mp413

Hello, I am planning a 9-day trip to Sicily with my parents and grandparents. The plan is to rent a villa for the week and use it as a base for exploring. However, most of what I have read on this forum and others sadly indicates that the island is too big to be explored from one place only. So what I am thinking is, we spend 7 nights in a villa, and then 2 nights in a hotel on the other side of the island, so we can kind of aim to cover both sides. The question now is, which side to stay on for the 7 nights?

We found an amazing looking villa just south of Catania and managed to negotiate a very reasonable price... However, from the research I have done it sounds like the West side of the island has a lot more to see. We're more interested in Greek ruins and medieval architecture (as opposed to Baroque), not so much into beaches/beach resort towns or very touristy spots (though it's fine to visit for a day). We're a little more interested in traveling off the beaten path. From what I have read Agrigento, Erice, Monreale, Piazza Armerina, Segesta, and Siracusa sound the most appealing. Looking at the map it seems like staying right in the center of the island would be best, however my family is very set on having a house on the sea.

Where would you recommend we base ourselves?

Many thanks for the advice!

mp413

goldenautumn

It is not only true that there is no way you can see Sicily from a single base, it is also true that even if you pick one side of the island, just about the only way to do extensive sightseeing is to road trip. Road tripping with a group like yours is probably not a good idea.

As for the idea of planning a 2-night stay somewhere so you can "cover" both sides of the island, it really won't work. By the time you relocate your group, it will eat up your sightseeing time.

My suggestion is that you enjoy whatever seaside villa you pick but have modest ambitions for "day-tripping" from your "base." Pick a seaside locale near the one major set of sights that most appeals to you: Siracusa, or Agrigento, or Erice-- whichever. (I don't think you want to be near Monreale.) Driving long distances in Sicily to sightsee can be fatiguing (the culture of the road is not the breezy toodling of Tuscany), and if you are arriving at your sightseeing destinations during the hottest parts of the day (when many things shut down anyway), it can add to the fatigue.

You might want to make finding the right villa near the sea and a town of charm to be the major focus of the vacation, and stay there for the entire 9-days. Enjoy the life of Sicily, and plan some activities close to the villa (a cooking class, a boat trip, an olive oil farm, etc.) rather than working up a plan to try to go sightseeing major sights every day.

Marija

I found Catania to be an interesting city with great food. You can easily visit Ortigia/Siracusa from Catania by bus, car or train. Taormina is also an easy bus/train/car away. Taormina is indeed overrun by tourists but the views and amphitheater are gorgeous. If you fly into Catania maybe you could fly out of Palermo, stopping to spend the night in Agrigento to see the wonderful ruins and in Monreale for the mosaics. Enjoy Sicily.

Michael

<i>From what I have read Agrigento, Erice, Monreale, Piazza Armerina, Segesta, and Siracusa sound the most appealing</i>

Leave out Siracusa and use two bases. One for Monreale, Erice and perhaps Selinunte (less crowded than Agrigento). This might do as a seaside location: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57624349637005

The other location might be inland to see Piazza Armerina, Caltagiorne, other locations and include Agrigento.

You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it. Leaving out the eastern part of Sicily makes your trip very feasible, as we covered more in the same number of days. The island is actually only 180 mi. long and there is an autostrada running along its spine.

adrienne

I would definitely consider a day or two in Palermo. I found that 4 days were not enough for me. If you base yourself in Monreale you can take a bus into Palermo. Then move on to Agrigento, stopping in Tripani and Erice en route. Finish off with a day or two in Syracuse/Ortygia.

You say that you're not into touristy spots but all the places you mention will have tourists and tour buses. You can avoid these places but will miss the highlights of Sicily and you will also need to speak Italian/Sicilian if you avoid the tourist spots.

If you want to spend 7 of the 9 days in one place you will miss most of the island. I suggest Monreale with trips to Erice, Agrigento.

mp413

Dear everyone, many thanks for the replies. A couple of clarifications:

- when I say we would stay in one place for 7 days, it's as a base - we would still take day trips. So if we stayed somewhere on the coast around Catania, we would do day trips to Catania, Siracusa, Taormina, maybe Piazza Armerina... Same, if we stayed on the W Coast would do day trips to Palermo, Erice, Monreale, Agrigento. Does that sound realistic?

Adrienne, so true that everything I listed is a main tourist destination - I guess what I meant was, we aren't into the big beach resorts. But seeing the main sights, yes we are.

Thanks Michael for the tips and reference to your TR - I will check it out. I am very curious why you suggest skipping Siracusa!

The villa we have gotten the good deal on is about halfway between Catania and Siracusa, on the water - does this sound like a good destination? It would be the last week of May.

thanks!!

Michael

Skip Siracusa because you indicated that the Baroque did not interest you as much, and while it has an excellent antiquities museum, its ruins don't match Agrigento or Selinunte. Basically I drew a vertical line through Caltagirone and considered only sites to the west of it.

It turns out that we had a couple days more than you did.

adrienne

I understood what you meant about using a place as a base for 7 days and taking day trips.

Michael

<i>Catania and Siracusa, on the water - does this sound like a good destination?</i>

Not to see the places you mentioned: Agrigento, Erice, Monreale, Piazza Armerina, Segesta.