To Aeolians or Not? Please Critique our Sicily Itinerary for May/June
 

Greetings, all.

Later this summer, we will be visiting Sicily with a week excursion to Provence. We are considering the following itinerary in Sicily and could benefit from your collective experience traveling there. We booked this trip because we enjoyed our time in the Campania region a few years back and are interested in experiencing even more of the Greek ruins, good food, and places of natural beauty. We are opting for breadth, not depth, though if the itinerary seems too hectic, we are open to reconsidering.

We would particularly value your thoughts on the last part of the itinerary, after our return from Provence. Our dilemma is whether we should go to the Aeolian Islands for such a short time. We are inclined to do so as we have always wanted to go and we tend not to return to the same place on our vacations. If there are comparable options on the island that would avoid the long excursion out to the Aeolians, we would appreciate recommendations for us to consider. We are not planning to rent a car during the second 1/2 of the itinerary, mainly because the cost is too high at this point for an automatic. We got a good deal for the 1/2 half of the itinerary, from Catania to Palermo.

Day 1: Arrival into Catania in early evening. Pick up car at airport and drive to Syracuse/Ortigia
Day 2: Syracuse/Ortigia
Day 3: Ragusa Ibla
Day 4: Ragusa Ibla
Day 5: Agriegento
Day 6: Palermo
Day 7: Drop off car at Palermo airport and fly to Marseilles in the evening
Day 8-13: Provence
Day 14: Fly to Palermo, arrive late evening (no car from this point forward)
Day 15: Palermo (side trip to Monreale)
Day 16: Palermo to Milazzo train, ferry to Lipari
Day 17: Lipari
Day 18: Taormina
Day 19: Taormina
Day 20: Fly home from Catania in the evening.

Thanks in advance!

It is hurried, but doable. Personally, I'd spend a day more in Lipari, a day less in Taormina, but that is mostly my own dislike of the latter (it is beautiful, but the only place in Italy that I felt consistently ripped off)

The answer, unfortunately, is: It depends on what YOU want to see and experience! Sicily is wonderful, so no bad choices, just difficult ones. ;-)

Some comments:

Wait until you are ready to leave Ortygia to pick up your rental car. Two reasons: Having one while you are there is not likely to be an advantage. And even more importantly, if there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, it would be unwise to drive until you’ve had at least a day or two to recover. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience! But there is good news here: You should be able to reach Ortygia easily by public transportation.

One day is not much for Siracusa / Ortygia. You might consider shifting a day from the Baroque Towns to Siracusa. You can always take a half-day from Siracusa to visit Noto (by public transportation) if you want.

It doesn’t sound like you have given yourselves much time for Palermo, which easily merits several days just for its highlights. It seems that you are planning time in Palermo both before and after your trip to Provence. If possible, put all your time there together, preferably before your flight so you are near the airport, just to eliminate one change of hotels.

Taormina is beautiful, but be forwarned that it can be truly unpleasant during the day while daytrippers are there. Plan accordingly!

I trust you are prepared for the weather?

I’m sure that you realize that you are skipping many of Sicily’s most magnificent sites. Your trip, your call!

I haven't been to the islands, but otherwise agree with willit, that your itinerary is rushed but doable. You could arrange for a driver to take you from CTA to Ortigia and pick your car up on the way out of Ortigia if you wanted. No need for a car there.

Hi 4quartets,

Well, this is not a trip I would ever do because I feel interrupting Sicily and wasting 2 entire days traveling back and forth to Provence is not a good use of time. That's just my opinion and it is your trip.

I stayed on Lipari for 5 nights and visited other islands from there. Loved the Aeolians and a visit to these islands was my original interest in Sicily. As I researched, I ended up with a 3.5 week trip, and still it wasn't enough!

Taormina was the only place on my trip that I felt was far too touristy and crowded. I only spent 1 nt there and wished I had skipped it.

I loved everywhere else I visited, Erice and Segesta, Scopello and Lo Zingaro Preserve, Menfi and Selinute, Agrigento, Piazza Armerina and Villa Romana, Catalgirone, Scicli, Vendicari Nature Preserve, Siracusa and Ortigia, the Aeolians and Palermo.

If you plan to stay on Lipari for 2 nights - Day 16 and Day 17 - and move on to Taormina on the morning of Day 18 then I'd say go for it. Otherwise the time on Lipari would be too short. We did a similar trip to you, all by public transport, and it worked fine but does take time, especially when you have to connect to a different mode, such as train, then bus, or bus then ferry. We found the ferry timetable out to Lipari was more like a 'suggestion'. Very Italian.

From Taormina we did a walk/hike up to Castelmola, it took about half a day up and back, with spectacular views from the top. Well worth it if you get sick of Taormina. We actually like it there but it can be pricey.

Kay

May be it would make more sense to visit all Sicilian places you are interested in first and proceed then to Provence and fly home from MRS, NCE, CDG or GVA.

So far, the first part of your trip is this:

Day 1: Arrival into Catania in early evening. Pick up car at airport and drive to Syracuse/Ortigia
Day 2: Syracuse/Ortigia
Day 3: Ragusa Ibla
Day 4: Ragusa Ibla
Day 5: Agriegento
Day 6: Palermo

IMO it is far too rushed - you have one day to see Syracuse & Ortigia - we had 2 ½ and that wasn't enough, one day in Ragusa when you will presumably want to see other Baroque towns, [or are you prepared to forego those?] only one night in Agrigento [which hardly leaves any time at all actually to see it] and a night in Palermo which you leave the next day. When you come back, you still aren't spending any time in Palermo, but you are racing off to the islands, and then Taormina [which IMO is one of the least satisfactory places to visit in Sicily, certainly in season] before returning home.

I can't help wondering why you are going to the trouble of visiting Sicily when you are giving it such short shrift?

Personally I would scrap Provence and see Sicily.