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Thinking about adding a stay on Etna to an already fairly busy itinerary

Posted by (New York, USA) on

My husband and I are planning a trip to sicily in mid October. The current plan is to spend 3 nights in Palermo, then pick up a rental car at PMO and drive to Agrigento (two nights), Piazza Romina (one night), Ortigia (three nights), and then, after returning the car (4 nights). We have considered keeping the car if we can find an area of Catania to stay that is easier to drive and park in than the city center and has reasonably good public transport access to the see the fun parts of the city (ideas welcome for this). I imagine that this itinerary sounds busy but I also feel its reasonable for us - our previous European vacations have involved a fair amount of driving and relocating and we've enjoyed it.

While "fleshing out" what we actually going to do in these various places, we decided it would be great to spend a couple of nights staying on Etna (probably the south side) at an agriturismo or country B&B for scenery and volcanic wine tasting. To do that I'm thinking that we would leave Ortigia and drive to Etna (instead of Catania) and spend two nights, possible seeing Taormina on the way back towards Catania for two nights before heading home. Does this change seem doable/reasonable? If so, suggestions on where to stay on Etna and also in Catania for ease of parking would be appreciated. Also it is possible but not ideal to add an extra night for either Etna or Catania.
Thoughts/criticisms/suggestions about this or the rest of the trip are very welcome.

Thanks!

Posted by
1929 posts

Oh, I do so feel your pain --- I don't think I kept our original list of places to go in Sicily and we had 30 days there AND had spent a dozen nights there 20 years ago. It was tough to cut so many places.

My theory about Italian locations like Sicily (Puglia, Sardinia, a few others, maybe even Venice) is that it's better to spend any "extra" nights there rather than in a place like Rome because Sicily is harder and more time-consuming to get to. Whereas surely you will be going through a big transportation hub like Rome on another trip and can visit it then. We made this decision when we skipped Rome going to and from Sicily this spring, even though it seemed strange to be in Rome and not see it. We're making the same choice going to Puglia (again) this fall.

Naples is a borderline case --- pretty easy for you to get to (for us it would mean two or even three layovers, or a train from Rome) and such a terrific city that your 3 nights there will feel all too brief.

I do not know what your interests are, but taking your number of nights into account, and judging by our recent time in Sicily, I would spend less time in Ortigia and Catania (maybe even no time???), more time at the agriturismo or winery stay you mention. Or stay in Randazzo, like we did.

Did you see my Sicily trip report already?

If you do skip staying in Catania, I would be inclined to keep the rental car and return it to the airport when you depart. I do not know what it's like to fly back from Catania since we did round trip Palermo.

Just writing this is making me want to go back to Sicily.

Posted by
118 posts

Hi! I think you must have read the first version I posted. I rewrote a few minutes later because it was unnecessarily long with lots of peripheral details that not all that relevant to my question and made it a bit of a slog to read.

In any case, we are flying into Naples and out of Rome both because it allowed us to make full use of United miles and also to fly nonstop. As for spending time in Rome...we were there about 10 years ago and would LOVE to return even for a day but still...it's negotiable, hence the option of adding a day to Sicily. We could shave a day off our stay in Naples - currently 3 days - but I figured the first day would be a loss due to a midday arrival (or later since fights leaving Newark airport are often delayed these days) and jet lag and, most importantly I guess, because my husband has his heart set on spending time there and also seeing Pompeii which he was deprived of the last time we were in Italy. Marriage is a series of compromises after all :).
I have considered eliminating Ortigia largely because of your comments in your amazing trip report (which had me dripping with envy about all the time you had there) but I do want to spend some time in that area and the place I've booked in Ortigia has a washing machine!!! So for now I think we'll keep it and consider it a base with very pretty views.
You have convinced me, however, to add that extra day to Sicily - either in Etna or Catania. I just need to figure out where to stay on Etna. I love the idea of Randazzo but, at the same time,Randazzo is a city and I was thinking of Etna as a more relaxing country stay. Every other place we are staying is a large village or city.
As for keeping the car in Catania, I just read about the option of parking in an area called Fly Catania with easy access to get into town so ultimately it might make sense to keep it for the whole time?
So I think its going to be 3 nights on Etna and two in Catania or...the other way around. And one night in Fiumicino. A day in Rome is off the table. Ouch.

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