My First TR - Sicily June 2012 - AZ Y+/Y
Jul 2, 2012, 2:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758
My First TR - Sicily June 2012 - AZ Y+/Y
This is my first TR so I apologize in advance if this comes out choppy. Lots of pics and stories to share though so I am going to be breaking this out into installments. Hope you enjoy reading this. 
Background:
I've never been to Europe before, even though I have many friends and some family that live in different parts of the continent. I had a chance to travel to Tuscany last year with some good friends of mine and I passed. Then in January they mentioned a June trip to Sicily - I wasn't missing this one. They'd be on the island for about two weeks, but do to work, I'd only be able to join them for about 8 days - which all-in-all, 6 days in and around the Etna region of Sicily and a couple days in Selena and Lipari sounded pretty epic - especially when I found out we'd be staying in a private villa.
Thanks to FT, I learned some great tips on sourcing flights, etc, so when it came time to book my flight, I was prepared. Now I know many of you are thinking I am a little nuts I chose to fly with AZ, but the combination of newly reconfigured 772's and a direct flight from LAX to FCO sold me.
Needless to say, this was the trip of lifetime. I ate some of the most amazing food of my life and the wine was true poetry (sorry, I am a bit of oenophile).
Part I - LAX to FCO
Alitalia
Classica Plus
LAX (T2) - FCO (T3)
AZ 621 Y+
3:25 pm - 12:15pm (+1)
June 22, 2012
Boeing 772
Seat 14B
I'd only seen a few pics of AZ's new Y+ product on their updated 772's and up until a couple weeks prior to my trip, it sounded like there was a possibility I might end up on one of their 772's that hadn't been reconfigured yet. Luckily that wasn't the case.
This was my first time flying to Europe and my first time on a 12 hour flight so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was also a little nervous as I had read quite a few horror stories about AZ leading up to my trip. I'm a sucker for direct flights though and their Y+ seats were right in my budget.
My flight was full, but with Sky Priority I was one of the first on the plane and able to settle in my seat about 35 minutes before we took off. I was greeted and shown my seat upon boarding and about 25 minutes later was served a pre-flight drink. (I went for the blood orange juice).
(Sorry, not the greatest picture quality here)
These new Y+ seats really are pretty great. I had the bulkhead seat which gave me even a few more inches of leg room. It was nice too because right in front of my was the back of C, no lav or galley to annoy you. Even for being a tall guy (6'1") I was able to completely stretch out.
The seats were plenty wide and the TV screen (which was built into the arm rest) was huge!
the only bad thing I can say about the seat is that because it is a fixed back seat the "recline" really isn't all that great, but enough to be comfortable enough to sleep in. At least fore me. Also, if you're tall, the leg rest isn't really functional since it doesn't raise all the way up. Nothing a backpack couldn't fix though.
Shortly after takeoff the FA's came around and passed out the in-flight amenity kits and headphones. The amenity kits they handed out for Y+ had a small toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, eye mask, ear plugs and hand lotion. The headphones were pretty good too.
About an hour and half after takeoff they served lunch. To be honest I can't remember what the other option I had was, but I went with the pasta. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. Same food they served in Y though - but it was a bit salty.
The FA's came though Y+ about 7 or 8 times throughout the flight to pass out waters or for meal service - not too bad really. they also set up a self-serve station for drinks in the rear cabin of the plane - which we had to share with the Y passengers. Also, we had to walk back to Y for the lav, not a big deal.
(Sunset over the Great Lakes shortly after they concluded meal service)
(Morning shot somewhere over northern France)
About 2 hours prior to landing they served breakfast - bread, pastry, coffee (or tea) yogurt and some cheese and ham. Pretty good food again - not great, but worth eating.
(my favorite pic - shot of that big, beautiful 772 engine and Monte Carlo below)
(On approach to FCO flying over Sardinia)
Overall it was a great flight. Very smooth and the service was great. The seat was pretty comfortable and was able to get a few hours of sleep. Not a bad start to my trip.
Up next: FCO-CTA and our Sicilian Villa
Background:
I've never been to Europe before, even though I have many friends and some family that live in different parts of the continent. I had a chance to travel to Tuscany last year with some good friends of mine and I passed. Then in January they mentioned a June trip to Sicily - I wasn't missing this one. They'd be on the island for about two weeks, but do to work, I'd only be able to join them for about 8 days - which all-in-all, 6 days in and around the Etna region of Sicily and a couple days in Selena and Lipari sounded pretty epic - especially when I found out we'd be staying in a private villa.
