We hope to visit Sicily next spring and plan to go to Palermo and Ortigia probably renting a car. I would like to visit an inland town and thought Piazza Armerina might work well. I thought it was a small, quaint village, but, when I looked on Google Maps it seemed more like a mid sized more modern town. We enjoy strolling through charming towns, maybe visiting a cathedral, drinking coffee at an outdoor cafe. There are so many coastal towns, but I would like to visit something inland as well. Do you have any suggestions? I would like to find something in between Palermo and Ortigia if possible.
Posted by
11608 posts
Most visitors to Sicily visit Piazza Armerina in order to see Villa Romana del Casale, a luxury Roman villa that has significant mosaics and is amazingly intact. It is one of the top sites to visit in Sicily. So it not an undiscovered village, rather one of Sicily’s top tourism sites.
Inland Sicily does have special places to visit such as the Baroque towns of Noto, Ragusa and Modica which are very worthwhile to visit. Otherwise there is Corleone, a center for the Mafia and Caltagirone, a center for ceramics.
Get a good guidebook for Sicily to help you search for what you are hoping to find.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8125 posts
We spent a couple nights in Piazza Armerina, and found it pleasant. I would not call it small and quaint, but the old town is somewhat compact, decent places for coffee, gelato and a number of very good restaurants.
Of course we were there for the Villa Romana del Casale, but there are several other Archeological sites around there, and the town of Caltagirone nearby.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3293 posts
The only reason I visited Piazza Armerina a few years back in December was to see the mosaics at the Villa Romana. When I got to my hotel, I saw a notice in the lobby. I speak no Italian other than the polite basics but knew enough that the Villa was closed for maintenance until mid-March. The town is not large but also doesn’t have that quintessential charm for which you might be searching. I still enjoyed watching a local farmer dressed as Santa on his tractor pulling a Yuletide decorated trailer and tossing candy to the kids. I ate at the Ristorante Teatro totally getting in to the soccer match on tv with the townsfolk after a very satisfying dinner with the best antipasto caldo ever.
Suki hit it dead on recommending the towns of Noto, Ragusa and Modica. I would overnight in Ragusa but visit the other two. I also recommend seeing the mosaics at the Villa Romana.
Posted by
1045 posts
The hill towns in the southeast are more the experience you’re looking for, but out of the way. Your assessment of Piazza Armerina is pretty on point. It has a small old center with some good restaurants, but none of it is pedestrianized or especially romantic. It was very sleepy. Coming from Ortigia where the passegiata goes into the small hours daily, it was kind of a bummer. Having driven (and gotten lost) in this area, I feel like most towns are kind of like this.
Still, there are worse places to be for a night, and it is incredibly convenient to Villa Romana. Which, if you’re passing through this area, would be borderline irresponsible to skip. You’re also not far off the autostrada, so all in all it’s a logical stop just not the most romantic one.
Posted by
NC
403 posts
We did, and enjoyed, the following:
Drove from Ortigia to Ragusa via Noto.
Visited Modica and Scicli as a day trip from Ragusa.
Stopped to see Villa del Casale en route to Agrigento.
Modica was our favorite of the small towns. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento at dusk/evening was magical. And, the inland drive from Agrigento north toward Palermo was a totally different landscape and quite beautiful.
Posted by
OP
37 posts
This is really helpful! Thanks!