First trip to Italy in June and questions

Posted by serrmary on 02/09/22 04:59 PM

Hi All,

My husband and I are going to Sicily for his 60th Birthday. Our itinerary thus far is:

Ragusa Ibla-air bnb- 5 nights
Ortigia- Hotel Henry-5 nights
Taormina- Hotel Belvedere-5 nights

I know many people do not like Taormina because of the crowds and expense. But I dream of the views of Etna and the sea.
We will spend mornings and evenings there and get out of town during the day when things get crowded. We will check out Etna, the beach, possibly drive to Mazzaro and take ferry to Aeolian islands.

Question- Would you use both Ragusa and Ortigia as a base for 5 nights or choose one and travel from there or would you take a few days off existing itinerary and go elsewhere?

interested in antiquities to an extent but not into seeing all historic areas. Want a relaxing, fun trip, good restaurants, sightseeing, hiking and views to die for!
Thank you!

Posted by balso

Paris

02/09/22 07:32 PM

7322 posts

I would perhaps shave 1 night off Ragusa and spend them on one of the Eolie islands, Lipari for convenience I guess? Otherwise the day trip will be rushed!

Posted by Bill

Lubbock, TX

02/10/22 12:04 AM

417 posts

I just spent two weeks doing a road trip all around Sicily this summer. I spent 2 nights in Ragusa and 2 in Ortigia, and 1 in Taormina. I wish I had one more day in Taormina, as it was so gorgeous it was hard to believe my eyes weren't lying to me. For me, 10 days in Ragusa and Ortigia is overkill. Where else are you going in Sicily? There's not a ton to see/do in Ragusa although it can be a nice place to just unwind and relax. Ortigia is lovely but can get very busy depending on what time of year you're going. Are you going to the other side of the island at all?

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

02/10/22 08:20 AM

28383 posts

With as much time as you have, I think it's a shame not to see at least the sights in and around Palermo. Your itinerary only covers a small part of the island, and you have time to do more. Rick now has a guide book to Sicily which will inform you about its many interesting sights.

Posted by Glenn

St Pete, FL

02/10/22 12:33 PM

214 posts

Right before covid, my Wife and I were in Taormina for 6 nights and we enjoyed every minute of it. We rented an apartment that had a huge patio overlooking the water. We had some great food, great sites, and enjoyed meeting a bunch of people. We took a cooking class, went horse back riding at the beach, enjoyed the Greek theater with nobody else there (go late afternoon, no tourist crowds). I have always said, if you want to sprint down the Main Street, go to the greek theater and say you saw Taormina, sure, do it in a day and a half... if you want to hunker down, enjoy the scenery, food, people, make it longer. 6 nights wasn't enough for us. Just know late morning the cruise ships drop the people off, and avoid things then. that's when we did cooking classes, horse back riding , etc. Do your research as well... we had some amazing dinners (was there for our anniversary, and we were treated like king/queen).

We all have different experiences, and biases. I like to slow down, and enjoy when traveling.

Glenn