Thanks to FT, I learned some great tips on sourcing flights, etc, so when it came time to book my flight, I was prepared. Now I know many of you are thinking I am a little nuts I chose to fly with AZ, but the combination of newly reconfigured 772's and a direct flight from LAX to FCO sold me.
Needless to say, this was the trip of lifetime. I ate some of the most amazing food of my life and the wine was true poetry (sorry, I am a bit of oenophile).
Part I - LAX to FCO
Alitalia
Classica Plus
LAX (T2) - FCO (T3)
AZ 621 Y+
3:25 pm - 12:15pm (+1)
June 22, 2012
Boeing 772
Seat 14B
I'd only seen a few pics of AZ's new Y+ product on their updated 772's and up until a couple weeks prior to my trip, it sounded like there was a possibility I might end up on one of their 772's that hadn't been reconfigured yet. Luckily that wasn't the case.
This was my first time flying to Europe and my first time on a 12 hour flight so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I was also a little nervous as I had read quite a few horror stories about AZ leading up to my trip. I'm a sucker for direct flights though and their Y+ seats were right in my budget.
My flight was full, but with Sky Priority I was one of the first on the plane and able to settle in my seat about 35 minutes before we took off. I was greeted and shown my seat upon boarding and about 25 minutes later was served a pre-flight drink. (I went for the blood orange juice).
(Sorry, not the greatest picture quality here)
These new Y+ seats really are pretty great. I had the bulkhead seat which gave me even a few more inches of leg room. It was nice too because right in front of my was the back of C, no lav or galley to annoy you. Even for being a tall guy (6'1") I was able to completely stretch out.
The seats were plenty wide and the TV screen (which was built into the arm rest) was huge!
the only bad thing I can say about the seat is that because it is a fixed back seat the "recline" really isn't all that great, but enough to be comfortable enough to sleep in. At least fore me. Also, if you're tall, the leg rest isn't really functional since it doesn't raise all the way up. Nothing a backpack couldn't fix though.
Shortly after takeoff the FA's came around and passed out the in-flight amenity kits and headphones. The amenity kits they handed out for Y+ had a small toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, eye mask, ear plugs and hand lotion. The headphones were pretty good too.
About an hour and half after takeoff they served lunch. To be honest I can't remember what the other option I had was, but I went with the pasta. Honestly, it wasn't too bad. Same food they served in Y though - but it was a bit salty.
The FA's came though Y+ about 7 or 8 times throughout the flight to pass out waters or for meal service - not too bad really. they also set up a self-serve station for drinks in the rear cabin of the plane - which we had to share with the Y passengers. Also, we had to walk back to Y for the lav, not a big deal.
(Sunset over the Great Lakes shortly after they concluded meal service)
(Morning shot somewhere over northern France)
About 2 hours prior to landing they served breakfast - bread, pastry, coffee (or tea) yogurt and some cheese and ham. Pretty good food again - not great, but worth eating.
(my favorite pic - shot of that big, beautiful 772 engine and Monte Carlo below)
(On approach to FCO flying over Sardinia)
Overall it was a great flight. Very smooth and the service was great. The seat was pretty comfortable and was able to get a few hours of sleep. Not a bad start to my trip.
Up next: FCO-CTA and our Sicilian Villa
Jul 3, 2012, 11:07 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758
Part II - FCO - CTA and the villa in Pozzillo
Alitalia
FCO to CTA
AZ 1749 Y
12:50 pm - 2:05pm
June 23, 2012
Airbus A321
Seat 21A
Our flight from LAX to FCO landed right on time, which from what I had heard of AZ and seen from previous flights on this route, was kind of a miracle. The FA's held up traffic exiting the plane so that the folks in C could clear out first; which only took a few minutes. I was rather anxious to get from T3 at FCO over to T1 to try and get on my friends' flight (they had flown in to FCO the day prior to stay the night in Rome and were flying out at 12:50 for CTA - I was originally scheduled to fly from FCO to CTA at 1:50).
Luckily I caught the tram from T3 to T1 at the perfect moment and within a couple minutes of being off the plane I was at the security station to get into T1. This took a minute, maybe. No check of my boarding pass or anything - which being so used to the TSA, I thought was strange. Made my way to passport control, and to my surprise, I was the only person there, which got me waived right through, just a quick glance at my passport.
Got to the gate were my friends' flight was and was able to walk over to the AZ ticket desk right across from it to try and change my ticket to their early flight to CTA. Thankfully they had a Sky Priority line and I was able to walk right up (there was a bit of a line and I got some nasty glares from those standing in it) and got my ticket changed no problem.
