Hi y'all! I'm visiting Taormina in June, and I'll be with a friend who has an interest in archaeology and ceramics. I know there are several locations near and sort-of-near Taormina that would interest us (Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Caltagirone, the Villa Romana del Casale). Can anyone personally recommend any tour guides that come pick you up and drive you to these locations? The friend I'm traveling with has limited mobility, and we're trying to avoid the big bus tours. Thank you for any advice you can give!
Posted by
Chicago
2300 posts
Contact Sicily Life. We've used them twice, once in 2010 and then this last April. Solid company. Did a great tour of Etna and a winery on its slopes.
Posted by
London
1146 posts
There are lots of wonderful historical sites to visit in Sicily- I would just caution that Agrigento is on the opposite end of the island from Taormina. Google maps puts it at a 2.5 hour drive each way so in the best case you'd be spending five hours in a car for the day.
Posted by
Taormina - Sicily- Italy
6 posts
Hi there!
I'm from Taormina, so happy to share some insights on these destinations!
Valley of the Temples & Villa Romana del Casale
These two are often combined in a single full-day trip since they're in a similar direction from Taormina. It's quite a long day (the Villa Romana is about 90 minutes from Taormina, and Agrigento another hour beyond that), but absolutely worth it if you're into archaeology. Both sites have good accessibility, though there's definitely some walking involved.
Caltagirone
The ceramic town! It's closer than Agrigento (about 90 minutes south) and makes for a more relaxed day trip. The famous staircase (Scala di Santa Maria del Monte) with its 142 ceramic-decorated steps is the highlight, though obviously challenging with limited mobility. However, the town itself has many ceramic shops and workshops at street level that are accessible.
Syracuse
If your friend is really into archaeology, don't sleep on Syracuse – it's closer (about 90 minutes) and has an incredible Greek theater and archaeological park, plus the beautiful island of Ortigia. Often combined with Noto for baroque architecture.
For limited mobility, I'd definitely suggest looking into private drivers rather than bus tours – they can drop you right at entrances and you can go at your own pace.
Most private drivers from Taormina speak English and know these routes well.
June is a great time to visit – not too hot yet!
Feel free to reach out if you need any other tips or recommendations!
Posted by
163 posts
We loved Etna People! The agency is wonderful and we had the best tour guide ever , Roberto.
They came highly recommend and did not disappoint!