Southern Italy & Sicily

Denise, its easy to catch a flight from Naples to Sicily. (see Whichbudget.com for a list of the lo-cost inter-EU arlines) You can also catch an overnight ferry from Naples to the Aeolians. On one of our trips to Sicily we caught one of the hi-speed ferries from Milazo to Lipari, and made Lipari Town our base for exploring the Aeolians for few days. On Lipari is a facinating museum. We rented a motor scooter and road around the island, stopping at different beaches, etc. There is absolutely NO traffic, so it was a piece of cake. Each island is totally different and amazing. We loved them. Swim in the mud baths of Volcano...see the volcano on Stromboli. The hi-speed ferries wisk you between them, and also Messina. On that trip we explored the Aeolians, then made our way to Taormina, stayed there for a few days, picked up a rental car and did some day trips. Since you are so close to Mt Etna, and if it cooperates, you can have some great hiking/exploring. From there we made our way to a simple but fun Agritourisimo just outside of Syracusa, and did day trips. There is so much to see in Sicily that you cannot do it in one trip. We loved exploring the Greek and Roman ruins. The roman villa of Casale, the Greek temples in Seliunte, Agriento, Segesta, etc are facinating. The hill towns of Erice, and obscure hill towns like Petra Sopalia and Petra Soprana (sp?) are wonderful. Three weeks would be awesome! And the beaches...just great. Towns like Syracusa and Palermo cannot be missed. On one trip to the Western side of the island we did a day trip to the Egadi Islands. Some Friends loved hiking the Regional Park Lo Zingaro near Scopello. The little beach town of San Vito Lo Capo is rally nice. We used a Lonely Planet guidebook to plan our time in Sicily, and to give us some great info. Pick up a copy and do some reading. Have a great time!

bestofsicily.com is a great site too for info. I just print up info and carry it along with me.

Denise, to the sugestions already given, one place not to miss in Southern Italy is Paestum, south of the Amalfi Coast. Greek temple ruins, a beach, mozzarella farms, great hotel is Poseidonia al Mare (there are two with similar names, this one is about 1 km from the ruins and they will pick you up at the train stop and loan you bikes). In Sicily, try to see Cefalu for one of the most beautiful mosaics in the world, and a big rock outcrop you can hike to see more ruins. You can easily daytrip from Sorrento to Ischia.

There so much to do but you can fly in to Napoli, and head to Amalfi. There are many sights, and hiking trails that run up the back of town and you can even walk to the next towns. Always a festival going on here. Rates should be lower and you can walk into almost any hotel w/o reservations and find a good rate. If you drive, you will be able to stop at all the small villages along they way. Drive slowly and stop at the numerous turnouts for photo ops. Do not be afraid, we have done it many times w/o incidents. If you wish to visit Napoli, you can wait to rent a car, and use public transportation. The airport is close to the city. It is a WONDERFUL city to explore. We migrated down the coast into Calabria stoping at Amantea, Pria A Mare, Pizzo, and Tropea. We love the seaside towns. Beaches everywhere. Eventually we caught the ferry from Regio Calabria to Messina. We wanted to sea the Aeolian Islands, so we went directly to Millazo. This turned out to be a real jem. We stayed for four nights in a small apartment which cost us 40E a night ( wow). Millazo has a wonderful downtown, great shopping. It also has Capo Millazo, on the point. Great for hiking, and seeing nature at its best. Many places to eat at this end. I felt that Millazo was more of a treat than the Asolian Islands, which were worth the trip. Noto and Ragussa were also highlights of our trip. Small towns with a lot to offer. We stayed at Noto Lido, on the beach. So much to do, we are going back this Memorial day for 17 days with our usual NO RESERVATIONS, and a list of places we have not yet seen in Sicily. Each time we have gone, we have rented a car and not had problems. Sicily is a good place for a car, with the exception to Taromina, but you can always stay at the bottom of the town and take the tram up. Siracusa is a must see. This little island of Ortygia is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the sights.