Sicily

Itinerary for Sicily Tour

Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) conducts more than 200 tours in Sicily every year.  What is amazing is that the tours don't run in the summer, when it's too hot in Sicily.  There are tours almost every day during the season.  That gives them an advantage over other tour companies because they can hire the best travel guides and get the best deals at hotels and restaurants.  We are often warmly welcomed by the locals.

I heard a lot of good things about this tour from other OAT travelers and that's one reason why I signed up for this trip.  I have been to other parts of Italy but never south of Rome.  I picked October for my travel because it's the best time to travel in Sicily.  Here is the abbreviated itinerary of the tour:

Day 1 - Depart U.S.

Day 2 - Arrive in Palermo, Sicily

Day 3 - Explore Palermo • Controversial Topic: Conversation about Sicilian Mafia with local experts

Day 4 - A Day in the Life of Castelbuono

Day 5 - Overland to Monreale • Segesta • Overland to Mazara del Vallo

Day 6 - Explore Mazara • Tunisian Kasbah • Home-Hosted Lunch

Day 7 - Museo del Sale visit • Boat ride to Mothya Island • Sicilian cooking lesson

Day 8 - Overland to Piazza Armerina • Valley of the Temples • Agrigento

Day 9 - Overland to Ragusa • Villa Romana del Casale • Winery Tour

Day 10 - Old Town Ragusa • Fiat ride through Modica

Day 11 - Val di Noto farm visit • Optional Sicilian cooking lesson tour

Day 12 - Overland to Catania • Siracusa • Explore Ortigia

Day 13 - Explore Catania • World War II Museum • Conversation about volcanology

Day 14 - Catania • Visit Taormina

Day 15 - Catania • 4-wheel-drive journey to Mount Etna

Day 16 - Return to U.S. or begin your post-trip extension

The tour starts in Palermo, the biggest and capital city of Sicily.  Then we go on to Mazara, at the western part of the island where it sees few tourists.  After that we travel to the middle of the island and stay 3 nights in Ragusa.  On the way to Catania we'll stop at the town of Siracusa. an ancient port with a rich history and an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We'll spend the last four nights of our tour in Catania.  Using this as a base we'll also visit Taormina, another popular tourist town.  We end our tour by driving up to Mount Etna.

The Amalfi Coast Italy

I have seen many pictures of the Amalfi Coast, with beautiful houses built on the side of the mountain.  I have also heard a lot about the beauty of the area.  I also want to compare the Amalfi Coast with another Italian region that I have been to:  Cinque Terre in northwest Italy.

I found out that it was not that difficult to go from Naples to the Amalfi Coast.  Ferries run daily from Naples to Amalfi, with stops in Sorrento, Positano and Capri. The latter 3 towns are also popular tourist towns in the area.  Some tourists stay in one of these towns for up to a week and explore the area.  I chose to do a 1-day trip to Amalfi.

My hostess Alessandra told me to take the metro from Garibaldi to the Municipio Porto station and from there walk to Molo Angiono to board the ferry to Amalfi.

A similar ferry

Buying ticket for the ferry

Disembarking the ferry

Houses on the side of the mountain

The round-trip ferry ticket was €66.

The total one-way trip was about 1 1/2 hours with a stop at Sorrento.  As you approach Amalfi you start to see houses that are built on the side of the mountains.  Unlike many developing countries where the poor live on the top of the mountain, here the rich live on top of the mountain.  These are beautiful houses, not shacks.  

After disembarking it didn't take long for you to realize you are in a tourist town.  There is only one main street in Amalfi.  Obviously all the tourist shops - cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, are on this street. The duomo or cathedral is at the main square at the beginning of this street.  The place reminds me very much of one of the cities in Cinque Terre.  Both are very popular Italian destinations - one in the north, another in the south.

The Duomo

Beginning of the Main Street

A snack shop

This store sells seeds

Some B&Bs' towards the end of Main Street

Residential area

A pocket of seafood, about €11

A limoncello spritz

Gelatos are popular everywhere

It didn't take long for me to run out of places to go and see.  I decided to go inside the duomo.  Below are some pictures.

  

The departure time for the ferry back to Naples was 5pm.  I changed to an earlier ferry at 3:30pm because I ran out of things to see.  I did not want to venture to far away from the ferry terminal.

View of Amalfi from ferry terminal

View of houses near the ferry terminal

More beautiful houses and buildings on the side of the mountain

Our location on the map

I saw more beautiful houses on the side of the mountain as we made a stop in Positano.

We finally arrived back in Naples at about 5pm.  

I stopped at one of the restaurants recommended by Alessandra.  I had a nice seafood dinner at a busy restaurant in Piazza Garibaldi.

Branzino, other seafood and spaghetti

Pompeii Italy

Pompeii needs no introduction.  It was buried by ashes from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  It was buried under 4 to 6m of volcanic ash.  It was a wealthy city of 10,000 to 20,000 residents when it was buried.  It was discovered in the 16th century but excavations did not occur until the 18th century.  Most of Pompeii was uncovered by 1960.

Before going to Naples I thought I have to join a tour to see Pompeii.  But when I arrived in Naples my B&B hostess Alessandra told me it's easier to go on my own and join a guided tour there.  I took the Circumvesuviana (EAV) from the lower level of Naples Central Station (Napoli Piazza Garibaldi) to Pompei Scavi – Villa dei Misteri.  The ticket costs €3.30 one-way.

Train station for Pompeii

When I arrived at the train station there was a ticket booth right in front of me.  I thought that was the official ticket booth to the entrance but it is a private ticket booth that sells tickets and guided tours.  I bought the tickets and another ticket to take the bus to the top of Mount Vesuvius later.  In total I paid €69 or about $78.

Ticket Booth (not the official booth)

Entrance to the Pompeii Ruins

I am glad I bought the guided tour because without it I will be seeing a lot of structures but no explanation.  It is beyond my knowledge or memory to explain all these structures but below are some of the pictures.  There have been many articles and books written about Pompeii. The structures are very similar to some of the Roman structures I have seen in other countries - Turkey, Jordan and Morocco are some that I remember.

First Glimpse of the Ruins

After the ruins I took a bus up to Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that spewed the ash and covered Pompeii.  It was about a 30-minute bus ride away.  The bus stopped almost at the top.  In order to reach the summit you have to hike another 30 minutes.  I was too tired after the entire morning of guided tour around Pompeii so I did not hike to the top.  

Vesuvius National Park

Information about Mount Vesuvius

Trail to the summit

Waiting area of the buses

Gift shop and entrance to the trail

It was a long day - a lot of walking for the guided tour and a lot of waiting for the bus at Vesuvius.  However, it was a day well spent.  Now whenever I read about Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius I can visualize what it's like and have a better understanding.