I'll be traveling with my family, a group of 5 adults and 2 small children. We'll be in Sicily around Christmas, using mostly public transport. I'd like to go from the airport hotel in Catania to the Villa Romana on January 30, and the bus route seems to be too taxing for everyone.
--Will the Villa be open so close to New Year's Day?
--Can I hire a van and driver to take us from the hotel to the villa? It seems like something worth splurging on.
Thank you!
Posted by
23 posts
According to its web site (very informative, and available in English), the Villa is open every day. It's about 1.5 hours driving from Catania. When we were there my husband and I had a car so I don't have experience with a driver, but I'm sure you can hire one; there may also be tour buses available from major cities (such as Catania). Your hotel may be able to offer suggestions also, before you go. It's a amazing World Heritage Site and well worth the visit. Since you'll be there in winter it probably will be less crowded than other seasons. Enjoy!
Posted by
Avon lake, OH
1 posts
Hi Sue,
I think that since you have 5 adults and 2 children you will definitely need to rent a small van. You want to get the smallest vehicle you can get because the roads are narrow and parking is difficult. You will probably want a driver. I'll give you some recommendations for a good day trip from Catania. I'll give you GPS coordinates (in decimal degrees) that you can use with Google Maps so you can see exactly where I am talking about. January 30th, 2026 is a Friday so everything should be open.
Start your drive ~8:00 a.m. From Catania, drive ~1.5 - 1.75 hours to the archeological site at Morgantina. The parking lot is: (37.428391, 14.474412). Budget around 1.5-2 hours. It is a lot of walking. At the far end of the park is a mosaic threshold to an ancient house with the letters Eyexei which means "Welcome" in ancient Greek. It is at (37.430969, 14.480389). Check the operating hours, it may only be open from 09:00 to 12:30. If you can buy the "Multi ticket" for Morganina, Aidone Museum, and Villa Romana there, you should do it.
After Morganina, stop for a coffee and a snack in the town of Aidone at the Aidone Regional Archeological Museum. It is a small, nice museum with a famous statue, the Venere di Morgantina - Demeter. Formerly exhibited at Getty Villa, Malibu California. The parking lot is: (37.413780, 14.447783). Budget about an 1.5 hours for the museum and 45 minutes for a snack. Get a snack at the cafe "La Piazzetta del Museo". It is right outside the museum.
Then proceed to Villa Romana del Casale (Roman Villa) for the highlight of the day. Budget 2.5 - 3 hours. The parking lot entrance begins at (37.370500, 14.333484). The parking lot is very large to accommodate the hundreds of visitors each day.
After the Roman Villa, it is about a 1.5-2 hour drive back to Catania.
If you go to TripAdvisor, the best source of information on Sicily, is someone with the username Vagabonda. Go to the Sicily forum and search for that username. He has been posting since 2007 and has over 143,000 posts. Ask him (or her) anything. I lived in Sicily near Catania from 2013 to 2016 and his advice was invaluable.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you so much, res066-3, for this detailed reply. I've made contact with a van and driver recommended in Rick Steves' Guide to Italy and I look forward to the visit.