Pauline
Forums Admin
Here is a link to Jim Zurer's trip report for his 2004 trip to Sicily.
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Sicily in March or April?
- Thread starter Pauline
- Start date
Pauline
Forums Admin
We are leaving next week! Thanks so much to kcalnyc whose spreadsheets for sites helped me organize my trip. I am looking forward to using her restaurant list too! I also enjoyed the trip reports and used them to plan.
Our rough plan is:
- Fly into Catania, get rental car, drive to Siracusa, spend one night in a hotel on Ortigia.
- Drive to Scicli, one week in a vacation rental. From Scicli explore Noto, Modica, Ragusa, mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale, coastal towns, do some walking. Spend a day in Siracusa if we did not get to see the archaelogical sites when we stayed there. Maybe a long drive up the coast to Taormina?
- Drive to Sciacca, two nights in a vacation rental. On the way, spend the afternoon in Agrigento seeing the temples. On our one day in Sciacca, drive up the coast to Selinunte to see the temples.
- Drive back to Catania airport. We have an evening flight so will spend the day in the Sciacca area or try to see something on the drive back (Enna?).
Please add any suggestions!
Our rough plan is:
- Fly into Catania, get rental car, drive to Siracusa, spend one night in a hotel on Ortigia.
- Drive to Scicli, one week in a vacation rental. From Scicli explore Noto, Modica, Ragusa, mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale, coastal towns, do some walking. Spend a day in Siracusa if we did not get to see the archaelogical sites when we stayed there. Maybe a long drive up the coast to Taormina?
- Drive to Sciacca, two nights in a vacation rental. On the way, spend the afternoon in Agrigento seeing the temples. On our one day in Sciacca, drive up the coast to Selinunte to see the temples.
- Drive back to Catania airport. We have an evening flight so will spend the day in the Sciacca area or try to see something on the drive back (Enna?).
Please add any suggestions!
BOB THE NAVIGATOR
New Member
Pauline, You will love Sicily. My favorite memories are from Taormina, Selinunte, and Monreale. I am sorry you will not spend time in Palermo, but do allow enough time to enjoy Selinunte. But, your week in the SE area of Sicily will be unique. Susan really loved Noto. Have fun !
Pauline
Forums Admin
If all goes well on this trip, I hope to go back soon to see the things we are missing. Next time I would stay in the north-west. I took note of the town with the ceramics that you mentioned in your trip report.
From Bob's trip report: "The drive to here took us via Palazzolo Aricede and Caltigirone. We spent several hours in the latter to allow Susan to exercise her well developed ceramic shopping gene. The damage was minimal but the town is worth your time and the ceramics are the best in Sicily. The highlight in this area are the famous mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale near Piazza Armerina."
Miruna Adler
New Member
Good evening Pauline and all the Sicily lovers,
If you already have been to Sicily but you plan to go back, this might be an opportunity to share your love for this beautiful island.
All you have to do is share your photos made in Sicily and you might as well win a week in Sicily, car rental included.
Take a look:
http://bit.ly/photocontestSicily
And since you want to see the east side of Sicily, this might be for you Pauline:
http://www.siciliadinverno.it/Default.asp?l=en
If you already have been to Sicily but you plan to go back, this might be an opportunity to share your love for this beautiful island.
All you have to do is share your photos made in Sicily and you might as well win a week in Sicily, car rental included.
Take a look:
http://bit.ly/photocontestSicily
And since you want to see the east side of Sicily, this might be for you Pauline:
http://www.siciliadinverno.it/Default.asp?l=en
italian excursion
100+ Posts
Sounds like a plan, Pauline. I would still encourage you guys to think about a trip to the Civita Castellana area sometime. You can stay there for a week and see many still "undiscovered" places in the area. Sweet little villages, a hike in the mountains, etc….But do have a great time in Sicily. Another of my favorite places…..
Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com
Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com
Pauline
Forums Admin
I have Kelly's restaurant list (thanks!) and a list from HappyCow.net (my travel source for vegetarian/vegan/Macrobiotic restaurants) which includes TWO restaurants in Modica which is 20mins from where we are staying! One is vegan and one is Macrobiotic. We went to a Macrobiotic restaurant of the same name years ago in Sansepolcro (northeast Tuscany, near Arezzo). 
Singola
Via San Giuliano 59/A (at Via Risorgimento), Modica, Italy - 0932-1960989
Open Tue-Sat lunch and dinner, Sun dinner.
Cuisine: Vegan, Organic, Italian, Beer/Wine, Take-out
Nice atmosphere. Serves organic Sicilian specialties made vegan and organic teas. Decorated with off-beat furnishings. Also a small store with vegan and organic products. Inexpensive.
Un Punto Macrobiotico
Via Nazionale 224 (at Via Sacro Cuore), Modica, 97015 - 0932764476
Cuisine: Vegan-friendly, Organic, Italian, Macrobiotic
Macrobiotic restaurant with store attached, local organic produce, wine, vegan/organic products. Inexpensive.
Singola
Via San Giuliano 59/A (at Via Risorgimento), Modica, Italy - 0932-1960989
Open Tue-Sat lunch and dinner, Sun dinner.
Cuisine: Vegan, Organic, Italian, Beer/Wine, Take-out
Nice atmosphere. Serves organic Sicilian specialties made vegan and organic teas. Decorated with off-beat furnishings. Also a small store with vegan and organic products. Inexpensive.