The flight itself to CTA was rather uneventful, minus a few bumps as we passed around Etna on approach. AZ's A321's are nothing to write home about. Clean, but they are definitely dated.
(On approach to CTA)
CTA is a really small airport and we park out at a remote spot and take a bus over to the terminal.
The baggage claim area was a total zoo and we had to hike a bit with all our bags to load up the rental car. All-in-all it took about an hour before we were on the road.
Driving through Catania was a bit of an adventure. I was definitely not prepared for how crazy Italians drive.
Got lost a few times, but at least managed to grab this picture of a cool fountain in the middle of town.
It took us about 45 minutes or so to get to our villa from the airport - although our trip included many unplanned detours due to getting lost a bit. We arrived at the outer gate to our villa, which took us to a small road that went up a hill about a mile to another gate that took us to this driveway and our first glimpse of what would be home for the next 7 days.
(The main house)
(smaller house which I would stay in)
(View of Pozzillo from the villa)
(Outdoor dining area)
(The great room inside the main house)
(The main house living room)
(Movie screen in the living room)
(Shot of Mt. Etna behind the villa - she would erupt later in the week)
(Our pool with an awesome ocean view)
View of the harbor in Pozzillo)
(Shot of Etna at sunset spewing out some sulfur)
The villa was awesome, although I got eaten alive by mosquitos. Also, is it an Italian thing, or does all of Europe have mostly hard, crappy mattresses? Still managed to get OK sleep though.
Overall we didn't spend too much time at the villa. We spent our first full day in Sicily at home hanging out at the pool and took a quick trip in to Pozzillo to walk around. Not sure how proud of this I should be, but I have to admit, between the time I spent in the pool every morning and night and a few dips in the ocean, I managed not to take one shower on this trip.
Up Next: Sicilian wine tour and trip to Lipari and Selena
Alitalia
FCO to CTA
AZ 1749 Y
12:50 pm - 2:05pm
June 23, 2012
Airbus A321
Seat 21A
Our flight from LAX to FCO landed right on time, which from what I had heard of AZ and seen from previous flights on this route, was kind of a miracle. The FA's held up traffic exiting the plane so that the folks in C could clear out first; which only took a few minutes. I was rather anxious to get from T3 at FCO over to T1 to try and get on my friends' flight (they had flown in to FCO the day prior to stay the night in Rome and were flying out at 12:50 for CTA - I was originally scheduled to fly from FCO to CTA at 1:50).
Luckily I caught the tram from T3 to T1 at the perfect moment and within a couple minutes of being off the plane I was at the security station to get into T1. This took a minute, maybe. No check of my boarding pass or anything - which being so used to the TSA, I thought was strange. Made my way to passport control, and to my surprise, I was the only person there, which got me waived right through, just a quick glance at my passport.
Got to the gate were my friends' flight was and was able to walk over to the AZ ticket desk right across from it to try and change my ticket to their early flight to CTA. Thankfully they had a Sky Priority line and I was able to walk right up (there was a bit of a line and I got some nasty glares from those standing in it) and got my ticket changed no problem.
The flight itself to CTA was rather uneventful, minus a few bumps as we passed around Etna on approach. AZ's A321's are nothing to write home about. Clean, but they are definitely dated.
(On approach to CTA)
CTA is a really small airport and we park out at a remote spot and take a bus over to the terminal.
The baggage claim area was a total zoo and we had to hike a bit with all our bags to load up the rental car. All-in-all it took about an hour before we were on the road.
Driving through Catania was a bit of an adventure. I was definitely not prepared for how crazy Italians drive.
Got lost a few times, but at least managed to grab this picture of a cool fountain in the middle of town.
It took us about 45 minutes or so to get to our villa from the airport - although our trip included many unplanned detours due to getting lost a bit. We arrived at the outer gate to our villa, which took us to a small road that went up a hill about a mile to another gate that took us to this driveway and our first glimpse of what would be home for the next 7 days.
(The main house)
(smaller house which I would stay in)
(View of Pozzillo from the villa)
(Outdoor dining area)
(The great room inside the main house)
(The main house living room)
(Movie screen in the living room
)(Shot of Mt. Etna behind the villa - she would erupt later in the week)
(Our pool with an awesome ocean view)
View of the harbor in Pozzillo)
(Shot of Etna at sunset spewing out some sulfur)
The villa was awesome, although I got eaten alive by mosquitos. Also, is it an Italian thing, or does all of Europe have mostly hard, crappy mattresses? Still managed to get OK sleep though.
