TravelerKaren

We are planning a trip to Sicily in mid September and would like your feedback on the following itinerary that I've put together. I always value Fodorite feedback as we have received valuable information when planning our previous European trips. Note that we have left off Agrigento and other stops for the Greek temples as we were in Paestum last year and saw them there. We were also in Agrigento on a previous trip to Sicily. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated & if you have recommendations for places to stay, I'd love to hear them.

Day 1 - Arrive Palermo and stay for 3 nights
Day 4 - P/U car and drive to Trapani for 3 nights
Day 7 - Drive to Piazza Armenia and visit the Villa Romana del Casale
Day 8 - Drive to Modica and stay for 3 nights
Day 11 - Drive to Ortigia and stay for 4 nights (stop in Noto on way there)
Day 15 - Drive to Taormina and stay for 3 nights
Day 18 - Drive to Cefalu and stay for 2 nights
Day 20 - Drive late afternoon to Palermo for flight to Rome
Day 21 - Flight home from Rome

annhig

The first thing that leaps out at me is that you are planning to drive from Trapani and to see the Villa Casale in the same day. I checked and as I thought it's a good 3 hour drive from Trapani [through Palermo as well which could cause delays.] At the very best you are likely to get to the Villa at about noon when it is at its hottest and probably busiest. My suggestion would be to spend the day travelling from Trapani to Piazza Armerina, then go to the Villa as early as possible the next day when it will be cooler and less busy. From there it is a much quicker and easier drive to Modica [1½ to 2 hours] and you will have as long as you like at the Villa too. You might even find time to stop off in Castilglione which is a very pleasant little town with a magnificent staircase leading up to a Basilica upon which all the steps are decorated with coloured and patterned tiles. Well worth the stop.

My other suggestion would be to consider whether you really want to stay in Taormina. We did and frankly it was the part of out trip we liked least. Far too much traffic. I would suggest instead finding somewhere on the flanks of Mount Etna and using that as a base to explore the area which is very lovely, and quite different from the rest of Sicily.

joan

We enjoyed Taormina, we stayed two nights in Sept 2022, and wish we'd had a third (we would have taken the bus up to Castelmola and explored). It was a bit crowded during the peak times of the day, but emptied out at night and the charm shone through. Heck, the balconies alone were worthwhile! We also enjoyed an opera concert at one of the small theatres in the town. But take this with a grain of salt: we also thoroughly enjoyed Cinque Terre (Vernazza) in September! The apartment in Taormina was a splurge for us, but great location, magnificent views and a luxury property with thoughtful amenities. Here's the link:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3275924...Oh#house-rules
P.S. While in Palermo, I highly recommend taking a Streaty food tour. Fun and delicious. We trained over from Cefalu - stayed there for 3 nights in apt with balcony, but found the balcony way too hot to enjoy in Sept, so not recommending as you're there same month.

bilboburgler

Just be aware of ZTLs there are some time limited ones, one in Ortigia for example

And take care with GPS and car size. One such took us down a road that was narrower than our massive Volvo
Solutions hire smaller cars or check GPS on a map

TravelerKaren

Annhig: We had planned to see the Villa in the late afternoon on arrival or first thing the following morning as you suggested. We'll see how crowded and/or hot it is when we get there and see about going late. We visited Paestum in the late afternoon and had the place almost to ourselves. I appreciate your comment about Taormina but I'm looking forward to staying there. We were there about 35 yrs ago and loved it. I do realize things have changed a lot since then and the crowds may be a disappointment but hopefully the evenings will still be lovely once the day trippers have gone. I do appreciate your comments and have always taken your advice when planning our trips.

Joan: Thanks for your comments and link to the airbnb in Taormina. We really loved Taormina when we were there 35 yrs ago so hopefully we will still enjoy it. Just FYI, we stayed at the Four Seasons then and it was $187/night! Now it's $2000/night!!! So we will definitely be looking at more reasonable accommodations. That airbnb looks great. We will actually be in Cefalu in October as it's our last stop before heading back home. If you have any recommendations for a place there, please let me know. Trying to decide between an in-town place or one on the beach.

bilboburgler: Thanks for reminding us of the ZTL zones. We are definitely aware of them having traveled extensively in Italy. We always try to get the smallest car we can while there. Do you have any suggestions on where to park in Ortigia or recommendations on places to stay there.

bilboburgler

Ortigia, we contacted our hotel and they booked us into their system. Luckily we could park outside the hotel but there is a large car park just after you come over the bridge which might do

The place we stayed in was poshish but run by nuns. Not over impressed

thursdaysd

Well, I am another who was underwhelmed by Taormina, but if you're just there for the views maybe you can overlook the crowds. The Vello d'Oro has sea view rooms with balconies for much, much less than the Four Seasons, but of course it isn't a luxury hotel.

Make sure to visit Erice from Trapani.

HappyTrvlr

And also from Trapani, visit ancient Segesta.

TravelerKaren

thursdaysd: Thanks for the hotel suggestion. I will check it out. We actually prefer boutique type hotels or B&B's. Our plan is to visit Erice from Trapani.

bilboburgler: Thanks for the info on the parking situation.

