Has anyone attending one of the annual shows they do here and be able to share their experience? Is it worth it as a tourist to attend?

Has anyone been to this to be able to share their experience on it??

Has anyone done anything they could recommend that felt like a “quintessential” Sicily experience?

For example, when I went to Tuscany, I found an agriturismo that served food from their farm, aperitivos overlooking the rolling hills, then stayed in a 1400’s stone house overnight. It felt like “quintessential” Tuscany to me.

Looking for the same feeling in Sicily! I’ll be in Palermo 2 days, day in Agrigento, 1 night Vittoria, 2 nights Ortigia, and then Taormina and Cefalu. Open to switching things up if it’s worth it tho.

TIA!

I was told the frenum along with thin tissue was causing the recession. It’s slight recession on one tooth. There are no effects from it. The frenum was affecting both front bottom teeth. I got a frenectomy. The graft is scheduled in about a month. The gums look much better already! My question is — did this just ultimately solve the problem?? will the recession not get worse being the cause was removed? Is this surgery unnecessary?

Do the pros or cons of going thru w it weigh heavier?

Help ! I am going to Sicily and renting a car and going around the island. I see the warnings for not leaving belongings in the car , even in a locked trunk. I am going thru my itinerary and there are two holes where I won’t yet have a hotel for my belongings. One at valley of the temples / Scala dei turchi, and the other at rifugio sapienza on Mount etna.

Are there places here I could rent to store the luggage for peace of mind while I sightsee? Are tourist places like these more of a target or due to the high volumes of people maybe do they deter the thieves a little?

The best solution I could think of is to keep all my expensive or irreplaceable belongings (phone, passport, AirPods, etc) on me and take my changes with my clothes and toiletries.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

I will be visiting Vittoria for just one day. It is the premise of my reason for visiting Sicily. It is the hometown of my grandmothers mother. My grandmother fell and broke her hip and won’t be able to make the trip, but has always wanted to see where her mother grew up. I am going for her.

Can you tell me more about it? I’m curious to know literally anything like history or present info.

Particularly helpful info would be what’s it like now, where I should stay, where to eat, what to do that isn’t wineries. And any overall tips on exploring the city and bringing back something (physical or not) to my grandmother to help fulfill her as much as possible without actually visiting. I also love genealogy and am looking forward to the experience. Has anyone else done this for a relative before?

I have reached out to some genealogists (ypsi and southern Italy geological center) to see about doing some research work for me, but I am pressed for time as I just learned about that possibility. I’ll be there in a couple weeks.

Thanks !

Can anyone recommend shows and movies that took place there that showcase the culture and are worth a watch before? Specifically will be touring Palermo, valley of the temples, Ragusa, Siracusa, mt etna, Taormina, cefalu, maybe aeolian islands

Tia !

Sicily reddit

Okay the very first thing I will say is I KNOW it is busy and I KNOW the number one advice will be to take things out and slow it down. This is hard for me due to a few non negotiable, the vibes I want to achieve, and my general personality 😂 I already grieved not being able to see the west coast and gems out that way.

Non negotiable:
I planned to take my 92 year old grandmother to Sicily to live out her lifelong regret of not seeing her mothers hometown (Vittoria) or Valley of the Temples while she was there. She fell and broke her hip and even after healing, isn’t willing to make the trip. I hope to bring her back part of the experience somehow. (I also want to prepare some genealogical research before going)

Vibe of the trip:
I like a good mix of the gritty-city cultural vibes, history, adventure, and relaxing wander the streets and explore tho of days. What I planned incorporates all of them and is fast paced but allowed moments for me to slow down and soak up the location I am in.
I love any opportunity to meet locals or other travelers. This is why I’ll add things like hostel stays or group tours.

Accommodation:
I would LIKE to experience one agriturismo and I’m thinking of fitting it in at Ragusa, but not sure if I truly have the time for it. Open to suggestions or recommendations. I enjoy staying in hostels but check them for certain things like privacy curtains, not a party hostel, etc. I love meeting people. Other than that, I’d prefer to stay in small B&B’s (not air bnbs, but ones where you are actually hosted. Regular hotel as a last resort.

