cities and towns
points of interest and beauty
A view of the sea walk in Trapani, where we enjoyed a glass of wine at a small bar while looking at the Mediterranean. I sigh every time I look at this photo.
Quattro Conti, Palermo Ortigia Square at night Catania elephant monument
Ortigia street Dome in Palermo Taormina from ampitheater, including Mount Etna
Central street in Trapani Mediterranean view from Erice Taormina house
Palermo is Sicily's largest city with a population of approximately 600,000. It's a bit gritty, but don't let that put you off. We enjoyed its beautiful buildings, lively markets, and strolling the Quattro Canti area to watch the crowds. It also has a train station that allowed us to easily visit Cefalu (not on the tour), a smaller town with a beautiful cathedral, beaches, and small shops about 60 minutes from Palermo.
Trapani is smaller and tidier than Palermo, with a beautiful, raised walkway along the seafront. We enjoyed an evening cocktail hour on the roof of our hotel as part of the tour. It proved a great way to begin getting to know our fellow travelers.
Ortigia is the historic and more touristy part of Siricusa. An evening walk with Alfredo and a morning walking tour with a local guide provided a helpful orientation to the city, its history, and sites--including a laundromat with a very helpful English-speaking proprietress. Eileen loved all the ways residents incorporated greenery into their environment, from street level pots to balcony gardens.
Taormina's beautiful location, high on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean with a view of Mount Etna, can't be beat. It feels more touristy than other places we saw, but it's still very fun. It's the only place we really did any shopping. We bought a couple of prints of volcanos and a few pieces of Sicilian pottery that we had shipped back. We think everyone enjoyed a lecture on volcanoes given by a volcanologist at the University of Catania on our first night. The whole tour group seemed to gather each night on the patio of our hotel to enjoy its beautiful view and cocktails before dinner.
Trapani is smaller and tidier than Palermo, with a beautiful, raised walkway along the seafront. We enjoyed an evening cocktail hour on the roof of our hotel as part of the tour. It proved a great way to begin getting to know our fellow travelers.
Ortigia is the historic and more touristy part of Siricusa. An evening walk with Alfredo and a morning walking tour with a local guide provided a helpful orientation to the city, its history, and sites--including a laundromat with a very helpful English-speaking proprietress. Eileen loved all the ways residents incorporated greenery into their environment, from street level pots to balcony gardens.
Taormina's beautiful location, high on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean with a view of Mount Etna, can't be beat. It feels more touristy than other places we saw, but it's still very fun. It's the only place we really did any shopping. We bought a couple of prints of volcanos and a few pieces of Sicilian pottery that we had shipped back. We think everyone enjoyed a lecture on volcanoes given by a volcanologist at the University of Catania on our first night. The whole tour group seemed to gather each night on the patio of our hotel to enjoy its beautiful view and cocktails before dinner.
Travel recommendation: Stop a while and drink in the view while sipping your favorite beverage--there is so much beauty in Sicily and it's worth taking the time to enjoy it as well as the local wine!
Balconies in bloom in Taormina
A Side Trip to Cefalu
Another benefit of arriving early was it provided an opportunity to visit Cefalu, a small town about an hour's train ride from Palermo. All the guidebooks we looked at said the cathedral had a glittery gold mosaic of Christ Pantocrator that was worth the trip. So we did that. We also enjoyed watching families on the beach while we at lunch, the Medieval Laundry, and strolling the around town before returning on the afternoon train.
Christ Pantocrator at the Cefalu Cathedral Cefalu Beach Scene Street Scene in Cefalu