Hi - I'm new here so hope I'm posting correctly. My husband and I (late 50s, early 60s) want to spend the first week of March in Sicily. We can fly into either Catania or Palermo. We would love to find one or maybe 2 home bases from which to explore. We love small Italian towns and ancient ruins. Some places that look intriguing from early research are Villa Romana del Casale, Ortigia and Cefalu, but we are very open to other suggestions. We would probably rent a car unless train travel is easy. I speak some Italian. Thanks!
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Sicily 1 week in March - home base
- Thread starter ASW
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Eleanor
1000+ Posts
Tim W
100+ Posts
I believe that Villa Romana del Casale is the archaelogical site, and that the nearest town is Piazza Armerina (around 2.5 milesa away). The mosaics themselves are stunning - very much worth seeing.
My week spent in Ortigia was a little spoilt by a poor choice of accomodation, but I did enjoy it overall. It has a good atmosphere, some excellent restaurants and is within walking distance of the ruins of the amphitheatre and other ancient sites in Siracusa. The Duomo on Ortigia is fascinating, at least in parts because they integrated the existing Greek/Roman temple columns into one of the walls. If you end up visiting, and the show is running in March, go to the puppet theatre. People think I'm mad when I suggest it, but traditiona Sicilian puppetry is one of the funniest things I've ever seen - it's like Tom and Jerry on steroids.
I have a soft spot for Cefalú - it's a lovely little town. A great Duomo, the scenic Rocca which is worth the climb for the wonderful views. Again, great restaurants and scenic streets, and the advantage of a good beach to walk along. The main issue with Cefalú is that parking is difficult or expensive unless your hotel includes it. There is some free parking near the harbour (It's been some years since I was there, this may have changed) - but that leaves you with a rather long walk back to town. It does have good train connections to Palermo, and you could change at Termini Imerese for Agrigento (about a 2 hour trip). We had a car and were able to do Agrigento and Selinunte in a (long) day.
My week spent in Ortigia was a little spoilt by a poor choice of accomodation, but I did enjoy it overall. It has a good atmosphere, some excellent restaurants and is within walking distance of the ruins of the amphitheatre and other ancient sites in Siracusa. The Duomo on Ortigia is fascinating, at least in parts because they integrated the existing Greek/Roman temple columns into one of the walls. If you end up visiting, and the show is running in March, go to the puppet theatre. People think I'm mad when I suggest it, but traditiona Sicilian puppetry is one of the funniest things I've ever seen - it's like Tom and Jerry on steroids.
I have a soft spot for Cefalú - it's a lovely little town. A great Duomo, the scenic Rocca which is worth the climb for the wonderful views. Again, great restaurants and scenic streets, and the advantage of a good beach to walk along. The main issue with Cefalú is that parking is difficult or expensive unless your hotel includes it. There is some free parking near the harbour (It's been some years since I was there, this may have changed) - but that leaves you with a rather long walk back to town. It does have good train connections to Palermo, and you could change at Termini Imerese for Agrigento (about a 2 hour trip). We had a car and were able to do Agrigento and Selinunte in a (long) day.
California Go Girl
New Member
I agree with Eleanor that you can't go wrong, you are going to enjoy Sicily. Although Palermo is a big town, certainly not a village, you might consider it for your base. It would be easy to do a day trip to Cefalú and one to Monreale from there. The train would probably be easy for Cefalú and a bus for Monreale, or a commercial day trip. Although Palermo itself has plenty to see!
Eleanor has a sweet spot for Cefalú, and I have a sweet spot for Ragusa Ibla. Although I think it is more common to use Ortigia/Siracusa as a base in the Southeast, I have used Ragusa twice as my base for seeing that part of the island. It's a smaller town, great food, easy day trips to Modica, Noto and the Donnafugata estate. A couple of more modest churches and a lovely Town garden to walk around in. The cathedral in the upper town doesn't thrill me, but the museum that's associated with it is really interesting. And Ragusa Ibla has THE best arancini in Sicily! There are buses to Ragusa Ibla from the airport in Catania. (Although they are beautiful, to me Cefalú, Ortigia and Taormina are a little more like Disneyland than Palermo and Ragusa Ibla, but for a day or two they are fun!) If you have ever watched Inspector Montelbano, you will recognize Ragusa Ibla, Noto and Modica - the series stitched together the most scenic parts of the three towns.
Eleanor has a sweet spot for Cefalú, and I have a sweet spot for Ragusa Ibla. Although I think it is more common to use Ortigia/Siracusa as a base in the Southeast, I have used Ragusa twice as my base for seeing that part of the island. It's a smaller town, great food, easy day trips to Modica, Noto and the Donnafugata estate. A couple of more modest churches and a lovely Town garden to walk around in. The cathedral in the upper town doesn't thrill me, but the museum that's associated with it is really interesting. And Ragusa Ibla has THE best arancini in Sicily! There are buses to Ragusa Ibla from the airport in Catania. (Although they are beautiful, to me Cefalú, Ortigia and Taormina are a little more like Disneyland than Palermo and Ragusa Ibla, but for a day or two they are fun!) If you have ever watched Inspector Montelbano, you will recognize Ragusa Ibla, Noto and Modica - the series stitched together the most scenic parts of the three towns.
Alpinista
500+ Posts
We split 8 days in Sicily between Syracuse and Palermo with a day of sightseeing on the transit between the two cities. I was much more taken by the general mood, food choices, and architecture of the sites we visited in and near Syracuse, but would have never wanted to miss the sites more towards the center of the island.
Just a note on your car rental. We booked a car as part of our Ryan Air reservations which were flying into Cantania and flying out of Palermo. The night before our departure, we discovered that the rental agency Ryan Air booked us through did not have an office in Palermo (OK Mobility). We had non-refundable tickets on Ryan Air from Palermo, so had to book a new flight from Catania and drive back across the island for the flight.
Just a note on your car rental. We booked a car as part of our Ryan Air reservations which were flying into Cantania and flying out of Palermo. The night before our departure, we discovered that the rental agency Ryan Air booked us through did not have an office in Palermo (OK Mobility). We had non-refundable tickets on Ryan Air from Palermo, so had to book a new flight from Catania and drive back across the island for the flight.