Un Punto Macrobiotico
Via Nazionale 224 (at Via Sacro Cuore), Modica, 97015 - 0932764476
Cuisine: Vegan-friendly, Organic, Italian, Macrobiotic
Macrobiotic restaurant with store attached, local organic produce, wine, vegan/organic products. Inexpensive.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
Wow, Pauline, you lucked out…I love Macrobiotic food. Lived that way for a full year at one time and it was divine. But we had a cook and I wasn't stuck in the kitchen 24/7, so that made it easy. Otherwise I might eat that way all of the time.
Anyway, sounds like you've got it all handled. good eating!
Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcurssion.com
Anyway, sounds like you've got it all handled. good eating!
Ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcurssion.com
Pauline
Forums Admin
Today I phoned the owner of the Sicily vacation rental to be sure we had the correct number and he was expecting us. After no reply to my "do you speak English?" I passed the phone to Steve and was pleased to learn he hasn't forgotten his Italian! This will be handy on the trip!
Andrzej Zwaniecki
New Member
Hello Pauline,
It's good you're back after the post-Slow-Trav hiatus.
We were in Sicily four years ago and it was one of the most memorable trips ever.
My wife and I together with a couple of friends rented a house on a lemon farm - lemon groves in front, Etna behind - near Acireale.
Here's what we liked most:
-- Beautiful (but touristy) Taormina with an extraordinary Greek theater.
--Near Taormina there are two picturesque mountain villages where Coppola shot part of Godfather two - Savoca and Forza D'Agro. Great views from both.
--The park of Etna is special if you like barren volcanic landscape and we liked the town of Zafferana Etna nearby.
--Near Acireale - faded charm of old palaces and buildings - there is a fishing village where Visconti shot his La Terre Trema. Not only is it picturesque, but apparently life hasn't changed much there. During passeggiata we were one of few tourists there and the locals didn't pay much attention to us.
--A bit down south there is Syracuse (another Greek theater and other antiquities.) But we went instead to Noto, a town rebuilt after an earthquake in tufa stone, a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque. It was dreamily empty.
--Then a bit to West, there's another dream city - Ragusa Ibla. A more than a dozen movies was shot there (including part of Taviani's Kaos) and when you see it you understand why. Try gelato made of wine in the main square.
Best regards,
Andrzej
It's good you're back after the post-Slow-Trav hiatus.
We were in Sicily four years ago and it was one of the most memorable trips ever.
My wife and I together with a couple of friends rented a house on a lemon farm - lemon groves in front, Etna behind - near Acireale.
Here's what we liked most:
-- Beautiful (but touristy) Taormina with an extraordinary Greek theater.
--Near Taormina there are two picturesque mountain villages where Coppola shot part of Godfather two - Savoca and Forza D'Agro. Great views from both.
--The park of Etna is special if you like barren volcanic landscape and we liked the town of Zafferana Etna nearby.
--Near Acireale - faded charm of old palaces and buildings - there is a fishing village where Visconti shot his La Terre Trema. Not only is it picturesque, but apparently life hasn't changed much there. During passeggiata we were one of few tourists there and the locals didn't pay much attention to us.
--A bit down south there is Syracuse (another Greek theater and other antiquities.) But we went instead to Noto, a town rebuilt after an earthquake in tufa stone, a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque. It was dreamily empty.
--Then a bit to West, there's another dream city - Ragusa Ibla. A more than a dozen movies was shot there (including part of Taviani's Kaos) and when you see it you understand why. Try gelato made of wine in the main square.
Best regards,
Andrzej
Pauline
Forums Admin
Heading to Selinunte today and rereading this thread for advice.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
Pauline
Forums Admin
I am home. I posted each day in the Trip Reports forum, which was fun! This was a short trip - just 9 nights in Italy. Longer next time.
italian excursion
100+ Posts
And it sounds like you really liked Sicily. What was your favorite place or sight? And which restaurant did you like best, Pauline? Did they do the vegetarian dishes to your liking?
ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com
ciao,
Cheryl
www.italianexcursion.com
Pauline
Forums Admin
I am still processing the trip, but I really liked Ortigia where we spent one night. My favorite place was where we spent a week - Scicli. By the end of the week I loved our apartment and the town. It is a quiet corner of Sicily. But next time I will try Cefalu (recommended on my planning thread), because we did not get to that part of the island. I would also stay somewhere on the western side. It is a big place, with lots to see.
For food, we hardly ate out. We had pizza one night and Steve loved his (a vegetarian version and he asked for less cheese) but mine was a bit rich (vegetarian with eggplant and ricotta - Norma style). Another night we had pasta, which was good, but nothing like the meals I remember in Tuscany. I really disliked the cannoli. I had a mini one that was okay, but when I tried the full size one it was too rich and too sweet.
As you know, we both have restricted "diets" and that always makes it difficult eating in restaurants. Plus we both had colds before we left for the trip, and they sort of morphed into a stomach bug (!!!) so we were not hungry and ended up skipping meals. We never travel for the food (or wine), and were very happy with the trip. We wanted sunshine and we got it. We wanted to do some walking and we walked a lot. Plus we saw all those amazing historic sites.
For food, we hardly ate out. We had pizza one night and Steve loved his (a vegetarian version and he asked for less cheese) but mine was a bit rich (vegetarian with eggplant and ricotta - Norma style). Another night we had pasta, which was good, but nothing like the meals I remember in Tuscany. I really disliked the cannoli. I had a mini one that was okay, but when I tried the full size one it was too rich and too sweet.
As you know, we both have restricted "diets" and that always makes it difficult eating in restaurants. Plus we both had colds before we left for the trip, and they sort of morphed into a stomach bug (!!!) so we were not hungry and ended up skipping meals. We never travel for the food (or wine), and were very happy with the trip. We wanted sunshine and we got it. We wanted to do some walking and we walked a lot. Plus we saw all those amazing historic sites.