Thinking of cheating on Italy

In April I'd go to Sicily, in July Croatia. Still may be summer heat in Croatia (we had three-shower days in Dubrovnik some yrs ago), but maybe geography & seasonal weather history can help you decide. Our Sicily trip was in Dec.-Jan. (guess my profession), & the weather was very mild for it being winter. LOVED both. Search the numerous threads on both.

Hi Veronica,

I vote for Sicily, but? Lol, I may be a wee biased.

I love Italy too.

I found Sicily or the part I went to very welcoming - could be because I told people my Great Grandparents and Grandmother were from there.

That put smiles on their faces and a nod of acceptance, if you will.

"I was the Great Granddaughter and Granddaughter of one of their own."

I showed pics to some of my Great Grandfather in uniform, my Great Grandmother, and my Grandmother.

People were friendly, kind and helpful.

Depending on where you visit, you may find some to be more reserved at first - gaining trust for them to open up.

It is probably better to visit in April. July will be scorching.

Enjoy!

This question seems to me a matter of which order you go to them! Sicily this year or Sicily next year :-)

I agree with the above that Sicily would be much more pleasant in April.

To give yourself confidence that you would enjoy Croatia, Google some images of Istrian towns like Rovinj, Pula, Porec and Piran, Slovenia. I enjoyed many a lovely glass of wines in piazzas and with great views in each of those towns! You could also travel up to Trieste, and get a taste of Italy in the same trip.

As a retired teacher myself, I know the problem of being tied to the school calendar. 2 weeks in April sounds like the right time and the right amount of time for Sicily. July would be too hot for my tastes, and Croatia would be too crowded.
Sicily is a bit different from the rest of Italy in that it shows so strongly the influence of the successive invasions from past centuries; Greek, Roman, Moorish, Norman, and Spanish. There are ruins of mosques and Greek temples. Villa Casale Romana has some of the best ancient world mosaics you’ll ever see. A Norman king ordered the building of the cathedral at Monreale (an absolute do not miss); and the local saint, Santa Rosalia di Palermo, was a Norman.
The food is fabulous, and also differs from that in other parts of the country.

Taormina will nicely meet your requirement above re a beautiful place , with view, etc.

Having been to both, I can see your dilemma, we did enjoy Croatia, I suppose it comes down to do you want something different, or another aspect of Italy?

Croatia is mostly coastline obviously, so lots of seafood, but also a meat culture. I can't say there is a certain food style, lots of local and fresh, but the influence is an odd mix of Italian, Greek, and Austrian/German. I did not get the same "sitting on a Piazza" feel as Italy, but with a bottle of wine you could get there. I think I would be amiss by saying there is no distinctive culture, but it is hard to put your thumb on it. I suppose it may have something to do with being controlled by so many different political entities in the last century or so.

Sicily on the other hand is Italy on steroids, especially if you relate to US Italian Immigrant type Italy. I would concede that to me the food is more interesting, the culture more interesting (at least more familiar/identifiable), the wine better, churches and museums better, some Greek and Roman ruins, a volcano,....you get the picture.

Basically, like I said, I think Croatia is well worth a trip, would return, if you have not been, then that may tip the balance; but I understand the allure of Italy and having been to both, would probably pick Italy over Croatia.

Either would be a great trip, but don’t actually cheat on Italy - cheating isn’t nice 😄. Sicily’s actually part of Italy and some of Croatia’s an extension of the ancient Roman and less-ancient Venetian Empires.

We had a week on Croatia back in 2004. Never got as far as Dubrovnik, but enjoyed Split, Plitvice Lakes, and parts farther north. Rented a car in Venice, visited some of Slovenia and Croatia, and turned car back in in Venice.

Sicily 1st time was 2 weeks in December 2012, including Christmas. When visiting the Greek temples at Agrigento it was actually hot the day we were there. Erice in the northwest is a lofty, charming town - driving the tiny lanes was a rewarding challenge. The chocolate capital of Modica does chocolate differently than the rest of Europe - staying closer to Mexican roots - might be interesting to compare/contrast. Second trip was in the late fall, again, and there’s still more to do and see on another trip.

