Will be traveling in mainland Italy and going from Positano to Sicily. Time constraints limit travel to three of the four following cities we wanted to see in Sicily - Palermo, Cefalu, Taormina and Siracusa. I am thinking that of these four, Cefalu would be very similar to Positano in many respects and Cefalu should be the one of the four to be deleted. Would appreciate thoughts/comments.
Posted by
Washington DC
27374 posts
It would be very helpful to know how many nights you have to spend in Sicily.
For me Palermo and Siracusa are the two musts. I'd give up both of the others if necessary to allow decent visits to Palermo and Siracusa. (There's a reason why we often say Sicily needs at least two weeks, preferably more.)
I am on the record as having been glad to leave the hyper-touristy, boutique-ridden Taormina after a very few hours. However, it is a stunningly beautiful town in an equally lovely hillside setting. The Greek theatre is impressive. Although Cefalu (which is pretty much flat) is potentially less touristy (time of year matters a lot in Cefalu, I suspect), it just doesn't have as much to offer as Taormina, in my mind.
Now, if you aren't interested in the Greek theatre and have a big problem (as I do) marching down a street, shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists, maybe it's a closer call between Cefalu and Taormina than I'm making it out to be. Another factor to be considered is the travel time. By public transportation it takes much longer to travel between Siracusa and Taormina than from Palermo to Cefalu. I haven't checked driving times, but I assume the pattern is the same, and you won't want to drive in Palermo.
Have you allowed time to go out to Monreale to see the cathedral while you're in Palermo?
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2455 posts
gregoryabell, I have been to all 4 of these cities you mentioned, and also would give the lowest priority to Cefalu, although it’s a lovely old small coastal town, with a nice cathedral, and hiking up the Rocca was pleasant half day, great exercise with beautiful views back on the cathedral and the town. I enjoyed Taormina although it is very touristy, perhaps the most similar to Positano in that way. From Taormina, my short visit uphill to Castelmola was very memorable. This is a tiny stone hill town, known for its almond wine, less than a half hour slow uphill drive from Taormina. I believe there is an infrequent public bus, although a small group of us shared a taxi for the drive up and back, with a couple hours to poke around. On the way back we made a brief stop at a unique small church carved into the rocks, with a stunning view back down upon the Greek theater in Taormina. I agree that the cathedral in Monreale, with its wonderful mosaics, is a high priority visit near Palermo. I stopped into a mosaic workshop behind the cathedral, where artisans are based for any necessary repairs to the ancient mosaics. They also create smaller mosaics here, and I bought a very small mosaic piece which I treasure as much as any travel memento i have brought home in recent years, enjoying it right now, from my easy chair. There are many other wonderful places to visit in Sicily, so maximize the number of days you can spend there. Highlights for me included Segesta and Erice in the west.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6754 posts
Strictly for the views, I’d keep Taormina. I enjoyed Cefalu bet felt I had pretty much seen everything in a couple hours. The cathedral is very pretty; similar to the one in Monreale. The walk up the hill would have been nice for a few hours, but I had an injured foot while there. Taormina, on the days when the cruise ships are not in port, is nice to walk around. When the ships are in, it’s wall to wall cruise ship passengers.