Sicily vacation

Hey Ronnie! Are you stuck in that one place? I was going to suggest the Aeolians; we loved "em! You can take the hi-speed ferries from Messina and Milazzo. Stay on Lipari in Lipari Town, and do day trips to some of the other islands. Each one is totally different. Go to Volcano and swim in the mud baths! Pick up a Lonely Planet and do some reading. Lipari town is small and friendly, and has fun little restaurants, and an awesome Musuem; one of the best in Italy. I hadn't been on a motorcycle in years, but I rented a Vespa and off we went on a day tour of the island; at a wopping 25 mph; you can't go any faster on their roads! And there is NO traffic. When you are on Sicily go to the hill towns of Petralia Sottana and Petralia Solprana. You won't find any tourists there.

Hi Ron! Your trip sounds great! We spent 3 nights in Ragusa but 2 nights would be enough if you have time in your schedule. We stayed in Ibla, the lower town (recommended) but enjoyed hiking to the upper town. There are some good restaurants, a beautiful cathedral, a church museum with archeological artifacts, and a nice town center. We were a little frazled from driving when we arrived and just parked the car for 3 days and walked or took the bus once we arrived. We didn't get to Modica or Noto - they are on our list for the next trip!

Hey Sharon, Unfortunatly if we make it down to Ragusa it's gonna have to be a daytrip only. Sounds like you guys found enough to interest you there so I may just spend the day there instead of trying to squeeze in Modica too. How's the heat there in Atlanta? We were there beginning of July and got baked....but it was great to be home for awhile!!!

Hey Steve, Gotta admit that I didn't even think about the islands. That's a good idea! Gonna look into that more.
Grazie!

Hi Ron, We're going to Sicily for the first time in September, too. Your itinerary sounds pretty crowded for the amount of time you will be spending there. If your base is on the mainland, maybe you can return for another trip.
A suggestion: I know the advice on this board is always top notch. But, I always check out Trip Advisor too. Their is a destination expert on the Sicily board. Her name is Vagabonda and she is a wealth of info. Maybe you should give TA a try, too. I am so excited about our first trip to Sicily and Vagabonda has been a great help.

Hi Ron! Glad that you were able to get back here in July! It's still hot in Atlanta! I'm just thinking that with all of the other options you have, you might want to save Ragusa, Modica, etc. for another trip. The city closes up in the afternoon from 1:00-4:00 or so. If you're not spending the night, you'd have to arrive early in the day or late afternoon. Just a thought! You're lucky to have the opportunity to see so much of the country! Enjoy!

This will most likely be my last trip to the east side of the island before we leave Italy (done in June 2012). Will be making a couple more trips to Palermo and the western half before I go though. Most of those maybies aren't gonna happen. Just wanted to get opinions on 'em to fill up any extra time we may have. Camille....which part of Sicily are you going to? My favorite area is the western half with Palermo being my favorite city in Italy. Have been there twice and going back in Oct for a long weekend. Will check out trip advisor. Thanks for the info guys! Ciao e buonaserata.
Ron

Vagabonda is definitly a wealth of info! Thanks for the suggestion.