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Arriving in Milazzo by boat. What to do in 5 days after arrival?

We will hopefully be arriving in Milazzo in June, 2019 and looking to spend 5-6 days either by car or with a guide for that period. First trip to Sicily and looking more for good Sicilian dining and culture more than temples. Also need to decide which airport to depart from - Palermo or Catania. I'd appreciate any input.

Posted by
28436 posts

The Aeolian Islands are right there, but perhaps you will have seen them before landing in Milazzo. With just 5 or 6 days you can only see a part of Sicily. On that end of the island you have a string of attractive destinations along the east coast. Taormina is absolutely gorgeous and also very touristy. Then there's Sicily's second city (but busiest airport) of Catania (nice historic district), and Siracusa farther south. On that side of the island I like Siracusa best, partly for itself (medieval district of Ortygia) and partly as a base for visiting several charming Baroque towns in the interior: Ragusa, Noto, Modica and Scicli.

If you choose to head west instead of south, you come first to the former fishing village now touristy beach town of Cefalu, then the largest city and second busiest airport of Palermo (chock full of beautiful churches, a good archaeological museum, and other sights befittinga large city), then a variety of other interest points (Greek sites, Trapani/Erice, salt pans, etc.). Palermo is quite a hectic city and definitely a place you do not want to drive a car. It's great if you're interested in churches and chapels. If you are not, it might not be your best option, at least not for very many nights.

If you want the least touristy option, that would probably mean heading into the interior to places like Piazza Armerina, Enna and Caltagirone.

I am not a serious foodie but would guess that the greatest number of top-flight restaurants would be in Palermo. However, Sicilian food is quite interesting overall, and I think you'd do well in any place of some size. There may be wonderful places in at least some of the small towns.

The only way to go wrong here would be to zip hither and thither all over the island, seeing nothing but scenery through the windows of cars, buses, or trains. Get a guide book, skim through it and choose a direction.

To improve your experience, add more time. A lot more time.

Posted by
11671 posts

Other than visiting the antiquities- Villa Romana
del Casale, Agrigento etc, avoid the cities near them. We drove through dozens of towns in coastal western and central Sicily and would not even stop for lunch in any of them, sadly very poor and run down. In Agrigento we stopped walking short of the Cathedral as the area gave us a bad feeling and we are from NY.
Stay adjacent to the antiquities if you go to them.
With such a short visit, stay in Ortigia the most nights and Taormina the fewer amount. Sicily is wonderful! We have had some of best food of our lives, and by choice, all seafood. Best meals so far were in Noto abd Ortigia. More to go!

Posted by
3302 posts

I disagree with my fellow New Yorker’s opinion about cities near the Valley of the Temples and the Villa Romana. I’ve visited them twice, the last time late last November. Piazza Armerina is a nice little town closest to the Villa. I found it safe with a restaurant at which I devoured the best hot antipasto ever and enjoyed watching a soccer game on tv with ardent fans. Residents were out and about enjoying themselves and a farmer dressed as Santa decorated his little tractor and was tossing candy to the kids.

I also found Agrigento to be safe with some excellent seafood restaurants. Taormina was a disappointment for me. It’s a picturesque tourist destination but that’s not what I travel to experience. (I have studiously avoided the mobs in the Cinque Terre and am satisfied with viewing pictures.) The island of Ortigia is great and I enjoyed the city of Catania, visiting the fish market and using it as a jump off point to see Mt. Etna.

I just finished a three week trip in northern Italy - my eighth trip there - and realize that there are some poor towns and some rich. Some look shabby, others chic. So what? I have always found the folks who live there to be welcoming and good natured. I have never felt unsafe.