My parents and I are planning to spend three weeks in Southern Italy in February. We are looking for one place to call home for this entire time. After initial research, we are considering Naples and Sicily (but open to other suggestions). Any comments on the cities or other recommendations are appreciated!
Thanks!
Jennifer from Chicago
Obviously Sicily would probably have nicer weather....
But I have a soft spot for Campania, Naples would be great or if you wanted a more manageable city, Salerno is awesome too. Day trips you could make from here (Salerno/Campania/Naples) would be Paestum, Amalfi, Capri, Pompeii, Caserta, Positano, Sorrento....
I lived in Salerno for 2 years, so I am particularly soft for that city, its a city of about 200,000, situated on the other side of the Amalfi coast from Naples......lovely seawalk, and busy, but not too busy!
We toured Sicily for a week before Christmas 2012, and had pleasant weather, while it rained some on the mainland the weeks before and after our Sicily leg. We drove and did one-night stands in new towns each day, so didn't have a single home base town, but highlights where we could've spent much more time were Erice on the west coast, Agrigento on the south, and Modica in the southeast. One day in Agrigento it was pretty warm in December, and I imagine it would be scorching in summer, so February could be a really good time to visit Sicily. You could do day trips from any of the places mentioned above, or pick a central town like Enna (another nice place we visited one day).
Sicily for at least 10 days. The rest between Rome and a bit of Naples.
You probably have to pass through Rome anyhow (no flights from North America to Sicily or Naples), so you might as well spend a few days there, even if you might have been there already.
February is not beach weather no matter how far south you go. Maximum temperatures will probably be on average in the mid 50's in Rome and around 60 F in Sicily. Therefore you should visit primarily cities and towns, as there is more to do indoor (museums, churches, palaces, exhibits, etc.).
I don't think I'd want to be in Naples or in one place in Sicily for 3 weeks. Maybe Sorrento, with the possibility of day trips to Naples, the various historical ruins, the Amalfi towns, Salerno, Paestum . . .
Sicily is a large island. You can't see it from one base in day trips. You could see a good deal of the eastern side with a base in Syracuse (Ortigia's best) but I wonder if places like Taormina will be at all pleasant in winter.
If Zoe doesn't offer suggestions, send her a PM. She knows the south very well and I'm sure she'll have a good suggestion.
It's not the temperatures in Naples that will get you. Chicago is freezing, but invigorating. In Naples, it's a damp chill to your bones, your sheets, your clothes. I love Naples, but I wouldn't pick a cold month to go there -
I'd go to Sicily and become an anchovy expert, or spend a week there and the balance elsewhere. I don't know the age of your parents, but there's a lot of indoor Rome that's great and its beauty is independent of climate.
If you choose Sicily, I would pick several bases and do daytrips as well. For instance, Erice is a beautiful hilltop town but in winter can be fogged in, so transportation in and out might be a problem. You could stay in Trapani, at sea level, and daytrip to Erice when the weather is good. From Trapani you can also get to Marsala.
As base cities, I like Palermo (daytrips to Cefalu, Monreale); Agrigento, Siracusa, and Taormina or Giardini/Naxos (Taormina has a beachfront but the main town is on top of a hill). I would spend 4-5 nights in each place, maybe 6, and plan to daytrip at least half of those days.
Palermo would be a good base for a few days.
Taormina another good one to visit also Catania and Acireale.
Siracusa would be perfect for southeast Sicily (Siracusa, Noto)
Naples area is more enjoyable with summer weather (islands, Amalfi coast) but Naples itself is a beautiful city and unless it's a nasty rainy day, you can still visit the ruins at Pompei or Ercolano.
Rome is a place where you need to pass by, so you could easily spend a couple of nights before and after flying to Sicily with a low cost airline. From Chicago you should fly to Rome, although I'm not sure if there are non stops available in winter.
This past May we spent a week in Taormina and took day trips by car to various places on the island. Our time frame put us there before the hoards of tourists arrived and we enjoyed its amenities. Everything in Taormina is uphill; as are most things in Italy, in general.
In southeastern Sicilia there is a small, mountain top town, which is my last name. I've heard about this place for years from my parents, uncle, and aunt, but I'm only the second person from my family to visit the place. My family comes from Calabria and all they ever said was they were Calabrese. This was a definite highlight even after traveling in Italy for 34 years.
Buon viaggio,