Overall we didn't spend too much time at the villa. We spent our first full day in Sicily at home hanging out at the pool and took a quick trip in to Pozzillo to walk around. Not sure how proud of this I should be, but I have to admit, between the time I spent in the pool every morning and night and a few dips in the ocean, I managed not to take one shower on this trip.
Up Next: Sicilian wine tour and trip to Lipari and Selena
Jul 3, 2012, 1:07 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Service in Alitalia Y from New York to MXP is much better than DELTA or UNITED. You made a good choice.
I spent 1 week in Toarmina and loved it. Next time I would like to visit the rest of the island.
Was your car an automatic? My problem is that I can't drive shift.
How much was the villa and how did you find it?
I spent 1 week in Toarmina and loved it. Next time I would like to visit the rest of the island.
Was your car an automatic? My problem is that I can't drive shift.
How much was the villa and how did you find it?
Jul 3, 2012, 1:45 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758
Service in Alitalia Y from New York to MXP is much better than DELTA or UNITED. You made a good choice.
I spent 1 week in Toarmina and loved it. Next time I would like to visit the rest of the island.
Was your car an automatic? My problem is that I can't drive shift.
How much was the villa and how did you find it?
I spent 1 week in Toarmina and loved it. Next time I would like to visit the rest of the island.
Was your car an automatic? My problem is that I can't drive shift.
How much was the villa and how did you find it?
The villa was sourced through a company called Think Sicily. Not sure on the cost though.
Jul 6, 2012, 11:18 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758
Part III - The First Couple Days of My Sicilian Adventure
Over the years I've turned into quite the wine geek - with a special affinity for Sicilian wines from the Etna region. So when my friends invited me on this trip, there was no question I was going. Eight days of Sicilian sunshine, great food and amazing wine - who wouldn't want that for a holiday?
The best part is our first winery visit would take us right into the heart of Etna's wine growing region and the vineyard at the highest elevation in all of Italy - possibly all of Europe.
I'll be honest, I am not sure I have the right words to properly describe just how beautiful and amazing this was, so for the most part, I am going to let my photos speak for me.
It was about an hour or so drive from our villa in Pozzillo up Etna. The wine producers we met with were small - focused on the art of making wine, not the rich of industrial production. At any rate, a couple toll booths on the A18 later and more than a few twists and turns through mountain villages, this is what we arrived at...
This was just one part of this producers vines. We drove about another 30 minutes or so up Etna and came to this...
Those dark streaks down the side of the mountain are the lava flows from the last big eruption in the early 1990's. Absolutely beautiful. We were something like 3,000 or so meters up (but I could have that wrong).
Beautiful vineyard just tucked away on the mountain.
As we drove down from this section of their vines to another area where they were growing their nero d'avola grapes we drove past these lava fields...
I wish we could have stopped to take more pictures here. I was floored by how much of the area was engulfed by lava and every few hundred meters or so we'd drive past a home that had been destroyed by the last eruption.
This might be one of my more favorite pictures of the trip. The U.S. just celebrated our countries 236th birthday - these vines are over 250 years old. That just floored me. This family had been making wine longer than my country has been in existence! And to give you some perspective, I am 6'1" and this vine alone was nearly as tall as I am.
One odd thing we found in the vineyard was this giant tiered mound. No one could really tell us what they were but the whole thing is made with stacked volcanic stone.
Being out amongst these vines though was an awesome experience. I could have spend the entire day just exploring around here.
It was worth getting back to their cantina though, which was on the property, as we had lunch waiting for us. We had seven courses of some of the most amazing grilled veggies, cheeses, breads, salumi and fruit that I've ever had. Here are a couple quick photos I took before I got busy eating...
This was pretty much heaven! Or so I thought...
The next day we took a trip to Taormina. This was also about an hour or so from the villa, but was an easy drive up the A18 along the coast. The town is set up on a hill (really a mountain) and is mostly a pedestrian town. The best way up - and the way we went - was to take a cable car up the mountain and into town where the highlight is an ancient Greek amphitheater built in 200 BC.
Once you step off the cable car, this is the view to the beach below....
You walk a couple hundred yards up and you come to the actual entrance of town, which is to the left of where I took this picture...
The place is pretty touristy, but the views and the sites are worth it. This pretty picture pretty much sums out the center of town...
But like I said, the Greek theater just a couple hundred yards outside of the main town square is the real attraction in town.
As luck would have it, the Taormina International Film Festival was going on during this time, so the theater was set up to host that, which kind of took away from the view a little bit.
I got over that pretty quickly though because the views from up top were breathtaking!
