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Outline of Sicily trip October 2020

Posted by (NC) on

While I'm still fine tuning our Andalucia trip for this October, I know that frequent flyer miles will open up shortly after we return, so I've been putting together a potential outline for an Oct 2020 trip to Sicily. This outline has come about from watching RS's videos (and others), reading forum trip reports and Sicily posts, private message questions, and guidebooks, including reviewing the new RS book, although will read it more in depth. Looking for forum feedback/thoughts on this outline - just in my head at the moment!

Currently planning 13 nights on the ground, not including travel days. Roundtrip Catania from the east coast, US. We enjoy history, scenery, clear blue seas/water, food, wine.

  • Taormina-3 nights: One day for Taormina/Isola Bella/Castelmola, one day for tour of Mount Etna/winery
  • Pick up car
  • Caltanissetta-3 nights. Use this as a base for a day trip to Valley of the Temples and a day trip to Piazza Armerina. (Plan to stay at Silvia Sillitti's agritourismo, where Harold in NYC wrote about in his 2014 trip report!)
  • Ragusa-3 nights. One day for Ragusa, the other day for day trip to Modica/Scicli.
  • Syracuse/Ortigia-4 nights, staying in Ortigia. Possible day trip to Noto. Spend time enjoying Ortigia, initial interests Archaeological Park/museum, Ear of Dionisius, street market, cathedral, catacombs

I know there is some backtracking on the day trips, but prefer not to stop en route with luggage in car so hoping this won't be too much 'lost' time.

Thanks for any feedback!
Debbie

Posted by
28422 posts

You don't have time to cover the entire island at a less-than-breakneck pace, so I'm not reallly recommending a change (other than that you add more days if you can), but there's lots to see in Palermo, and I liked Trapani and Erice a lot. I hope you can return sometime to see more of the western half of the island.

Posted by
221 posts

Thanks for the thoughts. I knew with the amount of time I wouldn't try to do the whole island and it seemed like the eastern side was calling me. I didn't think I could fit in Agrigento until I read Harold's trip report where they stayed in Caltanissetta and that seemed like a perfect solution. I was also given the idea to use Ragusa as a base for a few nights and that seemed like a great idea, rather than basing longer in Ortigia.

Posted by
11828 posts

You are wise to limit yourselves to only a portion of Sicily. No doubt you will go back for the west side and more in a future trip.

Posted by
11651 posts

Ortigia- The Duomo/Cathedral is a must see. There is a Caravaggio on display, in a building near the Duomo, of Santa Lucia, the pateon saint of the city.
One day go into Siracusa to see the Greek Theater, more impressive than Taormina’s, and Archeological Museum. Not far from Ortigia.
Don’t miss the daily street food market at the northern end of the island.
Noto is interesting too but you may not have enough time. It was about half an hour by car but there art trains and buses too.

Posted by
1059 posts

Don’t change a thing! Just a word of warning, those days driving the interior for Valley of the Temples and Piazza Armerina can be hard days. You’re well positioned, but it’s still quite a bit of driving. It’s rather hilly which can get a little challenging. Plan your route and stick to the main roads. Google Maps did me NO FAVORS around here, and loved to send me down country roads that were “faster.” Nothing you can’t handle, just be prepared!

Posted by
221 posts

Thanks for the additional feedback! I have wondered about all the day trips, and especially at the end after seeing 2-3 Baroque towns, that once we get to Ortigia we might just want to stay put. Good thing about day trips is that we don't have to go if we don't want to!

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