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Sicily after thoughts

My wife and I just returned from Sicily two days ago. We are retired. I thought I would share some thoughts about our two week adventure.

We started out in Palermo for three nights, then on to Agrigento, Ragusa, Siracusa, Taormina and finally Catania. All for two nights each. I picked up a car as we left Palermo and dropped it off at the airport in Catania before going to our B&B. We are seasoned travelers of Europe so we have a reference point to other areas in Europe. Palermo and Catania are very gritty (dirty). While there are some good things to visit while in these cities, they would not be on my favorite must see list. The food is much more spotty than the rest of Italy. Ask around before just going to a restaurant. My wife was not happy with many toilet options in public places. Many did not have toilet seats and some were down right gross. No toilet paper or paper towels. Now on to the driving and infrastructure. Few main highways going from one town to the next and the roads were narrow with little to no shoulder. I look forward to driving manual when in Europe but driving in the cities to get a parking area or our B&B was a real challenge. It is not for the faint of heart.

Now to the sights. In Palermo the tour of the Opera house is worthwhile and the Ballaro Market is a must. We took a cooking class which was a lot of fun. People watching is always interesting. We stayed in a wonderful B&B that took breakfast to a whole new level. We took a side trip to Cefalu by train which was very efficient. Great place to walk around. Too cold to enjoy the beach but still a nice adventure. Agrigento's big calling card is the Valley of the Temples and a must see If you can, stay near the Valley. The Temples are lit at night. Real cool. Next we drove to Ragusa with a side trip to Villa Romana del Casale, which has wonderful floor mosaics If you have time it is worth the effort, very different. Ragusa is a nice little town with a great pedestrian walk with equally nice shops to stop in. We drove to Modica to find a chocolate factory. To be honest I thought the town was dirty and not worth it. We did find a chocolate factory but they were on siesta and we did not wait around. On to Siracusa. A Charming area. As we approached the city we took a long stop to visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park. This is a do not miss. Very interesting. Park up above, near the park entrance. You will spend a couple of hours there. Afterwards we parked our car in a lot on Ortigia where our B& B was. It was a fabulous location just off the Piazza Duomo. We took a boat ride around the island and if you get to the docks earlier than the first tour (around 11:00) you may get a private tour as we did at 10:00. At 11:00 many of the boats launched full, with as many a 20-25 passengers. Roaming around Ortigia was great. Nice shops and gives you a nice vibe. Stop and have a drink and people watch. Taormina was very interesting driving into. Not fun. Stay near the center of town if you can. We made the mistake of being a 15 minute walk away from the action. Up and down hills on narrow streets. High end shopping. Go the the Greek-Roman Theater and gardens. We elected to take a tour to Mount Etna. Very worthwhile since I did not have to drive , but a must see. We were fortunate to have a clear day with spectacular views of the volcano. Lastly on to Catania. Happy to get rid of the car at the airport. Not a lot to see in this town but we did find a great place to eat. A must see is the Museum of the Allied Landings in Sicily. Off the beaten path but worth the visit. They did a spectacular job with this museum.

Well that's about it. I hope it helps with your planning

Posted by
3812 posts

No ZTL problems?

they were on siesta

I'd look for a more polite word. At least be rude in Italian and not in Spanish.

Posted by
7453 posts

While I found Palermo gritty, it was cleaner than Rome and Naples, and I love Rome. We skipped spending any time in Catania, other than the airport, and skipped Taormina all together. It looked interesting online, but investigation showed it as an high priced option to see a theatre.

We found a great place to stay for Agrigento, and used it for beach as much as the temples. Ortigia was wonderful, my wife insists on going back. Maybe the surprise of the trip was Piazza Armerina, went there for Romana del Casale. The villa is great, but we found the town very nice, great restaurants and gelato.

Posted by
2462 posts

It is interesting. We got back just a week before you, went to almost the same places, and as reflected in my (much longer) trip report, I had totally different opinions of Sicily than you. We loved Palermo, didn’t find driving much different than Crete, and had many great meals. The one miss meal wise was on the waterfront in Cefalu but as my daughter said “what do you expect from a (tourist) restaurant that is open all the time?”

I had the same experience with toilets as your wife but came prepared with toilet paper and had encountered the same missing toilet seats in Naples and parts of Greece. So while I wasn’t enamored, I wasn’t surprised or upset either. It became a game to count how many establishments had toilet seats, toilet paper AND paper towels.

Posted by
344 posts

Steve, Thank you so much for your trip report. I have had many of these places on my "list' but not all, and I appreciate the on the spot report. Would love to hear what accommodations you found worth your while.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a long report.
Happy travels.
Suzanne

Posted by
42 posts

My wife and I like staying in B&B's. We like to have conversations with travelers from all over. We did not experience this as much in Sicily as we would have liked but that is not to say you would not have great conversations.
We stayed in B&B Atmophere Puniche in Palermo. Initially it was hard to find, but once there it was great. Very good location and the B&B's common area is like an art museum spread over multiple rooms. The breakfast was like a piece of art and very good. Had patios to sit and relax. She reserved a private cooking class for my wife and I.
In Agrigento we stayed at Vila La Lumia B&B. Very spacious room and walking distance to the Valley of the Temples. A little bit old but beautiful grounds.
In Sircusa we stayed at Il Duomo, which was very nice. The location was the best. Right on the piazza.
We stayed in some other locations obviously, but these were the ones that stood out.
If you go to Taormina stay close to the center of town as you can. It is just easier to get to where the action is.

Posted by
29 posts

I've never been to Sicily but for what it's worth, there are no toilet seats in the bathrooms at the Vatican, though the bathrooms were very clean.

Posted by
6386 posts

At least most countries, notably France and Italy, have pretty much done away with the squat over the hole in the floor toilets. Think not having a seat is bad…

Posted by
251 posts

I enjoyed your report. I am going to Sicily next March. I’m taking an escorted tour but arriving in Palermo a day early and a cooking class sounds fun. Thanks for the idea!