Roadtrip in Sicily!

Lindsey, great to hear that you're going to Sicily (and if only Rick would devote more space to the South of Italy in general but Sicily in particular)! Having a car will make traveling much easier, but I would suggest that you see the Roman Villa Casale on your way to Siracusa or on your way out of Catania (the closest town to the Villa is Piazza Armerina and the countryside is hilly which adds to travel time). I've been to the Villa a few times without a guide, but it's big and new things are being uncovered or restored all the time, so a guide would be a good idea. Be careful about driving in ZTL (restricted traffic zones) as tickets will follow you home several months later. We stayed at Hotel Continental in Taormina. It's on a little street (the front desk person helped us by phone as we drove) but has a great terrace with views of the town and the sea. They have an arragement with the restaurant down the street (discount) and will give you a discount card for parking in the conveniently located garage at the end of town. For Cefalu, there are tons of B&Bs in town and a row of hotels along the beach. I love Cefalu! There is a great little restaurant on the main square that has the best view of the Duomo - it has an outdoor gazebo seating area and live music in the evening. In Palermo we stayed at Hotel Villa Archirafi near the port, on Via Lincoln near the botanical garden. The area is safe but a bit down at the heels. The advantage here is they have enclosed parking in front of the hotel, and you can take a bus or walk to the main sites, leaving the car parked except for road trips (I suggest a visit to Monreale for the great mosaics). It's also easy to access the road out of town from the hotel. Hotel staff can suggest restaurants - they're very helpful. More to follow.

Do you mean Segesta? This is an easy daytrip out of Palermo or Cefalu (you may want to add a day in either place). It would be a shame to miss Erice, it has such a great medieval feel, and in ancient times it was known for the beauty of its women (a major temple to Venus Eryx was built there), and the views of it and from it are amazing! Erice is quite compact so a couple of hours should be enough to see it. Selinunte and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento are two very big archeological zones, I'm not sure you could do them both in one day. Agrigento also has great scenery from the ruins (beaches, mostly). In Siracusa I stay at Hotel Posta in Ortigia, the old town. It is about a block away from a major daily market and from a public parking garage. There's also a free minibus that takes you around the old town and across the bridge to the train station. Driving in the newer part of Siracusa doesn't seem too difficult compared to other cities. In Rome, my favorite area is the Piazza Navona/Campo dei Fiori/Pantheon neighborhoods. I recently stayed at Hotel Genio across the street from the north entrance of Piazza Navona, it was great and has a rooftop terrace with views of all of Rome (breakfast is served there but the terrace is also open from 7am-11pm for guests to use - I often had a picnic lunch or dinner there). I don't think the hotel has parking but there are garages all over the city (not cheap, you might consider the Ostia Antica and Hadrian's Villa trips for your first days and then ditch the car).

I would underline others' suggestions of must-sees with Monreale, Agrigento (Valley of Temples), and Villa Casale. There are other worthwhile sights in Agrigento, particularly the Archaeoligical Museum, so I don't think it's feasible to combine with anything else in one day. As far as guidebooks - - try to get the Cadogan Guide for Sicily. Any bookstore can order it, if they don't have it. The Cadogans are very good on ancient history/archaeological sights. Micheline Green Guides are good, too; but I don't like their organization - - listings alphabetical, rather than grouped by region.
As to driving - - except on the autostrade, it takes longer than you might think to negotiate the winding roads. Check viamichelin.com, then add some for an estimate. If you are using a gps, have a good map as back up. Ours led us astray quite a bit in Sicily. For added security, it isn't a bad idea to print out viamichelin's directions. Don't drive in Palermo for the same reason you shouldn't drive in Rome. It's been many years since we were there, but I remember being able to walk or take trams to everything we wanted to see. Buon viaggio!

Thanks! I will definitely look into these hotel recommendations! I don't what to do about driving in Palermo! I'm terrified to do it! I'm wondering if we should drop the car off at the airport and take the bus or train in but that could be expensive and a hassle. Perhaps we can talk someone at the rental car company or our hotel to meet us outside of the city and drive us in? Has anyone ever tried something like that? Is it even possible? Also, since there will be a few times that we stop at sights along the way from one city to another, we'll have our luggage in the car. I keep reading never to leave anything in the car but I don't picture myself lugging my backpack around the Valley of the Temples! Any tips for keeping our stuff safe? How big of a problem is it really? Do you recommend travels insurance? I've been to Europe 4 times now and never purchased or needed insurance but now that I'm renting a car in Sicily I'm wondering if it is a good idea. Do either of you know a good walking tour guide in Palermo? Wow. I had more questions than I realized. Whew...

