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Sicily (Travel Advice)

ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
edited July 2016 in Not Sports Related
Getting married in three weeks today and heading off to Sicily for the Honeymoon...

Going to be hiring a car and will staying just down the road from Mount Etna and thought it was time I came to the proper TripAdvisor (not that fake TripAdvisor.co.uk site) for some advice and to see if anyone has any recommendations?

Comments

  • ricky_ottoricky_otto
    Mention the Mafia a lot. They love it over there.

    Either that or bore them to death with your match predictions :smiley:
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    ricky_otto said:

    Mention the Mafia a lot. They love it over there.

    Either that or bore them to death with your match predictions :smiley:

    image
  • ShagShag
    Go to Taormina mate its lovely , and take the cable car ( or walk ) down to the beach at Isola Bella . Congratulations
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    Shag said:

    Go to Taormina mate its lovely , and take the cable car ( or walk ) down to the beach at Isola Bella . Congratulations

    Is it much of a walk down the Hill from Taormina to Isola Bella (My missus hates Cable Cars)
  • ShagShag
    it's about a half hour walk i think mate from memory . Deffo get a smash back up then
  • Atletico AddickAtletico Addick
    ForeverAddickted said:

    Getting married in three weeks today and heading off to Sicily for the Honeymoon...

    Going to be hiring a car and will staying just down the road from Mount Etna and thought it was time I came to the proper TripAdvisor (not that fake TripAdvisor.co.uk site) for some advice and to see if anyone has any recommendations?

    Been 3 times. Only done Etna once, make sure you are a confident driver taking the route up and down Mt Etna. I did not enjoy this but then again I was in a van with a very dodgy gearbox, it's very windy as you would expect. Also it is a tiring day if you tackle the walks - well worth it though. I was gassing after a few steps out the car at that height.

    Expect bad driving (from other drivers - not yourself) - so just keep a calm head as honestly there is some attrocious stuff out there but more so city centre's.

    Enjoy! And try an Arancini (might be arincino if you get just one), best I've had in Italy - they are amazing. Like a fried riceball.

    Eat out a lot as the food is amazing. Keep your stuff safe at any beaches and in your car - obvious stuff really. Enjoy your time :D
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    edited July 2016
    Atletico Addick said:

    ForeverAddickted said:

    Getting married in three weeks today and heading off to Sicily for the Honeymoon...

    Going to be hiring a car and will staying just down the road from Mount Etna and thought it was time I came to the proper TripAdvisor (not that fake TripAdvisor.co.uk site) for some advice and to see if anyone has any recommendations?

    Been 3 times. Only done Etna once, make sure you are a confident driver taking the route up and down Mt Etna. I did not enjoy this but then again I was in a van with a very dodgy gearbox, it's very windy as you would expect. Also it is a tiring day if you tackle the walks - well worth it though. I was gassing after a few steps out the car at that height.

    Expect bad driving (from other drivers - not yourself) - so just keep a calm head as honestly there is some attrocious stuff out there but more so city centre's.

    Enjoy! And try an Arancini (might be arincino if you get just one), best I've had in Italy - they are amazing. Like a fried riceball.

    Eat out a lot as the food is amazing. Keep your stuff safe at any beaches and in your car - obvious stuff really. Enjoy your time :D
    Which route did you go up Etna... Was it the North Side (Piano Provenzana) or the South? (Rifugio Sapienza)

    Are you quite a fit walker or are you normally struggling when getting out for a walk
  • Atletico AddickAtletico Addick
    I'd say I was fit (I am pretty young), just took me a few minutes to adjust to the air up there.. a lot of driving then straight to a walk - probably best to have a little walk around and adjust, grab a drink then go for it. The actual walk itself, that I took anyway, wasn't too taxing - not the hardest to walk - and the drive to get you to your path was OK also, big wheeled thing that sets off once full.

    I BELIEVE (cant completely remember) it was the South. The tour guides are very good.

    Also, try some Limoncello if you haven't already (alcoholic shot) - very sweet but as you know and will certainly find out, the lemons out in Sicily are something special! Enjoy it!
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    edited July 2016
    Cheers for the advice in regards to taking it easy once we're parked up at Etna

    Was there a Cable Car on Etna in the section you were at?
  • Pedro45Pedro45
    Driving in Sicily is crazy - it's the only place where you MUST have collision damage insurance, or you're mad! Escaping the Catania airport area by car is infuriating (it took us three attempts, and we had to back-track twice...) so have a good map. Expect other drivers to push you around but try not to be bullied. The roads can be very narrow, so take it easy. Expect to be tooted by the car behind at traffic lights 0.376 seconds after they turn green if you haven't moved off yet (or even if you have!).

