DH and I are considering a trip to Sicily next spring. We think that 10 days will be sufficient, as we are not ones who normally tour museums and churches. We want to spend another 10 days exploring other parts of Italy, where we have never been, such as Calabria and Puglia.

I know that many Fodorites have written about those areas, but I would like your help in transportation. We will have flown from the U.S. to Rome, and then to Sicily (airport TBD). We will rent a car. Should we return the car in Sicily, and get another one on the mainland? Or keep the same car? What are options for (1) getting from Sicily to mainland - with and without a car? and (2) returning to Rome from the southern mainland (assuming we return the car in the south)? Thanks!

We took a car on the ferry Palermo--Napoli. It was a real adventure. We had also taken the ferry Napoli-Palermo without a car but enjoyed the trip with the car more. There are also ferries from Catania which we for some reason were unable to book so had to drive back to Palermo.

Haven't been in Italy south of Paestum so can't speak to it. We had planned to drive drive south but changed our minds to stay in Napoli (Pozzuoli) for a few days.

I haven't been to Sicily but nearly went...from Malta, the next Mediterranean island over. It was winter and the ferries weren't running from Malta to Sicily but if they are when you're there I heartily recommend a visit to Malta for a complete change of pace from Italy.

If you don't want a change then it wouldn't do but the architecture is beautiful, there are many fewer tourists, quite uncrowded, it's inexpensive, a largely English-speaking place and it was quite a revelation. I was there by accident, got off a freighter I'd been on since Singapore and Malta was it's first European port.

I drove to Puglia one year from Taormina and found the drive to be fine. Each area can demand 10 days easily. The question is where to depart Italy.

I would start Sicily in Palermo and not get the car until you leave town. Perhaps 12 days in Sicily[ click my name for my trip report from 2005] and then drive to Puglia for X days depending on your flight home situation. If Rome, you may need 2 days at the end---we atayed in Sperlonga 2 hours south of FCO on one trip---not the TR year.

You could return the car to Napoli airport and fly home from there, or, if you want to spend some time in Rome, return the car to Ciampino airport and take a bus or taxi into Rome for a couple of nights. We drove to Ciampino from the Ostuni area in Puglia last month--it took about 5 hours and cost about 30 euros in tolls on the autostrada, plus the fuel. The drive was easy and scenic. The taxi to central Rome was 30 euros--bus to Termini station would have been about 4 euros each.

Thank you for these comments. I will read your TR, bobthenavigator, and check out Malta, MmePerdu

I must admit that 10 days sounds a bit short for me for Sicily, even if you don't normally visit museums and churches -- there are so many stunning ancient ruins and towns/cities that are wonderful for simply roaming around and a few extraordinary places that truly are must-sees IMO (the cathedral of Monreale, the ruins of Agrigento, the Villa Romana del Casale, Ortygia,...).

That said, I added Naples and the Amalfi Coast to my time in trip (I spent about 2 weeks in Sicily, and found that it was decidedly NOT enough!). I traveled by overnight ferry (without a car) from Lipari to Naples. FWIW, Naples and the Amalfi Coast deserve a bare minimum of 6 days IMO.

I went on from there through Matera to Puglia for just a few days; many people spend much more time in that part of Italy than I did and I'm sure it warrants more.

Do you plan on any time in magnificent Rome? And are you already committed to flying into and out of Rome, or do you still have any options for open-jaw flights?

I only used a car for a few days (3, to be specific) while in Sicily, using it to get from Palermo to Siracusa with stops in between. I used public transportation for the rest of my trip.

It's a fascinating part of the world - enjoy!

Thank you, kja, for your comments.

We have been to Rome and the Amalfi coast; Cinque Terre and Tuscany and the Dolomites, plus Venice and Umbria. Although we thoroughly enjoyed those areas, we didn't want to repeat. That's why we thought of Sicily.

We like the independence of a car and being able to go off the beaten path, and at our own schedule. And, yes, we enjoy seeing ruins and architecture and views, and tasting wines, and just sitting to relax and take in the local culture.

And since my father was a paratrooper in WWII, we will visit the U.S. landing site in Sicily (as we have visited many other WWII sites in other countries).

I haven't finished your TR, bobthenavigator, but did you pay a high fee for returning your car (which you picked up in Sicily) in another location on the mainland?

Thank you all, but after more reading and researching, we have decided that we will look to northern Italy instead. I appreciate all of your contributions, for it helped with our decision.

Interesting Kelly. It sounds like what you read turned you off Sicily rather than intriguing you. What was the deciding factor? Just curious, because we all know everyone has different interests.

No, we got it in Taormina and dropped it in Palermo, so only had it 10 of 15 days---none extra.

I think you're wise to see more of Northern Italy before going to Sicily. Emilia Romagna and the Veneto have lots of charming and historic small cities within a fairly small geographic compass. We spent several weeks there years ago and have been talking lately about going back.

Also, IMO, the food is better.

Wow. Glad nobody told the Greeks the should have gone to northern Italy first instead of Sicily. For people seriously interested in the history of Italy and Europe, seeing Sicily early in the game is a great way to go.

Taste is subjective, but I would rather eat for the rest of my life in Sicily than another week in the Veneto. Sicilian cooking is regional, and some parts of it are favorites of mine above other parts of it, but Sicilian cooking ranks for me as one of the top 5 regional cuisines of Italy, to no small part because of the quality of its olive oil, fish and vegetables. Also, it is one of the very few regions of Italy that makes outstanding desserts and other sweets and ices. It probably has, hands down, the best street food in Italy.

Hope you get to go back to the Emilia-Romagno and the Veneto, and your description of them is not wrong. But the idea that it is an area that is somehow more rewarding or delicious than Sicily, or more densely interesting, or should placed ahead of Sicily for touristic purposes, is only about you, not about Sicily.

Fair question, Dayle. The more we read about what to do in Sicily, the more we thought, "it's not us."

We enjoyed the Dolomites years ago - loved the mountains...and the hilltowns of Umbria...and Tuscany...

As Sandralist wrote - it's a personal taste of what entices someone to certain areas of the world - to certain parts of a particular country.

Perhaps we will try Sicily at a later date, but for now, we'll be heading north. We have at least decided to fly into Venice (not necessarily visiting Venice again), so we'll be ready to book our flights next month (331 days in advance - using FFmiles).

We have time to decide exactly where to venture after NE Italy (Slovenia? Croatia?) and will certainly be reading these forums.

The point is: what's your desire for this trip? What do you like to see/do? Art? Nature? Food? Mountain? Sea? Lake? Shopping? Hiking? What kind of environment do you prefer? Typical little towns? Historical cities? Crowded trendy places? Talk about your expectation, so you can get suggestions!

Don't worry about food in Italy, wherever you go you'll find old and well-known culinary traditions, and varied for each place. Make your choice on other factors!

sandralist--

I did not mean to put Sicily down. I took it as given that KellyGreta had decided to go north rather than to Sicily and was giving a suggestions and trying to support her choice. We love Sicily and would love to live there permanently. The people we met were sweethearts, which cannot be said in much of Italy.