My wife and I are planning a trip to Sicily in May. Thoughts on our itinerary would be appreciated
Fly into Palermo.
Palermo- 3 nights. Side trip to Cefalu
Agrigento- 2 nights
Rugusa- 1 night
Siracusa- 2 nights
Catania- 2 nights. Side trip to Mt Etna
Fly out to Milan and stay three nights in the Lake Como area
We are flexible and can add or subtract nights if warranted. Is Villa Romana Del Casale worthwhile?
Any suggestions are welcomed.
Steve
Yes, Villa Romana Casale and its mosaics are very worthwhile! We stopped there for the day when driving between Agrigento and Noto. You mention staying in Ragusa which is near Noto.
Siracusa- make sure you stay on Ortigia Island, Siracusa’s historic heart. Ortigia needs another night. We spent a week there , didn’t want to leave.
Combining Sicily and Lake Como is somewhat of a challenge. Will you stay in Milan at all? We usually get a driver from Milan airports to Bellagio. It is as different from Sicily as you can get, both wonderful, but very different in every way.
Make sure you buy a cannoli when in Cefalu, they don’t get any better than what you’ll eat here. This is where the elderly men dress for their late afternoon early evening passeggiata. Dining along the coast will be delicious and comes with a rewarding view.
I would add one more night to Catania and add a day tip to Taormina
The Villa Romana Del Casale is very worthwhile - one of the premier sights in Sicily. We were there in late December a few years ago, and based on the size of the parking lots, compared to the handful of cars in them, we saw it at really low season - hopefully May won’t be too busy, either. The large parking lots and the shuttered souvenir stands between the lots and the Villa would suggest that there is, at some point, a really High season.
For what it’s worth, Modica, also in the southeastern part with Noto, Ragusa, and Siracusa, was one of the highlights of our trip - for the town and the chocolate!
Villa Romana Casale is worth visiting. Catania is worth a day, so if you wanted to visit Mt. Etna you’d need an additional day there. If can can extend the trip then an extra day in Siracusa would be better.
I think you're short on time at several stops. Where will you be before Palermo? Three nights is just two days and maybe a few hours--but will those hours be jetlagged and sleep-deprived? Cefalu is certainly a worthwhile side-trip, but I think the cathedral at Monreale is even more impressive, and Palermo itself has some very interesting sights, primary among them being the Norman Palace, the archaeological museum and the street markets.
Do you plan to rent a car? If so, I'd suggest adding some time in Ragusa and/or Siracusa so you can also see Noto, Modica and Scicli.
I enjoyed the Villa Romana mosaics a lot.
I'd also suggest at least one extra night at Lake Como. The trip from Sicily is going to take quite some time.
