I have booked the Sicily tour for next Sept (2009) and usually do my own reservations via on-line. However, it looks like getting in and out of Sicily may be more complex than for example Venice or Rome. Can anyone suggest good routes for me? I was thinking Minneapolis (MSP) to Amsterdam or London and then on to Sicily and home via Rome to MSP, taking the train from Sicily to Rome and enjoying stops along the way.
Check AirOne for some of the potential routes to and from Sicily. They partner with the Star Alliance. When I took the Sicily tour, I flew into Rome and spent several days before flying from Rome to Sicily on AirOne.
Palermo to Rome via AirOne (Lufthansa code share) OR....you might think about the over night ferry from Palermo to Naples, then train it to Rome.
We did this a few years ago when we did a bike trip to Sicily. it worked great for us.
The train from the island to Rome is LONG..not sure it's worth the time. We prefer to get someplace and enjoy it for a few nights. If you take the ferry, you leave at 6PM and get to Naples at 6AM..it's a fun way to get someplace
Laurie,
I'm not too familiar with the flight options from your area, but you might try checking for flights into Frankfurt, with connections to Catania. At this particular time, I'd avoid any connecting flights with Alitalia (the Pilots have just rejected the wage reduction package that was accepted by the other unions, so Alitalia might be a bit "unstable" until their current problems are settled).
On the flight back to Minneapolis from Rome (FCO), you shouldn't have any trouble.
One other option you might consider is a regional flight to Toronto and then Air Transat to Frankfurt. Check flights with Air Berlin or Tuifly from Frankfurt to Catania.
Good luck!