    That said, it has some lovely places to go. Taormina is lovely. Enna is a stunning hilltop town inland. Agrigento is great for Greek style columned buildings in The Valley of the Temples ((but the traffic system is awful). The mud volcanoes just north of Agrigento are great fun to explore on foot. Syracuse is lovely (especially the island area of Ortigia) and very old and historic. Noto is another lovely small town well worth exploring. There are plenty of good beaches south of Syracuse, but expect to pay for sunbeds, and for them to be crammed in side by side.

    Wherever you are, in the evening partake in the promenading, where everyone puts on their finest fashion clothes and wanders about aimlessly. Many good bars will offer fairly large tapas type food (for free) when you buy beer.

    I didn't get over to the Palermo side, but that's where the mafia cartels used to live...
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  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    Yeah going from Catania Airport so thats good to know...

    Usually I'm tooting cars here in England if they havent moved the instant they go green so I'll be right at home ;)
  • Oh_Yoni_BoyOh_Yoni_Boy
    Anyone been over the Palermo side before and recommend anything? Looking for a bit of a group 'beach and bars' type holiday.
  • bobmunrobobmunro
    Anyone who is a fan of The Godfather must visit Corleone. Not just for that though - it's also a beautiful place full of history (some good, some bad!) and about an hour by car from Palermo.
  • Robbo on the wingRobbo on the wing
    Going with the family this summer, so will keep an eye on this thread.
    Staying by Palermo.
  • Leroy AmbroseLeroy Ambrose
    Ex missus is Sicilian. From a village in the middle of the island in Caltanissetta province. Genuinely the friendliest, nicest people you will ever meet. The food is amazing, echo the advice about Arancini (although don't get any in Palermo if yiu ever end up there - all the food in Palermo is ridiculously over-salted for some reason - probably because its hotter than hell's waiting room) - if you can, try some pesce spada (swordfish). The best I've ever tasted. The bullshit about the mafia is overdone by the yanks - but they are nasty bastards, no doubt about it. Most of their influence is in local politics, bribery and drugs. You are NOT going to come into contact with them :smiley:

    Enjoy - perfect time of the year to be going - won't be too hot and not likely to rain
  • kentaddickkentaddick
    Italians are one of two things, absolutely lovely and some of the nicest people you can meet or utter, utter twats who deserve every stubbed toe they get in life.

    Went on holiday to Tuscany this summer and was generally my experience of the locals.
  • HastingsaddickHastingsaddick
    ForeverAddickted said:

    Getting married in three weeks today and heading off to Sicily for the Honeymoon...

    Going to be hiring a car and will staying just down the road from Mount Etna and thought it was time I came to the proper TripAdvisor (not that fake TripAdvisor.co.uk site) for some advice and to see if anyone has any recommendations?

    I have a large lump of Mount Etna in my fire place.
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    Hastingsaddick said:

    ForeverAddickted said:

    Getting married in three weeks today and heading off to Sicily for the Honeymoon...

    Going to be hiring a car and will staying just down the road from Mount Etna and thought it was time I came to the proper TripAdvisor (not that fake TripAdvisor.co.uk site) for some advice and to see if anyone has any recommendations?

    I have a large lump of Mount Etna in my fire place.
    Bit harsh to throw the missus in the fire
  • HastingsaddickHastingsaddick
    Oh_Yoni_Boy said:

    Anyone been over the Palermo side before and recommend anything? Looking for a bit of a group 'beach and bars' type holiday.

    Cefalu, just along the coast from Palermo is nice....2/3 nights in Palermo then train down to Cefalu makes a nice 7-10 day break.
  • EdgeleyAddickEdgeleyAddick
    Oh_Yoni_Boy said:

    Anyone been over the Palermo side before and recommend anything? Looking for a bit of a group 'beach and bars' type holiday.

    Loved Palermo when we went. Not sure I can recommend beach and bars, but the city is great for strolling around. But be careful crossing roads as the drivers are loons.

    Food and restaurants are superb. Architecture interesting. Particularly liked the "Quatro Canti". Opera House is massive and spectacular (famed for its use in the Godfather). You can go on a tour of the building, if you're not into opera itself. The food market is also an experience.

    The whole place felt like the UK in the 80s - stray dogs, battered buildings, but bags of character. Sicily was a cracking island and somewhere I want to go back one day.
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