I'm going to Sardinia in May (1st-14), with a plan for a few days in Sicily as well. I'm actually coming in the 29th and spending a few days around Naples/Amalfi. So i will be probably flying to Sardinia from NAP and renting a car. I want to hit up Small towns/Vineyards and scenic places. I want awesome landscapes and good local cooking.
Hook me up!
Look at James Martin's websites www.wanderingsardinia.com and www.wanderingitaly.com for ideas.
I know the Gallura area (north) and I recommend the north side of the island. Don't miss the Maddalena Archipelago National Park, take a boat excursion there (or even more than one).
This is the official Sardinia Region Tourism Portal:
http://www.sardegnaturismo.it/en
Below is a comprehensive list of famous pretty Sardinian towns and villages (In alphabetical order). Do some google searches (including Google Image). Castelsardo, Bosa are probably the most famous. Alghero is more like a small city.
AGGIUS
ALGHERO
ATZARA
BAUNEI
BOSA
CARLOFORTE
CASTELSARDO
LACONI
ORGOSOLO
SAN SPERATE
SANT'ANTIOCO
SARDARA
STINTINO
TEMPIO PAUSANIA
But Sardinia is famous for its beaches, and here is a comprehensive guide to the best:
http://www.unionesarda.it/sardegna/spiagge
April 30th:
Train from Naples to Sorrento
May 1st:
Visit Pompeii/ (Bus/train)
May 2nd:
Positano/Amalfi/Ravello (bus)
May 3rd:
Capri(boat)
May 4th:
Naples to Sardinia (Plane) (Algerho) Rent Car.
Drive to Neptunes Grotto (2 Hours)
May 5th:
Visit Bosa (1 hr drive)
May 6th:
Need idea, based out of Alghero
May 7th:
Fly to Palermo
Sight see in Palermo
May 8th:
Rent Car
Drive to Cefalu (1 Hour)
Drive to Bar Vitelli (2 hours)
Drive to Taormina (45 mins)
May 9th:
Vist Mt.Etna
May 10th:
Drive to Syracuse (1.5 Hours)
Sight See
May 11th:
Drive to Noto (45 Minutes)
Drive to Ragusa (1.5 Hours)
Drive back to Catania? (1.5 Hour)
May 12th:
Fly to Naples or spend time in Sicily
May 13th:
Naples?
May 14th:
Fly Home
What do you think?
I think in Sicily it will take you longer to get around by car than you think, but might as well give it a shot if you're not obsessed about sticking to a rigid schedule. From Cefalu to Bar Vitelli it will take you 2 hours IF you do not make any wrong turns. Any mistake, and it could be 4 hours! :)
I assume that you are a fan of the Sicilian sites where 'The Godfather' was filmed. We took this private day tour out of Taormina in 2010 and it was fascinating. Bar Vitelli (where Michael Corleone asks Apollonia's father for her hand in marriage) is as you know not in Corleone--which is about 70 km to the west--but in the medieval village of Savoca, much nearer the coast. Talk was that they wanted to film in Corleone, but the Mafia chieftains wanted too much money in return.
At the bar itself--which is more overgrown than when the movie was filmed but still intact and not very commercialized thank goodness--is a still-working but ancient 'granita' (Sicilian Italian ice) machine that Francis Ford Coppola wanted to buy from the owner in 1972. Up the hill is the church where Michael & Apollonia were married, and scenes were also filmed in the nearby villages of Forza D'Agro & Castelmola. Absolutely spectacular scenery--at times it appears you are walking back in time 1000 years, overlooking the Ionian Sea. Also visited some catacombs near Savoca that were creepy beyond belief. During the 1700's/1800's any mayors or important townspeople were mummified, dressed in clothing and propped up standing in this underground walkway.
Definitely worth the trip, morvegil, but it might be easier to base in Taormina first and visit the villages from there. And feast on some of the best & most inventive cuisine on the continent when you're in Taormina.
Enjoy!!
grazie mille!
