lajolla

My husband and I are planning a 2 week trip to Sicily and Southern Italy this June. We have been told Sicily is difficult to see on your own due to difficulty driving there and most people do not speak English. We prefer independent travel, having driven in Tuscany, Spain,England, Ireland etc. Now we are considering a RICK STEVES TOUR of Sicily and Southern Italy. Does anyone have any advise? Has anyone done one of these tours? How difficult is it to do on your own? Thanks!

nessundorma

You were misinformed about Sicily and the prevalence of English, unless you are planning to spend your time is towns Rick Steves never heard of. Where does his tour go? If the answer is all or any of the following == Taormina, a visit to Etna, Enna, Siracusa/Ortygia, Noto/Ragusa, Agrigento, Caltigrone, Segesta, Selintue, Palermo, Cefalu or the Aeolian Islands and/or Messina and Catania -- guess what? The people who run hotels speak English there, and if you walk into a restaurant, you'll be fed extremely well even if you can only point at your mouth.

There is nothing particularly difficult about driving in Italy. Some roads between major tourist destinations are two-lane affairs, which means that everybody has to use the same road: the trucks, the cars, the busses, the scooters, the tractors -- so sometimes you have to go slow. If you love to live with the threat of death before your eyes, you can try passing those buses and trucks on blind curves like the Sicilians do, but it's not required. If you decide you'd rather stick to the speed limit, you'll be just fine.

That said, Palermo is not for driving. Period. If you want to see the city, put it at the beginning of your trip, then rent a car, or put it at the end, and drop off your car and tour the city on foot.

It is also a real pain to take a car in and out of Taormina, and in and out of the island of Ortygia. If you want to visit these places, you should consider staying just outside these places (Siracusa is fine for Ortygia) with your car.

If you cannot spend a full two weeks in Sicily, it is worth doing some research to decide which slice you would like to see most. In general, most of what you will want to see is on a coast. There are a few important towns in the interior, but unless you are very keen on ceramics or mosaics in particular, you will find staying on the coast very rewarding.

If you plan to visit Agrigento, I highly recommend a wonderful small hotel called Camera con Vista. You can find it on the web.

If you like independent travel, you will find Sicily an extremely enjoyable place, with its own highly developed culture and sophistication. The food is just marvelous, especially the food you find is the most casual places.

lajolla

Thanks so much for the info on independent travel in Sicily. What I have heard is that the road signs are not too clear and places are difficult to find both in cities and countryside. So it seems it is not so?

ira

Hi La,

>We prefer independent travel, having driven in Tuscany, Spain,England, Ireland etc....<

and you are letting some ignorant, untraveled twerp who can't even drive a standard shift talk you into a bus tour?

Shame on you.

If you've driven in Tuscany, you know what it will be like to drive in Sicily.

caroline_edinburgh

I've been to Sicily independently 3 times, twice touring by car. I don't remember any difficulty with road signs or with finding places - aren't road signs pretty universal, as least in the developed world ?

Outside the cities the roads are good & quiet. Driving into Taormina is a little worrying at first; but the one way system means there is really only one way you can go, & all the hotels are signposted off it. Make sure your hotel offers parking, though.

We have stayed on Ortygia (which is the island part of Siracusa) & had no trouble at all driving & parking there.

When we went to Palermo we did as another poster suggested & dropped off our car on arrival.

ekscrunchy

The roads are fine and were pretty empty when we drove there last May. We stayed in both Ortygia and Taormina with our rented car. It is a major headache to enter these two places but I think it is worth it in order to stay at both. Just get good directions to your hotel. We rented our (automatic) car from Avis Palermo and due to the location of the office near the sea (cannot remember name of street) it was also simple to drive out of the city because it is very close to the main road out of town.

nessundorma

Signs are fine in Sicily. If you get lost, show somebody a map and they'll give you directions.
I

SusanEva

Oh lajolla,

You will love driving and exploring in Sicily if you like independent travel.

Such natural beauty, complex history, interesting architecture and some of the friendliest people I have ever met while traveling.

Do it, and you will love it. I promise.

Two books by Teresa Maggio describe very different areas of Sicily - and had us driving around to find the locations - Mattanza and The Stone Boudoir:

http://theresamaggio.com/

lajolla

Thanks so much for the info. We are definitely going to do Sicily on our own. IF anyone have any accomodations they particularly recommend in Sicily, Positano or Matera, we would love to hear. Also we would love input for itinerary, or small towns they liked. Has anyone driven (or flown) from Sicily to Matera? Thanks!!!

ekscrunchy

We really liked the Domus Mariae in Ortygia. It is on the sea and has free parking in a lot next to the hotel. The Gutkowski is close by, also on the sea, and less expensive. I believe we paid 150 E for a double with sea view at Domus Mariae. You need to book early as the hotel is verey popular and small. I recommend a meal at Don Camillo in Ortygia, although Eloise will disagree with me on this one!

Eloise

Eloise will only suggest that when you order at Don Camillo, ask them to use only a little salt. You can add salt, if necessary, but you can't take it away...

lajolla

Again, thanks for the info. Now we also want to get to Matera in Southern Italy. Has anyone driven there? OR should we fly, take a train? And Positano? Any hotel rec??

ira

Hi La,

Look up <Positano and Hotel> in the "search this forum" box for lots of info.

caroline_edinburgh

What is your budget ?

I like the Grand in Ortygia & have stayed there twice. It has a car park.

dutyfree

A Rick Steves tour?I have run into some people who have taken his Rome/Italy tour and my only comment is"Do you really want to be with every Bob and Ethel from Des Moines" on the tour? You can do it on your own as the Sicilians are very warm and helpful people despite not knowing much English.I think that Sicily is the best kept travel secret and hope that we,Americans don't overrun it like we have Tuscany.Hotels-I would second staying in Ortigia and at the Hotel Gutkowski which is alot less expensive for the same view as the Domus Mariae. There are alot of interesting restaurants in Ortigia(my daughter is currently spending a college semester studying there) besides Don Camillo so walk around and find those special spots that the locals love. Enjoy1

dilen

Although I didn't stay at the Hotel Gutkowski in Ortygia I walked past it on the way to the parking garage. It was much closer to the garage then the Hotel Diana where we stayed. The Hotel Diana was decorated beautifully and we had a view of the square and fountain from our room. Out favorite place in Sicily was Erice west of Palermo. We stayed at the Elimo Hotel. We loved this hilltop village. We ate dinner at the Elimo and it was very good. The owner/chef spoke English and we enjoyed drinks in front of the fireplace one evening. On our way to Erice we stopped to see the windmills and salt flats on the coast by Trapani. I did all the navigating and didn't have any problems finding our way around. In Taormina we stayed at the beach area next to the cable car that goes up to the town. We loved the town even though it's a little touristy. If you like wine stop in Avola. We enjoyed the Nero de Avola and brought some home.