Brief overview:
2 nights Palermo
1 night Ragusa
2 nights Ortigia
2 nights Taormina
2 nights Cefalù (or one night here one in Palermo pre-flight)

I denoted anything specific I’m looking for advice on with asterisks.

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1: Palermo (Saturday)

- I will land first thing in the AM (around 7am)
- I am used to jet lag and red eye flights and plan to use this day to see the city. Maybe a walking tour, maybe a food tour. Maybe head over to Mondello beach and rest there or at my hotel. Experience some of the iconic Palermo street nightlife
*** (any tips for that? Neighborhoods, etc?) ***
Spend the night: Palermo

Day 2: Palermo

- a full second day in Palermo to get to anything I didn’t the first. Goal is to absorb a bit of the culture here (I know it’s going to be hard to do that in such a short time-frame, but I have had those types of experiences on fast moving trips and have faith I’ll be able to slow down in the moments that I am in one place).
***Any advice for must see/do in Palermo is appreciated. I’m really excited to experience this city. My one set plan so far is to try the nun’s cannolo 😂 ***
Spend the night: Palermo

Day 3: Agrigento/Scala dei Turchi

- the plan for day 3 is to wake up early, head to Palermo train station (or airport?) by opening time (8AM? Or earliest) and get car rental.
- Drive to Agrigento, get there by 11AM to explore the ruins.
- Boat trip so Scala dei turchi around sunset or a little before. (I see some tours that leave at 3pm, that would give me an around 2-3 hours at Valley of the Temples, which is similar to what some tours give you). Ideally, I’d like to find a later boat tour any one that I can swim and view from the water and also stops so we can get off and walk on them (is this even worth it)
***Willing to accept any advice here on how to successfully get both out of my day***
- Drive to Vittora (2hrs). Settle in at either a small b&b in town center or agriturismo nearby. almost 2hr drive. Arrive after dark.
***Suggestions on the b&b or agriturismo would be appreciated! ***
Spend the night: in/near Vittoria
* I KNOW this will be a long and heavy driving day, but I feel it lets me see all I want to around Agrigento and set myself up for a calmer pace on day 4.

Day 4: Ragusa

- morning breakfast in Vittoria main square(?), explore Vittoria, imagine my great grandmother growing up there, stop by cemetery’s and municipal buildings for genealogy related things
***(I plan to also post in a genealogy page, but any suggestions to get the most out of this part of the experience would be super helpful, I just want to help my grandma live vicariously and feel like she has seen it. She mentioned wanting photos of her grandparents, so that’s part of the hunt)***
- evening drive to Syracuse/Ortigia
***(where is going to be the best place to leave my car here?)***
Spend the night: Ortigia

Day 5: Ortigia

- Full day in Ortigia to explore, wander streets, tour sites, chill on beach, dinner on the water
- meant to be one of my built in “slower” days
***(any specific suggestions or can’t miss?)***
Spend the night: Ortigia

Day 6: Mount Etna

- wake up early and drive to a tour at Mount Etna (or Taormina with a pickup there). I want to hike to the summit of Mount Etna with those tours you take the cable car then hike to the summit.
***(Any recommendations on tours??)***
- evening I would like to get back to Taormina in time to make a sunset cruise to relax after an adventure morning. I briefly saw the Etna tours end in Taormina around 4pm, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it and relax after a long day.
***(Not sure how to spend the evening or where to stay, beach or up in town??)***
Spend the night: Taormina

Day 7: Taormina

- full day in Taormina to wander, explore, site see, sit by a beach and slow down. Isolated Bella. Nice dinner (similar vibes to Ortigia day)
- meant to be one of my built in “slower” days
***(any specific suggestions or can’t miss?)***
Spend the night: Taormina

Day 8: Messina/ Stromboli tour

- morning breakfast in Taormina before 1 hr 15 min drive to Milazzo where the tours meet for Stromboli. Current idea is to take a full day boat tour where you get to see it erupt from the boat at night. —
***(is this the move??)***
I’m open to changing it up here. Hiking it could be cool too. I imagine myself being more of a hiker than I actually am, so I’ll probably be sore from hiking two days before but I’m ALL for the unique experiences. No pain no gain. From what I saw though, those happen mostly at night and would likely wrinkle the plan a bit. Im okay with that- I just would like to hear from people’s experience to understand it better and make a decision
***(I’m open to any experience or suggestions here, please.)***
- if I do the boat tour, my plan would be to do the late night drive nearly 2hr to cefalu, again to set myself up for a relaxing following day
Spend the night: Cefalu

Day 9: Cefalu

- full day in cefalu, last full day in Italy. I want to appreciate the culture here and relax. Similar to Ortigia and Taormina days.

