Here's the scenario. We are a retired couple who have been to many places. We like art, architecture, and history. We usually settle in a place for a few weeks and just absorb it, seeing all the tourist sites at leisure, buying food in the local markets, and just wandering around observing the local scene. We don't go-go-go. We like to relax.
Now, I'm thinking I'd like to go to Sicily at some point. I'm having the idea that I'd like to pick 3 places and spend a week or so in each place. Which 3 places should I choose? Palermo? Syracuse? Please give me your suggestions. I just want a starting point for thinking about this future trip.
Posted by
USA
286 posts
We are a retired couple and going in September. for 2.5 weeks. We are planning to move around and travel by train mostly and rental car for 5 days. If I were to offer advice as doing all my research, I would definitely plan on basing in Palermo for a bit. Fro there you can day trip to Cefalu and east to San Vito and Scopella. I would also stay near Syracuse (We are staying in Ortigia as it appears more interesting) but the train station is actually in Syracuse. From there you could day trip to some of the Baroque cities (Noto, Ragusa, Modica) and could also visit Catania. I am at a loss for your third base. You may want to see Taormina, Mt Etna and some vineyards but I dont see staying in Taormina for a full week.
Posted by
Chicago
2294 posts
We were just in Taormina last April for 4 nights and I quite agree with her, that a week would be too much time there. We had visited in October 2010, and at that time it was fairly busy but not overrun. One could walk unrestricted to the Teatro Greco, and the Corso Umberto was delightful. Now...it's crowded, extremely touristy, one must pay and wait in a long queue to get to the Teatro Greco and the local cuisine is more an Italian/Sicilian mash-up than truly indigenous. It's the price of progress, but that has diminished the experience for sure.
But...if you decide to go, we took a magnificent 6-hour tour with Sicily Life, that picked us up at our AirBnB, drove us up Etna to about 6000 feet, at which point we were not allowed to proceed any further because the mountain was banging and booming, with ash rain. From there we drove back down the road to the Gambino winery, where we were served a delightful light dinner of charcuterie, Sicilian greens and no less than a five-wine tasting. Very worthwhile.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8309 posts
The two places you mentioned would work. For a third location, maybe select one on the west side of the island.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
9111 posts
Palermo would be a definite, lots to do, lots of places nearby for day-trips.
Syracuse/Ortigia would work as well. There are day-trips to Noto, Ragusa, and Modica; a number of things to do in Syracuse, but the drawbacks are that it is smaller, it can be hit by cruise ship crowds and tourists a bit harder than Palermo and Catania. I guess a few weeks would be maybe a bit long, but two?
Catania does not get much love, a bigger city, but good markets, lots of day-trip options.
I won't have visited until April, but Trapani looks interesting, things to do, prices look to be less than the other locales
Posted by
777 posts
That's how we tend to travel. I find it gives me a richer travel experience than packing up and rushing to the next destination.
Here is a hybrid of what you asked. I added a full day (2 nights) in Agrigento because I think it is a really awesome destination that takes most of a whole day to see plus that next morning you can wake up and head to Villa del Casale
Palermo for 7 or 8 gets you plenty of time to downshift, do a day trip or two.
Agrigento 1 full day (2n) to see Valley of the Temples
Midday pitstop at Casale for mosaics & lunch
Baroque hill towns for 6=7 nights. We liked Ragusa as a base and given your description of what you like, I think you'll love this part of the trip the most.
Your choice of a third base. Ortigia or Catania for 5-6 nights.
Outbound from CAT