Either place could occupy your 2 weeks easily, and probably a third. If you go to Croatia, they do gelato right, and squid ink pasta couldn’t be better.

I prefer Croatia to Italy, but early April is a bit early in the season for many things to be open in some parts of Croatia and the ferries are still on their winter timetable.

Early April is an ideal time for Portugal or Spain (both of which I prefer to Italy!)

I'd suggest Spain, especially in early April.

Spain has a lot of Roman history but also Moorish influence/Reconquista, so the overall feeling of history is similar to Italy. There are hill towns (White Towns), port towns and beaches (it won't be beach weather). Castles, Roman ruins, Moorish ruins. It's an affordable country to visit. I'd say Poland and Spain are the cheapest travel options in Europe these days. People all over the country were great. You might end up liking Spain more than Italy.

Croatia is unlikely to have a lot going on in early April (which could be a good thing).

Spain has three great festivals that time of year. Valencia has their fire festival (normally late March), Easter Week, Semana Santa, all around Spain (depends on when Easter falls) and the April Fair in Seville (I think two to three weeks after Easter). One of the greatest experiences in my life was Holy Thursday in Zaragosa. Twenty six organizations did processions through the city. Some had over a thousand marchers, hundreds with various drums, crosses, floats, incense, etc. It was amazing. The crowds were large. It drew people from all around the area but virtually no English speaking tourists. I'd also consider Valladolid as another non-tourist, but well known, Easter week destination. I visited Valladolid outside of Holy Week and liked it more than Zaragosa as a destination. Seville has a famous Holy Week and I think they draw all the foreign tourists. I made the mistake of spending much of Holy Week in Barcelona which has very little going on. Barcelona is the capital of the least religious part of Spain.

The April Fair in Seville was a great cultural experience too. The traditional dress and dance, horses and carriages felt like stepping into a different century.

Just came back from my second trip to Croatia. I've been to Italy 14 times so I guess you can tell what my favorite country is. But Croatia was part of the Venetian republic for a few centuries and looks and feels quite "Italian" like. But it's not quite as wonderful as Italy. However, it's a little cheaper and less crowded (except for Dubrovnik which is one of the most crowded places anywhere). I agree with the rest of the posters who say if you choose April then Sicily would be better, if you choose July then give Croatia a try. I am also a teacher - although my break if the 2nd half of March. I haven't been to Sicily at that time but I've been to the Amalfi Coast (and other parts of Italy) in March and some days were glorious but there was a bit too much rain for my taste. But two weeks later and a little further south and Sicily might be great. I've heard the wildflowers are wonderful at that time. Both my trips to Croatia were in July and it was nice, as I said the only crowded place was Dubrovnik.

Two weeks is about perfect for Sicily. Three weeks would let you see a lot of Croatia. I did one 8 day trip (Dubrovnik with side trips to Mostar and Montenegro), Korcula, and Split (by ferry). Then this past July we had two weeks and did the Istrian peninsula (6 nights), Plitvice Lakes (1 night), Zadar (1 night), Sibinek (1 night), Hvar Island (2 nights) (stayed in Stari Grad and just visited Hvar town in the daytime), and Split (3 nights, day trip to Brac).

I don't have the photos from this summer's trip up yet, but I have photos of the first Croatia trip and of Sicily here: https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/

I deeply apologise for not writing a thank you reply sooner. Your responses have always been so helpful!
I let time and "busyness" get in the way.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the time you have spent writing and sharing your opinion!
P.S. I haven't made up my mind, yet!

