Sicily

Is it safe? Yes, if you can drive well, read maps well, and can understand international highway signs. Or maybe you meant "is it safe" in another way? Please explain.

It was for us.

We stayed at an agratourismo on the lower slopes of Mount Etna last spring. The rental car and the driving were fine. That is, if you like Italian traffic which can be chaotic and is almost like a (contact) sport. Almost. I loved it. Had full insurance coverage, so I was pretty fearless and had fun with the very narrow streets, the roundabouts that are more like free for alls, the general high speed pace, etc. Great fun. The major highways are in terrific condition. The small back roads can be pretty rough. My main comment is that, if you get off the main highways, driving can be time consuming on narrow roads over rough terrain. Several times, what we thought would take a half hour to cover took well over an hour. We used common sense (ie- never left valuables in the car) and never had a security problem. We mainly stayed on the Eastern side of the island. Generally, the tourism infrastructure was not as convenient and well-oiled as in England, France, Germany. The old town in Siracusa was a highlight (Cool! A christian church built into and around a Greek temple!) and --of course-- Taormina was fantastic. The owners of the Agrotourismo cooked us dinner one night in their old villa. Trying to communicate with them was an entertaining highlight. The food was great. We had fun. Never had a problem with the rental car per se. Have a good trip.

Yes. Just use common sense as you would anyplace, and you'll be fine.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Would you suggest I rent a car prior to going over or when I get there.

I've always arranged my rental car before leaving. We've used Auto Europe many times and are comfortable with them.

Linda, definitely make rental arrangements form the USA.

Most European cars are stick shifts. If you need an automatic, be sure to request one when you reserve the car.