Italy - Suggestions for Southern Italy and Sicily

Mrs. Rich and I will be flying into FCO mid-June 2012 for three or four days and then heading south with no firm plans yet. We will eventually make our way into Sicily as we fly out of Catania 2 weeks later. Any thoughts or suggestions on places we should see? We are open to any suggestions on cities to visit, places to stay, places to dine, sites to see, etc.

Do we rely on train travel out of Rome, or would you suggest a car rental. How about travel within Sicily? Train, car rental? What is the best way to travel into Sicily from Southern Italy and from what location?

Mrs. Rich and I will be flying into FCO mid-June 2012 for three or four days and then heading south with no firm plans yet. We will eventually make our way into Sicily as we fly out of Catania 2 weeks later. Any thoughts or suggestions on places we should see? We are open to any suggestions on cities to visit, places to stay, places to dine, sites to see, etc.

Do we rely on train travel out of Rome, or would you suggest a car rental. How about travel within Sicily? Train, car rental? What is the best way to travel into Sicily from Southern Italy and from what location?

Can you confirm how long you will be in Sicily?
What do you like to do, see history/museums, hike/nature, eat, a bit off everything?

Can you confirm how long you will be in Sicily?
What do you like to do, see history/museums, hike/nature, eat, a bit off everything?

We arrive in Rome on June 18. We plan on spending three/four days in Rome and then have the balance of our 15 day trip open. As mentioned, we will be traveling to Sicily flying out of Catania on July 3.

We prefere to explore cities a little off the beaten path. Of course, there are must see's in Rome (St. Peters, Pantheon, etc). We want to see Southern Italy and Sicily and avoid touristy things, get a good feel for the country and it flavor!

Not sure if you enjoy driving the countryside but it would be the best way to stop along the way and stay off the proverbial 'beaten path'. Trains are an alternative.

Depending on how you want to get down to South Italy/Sicily, try and work in the following stops:

*Frascati/Castelli Romani - If not going along the water this is great stop right outside of Rome.

*Anzio - solid beach town...enjoy the Mediterranean cuisine as well

*Anywhere on the Amalfi coast. Take your pick. Salerno seems to be the most viable considering you're heading down south but I would recommend going deeper into the penisula. Ravello provides some of the most breathtaking views I've ever been privileged to enjoy.

*Heading south along the A3, stop off in Vibo Valentia, specifically Tropea. I'm a huge fan of the entire Calabria region in general. So different from the rest of the country. End that southern journey in Reggio before heading over to Sicilia.

FlyingHoustonian should be able to give you the best insight into Catania and Sicily in general.

Thank you Trastevere!

Can you or FlyingHoustonian tell me if I will be able to rent a car in Rome and return it in Catania? What is the cost to ferry the car from Italy to Sicily or do I return it in Southern Italy and rent another in Sicily? If so, how do I travel into Sicily? Another option would be to travel by train from Rome to Southern Italy with stops along the way and renting the car once we arrive in Sicily. Sorry for all the confusion!! I am just not certain what is the best option for travel!! Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

You should have no problem renting and returning a car any at any two locations within Italy. The best prices IMO are from autoeurope.com (http://www.autoeurope.com/). They usually have special discounts and good all-inclusive rates (not included is the Super CDW). It was quite a while ago but we had a rental picked up at Palermo airport and returned at Florence. The ferry we used was from Messina to Reggio Calabria. Currently the one way fare (http://www.gotaormina.com/en/how_to_arrive/ferries_to_sicily.html) for a car is € 28.00. A car is the best way to see Sicily as a lot of the sites can be off the beaten path. Though it may take nerves of steel to get used to the drivers in Palermo.

Thank you Trastevere!

Can you or FlyingHoustonian tell me if I will be able to rent a car in Rome and return it in Catania? What is the cost to ferry the car from Italy to Sicily or do I return it in Southern Italy and rent another in Sicily? If so, how do I travel into Sicily? Another option would be to travel by train from Rome to Southern Italy with stops along the way and renting the car once we arrive in Sicily. Sorry for all the confusion!! I am just not certain what is the best option for travel!! Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.

You should be able to return a car in Sicily, but you will want to check prices and decide if it's worth it - some places will want to charge you much more, as they don't necessarily want their vehicles to be subjected to Sicilian drivers!

The ferry across the Straight of Messina runs every 20 (or so) minutes, and it should be about €32 for the car, plus a small charge per person. The train could also be a good option - on a random day that I checked the train from Reggio Di Calabria to Catania was €14. But there are also ferries/trains/planes from the Naples/Amalfi area. Keep in mind too that fuel is about $8/gallon in Sicily - I'm not sure about southern Italy.

I personally think you could easily fill an entire two weeks exploring any of the destinations you've listed, so it really depends on where you want to go, and what you're hoping to see. Once you have a better idea of that we can help more with transportation. Sounds like a great trip!