Can I get the email address for the Verdetecnica self catering accomodations, please? I can't find it anywhere. I am trying to reserve a room for next month
Heather

http://www.verdetecnica.com/eng/index.html

Check out their website. Feathers were you the person that commented that they didn't want anything too rustic? Because Verdetecnica's accomodations is quite rustic.

Message: AP, thanks a million. I'll be in Sicily from Sept.3 thru the 17th. Thisis the best site in the WORLP. All you wonderful people are a great help to an old guy who's going it alone. (My wife doesn't like to travel.) I'll do a similar trip report when I get back.
I'll start in Mondello and travel by car through the western part of Sicily and then to Siracus for the eastern part of the trip. I'm 75, but a young, hip 75. Can't wait to get there.

Can't wait to hear your stories, winemkr!

AP6380, thanks for posting such a great trip report! I've been busy planning my December trip and just sent an email to the hotel you recommended in Sciacca. May I ask if the rooms had views of the sea? I shall have a car and wondered how much parking they have.
I so appreciate your indepth report. It makes me crazy that I have to wait 28 more days to go, however!
Thanks,
[email protected]

Designergigi-

I responded to your e-mail address.

Thanks for the heads up on the Sicily report. I did want to ask you when you rented from Auto Europa-what type of car did you request and did you pay all the extra "super coverage" that they offered. Was the road from Catania to Siracusa really hard to drive(as others have mentioned) or are the roads basically okay for people that are used to driving in a large city? I am going with my daughter who is "map useless" when I ask her navigate and I am not sure that I want to hassle with parking and all the other issues of renting a car. Please advise me of your experience if possible-thanks so much!

We requested a standard, but they ended up giving us an automatic at no extra charge. If you're referring to Autoeurope, their price (I thought) included all the insurance coverage, I don't remember any add-ons.

We drove from Siracusa to Taormina (probably essentially the same stretch as Catania to Siracusa, but in the other direction), I remember the drive took a lot longer than expected. The roads were normal, but there were a lot of 2-lane roads, and we got stuck behind some trucks. I personally don't mind driving in Italy, and am used to driving in NYC. Parking was not a hassle for us, but we didn't take the car to Palermo or Taormina. Ortygia was a bit difficult, but with a little patience I thought it was completely manageable.

AP6380-thanks for the tips. We basically are doing somewhat of the same trip-fly into Catania,go down to Ortigia for several days (with daytrips) and then drive back up north to Taormina with a sidetrip to Mt. Etna. I gather from your report that you dropped the car off prior to Taormina as that is supposed to be difficult spot for parking,etc. We have a reservation at the Gutkowski(was parking a problem there?) but I was wondering if you did not have a car would it be a real pain to be bussing and using the cabs to and from Siracusa?

We dropped the car off in Giardini-Naxos and took a taxi up to Taormina. This past summer, in late August no less, I took a day trip to Taormina from my family's town in Calabria. I was able to find parking, albeit not easily.

I had a terrible problem getting to Gutkowski, I would get specific directions. We just kept driving through all these tiny little streets, and somehow, we ended up there. The parking wasn't too bad, we parked right in front of the hotel. If you mean taking cabs from Ortigia to Siracusa, I'm not sure how difficult that would be. I would ask Hotel Gutkowski. By the way, I love that hotel! They didn't give us a great room, we were facing an ugly courtyard undergoing construction, but the hotel itself is just so modern and nice.

Has anyone done the Mt. Etna thing to or from Taormina or Siracusa?