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Southern Italy and Sicily - several questions and itinerary feedback

Posted by (Perth, Australia) on

In July 2014, as part of a larger trip, we (me, husband and 17 years old son) will travelling through Southern Italy and Sicily. Our tentative itinerary is this:

  • Day 1: arrive at Naples Airport from Switzerland, pick up rental car, drive to Pompei/Salenrno/Amalfi coast* town (undecided which)
  • Days 2-4: visit Pompei archaeological site, drive/visit spots and towns on Amalfi coast, visit Mt. Vesuvius
  • Days 4-5: drive to Matera, visit the sassi
  • Day 6: drive early for Tropea or Scilla**
  • Days 7-10: leave Tropea or Scilla for Taormina in the afternoon, visit Mt. Enta (volcanic activity allowing) and foothill villages, and Catania.
  • Day 11: drive early to Villa Romana del Casalle, visit it and drive to Agrigento
  • Days 12-14: visit the Temple Valley and Seliunte
  • Day 15: drive early to Palermo, visit the city
  • Day 16: drive to airport, return rental car, fly out to Iceland

General question: is this a good plan to visit the region?

What is a good location for us to stay on the Amalfi* area? I found some good hotels in Pompeii with the amenities we want and good reviews, but some Google Street View-ing of the area left me with the impression the area is not inviting after dark on foot. Some hotels in or near Salerno look run-down despite their stars (and they get low Booking review scores). Vico Equense and Sorrento look better street-wise and have some good hotels for our preferences, but many reviewers report parking and Internet connectivity issues.

Is there anything special that should make us pick Troepa over Scilla** or the other way around?

How long does it take to cross the Messina Strait on ferry? How frequent are ferries?

What is best in Taormina: pick up a hotel near the beach and then go up to the town for dining or sightseeing, or the opposite? I read some reviews mentioning a funicular connecting the beach to town, but couldn't find detailed info about it.

Are there convenient and safe car parks in Taormina so that we could readily access our vehicle when going elsewhere (Etna, Catania), but still being able to pick some hotel without on-site parking?

Posted by
32404 posts

Fabbiana,

It's great that you're getting such an early start on your planning, as that will give you time to work out all the "fine details". I'll try to answer some of your questions.....

For visiting Pompeii, Ercolano, Vesuvius, etc., you might consider staying in Sorrento as it's a good central location. You can easily visit Pompeii using the Circumvesuviana, rather than rental car. There are lots of good hotels in Sorrento, and (IMO) that will provide a more inviting and interesting location for wandering about in the evenings. There are some good restaurants and Gelato shops there as well. I would highly recommend L'Antica Trattoria if your budget will allow.

From Naples airport, you could easily take the Curreri Viaggi Bus directly to Sorrento, and pick up a rental car at the end of your visit to Sorrento (might save you a few days rent and parking).

Keep in mind that July is going to be hot and crowded, and driving along the Amalfi Coast will probably be a nerve-wracking experience at that time of year (and you'll be driving on the opposite side of the road you're used to at home). Note that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit and you'll have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas (hefty fines!). Driving in Palermo may also be rather unpleasant. You might consider dropping your car when you arrive in Palermo and take the Shuttle to the airport.

Regarding your stay in Taormina, I'd suggest a hotel up in the town, as that will provide more restaurants and a nicer range of activities in the evenings. You might have a look at Hotel Continental which I found to be very comfortable. I believe they have arrangements with a car park located near the hotel. As I recall there's a Cable Car in Taormina that goes down to the beach, but I'm not familiar with a Funicular there.

I assume you're using the Lonely Planet Guidebook as a resource in your planning? They sell individual chapters as PDF files, so if you're travelling with a Laptop, iPad or whatever, you could download the south Italy and Sicily files and pack it along on the trip. You could also consider downloading the Rick Steves Italy 2014, which should be available in both Kindle as well as iBooks format. That will be a good resource for the south Italy part of your trip.

I'd have to give some thought to your other questions, but I'm sure the others will have lots of great ideas.

Good luck with your planning!

Posted by
16238 posts

Pompeii or even Sorrento are not on the Amalfi coast. Technically the Amalfi coast is that stretch of coast on the southern side of the Sorrentina peninsula, basically from Vietri to the Punta Campanella west of Positano. If that is where you want to stay I suggest Positano or Praiano, although any town is nice. You will have a car, therefore you won't be bound to stay in places that are more convenient for the Circumvesuviana train such as Sorrento. There are parking lots in Positano, if your hotel doesn't (few if any do), however they'll cost you about 30€ day to park. Praiano is harder to find parking.

Tropea is the place to be in Calabria. However Scilla is also nice and closer to the strait. Visit both.

I am a beach fiend, therefore I generally prefer to stay down in Giardini Naxos and visit Taormina (there is an underground garage in Taormina for when you want to visit the town. If you decide to stay in Taormina proper consider that there are traffic and parking restrictions in the historical center therefore choose the hotel carefully and inquire for parking arrangements.

There is a car carrying ferry at least every hour on the Messina strait, with the Caronte & Tourist company. The crossing is just 20 min.

http://www.carontetourist.it/v2.6_it/

Posted by
11613 posts

Sounds like a great trip. The crossing from the mainland to Sicily takes about 20 minutes, but loading and unloading the buses and train cars makes the trip longer (althoughif you are in a car you'll be able to drive off the ferry first). In my opinion the beaches at Cefalu (on the way to Palermo) are better, I would consider swapping out the time in Catania for a night in Cefalu.

Taormina: There is a funicular from the beach up to the main town, it has hours of operation (not 24/7), so you may prefer to stay in town and go to the beach during the day. There are parking garages in the upper town, many hotels have discount arrangements.

Since you'll have a car, you could visit Morgantina on the way to Villa Romana.

If you have time in Palermo, the ruins at Segesta are breathtaking, and the Cathedral of Monreale (an easy drive from Palermo) has beautiful modaics.

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