My 21-yo daughter and I are planning a May-June trip to eastern Sicily and France, in part to revisit the places where she studied abroad (Siracusa and Montpellier; her real interest is Greek and Roman antiquities). We plan to spend 3 nights in Siracusa, preferably on Ortygia, and 2-3 in Taormina and are looking for suggestions for inexpensive (under 100 euros per night) lodgings – b&bs, or hostels, or even monasteries (we've never done that and it sounds interesting). We'd also like to visit the ruins at Agrigento and Piazza Armerina/Roman Villa; any recommendations for transportation or guided tours to those sites? We do not plan to rent a car; I prefer to look at scenery rather than the road! I see there is a question from Frank and Lisa that covers some of this territory, and I'll also post on the TripAdvisor forum. Thanks for any suggestions, and Happy New Year to everyone on the Helpline!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Kathleen, you picked two great bases for your trip! In Ortygia, I like to stay at Hotel Posta on Viale Trieste - it's near the daily market and an area with lots of buses to get you into the rest of the city (there's a free mini-bus that makes a circuit around Ortygia before it drops you at the train/bus station). From Siracusa you can go to Noto or Ragusa, or to Villa Romana di Casale. If you did have a car, or if you hire a guide for a daytrip, you can combine the Roman Villa with Morgantina, just a few kilometers further; it's a working dig but there's lots available to see, including the "Goddess of Morgantina" statue that was returned from the Getty Museum in 2010. In Taormina, I stayed at Hotel Nazionale, just a block from the main street. You can get to Mount Etna from Taormina (we had a car for this segment of the trip). Your best bet for Agrigento, which is almost as far as you can get from either Taormina or Siracusa, would be as an extremely long daytrip, or an overnight if you can manage it. The archeological zone and museum are large (there's also a nice beach at Porto Empedocle, which you can see from the ruins). Agrigento is about a 5-hour train trip one way from either Siracusa or Taormina, which is why I suggest trying to stay one night there.
Posted by
OP
Reston, VA, USA
810 posts
Zoe, thanks very much for your helpful suggestions!
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2334 posts
We visited Piazza Armerina without a car and ended up walking out to the Roman site. Next time I'd take a taxi - it was very hot when we were there! (We had hoped to take the bus but ran into some difficulty getting the correct information - which isn't unusual in Italy!)
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2334 posts
On Ortigia, we stayed at B&B Acropoli and liked it very much. It was euro 75 per night in 2006.
Posted by
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
We had a GREAT day-trip guide in Taormina! We went to Mt. Etna, to a vineyard, and to an amazing farm. He does other trips as well, and we wished we'd booked him more. His name is Angelo Grecco and his website is
magicofsicily.com They also rent apartments, but if you're only there for 2 days, probably a hotel is better. His English is perfect, and he is warm and friendly with a great sense of humor. Easy to be with. P.S. There ARE Greek Ruins in Taormina, the Greek Theatre, which is amaaaazing!