Sicily October Itinerary Feedback?

I haven’t been to Sicily yet but have been researching a trip for next May. But I would consider visiting the salt flats south of Trapani as it seems pretty unique.

I wasn’t under the impression that the Villa romana de Casale was a full day activity. Perhaps you could take a night from there and add it to Trapani if you decide to go to salt flats.

You only need a half day at most to see Villa Romana de Casale. Believe we were there less than three hours. We visited Selinunte after the Valley of the Temples and only visited a couple of its temples because they were much the same as the ones in Agrigento (temple overload). The temples at Selinunte are spread out and you need to take golf type cart transportation to get to the furthest ones.

Between Trapani and Selinunte, we enjoyed the Trapani and Marsala salt farms. We preferred the one at Marsala. Both are off the beaten path and not well marked as to reaching them. Mazara del Vallo has some pretty churches, such as, Cathedral of The Holy Savior. Coming from Selinunte consider stopping at Scala dei Turchi to see it. One can get a good view of it from a nearby overlook without having to walk down to it. To get a better view of that type rock formation one could make a quick stop in nearby Lido Rossello. We found a free parking spot right by the beach.

I would move a night from Piazza Amerina and maybe add a night in Modica or Ragusa. Photos of the places I mentioned are on my website.

Your Sicily itinerary is aces. I wouldn’t change a thing. Piazza Armerina is kind of sleepy for two nights, but it can be a little wonky getting there and out so it’s a leisurely stop. You seem keen on ancient sites, so you may be interested in stopping at Morgantina nearby if you feel like there’s time. It’s a bit worse for wear, and poorly marked. However, I found it evocative, spectacularly set in the hills with Etna in the distance, and not another tourist in sight. It’s not in the same league as the other sites on your agenda, but I was glad I made time for it.

I think you have a day "extra" in Palermo that you could use to visit Cefalu by train. I liked it very much. Take the bus to Monreale (include the cloisters in your visit). On the way back you can get off at the Palatine Chapel. A block or 2 away are the ruins of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, also interesting. Walk back to the center from the Palatine. I found a self-guided walking tour on Frommer's site. It starts at San Giovanni. It's mostly buildings and monuments so even though it's pretty old, it was very useful. If you PM me with your email, I can send it to you as a word doc. I stocked up on picnic foods at the Ballaro market and then picked up the car (took a taxi to the rental company with all my shopping and luggage from the hotel :-). You may want to stop at the Capo Gallo Nature Reserve on the way to Trapani for a hike.

I assume you mean Segesta, on the way to Trapani. Be sure to take the bus up to see the theatre from above. I took the bus down and regretted not walking - it's not that far and the views were lovely. You probably only need an hour or so there.

Erice is really nice. Try to fit in a 1/2 day there while in Trapani.

I liked Selinunte better than Agrigento, probably because it's much more spread out so there weren't any crowds anywhere. (my visit was in late April). There were lots and lots of people in Agrigento. You should have plenty of time to explore before getting to Agrigento. The archaeology museum is quite good.

I spent one night in Piazza Armerina and wished I'd had 2. I stayed in the historic center and was lucky to find parking where and when I needed it. I only had a couple hours in the morning to wander and the center needs more. There are very good restaurants too. As Jaime said, you'll only need 1/2 day at the Villa. If you leave early on your last day, you should have time to visit Noto and/or Ragusa on the way to Ortigia.

All my memories of Ortigia are blue and white - blue sea, blue sky, white buildings and ramparts, white clouds. Take in a puppet show. I drove into Catania (nightmare traffic - not difficult, just excruciatingly slow) to see the WWII museum (very good). The one day I wasted was going to Etna. The coast was completely sunny, but the mountain was completely fogged in and the higher you go, the colder it gets. If you go, wear/take all the warm clothes you have.

Factoid: I also drove the AC! Driving in Sicily was easy. I had to drive all the way up to Erice because the cable car was closed due to high winds. It's not difficult, just a long switchback road that's somewhat narrow and takes a lot lot longer, but good views on the way down. The drive down to the Villa and then back up to Piazza Armerina had a short but tricky part because the road was 2-way but very narrow with curves.

No, your post was not too long at all. You included lots of details that help the rest of us give you better advice.

