palermo, we had two very good dinners. Because we were there on May 1, most of the places I wanted to eat in that first night were closed. These included Ai Cascinari, a Slowfood pick, and Osteria del Vespri. Although I did not eat at either place, I do lots of food research before I travel and feel confident mentioning them to you. We called most of the other Slowfood picks and found the all to be closed that night. So we ended up at Santandrea, a place recommended by Mario Batali, the NYC chef. This is a tiny place patronized by locals off the Piazza San Domenico. They serve slightly updated versions of traiditonal Palermitan dishes. Lots of fish. Good pasta of favas, artichokes, and peas--all in season in spring. Closed Tuesday. 091-334-099. A little hard to find it is on a sort of cul de sac right off the piazza. If you have trouble finding anything, just write down the name and show the paper to someone. Bill here for two of us (two primi, two mains, water and house wine) came to 50E.

The next night we had a good meal at Acanto Blu. This is also a bit hard to find, located on a side street near the Politeama Theatre. Via Torrearsa, 10. 091-320-444. There is a lovely plant-filled outdoor space for drinks before dinner. The dining area is in a very contemporary and handsome space; dishes here are innovative twists on local dishes. The bill here (cover, two primi, two mains, water and house wine) came to 56 Euro.
We were the only non-Italians in both of these places.
You will read much of the Antica Focacceria San Francisco, where we had lunch in Palermo. This is a very old place (1834) with a long and colorful history. It is often very crowded and I found the food to be less than wonderful, although it is nice to have a snack or drink outside on a good day. They are rather famous for their guasteddu, which is a spleen sandwich much loved in Palermo. Also well-known for Palermitan snacks such arancini, (fried rice balls), and panelle, which are tasty chickpean fritters, and other fried snacks. Order a few of these rather than a full meal if you go here.

Here I am going to add a tip for you. If you see ricci (sea urchin) on the menu (probably as a daily special) do not miss it; usually served with spaghetti or other long pasta, these are delectable sea creatures, very rich and very delicious. They should be available in late April, especially in Siracusa and Taormina.

In Agrigento, we had dinner across from our hotel (Colleverde Park) at Trattoria dei Templi. Due to the location near the temples, you will find many tourists here. However, do not discount it for this reason. The food was excellent; they have a wonderful antipasti spread which includes artichokes and other seasonal vegetables and the best caponata I have ever tasted. The spaghetti vongole were very good, as were the veal and the grilled scampi. Those dishes (antipasti buffet) plus a bottle of local wine, water, and cover, came to 54 Euro for two of us. I liked this place very much. As I recall, English was spoken here; very little, if any, was spoken in most places we ate but do not let that dissuade you.

Next stop was Siracusa, where we had our best meal of the trip at Don Camillo, a Slow Food member in Ortygia. It was here that I had my first taste this trip of the ricci, served with spaghetti. Marvelous! I am only sorry I cannot find the notes on what else we ate. This place is a bit more upscale than the others we enjoyed during our trip but the food was truly excellent. They have a great wine list, too. This may be a tad more expensive than the others but still very fairly priced. There were many business people eating here, as I recall. You must reserve: Via Maestranza, 96; I cannot find the phone but everyone in town knows the place.

I will try to return tomorrow with a few more tips. One last thought: The food in Sicily is very different than the Italian food you may be used to. If you have an interest in food, I would suggest doing some reading about it prior to your trip. Fred Plotkin's Italy for the Gourmet Traveler was most helpful here, as it is throughout Italy. You will find that the favorite dishes vary from region to region of the island with certain constants. For example. involtini of tuna or swordfish is on virtually every menu in the coastal towns and cities.

Small correction: Don Camillo in Siracusa, where I have eaten three times, is NOT a SlowFood member. Also, they have a tendency to oversalt; ask them to go easy on the salt. Their best dish is penne alla pesce spada, penne with swordfish, raisins and another ingredient that I forget: the sweet-sour combination that derives from the Arab heritage of Sicilian cuisine.

There is a SlowFood member in Siracusa, Da Mariano. You will not get culinary creations a la Don Camillo there, but very plain and honest Sicilian cuisine at a fraction of the price.

Ooops...I thought Don Camillo was Slow Food. Maybe Gambero Rosso instead? Da Mariano, at the south end of the island, is as Eloise described: Good, solid food and quite friendly feel. I liked Don Camillo a lot better, however. Depends on your budget. Our bill, with one primi, two secondi, local wine and water, came to under 60E at Don Camillo.

Thank you for your concern, Ekscrunchy, but my budget quite well allows me to eat at Don Camillo, as I have done so three times, twice with friends, once alone.

If you need (polyester) brocade tablecloths and service by waiters in tuxedos to make you happy, then by all means, Don Camillo is the place for you.

Thanks all for the food recommendations. We love to eat and try to go the places only locals go. As many recommendations you can provide is appreciated.

I am rethinking my itinerary and I am about to take a day off Palermo since we like the places in the country better than the city. Where would you add a day? Marsala, Syracuse or Taormina?

Thanks

Gail

Gail, Have you seen my trip report at slowtrav.com from May,2005. See the B&B we used near Piazza Armenina for your nite there.

It wouldn't be in Marsala; nothing much there, I think, unless you want to visit the Phoenician ruins at Mozia. I haven't, so I have no idea how extensive or well preserved they are.

Personally, I like Siracusa, but I think three nights are sufficient (if you do Noto and Ragusa on one day and keep a day for Siracusa itself; your first night in Siracusa will be after a long trip in which you will be, in my opinion, trying to visit too many places).

Add a night to Taormina; you'll be ready for the relaxation.

If you like the country, you might consider transferring some of your hotel nights in towns to agriturismi near towns. If you Google "Sicily +agriturismo", you'll find thousands of listings.

Gail: We were in Sicily in Sept. I agree with the comment that 3 days in Trapani are too much. A day trip there was enough. Remember that many places are closed in the afternoon so it is sometimes difficult to fill the time. I also would not recommend staying in Marsala. We went to the wine tour and there was not much else to see. Taormina was very scenic with lots to do and much shopping. Siracusa is less scenic and busier as it is not a resort town as is Taormina. In Taormina, we stayed at Villa Fabbiano and it was great as was the Colleverde Park Hotel in Agrigento.

Hey, Eloise, relax. I did not direct my comment about budget as an insult to you. Who cares what the tablecloths are made of??..I thought the food at Don Camillo was great and when I was there the place was full of Italians. Curious as to why you seem to be knocking the place, yet you have eaten there three times. Oh well.....I am trying to give some food information to the original poster....not get in a snit over whether or not anyone cares what waiter is wearing.

Ekscrunchy:

I'm knocking Don Camillo because the first time I ate there (with a Sicilian), it was terrific, but when I suggested to two Parisian couples that I met where I was staying that they go there with me, it was terrible: so oversalted as to be almost inedible.

I was back in Siracusa the following year and decided to give them a last chance. My raw shrimp antipasto was so oversalted that I sent it back; the penne alla pesce spada were good, because I BEGGED them to go easy on the salt. Then they charged me for the antipasto I had sent back.

OK, it's only two strikes, but as far as I'm concerned, Don Camillo is still out.

P.S. The receptionist at my hotel in Siracusa told me that other guests had also complained about oversalting at Don Camillo.

Ok, thanks. I can see why you are not so keen on the place! Wonder why, if so many people complain about the salt issue, that they don't adjust their seasonings?