Southern Italy/Sicily
Apr 25th, 2001, 07:06 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Southern Italy/Sicily
Three couples traveling to Southern Italy/Sicily in late September. We are looking for suggestions and itinerary help. We are planning to arrive in Rome on 9/13 -- spend 3 days there and then go to the Amalfi Coast. Stay there for 5 - 7 days and then to Sicily for 7 days ... HELP ... <BR> <BR>Please give your suggestions on places to STAY and places to SEE and places to EAT. <BR> <BR>Thank you all. I promise to put together a travel report when we return. This is a first trip for all of us. 2 of the individuals were born there but immigrated when very young. Thanks. <BR> <BR>LCDR Lee
Apr 28th, 2001, 06:26 PM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hello Lee, have I answered a similar post before? HHmmm--sounds familar. <BR>Whatever, if you want a complete trip report you can find my article at: <BR>www.travel-italy.com ---go to their feature articles and find the one named <BR>" Navigating with Bob and Ed in South Italy" That should help--good luck.
Apr 28th, 2001, 07:07 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
In Rome, we stayed in a small hotel right off the Campo de Fiori called Teatro di Pompeo. It was a "find", the price was reasonable, the rooms were large and it was only a few minutes from the Piazza Navona. Ask for a room in the back. Ours was very quiet, a rare thing in Rome. On the Amalfi Coast, there are many beautiful places to stay. We thought Positano's location was spectacular. We stayed at the Albergo Casa Albertina which was built into a 12th century house that clings to the hillside above Positano. It has great views but it's a hike to walk into town. Also, the driving on the Amalfi Coast is not for the faint hearted. We took a night ferry from Naples to Palermo, Sicily and while the idea was good, the beds in cabin were tiny and uncomfortable, the cabin smelled of gasoline and we hardly slept at all. If I were to do this again, I'd either fly to Sicily or look into the much faster hydrofoil (I think that only takes a few hours versus 8 hours on the regular overnight ferry). <BR>In Palermo, check out the Hotel Villa Igiea - upscale and beautiful hotel overlooking the bay. Our room was large and decorated with antiques and looked over the garden and swimming pool. Make sure you take a side trip to the village of Erice which is an interesting place to visit with its narrow little streets, fortified walls, Renaissance palaces and churches from the Middle Ages. If you enjoy archeology, you should visit the town of Agrigento and see the Valley of the Temples. We recommend the Villa Athena hotel which has comfortable rooms and a location directly across from the Temples. Also we recommend a visit to the town of Taomina in North east Sicily. It may be a little touristy, but well worth the visit.. good people watching, beaches, shops, archeologic sites. Also consider day trip to the volcano at Mt. Etna. <BR>We really liked our hotel in Taormina. It was just opened in 1998 and it was really charming. It's Villa Fabbiano (fax: 011 39 942 23732, tel: 011 39 942 626058) <BR>Check out Fodor's Rivages "Hotels and Country Inns of Character and Charm in Italy". It has pictures and descriptions of each hotel and I found it very helpful. Also I like Karen Brown's "Italian Country Inns & Itineraries." You can e-mail me if you need phone or fax numbers for any of the hotels I mentioned. Have fun.