We're planning a driving trip in Sicily next year but have been told to not leave anything in the car, even the trunk, while we stop to see any sights. It was suggested that we check into our hotel and then drive back & forth to see the sights. We usually like to see some sights on the way to our next hotel and have never had a problem, but are reconsidering this for Sicily. Is this good advice?

In any country where we are driving, we do the following. We bring a couple of long, metal chains, the kind you might get in bicycle shops, or even lengths sold in hardware stores. We loop the chain through the handle of the suitcase and through some part of the car trunk, like a hinge. A lock completes the "security system." A thief prepared with bolt cutters could get our stuff; but, I believe, most would be deterred by the extra time needed. That being said, I also recommend that you observe sensible precautions. Avoid parking in isolated places; and use attended parking when you can, just as in other parts of Europe.

We've left things in the trunk of the car on two trips to Sicily with no problems. Don't pull into a parking space and then rummage around in the trunk - before you set out, have what you want to carry with you in the car and don't open the trunk again until you are ready to leave. If you decide not to drive in Palermo, you can take the bus to Monreale easily, and a train/bus or train/funicular to Erice if you decide to go there. Trams and buses are easy to use in Palermo but buses can be crowded in the summer. Taxis are not that expensive but they can get caught in traffic just like cars, but your hotel can call one for you and ask the price to your destination before you get into the taxi.

We've been lucky enough to have 2 road trips to Sicily and loved every minute and encountered no problems. Looking at your itinerary, 1 minor change I would suggest is 2 days in Cefalu, not for the sites, but for the down-time you'll need. Palermo is really a challenge to drive, however, non-rush hour, it's not that bad. Where ever you park, choose attended parking and give the attendant at least a Euro, and you'll have no problems. Parking is super expensive in Palermo, for example, when we stayed at the Hilton downtown, it was 25E daily, so we ped the car at the rental agency as it was at the end of our trip. I would really like you to see Erice, it has a 100 mile view from the top of the Plateau, and we stayed at Las Pinas for 85E a night. Seriously, I doubt if you'll any problems as far as safety. Sicilians (in our experience) are some of the most helpful Italians we've met. Happy travels and no worries!

Thanks everybody! Does anyone know a good walking tour guide in Palermo?

We did it three years ago: you'll have a great time. Just a few pointers- -Pay the extra on your car insurance to lower the excess. If not, you'll pay the first 500 Euros or so which is quite a hit should somebody decide to bump your car while it is parked. It happens. -Leave nothing in the car. Really. -Sicily looks small on the map: it is deceptive. Driving times are at least 50% more than googlemaps estimates when going cross country.
-Relax and Enjoy!

I am going to tailgate on this post instead of creating another one because my doubts are similar :) We are going to stay 5 full days (6 nights) in Sicily as part of our big winter trip. As we are going to have a car for the whole period (flying in and out of Palermo airport), we want to split our stay of 6 nights in two places and use them as bases to take daily car trips. Sicily will be the end of a likely intense 6-week long trip. I'm intending to visit only 5 of the following sites: Marsala, the Temple valley in Agrigento, Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Notto valley, Villa del Casale, ORtigia (Siracusa) and Etna volcano. That way, we can take it lightly, organize our day to visit just one site a day then take the rest of the short winter days to do as we please, including relaxing and doing nothing. Now, the practical doubts: 1- How nice are Caltanisseta or Enna as home bases in central Sicily? We are not looking for very small towns to sleepover for fear of them being totally dead in winter nights. 2- Does anybody know about tours to visit some chocolate factory in Modica? 3- The Etna is huge even on the map. I read you can use a cable car to go up year-round, but crater tours don't operate on winter. If that is the case, what is the best way to see some "volcanic activity" in the mountain? I also read it has a ski station open, but I was let down by the pics of the infrastructure, it appears to be almost a backyard ski station, is that correct? I read about villages in the Etna slopes with that "frozen in time" architecture full of volcanic dust in its walls, any particular suggestion on that? 4- Is it worth to visit the Notto wineries on winter for some tasting, or are they closed? 5- Is Marsala too out of our way that we should already not count visiting it (in the day we're arriving mid-morning in Palermo)?

For Fabbiana: I don't think you want to see volcanic activity on Etna, but if you drive as far as the base where you take the cable car, you'll see plenty of the last several eruptions on the ground - lava flows, burnt-out trees, etc. The cable car runs weather permitting, so you may not be able to take it to the crater. Both Enna and Caltanisseta are big towns with historic centers and modern suburbs. If you are thinking of staying there for Villa Casale, Piazza Armerina is closer to the Villa and is old-style charming. Since you have a car, you could combine the Villa Romana di Casale and the archeological site of Morgantina in one day (Morgantina is also being uncovered daily, lots of new stuff all the time). There's a nice small museum in Aidone (the town near Morgantina).