Great feedback and ideas. Not sure about taking time for the salt farms because we had salt farms in the Bay Area when we lived there and now we have some close here in Portugal (flamingoes are seasonal visitors). Are the ones at Marsala or Trapani somehow unique?
We will take a look at Morgantina. It was not even on our radar. Of course, if we have reached “temple overload” we can be flexible. (However, seeing more Sicilian temple sites than our archeologist niece did on her visit - she was on her way back from a year long dig in Greece - has a certain appeal.)
I will Pm you Chani, as you seem to have resources to share. And thanks for saying the post wasn’t too long, you discerned my intent exactly.
Now . . . Who wants to recommend restaurants and cocktail bars?

this sounds like a great itinerary. if you are interested in a guide for Villa Romana del Casale, I highly recommend Serena Raffiotta, and I believe she also guides in Morgantina (she lives in the area). very knowledgeable, speaks English beautifully and very personable in a low-key way. seeing the mosaics with her was a highlight of our last trip.

in the outskirts of Piazza Armerina there's a wonderful pizzeria, Ristorante Da Nino. there's a wood fired oven and they grill meats and steak in it -- a nice change for us. with roasted potatoes, salad and a reasonably priced red wine, it was a lovely night. nothing fancy at all. we didn't have reservations but we able to get a table on the early side of dinner (7:30-ish). before long, the entire restaurant was filled with locals, including several large gatherings and family parties. it was the only experience during our trip (except for the wine bar CiCala in Palermo) when we were the only tourists in the place.

You will love Sicily!

Agree with Chani on a day visit to Cefalu by train. The Duomo is beautiful. There is also an medieval public wash area 'Lavatoio Medievale Fiume Cefalino' which is interesting.

I stayed at an AirBnB just north of San Leone. It's a lovely town, exceptionally friendly people and very walkable. The main street Lungomare Falcone - Borsellino had many restaurants. Caffe Sport at # 60 had great desserts, coffees, pizza with outdoor seating, very casual. I also had a great seafood salad combo, but don't remember the restaurants name. It did have indoor & outdoor seating and was down from Caffe Sport, a bit more fancy.

If you have time after seeing Velley of the Temples, I'd recommend a stop at the Pietro Griffo archaeological museum. If you decide to go there, there are combo tickets to see both. It had many interesting exhibits, which made the ruins come alive for me.

Not being a foodie, I don't have restaurant recommendations. Take the opportunity to eat lots of cannoli. The best ones I had were from a bakery in Erice. If I remember correctly, it was in the RS Italy guidebook. It was close to sunset and I wanted to drive back down the switchback road before it was completely dark. I got two and ate them in the car before I left. That was dinner :-)

Every bakery has them but you won't see them in the display cases. They make them up for you when you order. You may also want to try a "gelatoburger." Instead of having your gelato in a cup or cone, you can have it in a brioche, sliced in half like a bun.

Chani is probably referring to María Grammatico’s bakery. It features prominently in his Sicily video. One of my high school classmates is related to her so we spoke with her, through an employee, for a while when we were there in 2018. The bakery is along the main street between the bus stop and main plaza, closer to the plaza.

On a different note, when visiting popular tourist places like Erice and Taormina, when asking for something at an outdoor cafe or street vendor when no prices are listed, ask what the price is before ordering. When the tourists are in town prices go up and after they’ve departed for the day they go back down. My wife asked for the same thing from the same street vendor in Taormina two days in a row and was quoted two different prices. When she pointed out the difference, he relented and gave her the lower price.

Wow. You guys are just filled with tips and tales. I like being entertained while being educated. Looking forward to this trip. I don't want to stop the conversation, but wanted to express my thanks and joy.

In Ortigia, Caseificio Borderi is famous for their sandwiches and rightly so. It’s usually a long wait, but 100% worth it. Split one. Gelateria Gusto is fantastic. Enoteca Solaria was favorite stop. Terrific wines and a charming local contingent.

In Palermo, while I’d recommend visiting the markets (they each have a distinct character) and sampling street food, you might save the more adventurous eating for brick & mortar focaccerias. Nni Franco U Vastiddaru was a good one. And cocktail bars? Palermo is spoilt for choice. I don’t have specific recommendations per se, but the neighborhood of La Kalsa was a great area to wander and discover places. Piazza Rivoluzione is a good place to start.

Overall, as someone else mentioned cannoli in Sicily is revelatory. Actually ANYTHING with ricotta is an absolute automatic. Same goes for pistachios and almonds. It’s crazy how good it is.

Loving this thread too btw, makes me want to go back :)

Now that reminds of of a delicious pistachio liqueur I tasted at one of the shops at the Villa Romana. For a year afterward I regretted not buying a bottle to take home. I didn't find anything similar on the rest of my trip.

In Ortigia our two favorite restaurants were Regina Lucia and Locanda del Collegio. We returned to them both a second time. And there is a window just off of the Piazza Duomo where you can order cannoli; three flavors of fillings were offered when we were there. It became a
a daily habit!!