HappyTrvlr: We have been to Segesta on a prior visit and just saw the Greek temples in Paestum last year so we will likely skip this stop unless we have time available.

whitehall

We will be headed to Sicily for the fourth time in a year next month. You can see our very lengthy trip report on our travels there last May, 76 places and 2300 miles: Ultimate Month in Sicily

We stayed in Modica, Taormina and Cefalu among other bases. In the fall, when we returned for the family grape harvest, we stayed in Ortigia. All four choices are great bases, including Palermo and Trapani, where we have based in the past. Yes, Taormina is busy, even in mid-September, but there is a reason. We stayed there several times last year and even stopped there briefly in January to see a completely empty town. We think it's one of the most beautiful places on earth, but best to enjoy after some of the crowds disperse (bus and cruise ship people leave by late afternoon). Still busy in evening. During the days visit Etna, Savoca, Forza d'Agro, Castelmola.

There are some must sees from gorgeous Cefalu, and the only recommendation I might make is to stay one fewer night in Ortigia and add one night to Cefalu.

Keep in mind Sicily, especially Cefalu and Taormina, should be extra busy this year, because of several popular films, two last year ("White Lotus" filmed in both plus Palermo and Noto and "From Scratch" filmed in Pollina near Cefalu and upcoming "" installment filmed in Cefalu). That's why Four Seasons or the White Lotus in the series is so expensive this year!

joan

<<We will actually be in Cefalu in October as it's our last stop before heading back home. If you have any recommendations for a place there, please let me know. Trying to decide between an in-town place or one on the beach.>>
You might combine the beach/town, because the place we stayed was about a block inside the town, yet the balcony had wonderful sea views. I will post the link below. This apt was on two levels, with the first level air conditioned and a bit of a weird layout, since the kitchen/balcony/2nd bathroom was upstairs and un-airconditioned. In September, there was only shade on the balcony a small part of the day, so it was too hot to sit out there for any length of time. Dinners and lounging after dark were great tho!
Here it is:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6639664...ty7bazZVKjw5rU

We also saved this one, a fabulous location overlooking the sea and on the road parallel to the sea"
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6035127...7EsLt&guests=1

TravelerKaren

whitehall: I did see your trip report and we are working our way through it. Thank you for such a wonderful report and especially all the detail you added. I was going to post a question regarding the number of days in Ortigia vs Cefalu and you answered that for me. We will change our days to 3 in Ortigia and 3 in Cefalu. I really appreciate your feedback and hope you have another wonderful visit next month in Sicily.
I did figure that Taormina would be expensive after the White Lotus series aired this year. I thought that the Amalfi coast was extra busy last year as a result of the first season of White Lotus.

joan: Thank you so much for the links to the apartments. We will definitely check them out. Also, I appreciate your honest review of the apartment. I don't think I could handle the kitchen not being air conditioned though.

annhig

<<bilboburgler: Thanks for reminding us of the ZTL zones. We are definitely aware of them having traveled extensively in Italy. We always try to get the smallest car we can while there. Do you have any suggestions on where to park in Ortigia or recommendations on places to stay there.>>

Hi again Traveller Karen, [not bilbo here obviously] so glad that some of my suggestions have proved helpful in the past, so I thought you might like a suggestion for a place to stay in Ortigia and elsewhere. In Ortigia We loved the Hotel Livingstone which is towards the entrance to the town, and where the porter kindly parked our car for us; they seem to have an area of the street which is reserved for the hotel and there our car [a very small one] stayed for the next 3 days til we left. We had lovely sea views from our room, which was very comfortable, great breakfasts, and we were able to walk all over the island as well a as into Siracusa, though to get to the archeological sites a bus or taxi is really required. It's also near the public swimming platform and the puppet theatre which I can very strongly recommend. https://www.hotellivingston.com/spa/

In Piazza Armarina we stayed in a B&B outside the town with lovely views at night. It's one of those places which has a communal breakfast table which is fun if you like that sort of thing, can be a bit much if you don't. Anyway the breakfasts were excellent. https://www.lacasasullacollinadoro.it

Finally, the place we stayed in in Ragusa - again a B&B but a little more up market; it has rooms dotted around the town with a central office, breakfast room and swimming pool all in a garden with beautiful views over Ragusa Ibla. https://www.giardinosulduomo.it

The only place we stayed that I would not recommend, mainly because of the position is the hotel we stayed in in Taormina which was in fact up in Castelmolo [probably the biggest mistake we made] which is high up above Taormina with admittedly wonderful views of Etna, but unfortunately that hardly compensated for its being so difficult to reach. Perhaps if we'd stayed down in Taormina we might have felt differently.

​​​​​​​https://www.hotelvillasonia.com/?adb...SAAEgKvpPD_BwE

TravelerKaren

Annhig: Thanks for your hotel recommendations. I've been trying to decide between the Livingston & a few others. We have decided to stay in Modica instead of Ragusa. I appreciate your feedback on the other hotels.

annhig

No probs, Karen. I hope you find places that you like.