redy2go

We have 14 days for the first time in our lives! It's the first 2 weeks of October. We fly in and out of Rome, and plan to spend 3 nights there first, then 2 more on our return. We like little villages, peasant food, making friends with strangers, staying in cottages off the beaten path, and hiking, snorkeling, and biking. We like to punctuate it all with brief luxurious splurge. If it's to be Puglia, we'll fly into Brindisi and rent a car. We're interested in Lecce, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Matera, and the Gargano if we can squeeze it in. If it's Sicily, I'm most interested in Taormina, Siracusa, and the villages outside it, with a trip to the temples. I'm looking for a villa for a week. Help me decide Fodorites! They both sound so good I'm agonizing, and it's too much for us to do both.

kja

I can understand why you are agonizing - they are both wonderful! You mentioned liking little villages, so I trust that you realize that Taormina, Siracusa, and the towns of the Noto Valley are not little villages. Nor are Lecce or Matera. (None of them are huge cities, either.) I'm not an expert on either Sicily or Puglia, and can only speak from limited experience, but my guess is that you might have a more varied experience in Sicily (for example, more different styles of architecture and more varied natural scenery) and a more leisurely experience in Puglia (for example, more time spent in the car). I hope you enjoy whichever one you choose as much as I did!

redy2go

You're right, kja! They are both wonderful, and none of the places mentioned are little villages. When we went to Tuscany, we stayed in a lovely farmhouse and day tripped to the larger locales when we wanted. I'd like to do the same this trip. If Sicily, we'd stay in Taormina (should it be 2 nights, or 3?), then hopefully I can find a country or beach place near Siracusa. If Puglia, Lecce first, then hopefully a country place in the Itria Valley. The hard part has been finding an appealing self-catering location or masserie in either location. Any recommendations out there? Puglia experts, and I know you're out there, if I don't want to move than 3 times in 9 days, and we're going to Lecce for sure, must I choose between a sidetrip to Matera in Basilicata and the Gargano? Will Gargano be good in October, or will all the restaurants be closed?

PradaModo

I would go with Sicily first before Puglia, I think you will like it better. Toarmina is stunning the hotels on cliffs overlooking the sea and town below. Syracusa & Noto are simple daytrips by rental car or private driver. Don't forget Mt. Enta National Park...excellent for hiking.
I recommend going across the island doing a few nights in Toarmina, then head over to Agrigento for an overnight, at night there is a sound/light show at the Agrigento Temples, then head up to Palermo or Cefalu to end your trip. You could fly out of Palermo.

Ciao

CasaDelCipresso

well...if you like charming hill towns and villages...I'd vote for Puglia/Basilicata (that said, I have a house near there so I am very partial) don't think you should worry about closures in Oct. - most places in Puglia and Basilicata carter to a very local crowd and are not tourist dependant...brush up on your Italian for sure! I'm sure you will make a lot of new local friends...it's one of the friendliest places I've ever visited...perfect if you're looking for the authentic side of so. Italian culture. I'm sure others will chime in...becasaue I am in NO way an expert on Puglia - still exploring it myself and...all that said...I have not yet spent a lot of time in Sicily...so could be wonderful too.

p.s yes - squeeze in Matera-it's like nothing else...and perfect for a day-trip!

ekscrunchy

This article from the New York Times is about agriturismi in Sicily; hopefully you can access it just to get an idea although it has nothing abouot villa rentals. Some of the info within helped me plan our own trip two years ago.

I think you need 3 days in Taormina because a good part of one will likely be taken up by the drive up the slopes of Etna. We had a week to do Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina and it felt very rushed...like we were just skimming the surface to prepare for a future visit.