When then left the theater and did some shopping for a bit. Loved the little streets around this town.
It was blazing hot though and the beach below was calling our names. By this time it was about 3pm, but we still managed to find a cool beach club to hangout at and go for a dip in the ocean - which being a surf brat from Southern California, I loved this!
Up Next: Trip to Salina and Lipari
Over the years I've turned into quite the wine geek - with a special affinity for Sicilian wines from the Etna region. So when my friends invited me on this trip, there was no question I was going. Eight days of Sicilian sunshine, great food and amazing wine - who wouldn't want that for a holiday?
The best part is our first winery visit would take us right into the heart of Etna's wine growing region and the vineyard at the highest elevation in all of Italy - possibly all of Europe.
I'll be honest, I am not sure I have the right words to properly describe just how beautiful and amazing this was, so for the most part, I am going to let my photos speak for me.
It was about an hour or so drive from our villa in Pozzillo up Etna. The wine producers we met with were small - focused on the art of making wine, not the rich of industrial production. At any rate, a couple toll booths on the A18 later and more than a few twists and turns through mountain villages, this is what we arrived at...
This was just one part of this producers vines. We drove about another 30 minutes or so up Etna and came to this...
Those dark streaks down the side of the mountain are the lava flows from the last big eruption in the early 1990's. Absolutely beautiful. We were something like 3,000 or so meters up (but I could have that wrong).
Beautiful vineyard just tucked away on the mountain.
As we drove down from this section of their vines to another area where they were growing their nero d'avola grapes we drove past these lava fields...
I wish we could have stopped to take more pictures here. I was floored by how much of the area was engulfed by lava and every few hundred meters or so we'd drive past a home that had been destroyed by the last eruption.
This might be one of my more favorite pictures of the trip. The U.S. just celebrated our countries 236th birthday - these vines are over 250 years old. That just floored me. This family had been making wine longer than my country has been in existence! And to give you some perspective, I am 6'1" and this vine alone was nearly as tall as I am.
One odd thing we found in the vineyard was this giant tiered mound. No one could really tell us what they were but the whole thing is made with stacked volcanic stone.
Being out amongst these vines though was an awesome experience. I could have spend the entire day just exploring around here.
It was worth getting back to their cantina though, which was on the property, as we had lunch waiting for us. We had seven courses of some of the most amazing grilled veggies, cheeses, breads, salumi and fruit that I've ever had. Here are a couple quick photos I took before I got busy eating...
This was pretty much heaven! Or so I thought...
The next day we took a trip to Taormina. This was also about an hour or so from the villa, but was an easy drive up the A18 along the coast. The town is set up on a hill (really a mountain) and is mostly a pedestrian town. The best way up - and the way we went - was to take a cable car up the mountain and into town where the highlight is an ancient Greek amphitheater built in 200 BC.
Once you step off the cable car, this is the view to the beach below....
You walk a couple hundred yards up and you come to the actual entrance of town, which is to the left of where I took this picture...
The place is pretty touristy, but the views and the sites are worth it. This pretty picture pretty much sums out the center of town...
But like I said, the Greek theater just a couple hundred yards outside of the main town square is the real attraction in town.
As luck would have it, the Taormina International Film Festival was going on during this time, so the theater was set up to host that, which kind of took away from the view a little bit.
I got over that pretty quickly though because the views from up top were breathtaking!
When then left the theater and did some shopping for a bit. Loved the little streets around this town.
It was blazing hot though and the beach below was calling our names. By this time it was about 3pm, but we still managed to find a cool beach club to hangout at and go for a dip in the ocean - which being a surf brat from Southern California, I loved this!
Up Next: Trip to Salina and Lipari
Last edited by JGfromOC; Jul 10, 2012 at 5:56 pm
Jul 6, 2012, 12:22 pm
#10
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Welcome to the TR corner of FT.
Nice report and pictures. The scenery in that part of Italy looks wonderful. Also thanks for the report on AZ, we don't get too many of them here.
Nice report and pictures. The scenery in that part of Italy looks wonderful. Also thanks for the report on AZ, we don't get too many of them here.
Jul 6, 2012, 3:40 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
But you could have got more miles!
LAX ATL YUL CDG CTA.
You could also have cleared ATL YUL even as a FO.
LAX ATL YUL CDG CTA.
You could also have cleared ATL YUL even as a FO.
Jul 6, 2012, 3:44 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758
Jul 6, 2012, 4:30 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Jul 6, 2012, 4:38 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: LAX
Programs: DL PM | Marriott Gold | Alaska Gold
Posts: 758