Taormina, Siracusa and Amalfi Coast

I don't mean to sound negative, but to me Taormina is way too similar to the Amalfi Coast to make a special trip worthwhile. It would be like "more of the same" because Taormina is Sicily's version of the Amalfi Coast except even more compact (and of course it has the wonderful theater overlooking everything). It gets all the attention and spotlight because it's a jewel of Sicily, but you're already going to the Amalfi Coast (so it would feel a bit repetitive, I think). It took me less than one day to see all of Taormina because it's that small - I could have stretched it out for another full day and gone to the beach and small island below (but I think you get the point).

So if you want to focus on something a bit different than the Amalfi Coast just to "mix it up" a bit, I would consider flying into Comiso Airport (if you can from Naples - it's a very limited airport) and seeing Ragusa and Modica - both wonderful UNESCO sites. Or you can still fly into Catania and easily spend 3 full days in Siracusa which would include seeing the Old Ortygia, the archeological sites and wonderful Paolo Orsi Museum, and a short half day or so side trip to lovely, baroque Noto. Alternatively, you can use Catania as a base to see Mt. Etna which would be a real contrast. While in the Amalfi area, I would definitely recommend not skipping Naples despite all the bad rap it gets (which I don't think is warranted, frankly, but to each his own). I'm very glad I visited Naples and it actually made a strong, bold impression on me that stuck longer than the many coastal towns.

Don't get me wrong, Taormina is gorgeous and worth seeing but I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have simply because I've already been to places that look and feel alike, including Amalfi. Other parts of Sicily gave me a more authentic feel of Sicily, for lack of better words. I loved the whole Val di Noto/Hyblean part of the southeast, including Ragusa, Noto, Siracusa, and smaller towns along the train route.

Thanks, Agnes.

That does make sense. We could use Siracusa as a base and explore and if my wife wants to see Taormina anyway, we could just take the train up for a visit.

Would you suggest an extra day in Sircacusa - say 5 days / nights in Siracusa and 7 days / nights on the Amalfi Coast? Or would 4 and 8 be better considering all the places we want to see on the Amalfi Coast? How would you split it up?

My wife and I are in our late 40's and very active. We love to explore, eat, drink and shop. We really like getting immersed in other cultures but would like it to be a romantic trip as well. I can speak a bit of Italian but not fluent..

The east coast of Sicily is to me very different than the Amalfi Coast. In fact, the only thing that's similar is that it's a 'coast'. Topography-wise, Sicily is brash, jutting, harsh, a little barren but ancient and beautiful in its own way. And Sicilian cuisine is unlike any other, with Arab, Greek, Spanish & German influences. My favorite. We spent 4 nights in Taormina--wonderful & exotic. But follow Agnes' advice on the interior and the rest of Sicily because it's spot-on.

The A.C., certainly from Vietri sul Mare out to Positano, is breathtakingly gorgeous, lush hills and picturesque side-mountain villages. Great also.

Hi Dave,
Yes, I would spend at least 5 full days in Sicily assuming you want to see more cities/sites than strictly Siracusa and Taormina (you can even easily spend 5 full days just seeing those two in a leisurely way, which I think is what you're looking for). You may also consider staying overnight in Capri because it's overrun during the day - it may be nice to experience it when the crowds have left. Both Capri and Anacapri have lots of nice hiking potential if you're interested in that. Capri is very upscale and has lots of shopping options as well.

This was my experience in Sicily, which I would do differently (and would not recommend except to the most active, aggressive style travelers) but I was really pressed for time. I did a split vacation between Malta and Sicily and only gave Sicily 4 full days and spent the majority in Malta. In those 4 days, here is how my time was allocated using Siracusa as a base: 1.5 days in Siracusa proper, 1 full day in Taormina (same day as flight back from Catania at 10pm), 1 full day trip to Ragusa, 0.5 day to Noto. That schedule was too tight (my feet were totally blistered afterward) and relying on just one base and public transport meant that everything was organized around the bus/train schedule (at least 2 hours each way everywhere except Noto, which was only a bit over 1 hour. Very limited service on Sundays meant planning around that as well). In retrospect, I would have loved to have spent the night in Ragusa and also included a day trip to Modica nearby. I thought that a half day to Noto and one full day to Taormina was appropriate, but I probably could have used another full day in Siracusa. Four full days to cover these places was not leisurely enough - every day was a long, full day with tons of walking. Spending 4 hours just getting to Ragusa and back one day was particularly tiring but I really, really wanted to see it...it turned out to be the highlight, so I'm glad I did. I think I underestimated that you really need to be flexible with public transport and hit the ground running very early to maximize your time. As far as getting to Taormina, I took a bus because it drops you off very close to the center of town (unlike the train). The bus connections from Catania Airport to many cities in Sicily (including Taormina and Siracusa) are excellent. I'm in my mid-40s and active as well and tend to "pack too much" into my travels (hoping to learn from this experience).