Hi all, I am hoping to take my three teenage girls to Sicily for the first week of July. We live in France, so no jet lag. My girls are curious and great travellers, two take latin in school. I would like to do a few ruins, wander around towns etc but also need some good beach time. Even though Taormina and Syracuse are amazing, I think there will be way too many tourists for us. I am on two plans;
1) Stay on the west coast ( Segesta, salt flats, beaches etc)
or
2) Do the south which I believe is less touristy. I would really like to go to Ragusa, Noto, etc. Stay in one place with little morning jaunts around. Then do a hop over to the Valley of the Temples.
The thing that is blocking me is the Roman Villa del Casale. I really think my daughters would enjoy that. Basically, what is best for teenagers? Segesta or the Valley of the Temples? Segesta probably less touristy and enough for them? But the Valley of Temples a must and silly not to do it when in Sicily? And the best beaches?
Many thanks in advance!
Posted by
back in the Americas
677 posts
Some ideas if you opt to stay on the west coast. I personally would go with this option since you are not interested in Siracusa or Taormina. Best beach in Sicily is reputed to be San Vito lo Capo. Also look at Scopello. A pretty little beach town is Castellammare del Golfo. Yes, you can visit Segesta from this area and do not miss out on Erice, a beautiful mountaintop medieval town with spectacular views. Favignana Island could also be a daytrip. There is a seafront town at the southwest tip of Sicily called Mazara del Vallo which has a very unique historical center with lots of Tunisian influence. It can be reached by train. I know Mazara del Vallo has beaches but did not go to any of them so I can't say how they are. But the old town is very pleasant. And check out the Dancing Satyr that was pulled from the sea by local fisherman and is on display in a small museum in the casbah area.
You would like to take the girls to see ruins. Do you know about Selinunte? It is not far from Mazara del Vallo. I actually enjoyed Selinunte better than Agrigento. It is expansive, with lots of ruins, right on the coast. There is also a small museum there and since the area is so large, they have a hop on hop off golf cart system if you want to use it. The reason I liked Selinunte better was because Agrigento was packed with tourists, ( I was there in the month of September), many trying to get their best Instagrammable photo. It was just too many people for me. Selinunte was not crowded at all and does not seem to be so well known as Agrigento. Both are very beautiful. I took a twenty minute train ride ( small train, just two cars) from Mazara del Vallo to Castelvetrano and from there a local bus that picked up right at the train station and dropped us off about two blocks from the entrance to the Selinunte archeological park. So it is possible to get there by public transportation although check the train and bus schedules carefully. If your heart is set on Agrigento know that you can get there by bus from Mazara del Vallo.
I did drive past and stop from a distance to see the Trapani salt flats. It was ok but I would not prioritize it. I have not visited Trapani but several forum regulars highly recommend it. If you only have a week, you will have to be selective. I imagine you would fly into Palermo. Palermo has lots of interesting things to see but from your description you may not want a bigger city. But great food, lots of history, and nearby Monreale.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you Pat. I don't know why, but I have this gut feeling about wanting to stay in the south east. Fly into Catania, then base myself around Noto and do day trips in the area. It is probably silly not to do Siracusa . I think that those ruins, plus a night trip to the Roman Villa would probably be enough. I also feel that it might be easier, don't know why.
Part of me is wondering if I should keep Sicily for a time when I can do 10 days/2 weeks ( April or February). Less tourists, less money and really do it well....
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
389 posts
If you still wanted to keep to SE of Sicily, in my own research I found a lesser known Roman villa that is accessible in that area if maybe not as extensive as Villa del Casale. It appears to be just one place, but may go by different names.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_Tellaro
https://the-past.com/feature/living-in-luxury-in-rural-sicily-the-late-roman-villa-of-caddeddi/
https://italian-connection.com/walking-hiking-tours-italy/roman-mosaics-in-sicily-villa-del-tellaro/
https://www.agricampingsophia.it/eng/roman-villa-tellaro-missed-occasion_eng_A_66.html