Day 10: flight home at 9:45am
- would aim to get there for 6:45am (no checked bags, but have to return rental)
- would leave cefalu 4:45/5am to make the drive back and fly home. I KNOW this is early and really pushing it, but I think I am willing to do it to stay relaxed in cefalu and be in the same locations two nights.
***(Can be open to the idea of staying closer to the airport if anyone has any town suggestions between cefalu and the airport)***
OR I could just go back to Palermo on the night of Day 9. Stromboli affects this, too. For example, if I skip it, I could go straight to cefalu or if I do the overnight hike I might miss cefalu all together.

Here is also where car rental locations come into play. I could rent from the train station and return to the airport. It would be a few hundred dollars more expensive to have different pickup and return locations.
- if I pick up at Palermo train station it would make sense to come back and return evening of day 9, though I’m hoping that day could feel relaxed and that would add stress
- if I want to return to the airport the morning of my flight, it would make sense for me to go back to the airport in the morning on day 3 to pick up the car

Any thoughts, experiences, or advice would be super helpful. TIA!!!

Okay the very first thing I will say is I KNOW it is busy and I KNOW the number one advice will be to take things out and slow it down. This is hard for me due to a few non negotiable, the vibes I want to achieve, and my general personality 😂 I already grieved not being able to see the west coast and gems out that way.

Non negotiable:
I planned to take my 92 year old grandmother to Sicily to live out her lifelong regret of not seeing her mothers hometown (Vittoria) or Valley of the Temples while she was there. She fell and broke her hip and even after healing, isn’t willing to make the trip. I hope to bring her back part of the experience somehow. (I also want to prepare some genealogical research before going)

Vibe of the trip:
I like a good mix of the gritty-city cultural vibes, history, adventure, and relaxing wander the streets and explore tho of days. What I planned incorporates all of them and is fast paced but allowed moments for me to slow down and soak up the location I am in.
I love any opportunity to meet locals or other travelers. This is why I’ll add things like hostel stays or group tours.

Accommodation:
I would LIKE to experience one agriturismo and I’m thinking of fitting it in at Ragusa, but not sure if I truly have the time for it. Open to suggestions or recommendations. I enjoy staying in hostels but check them for certain things like privacy curtains, not a party hostel, etc. I love meeting people. Other than that, I’d prefer to stay in small B&B’s (not air bnbs, but ones where you are actually hosted. Regular hotel as a last resort.

Brief overview:
2 nights Palermo
1 night Ragusa
2 nights Ortigia
2 nights Taormina
2 nights Cefalù (or one night here one in Palermo pre-flight)

I denoted anything specific I’m looking for advice on with italicized words and asterisks.

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1: Palermo (Saturday)

- I will land first thing in the AM (around 7am)
- I am used to jet lag and red eye flights and plan to use this day to see the city. Maybe a walking tour, maybe a food tour. Maybe head over to Mondello beach and rest there or at my hotel. Experience some of the iconic Palermo street nightlife
*** (any tips for that? Neighborhoods, etc?) ***
Spend the night: Palermo

Day 2: Palermo

- a full second day in Palermo to get to anything I didn’t the first. Goal is to absorb a bit of the culture here (I know it’s going to be hard to do that in such a short time-frame, but I have had those types of experiences on fast moving trips and have faith I’ll be able to slow down in the moments that I am in one place).
***Any advice for must see/do in Palermo is appreciated. I’m really excited to experience this city. My one set plan so far is to try the nun’s cannolo 😂 ***
Spend the night: Palermo

Day 3: Agrigento/Scala dei Turchi

- the plan for day 3 is to wake up early, head to Palermo train station (or airport?) by opening time (8AM? Or earliest) and get car rental.
- Drive to Agrigento, get there by 11AM to explore the ruins.
- Boat trip so Scala dei turchi around sunset or a little before. (I see some tours that leave at 3pm, that would give me an around 2-3 hours at Valley of the Temples, which is similar to what some tours give you). Ideally, I’d like to find a later boat tour any one that I can swim and view from the water and also stops so we can get off and walk on them (is this even worth it)
***Willing to accept any advice here on how to successfully get both out of my day***
- Drive to Vittora (2hrs). Settle in at either a small b&b in town center or agriturismo nearby. almost 2hr drive. Arrive after dark.
***Suggestions on the b&b or agriturismo would be appreciated! ***
Spend the night: in/near Vittoria
* I KNOW this will be a long and heavy driving day, but I feel it lets me see all I want to around Agrigento and set myself up for a calmer pace on day 4.

