We're hoping to spend about 5 days in Sicily with our kids (girls, 10 and 14)in June 2013, we want to see part of Italy off the beaten path. Specific questions: 1) we plan to rent a car, what is a recommended small area we can cover (we'd rather not spend more than 3 hours/day driving max) 2) towns/sites we shouldn't miss 3) any tips on staying in homes/pensions run by families 4) we had planned to rent a car in Naples and drive down and take a ferry -- reommended? not recommended? how does cost compare with flying Naples - Palermo and renting a car there?
Thanks! Sara
Posted by
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
Mistake on the agriturismo: Villa Antonella Azienda Agriturismo. This is a lovely family, but they speak very limited English. The grand- mother and son-in-law did all of the cooking, and they love children. They were considering putting in a pool while we were there, and don't know if they did it yet or not. Our guide was a cousin or some relative (?) and he
made everything re language barrier quite smoothe! They press their own olives for olive oil, make their own cheese, bake bread, they grow every fruit you can imagine - lemons, limes oranges, apples, kiwi, grapes, etc. They have ducks/ducklings, goats, chickens, ponies...and acres and acres of olive trees. This is more of an "estate" than what you might consider a farm! The rooms are simple but comfy and clean. I don't know if the girls would be bored or not (?) If you stay up in Taormina, it may be more exciting
Posted by
roswell, ga, usa
1501 posts
I rented an apartment in Taormina in the Northeast side. This has to be the "Wedding Destination" for all of Europe, and because you have girls I think they would really enjoy this. We were caught up in at least two wedding parties walking through the streets! We did NOT use a car, but a very reasonable priced driver/tour guide who took us to a beautiful Agriturismo (farm) for a wonderful outdoor meal, and tour of the farm and its many animals. They have a facebook page" villa antonella agriturismo, I think, but you can also "google" it. You could stay there with a car. Taormina has lovely greek ruins, many fabulous churches, amazing views of the med., fabulous food/restaurants and is close to Mt. Etna, which is still making (small but visible) eruptions. magicofsicily.com was our rental agent and tour guide website. We also took a tour of a magnificent vineyard with wine tasting, but I think there were families -- so your girls could probably sip something else! Some of the accommodations available at magicofsicily have pools, if you're going in summer. What a great trip for your family! (We flew! The ferry was quite long, and the flights were pretty inexpensive, and we because of the location, didn't need a car because
the guide (charming Angelo) did the driving. They've branched out quite a bit and do more day trips than they did 2 1/2 years ago.
Posted by
Milano
60 posts
2) siracusa , taormina , erice. Erice is my favourite (remember to bring winter clothes) 4) plane, the trip by ferry is 10 hours long....
Posted by
Seattle
49 posts
Don't rent a car in Naples or Palermo. You don't want to drive in either city. Seattle driving is to Southern Italian driving as a kiddie pool is to river rapids. If you're thinking of doing Naples and then the Amalfi Coast, get the car on your way out in Salerno and continue on south toward the ferry to Messina. If you just fly from Naples to Palermo, you might consider heading out to Agrigento and picking a car up there. It all depends on if you're planning on seeing more of western or eastern Sicily. I you're going to be staying on the western side of the island for more than a week, I found that it's cheaper to rent a small apartment (I was looking at homeaway.com) than stay in a hotel.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Use Skyscaner.com to locate the lo-cost inter EU flights that fly from Naples to Catania and/or Palermo. You could fly into one, and out of another, or you can also take the overnight ferry, and pick up a car when you arrive. Use the Autoeurope website to price different auto rental options. A small wagon (Ford Focus, or similar) will have plenty of room for the family. Bring your GPS from home, a Michelin map of Sicily, and your IDP and drivers license from home. Sicily is big. Plan your trip so that you pick one side/area, and then put together your base. We used the Lonely Planet guidebook to plan our Sicily trips. Have the girls read the book and provide some travel plans/ideas. An apartment is a really good idea when you are traveling as a family. We usually use VRBO.com and Homelidays to find apts in the EU. A stay in an agritourisimo (lodging in a farm like setting)is a great way to immerse your self in the local culture, but will not be as economical as an apt. You may want to explore Alistar Sawdays list of special places to stay, or Karen Brown's recomendations. It can get quite warm in June, so plan on some beach time. Bring some shoes to walk on the hot sand/and/or pebbles.