Flame123

I have not been to Sicily so I cannot compare to Puglia. But I HAVE just returned from an 11-day trip to Puglia. I was in all the places you mention, except Gargano. If you search under my screen name, you will come up with my trip report. If you have any other specific questions afterwards, let me know.

redy2go

Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm planning for both locales, and in the end, the best combination wins. Thank God it's off season or I'd never make it! Eks, we'd have 9 nights in Sicily: flying into Palermo and staying outside it in San Vito lo Capo for 3, 1 in Agrigento, 3 around Siracusa, and 2 in Taormina, then flying out of Catania. Do you think it's too busy? Flame, I did read your trip report when I first started planning, and then re-read it. Great job! If you were to do it all over, where would you base? Casa, I'm especially grateful for the email address. I have a couple of questions for you here, since others may want your answers. First of all, how's the weather in trulli country the first half of October? If I get a villa with a pool, will it still be nice enough to enjoy some down time round it? Further south, is it still warm enough that I'll be happy to have snorkel gear? I know I'm going to Puglia and Sicilia some day, it's just a matter of which one first, and I sure wish I could do them both now!

kja

Hi, redy2go -
Your tentative plan for Sicily is similar to part of my recent trip there: I spent 3 nights in Palermo, 1 in Agrigento, 2 in Siracusa + 1 in Noto, and 2 in Taormina (and I visited a few other places, too). Whether that's too busy would depend on what you want to see and do when you are there. I wanted to see a lot - and I kept very busy - very happily busy (I might add). If you wanted more down time than I did, you could easily find lovely places to relax in these locations. Hope that helps!

redy2go

Hey kja! Your response is just in time. We were planning on staying in a lovely guest house just outside Noto, so we could sit on our terrace, ride bikes to the beach at Vendicari, have dinner in Noto and not have so far to go to get home for the night, and then make a day trip or two into Siracusa. We've been weighing this plan against a cute apartment just across the bridge to Ortygia, so we can easily enjoy dinner there and the Siracusan passegiata. Having stayed in both places, would you recommend that we see Siracusa from Noto so we save moving, or is relocation worth it?

Eks,we'll have 3 days and 2 nights in Taormina. I hope that responds to your good point. I wish I could squeeze out one more night there!

Flame123

I am not exactly clear what you want to know about Puglia but I would not change anything and re-do it just the way I did the first time. The only thing I would re-do is the day out in the area around Trani. I would have spent another day IN Trani instead.

Good luck.

kja

Hi, redy2go -
Whether to stay in both Siracusa and Noto or stay in only one location is an interesting question. I know that many people really hate relocating, and would argue strongly that you should choose one base. I'm one of the (apparently very few) people who generally prefers to relocate, because I like to experience places during both the day and the evening. I'm very glad I stayed overnight in Noto, but was also very glad to stay overnight in Siracusa. There certainly seemed to be more to do in Siracusa - or more specifically, Ortigia - during the evening. The good news is that you are choosing between delightful options!

By the way, the scaffolding around Noto's Duomo was take down in mid-May - remarkable!

redy2go

Flame, you were less than delighted with Masseria Montepaolo, and I wondered if you'd seen a better choice. It's nice to know Trani is worth some extra time. What I've seen so far is very appealing. Thanks.

LJ

I have a reccomendation for Masseria San Martino in a beautiful part of Puglia near fascinating small towns and maybe 3 miles from the sea. We got to know the owners well when we stayed near by and their place was under renovation a couple of years ago.They are Puglians who livedand worked in Canada for 25 years and therefore know Puglia well but apeak Englsih and know what North Americans want.
http://www.icastelli.net/location-10...n_martino.html

Flame123

We liked Masseria Montepaolo for its beautiful and clean rooms, the location and the peace and quiet of the masseria itself.

What I was disappointed in was the so-called amazing and fabulous dinners that were discussed on tripadvisor reviews and the friendliness and helpfulness of the proprietess.

The second hotel I was thinking about for this area, and if I ever go back I would definitely try it because it is close to Monopoli which we absolutely LOVED, is called Villa dei Pini and I found it on a site called www.byitaly.com. I suggest you look it up. They do not know English well so I had a bit of trouble with the e-mail correspondence, but they were very cooperative and the rooms and prices were good.