phillyboy

We are two couples in our mid-late 60’s who have been travelling together for many years, and are currently considering some ideas for our 2018 trip. Leaving the US on September 30 and returning October 17, so we will have 16 nights. We have about 8-10 potential itineraries that we kick around every year, and one that we are all interested in would be splitting our time between Sicily and Southern Italy. We have been to the Amalfi coast previously, so for the purposes of this idea, Southern Italy means Puglia, and maybe Basilicata.

We understand that we could easily spend the entire time in Sicily, or in Puglia, and that we can’t possibly see all of each in 8 days, but we like this idea. We could always return to see more. Four bases seem to be about right, two in Sicily and two on the mainland. With the potential to spend the last night at the airport in Rome, we’d have 3 nights in one of the bases, and 4 nights in the other three.

We no longer travel at a breakneck pace, but we like to vist at least one main attraction per day, maybe two sometimes. Museums, churches, sites of historical interest, gardens, palaces, etc.

We like a nice relaxing lunch, and prefer to be able to walk to dinner, as we all enjoy our wine. Though we will be near the coast throughout, we are not really beach people, so that's not a priority, though one day relaxing on a beach may not be a bad idea.

We will be bucking down with guide books and maps soon, but for starters, would like any suggestions on the following:If we were to arrive first in Palermo, we'd probably stay right in the city for that leg. We like smallish hotels where you can interact with the owners and staff. Around 200 Euro per night is our general rule, and with breakfast included if possible. Any recommendations for areas to stay in, or to avoid? Specific hotels? Possibly take a guided tour by bus or car to the surrounding areas on at least one day - Segesta or Agrigento for example.

We'd most likely pick up a rental car upon leaving Palermo, and thinking about basing in a nice small town not too far from Catania for the next stop - staying in one big city per trip is generally enough for us. Any suggestions on a town with some nice hotels and interesting restaurants in this area? Besides visiting Catania itself, we could plan several days trips - Mt Etna, Siracusa, Taormina. Open to suggestions here as well.

A question about car rental - I realize you can take a car on a ferry across the Strait to the mainland - would this entail a large drop-off fee similar to returning a car to another country? Would it be better to do two separate car rentals, or to take the car onto the ferry, or does it make much of a difference?

I'm much less sure about the mainland part. From the ittle research I've done so far, Matera looks to be of interest for one base, and somewhere in the Valle d'Itria for another - maybe Alberobello or Locorotondo. Looking for the same types of hotels and activities as described above. We may also consider a base in Calabria in place of Matera, if something there strikes our fancy.

Well, I think this post is quite, long enough, hope I haven't lost too many of you along the way. Your input and suggestions are eagerly awaited!

kja

You are, IMO, correct that 8 days is not sufficient for Sicily – just it’s highlights can easily take 2 or 3 weeks, if not more. Still, you can see some wonderful things in just 8 days. Unfortunately, Sicily is not a destination that lends itself easily to bases. Many people choose just the east or west of the island if planning on such a short trip; it looks like you are aiming to split your time between the east and west. Your trip, your call, you’ll just have to think through whether it really serves your purposes to do so.

FWIW, I would recommend Siracusa rather than Catania as a base for the east.

Personally, I wouldn’t use the same rental car for this entire trip regardless of the cost; YMMV.

Matera is fascinating, but not in Puglia per se. If Puglia is your primary interest, it would not be a particularly convenient base IMO.

I’m glad I visited Alberobello, but can’t imagine making it a base. It struck me as over-the-top touristy, even 11 years ago. Maybe things have changed?

Hope that helps!

phillyboy

kja - I realize my message wasn't clear abut Matera - I do know that it is in Basilicata, not Puglia, and was mentioning it as a potential for the second base in Southern Italy, not as a jumping-off point for the entire week. I also hear you about Sicily not being easily explored from bases - we accept the fact that we will be somewhat limited in that regard by only spending 8 total days in 2 locations, but if this is the route we take, we will see as much as we can in the time we have.

Thanks for your suggestion of Segesta, will look into it. And also into other options in the Valle d'Itria.

kja

Hmm... I don't think I said anything about Segesta, although I certainly thought it worth seeing.

phillyboy

Right, you said Siracusa ... it's late and I'm tired!

thursdaysd

You don't need a car in Palermo. You don't need a car in Ortygia (the best part of Siracusa). I wouldn't bother with one on Sicily. Or have you considered just staying in the west and making Trapani your second base? I stayed in both Erice and Trapani, but Trapani would be better as a base. In that case a car would be more useful.

phillyboy

We have no plans to have a car in Palermo, was thinking to possibly rent one upon leaving the city. That's why we're looking for a small town to stay in, not the city .... whether it be Catania or Ortygia/Siracusa. Will take a look at Trapani too, thanks.

thursdaysd

Ortygia is a small town. It is on an island attached to Siracusa but separate.

yorkshire

This is super tough. Every time I think about offering advice, I scrap it because I find the limitations too daunting (not having been to Sicily but visiting Puglia twice and still not having seen everything I wanted to). Perhaps you should look at the flight and transport options first and see how those affect your time, and then throw out a few options to the crowd.

phillyboy

Yorkshire - not sure I completely understand what you mean by finding "the limitations too daunting". I am attempting to see only a few corners of each region, and not pretending that this will be some exhaustive search throughout the south of Italy. However, you may be right about the initial post overall- almost 250 people have at least looked at this thread, and only a few have responded. So something is not connecting, maybe I need to think about re-working it somehow, and re-posting a new thread. Thanks.

yorkshire

I mean choosing what to skip and what to include over such a wide area is just really really hard!
At least knowing how you will narrow it in terms of departure and arrival (or rather just what your options are, not that you have to decide on flights now) may be helpful in getting feedback. You do lose some precious time in transit.

lancer11

Phillyboy,
We have not been to Sicily ( fall 2019 ) So I'm afraid I can not help you with that part of your trip. We have been to Matera and Puglia.
I would spend 2 nights in Matera and 6 nights in Puglia. Monopoli, Polignano a mare, Martina Franca, Ostuni Alberobello are just a few places to see. If you have a car there
I would suggest staying at Masseria Salamina Pezze di Grecco a wonderful place. In Matera we stayed at Locanda di San Martino. Both Matera and Puglia were wonderful.
Not sure if this helps. Good luck

phillyboy

lancer11 - Thanks very much for your input. The hotels you've recommended look great - the one in Matera is exactly the type of place where we love to stay, and I'll look into it.

We have learned through experience that we much prefer staying in a small town over an Agriturismo, or similar countryside property. The Masseria looks beautiful, but staying there would require driving into nearby towns for dinner, which would seriously limit our alcohol intake. We've tried several places like this in the past, and though they often are run by very friendly hosts, and have nice restaurants right on the grounds, we wouldn't be interested in eating at the same place 4 or 5 nights in a row. Not that we need to get inebriated every night, but we are much more comfortable not having to so carefully monitor our wine consumption because someone has to drive.

Will also look into the Puglia towns you've mentioned. thanks again.

yorkshire

That is my MO exactly--we want to walk to dinner. Cisternino in the Itria Valley was great in that regard, but most of the hill towns would fit that bill.

lancer11

Phillyboy,
we also stayed two nights at Palazzo Indeli Monopoli. Several restaurants within a minute or two walking. It's a small seaside town.
Take a look it might meet your requirements.