Italy/Sicily

Most of Sicily should be no problem whatsoever- but if you're not used to European town driving (NARROW roads)- be prepared for a shock. Some of them are crazy! (I banged up my elbow when the door slammed on it- parked on a 20 degree slope (with the passenger side downhill). You also can drive pretty much around the whole island- but there are places inland that you will want to see (and the inland areas are beautiful!)

As far as between towns and so on- the roads are great. I had a blast on them... they are fun and were in good shape. The autostradas are ok, with only a few tolls (and they aren't bad)- some repairs needed in places. Trains are also decent- but there are some places and times that you would want to be careful (get a good tour guide; it will probably advise you as to what to avoid). Most of the places should treat you well.

I VERY highly recommend Agrigento (valley of the Temples), Morgantina (near Piazza Armerina, another must-see), and Tyndaris (on the north coast) if you are interested in archaeology (we took students to these places and they were GREAT!) The museum at Syracusa is also a must-see if it is open. The scenery is fantastic, the people were fun... and the food delicious.

Two bits of advice- learn some polite phrases in Italian (if you don't know them already) and in some areas, count your change.

Oh, yeah... take a good camera. You'll kick yourself if you don't.

One more point- if possible, go to Taormina or some other town near Etna at night- you can clearly see the lava flows and eruptions. It's a sight you won't soon forget! Etna started erupting a bit more than usual when we arrived in late May, and may still be going strong.

We could even see the lava flow at night from near where we stayed- 25 air miles away (looked like a tiny red thread).

I would advise against driving into Rome -- not fun. Rome is too congested and the other drivers are too aggresive. Leave the car in Sicily and take the train to Rome instea. And definitely bring along a GPS with European map data -- it's extremely helpful when driving!

Thanks everyone for your good information--I would not even think of driving in Rome and will drop the car (if I do rent one) before going into the city. I've done that part before..... If any of you were there fairly recently, can you recall the price of fuel?

From one Patricia to another, and in the same genteel age timeframe !! If I can drive Sicily and Puglia on my own (sensibly leaving the husband a casa in Australia), you most surely can also. Be prepared to get lost, but that's half the fun, and keeps the hippocampus in top gear. If you are so fortunate as to tour Puglia, be prepared for some roads in dreadful condition if you drive the country lanes as I did. The slow and bumpy gives a much better over view of the region than racing by on the main roads. I used the bus service to get from Taranto to Sicily. Presumably the bus (from the opposite direction) travels on to Bari, from where you could travel on to S.G. Rotundo. I also travelled by train from Rome to Foggia...possibly your best connection for the return leg of your trip. Happy travels. Pat in Oz.

ps... It is less expensive to arrange your car rental from your home, than in Sicily.

Oh, yes... on the Italian mainland - another really great museum is at Reggio de Calabria. The bronzes are worth the trip (they are incredible!) We took the train to Messina, and then the ferry over to Reggio de Calabria.

Regarding the cliff- one of my responsibilities was driving students up to the site on a VERY steep, narrow, rough (gravel) road. On one very steep switchback, we lost traction with the van and started sliding backwards towards the cliff. I was finally able to get the slide stopped- with only about 12 inches between the back wheels and the cliff edge (yep, the back of the van was hanging over the cliff). The students got out, and helped the van get up the switchback by pushing it. That was the last time we took the van up that road. They also walked the rest of the way up. We figured out that the weight and high center of gravity of the van, combined with the dirt/gravel road drying out changed the conditions enough so that the van couldn't get enough traction for the angle it was trying to climb.

We replaced the van with Fiat Puntos (Diesel). I fell in love with the car- it got up that road no problem as long as you kept the engine revved!

I just thought of one more tip. If you aren't used to the driving, I would suggest renting the car at the airport and immediately get out of Catania and onto the autostrada. The driving in Catania can be very confusing and tense. The car rental place near the ferry terminals and the bus/train stations is on a small side street, and getting out from there... Also watch out for scooters and motorcycles- if you've never driven around them in Italy before, they do some things I'd consider crazy or suicidal in the states...