Since you haven't made up your mind I'll throw in my 2 cents. I generally prefer quality over quantity, but when it comes to traveling time I do prefer a longer time if I can squeeze it out. So, my vote would be for 3 weeks in July in Croatia. It's totally different from Italy so a new experience and lots of time to enjoy it. Save a 2 week trip to Sicily for another year since then it will be returning to your true love, Italy, and you'll appreciate it even more.

Here is what I think:
You have been to Italy and you love it. So probably you would love Sicily also. However, I always say, why do something different if you love going to Italy. But in this case, go to Croatia! Try something new! I love Dubrovnik and Split.
I am going to throw in another suggestion..... what about a sailboat or cruise along the dalmatian coastline? Just thinking out loud

If this helps, Sicily can get very hot in summer. If you go to Sicily, April would be cooler than July.

If you’re going for 3 weeks in July, Croatia would likely be less hot than Sicily.

Early April is an ideal time for Portugal or Spain (both of which I prefer to Italy!)

I'm in the Spain over Italy camp too. Spain wins hands down on food and wine compared to Italy. Italian food is overrated in my opinion whereas the Spanish, whilst proud of their cuisine don't act like it's the finest in the world (I'm looking at you Italy and France).

However, Rome is my favourite city of all because of the history and magnificence every where you turn. Plus there is some very good food to be found but equally some very average or poor.

I've yet to visit Sicily, my parents spent some time in Palermo and immediate surrounding area and found it to be very dirty and unpleasant. I appreciate however that outside of the capital things are much different.

I get Italy's appeal but there's so much more of Europe to explore that I would be inclined to opt for Croatia but aim for July rather than April.

I have been to Italy 4 times. First time in Croatia was this Sept. The best part about Dubrovnik was the location of our hotel on the beach(that RS doesn't like because it's touristy). I did like Plitvice Lakes, not a fan of Split. I have no interest in returning to Croatia, but will go to Italy any chance I get.

Who are you cheating on?

Or what kind of cheating do you plan to do?

I’m trying to understand what you mean by you want to cheat.

I’m trying to understand what you mean by you want to cheat.

As I understand it, Italy is the OP's first love and she's thinking of maybe vacationing somewhere else - thus cheating on her first love. I think she was just being facetious.

Oh... but will Italy cheat on you in return? Lol!

Nancy understands it!!!!!

I say go have the “affair”..... when you return to Italy the “make up @@@“ will be great and you will fall in live again.

Been to Sicily and Croatia. Croatia is a nice but more bland. The big sites there are very crowded. Food is soso. It could be a more rounded trip if you visited the surrounding old Yugoslavian countries. Sicily was a great trip. Visit Palermo and Catania, Syracuse and taromina without a car bookending the trip. Rent a car to explore the big and little sites/towns in between. Keep on traveling. There is time for both trips.

I have also been to both, 3 weeks in Sicily in March, and a different 3 weeks in Croatia May-June. I agree that weather should be your deciding factor; in April, go to Sicily, in July, definitely Croatia.

Istria, the northern region of Croatia, used to be part of Italy/Venice and signs are often in Croatian and Italian. I loved both places but have no need to return to Sicily and would easily return to Croatia, so I guess that tells you my preference. Croatia feels "less discovered" than Italy, but I did go a few years back, maybe 6-7 years ago, just as it was becoming "on the radar". The islands (Hvar, Korcula, Bisevo) are beautiful. But if you are looking for something exactly like Italy, than go to Sicily. Sicily is lovely, old and has CRAZY traffic (and I have driven IN Rome, Paris, Athens...Sicily is FAR worse).

Either is going to be different than mainland Italy, but different experiences add to the flavor of your travels IMO. I didn't spend much time in museums either place, mostly strolling, hiking, touring, enjoying a glass of wine (both have passable to good wines). Both have "unique" experiences...Plivtice and it's waterfalls vs hiking an active volcano on Mt Etna. I would say Croatia wins for beautiful views (Rovinj, Motovun, Dubrovnik, side trip to Mostar in Bosnia). If you have more specific questions, be sure to ask and I second, googling some photos of each place.