Day 4: Ragusa

- morning breakfast in Vittoria main square(?), explore Vittoria, imagine my great grandmother growing up there, stop by cemetery’s and municipal buildings for genealogy related things
***(I plan to also post in a genealogy page, but any suggestions to get the most out of this part of the experience would be super helpful, I just want to help my grandma live vicariously and feel like she has seen it. She mentioned wanting photos of her grandparents, so that’s part of the hunt)***
- evening drive to Syracuse/Ortigia
***(where is going to be the best place to leave my car here?)***
Spend the night: Ortigia

Day 5: Ortigia

- Full day in Ortigia to explore, wander streets, tour sites, chill on beach, dinner on the water
- meant to be one of my built in “slower” days
***(any specific suggestions or can’t miss?)***
Spend the night: Ortigia

Day 6: Mount Etna

- wake up early and drive to a tour at Mount Etna (or Taormina with a pickup there). I want to hike to the summit of Mount Etna with those tours you take the cable car then hike to the summit.
***(Any recommendations on tours??)***
- evening I would like to get back to Taormina in time to make a sunset cruise to relax after an adventure morning. I briefly saw the Etna tours end in Taormina around 4pm, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it and relax after a long day.
***(Not sure how to spend the evening or where to stay, beach or up in town??)***
Spend the night: Taormina

Day 7: Taormina

- full day in Taormina to wander, explore, site see, sit by a beach and slow down. Isolated Bella. Nice dinner (similar vibes to Ortigia day)
- meant to be one of my built in “slower” days
***(any specific suggestions or can’t miss?)***
Spend the night: Taormina

Day 8: Messina/ Stromboli tour

- morning breakfast in Taormina before 1 hr 15 min drive to Milazzo where the tours meet for Stromboli. Current idea is to take a full day boat tour where you get to see it erupt from the boat at night. —
***(is this the move??)***
I’m open to changing it up here. Hiking it could be cool too. I imagine myself being more of a hiker than I actually am, so I’ll probably be sore from hiking two days before but I’m ALL for the unique experiences. No pain no gain. From what I saw though, those happen mostly at night and would likely wrinkle the plan a bit. Im okay with that- I just would like to hear from people’s experience to understand it better and make a decision
***(I’m open to any experience or suggestions here, please.)***
- if I do the boat tour, my plan would be to do the late night drive nearly 2hr to cefalu, again to set myself up for a relaxing following day
Spend the night: Cefalu

Day 9: Cefalu

- full day in cefalu, last full day in Italy. I want to appreciate the culture here and relax. Similar to Ortigia and Taormina days.

Day 10: flight home at 9:45am

- would aim to get there for 6:45am (no checked bags, but have to return rental)
- would leave cefalu 4:45/5am to make the drive back and fly home. I KNOW this is early and really pushing it, but I think I am willing to do it to stay relaxed in cefalu and be in the same locations two nights.
***(Can be open to the idea of staying closer to the airport if anyone has any town suggestions between cefalu and the airport)***
OR I could just go back to Palermo on the night of Day 9. Stromboli affects this, too. For example, if I skip it, I could go straight to cefalu or if I do the overnight hike I might miss cefalu all together.

Here is also where car rental locations come into play. I could rent from the train station and return to the airport. It would be a few hundred dollars more expensive to have different pickup and return locations.
- if I pick up at Palermo train station it would make sense to come back and return evening of day 9, though I’m hoping that day could feel relaxed and that would add stress
- if I want to return to the airport the morning of my flight, it would make sense for me to go back to the airport in the morning on day 3 to pick up the car

Any thoughts, experiences, or advice would be super helpful. TIA!!!