Hi-

I took an overnight ferry from the Aeolian Islands (Lipari) to Naples, 2 years ago in Feb/March. It was great because it didn't waste a day for travel and we got to Naples the next morning then took a Ferry to Sorrento. We stayed at Hotel Nice in Sorrento which was great and inexpensive. Also, I would not rent a car in Sorrento because it's really difficult driving on the Amalfi Coast. There is a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi and Positano that is really cheap and really easy to take. There is also the Circumvesuviana (the subway) that goes from Naples to Sorrento. You can take that to Pompeii. It drops you off right in front! Very easy to use!!! There is a bus that goes from Sorrento to Rome and I believe it leaves at 6am and gets to Rome at around 9am so once again you don't waste your day.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I hope that this helps!

Amy

Ciao Amy,

Thanks for the information. I will certainly check it out. Our trip is starting in Venice for Carnivale (have always wanted to be in Venice at this time) before flying to Sicily. This trip we decided that a few days in Sicily was a MUST since we have seen "The Godfather" numerous times. I will certainly consider not driving the Amalfi coast as many do not recommend doing so.

Grazie, grazie,

Rueben

Having spent about a month in Sicily over the past 2 years, 3.5 days is not nearly enough to do what you are thinking about doing. To see the hometown (Corleone) of the Mafia is about 4-5 hours from Catania. Depends on if you want to drive or hire someone to take you. We love Taormina, which is about 35-40 minutes drive from the Catania Airport. The Villa Ducale is the place to stay. It is extremely reasonable for the beauty of the place. They could arrange a person to take you on a tour of Mt. Etna, or see some ruins at Syracuse. Agrigento is fabulous for ruins but that would be about a day and a half trip? Sicily is a fabulous place - You could easily spend 2 weeks there. If you want to do the most in 3.5 days, I would contact Sebastiano at SicilyLife.com. He is the concierge at Villa Ducale and he owns part of this company. They are extremely reasonable and could take you to many places.

Please feel free to contact me again if you want info. We have spent several months in various parts of Italy over the past few years. Post your question and I will respond.

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Rueben; I agree with Colleen, you can't see too much of Sicily in three days, but you can have fun!

We just finished the Amalfi coast and Sicily/Aeolian Islands in June.

In Sicily,Taormina is a beautiful town, and easy access from the Catania airport. Another lower cost option for a hotel there is the Hotel Continental. About two blocks up off the main street thru town, great and friendly staff, good views (ask for a view room) and some parking available. You could spend a night here, and motor to Syracuse the next day.

Syracuse has some great ruins and a good museum. There is wonderful bed and breakfast (and fantastic dinners too, if you want!) that is about three miles outside of town that has had many writeups..........it is called Il Limoneto. Again, a wonderful staff,and great rates!!

One other travel option you have for your trip to Sorrento is to take the train! Yes, you can get on the train in Sicily, and take it all the way to Naples, etc! at Messia they load the Sicilian train on the ferry, and take it across to the mainland. 1st class seating is fantastic (and cheap?), and there are great views on this trip.

Again, driving is not fun on the Amalfi coast. Sorrento is fantastic base. When we stayed there with some friends we rented a two bedroom apt. for a week. I believe It was $500E for the week. Balcony with some views, and close to the main drag.

Have a great trip!

PS go to the Sorrento city web sites, and check out their live web cams. great cams. Great views!

We will be staying in Taormina Jan.5th thru the 10th. Anyone know about the weather, what is open, where to go, private, licensed tour guides. we have ahotel but need guides and great places to see. thanks so much for the help. paulapureheart21@aol.com

Again I say, try SicilyLife.com. They do great trips and are very reasonable.

Colleen

twfhi61@hotmail.com

I don't know anything about the hotel that was mentioned here, but I do believe that you initially requested 3 or 4 star. Villa Ducale would qualify for that.

Colleen

Ciao Colleen and Swick,

All right you convinced me that Taormina is the place to use as a base. Also, I have already sent Sebastiano and Francisco a looooong e-mail to enquire about all their services, including personalized tours as an alternative to us renting a car for three days. The specialized services they provide seem very similar to those of Georgio's house in Palermo, who unfortunately are closed during the month of February.

Thanks again for all of you help and for steering me to Sebastiano and Francisco at Sicilylife.com. They seem to fill the need for someone special that really enjoys providing their services.

For your future reference for a special place in Venice, Locanda Orseolo, a B&B, is rated #1 by TripAdvisor readers and we plan to stay there for Carnivale prior to going to Sicily. We tried 6-months in advance to stay there in May 2004 but they were booked solid (so this time we made our reservation when we were there in May).

Again milli grazie for all the very useful information and pointing us in the right direction for what will be our very special first visit to Sicily.

Ciao,

Rueben

E-mail: JefeRMRM@MSN.COM

San Antonio, Texas, USA

We stayed at Hotel Nice in Sorrento, I think they have a website. It was clean and nice and in a great location in Sorrento. As for the Sicily thing. You should check out the overnight ferry from Palermo to Naples and see when that runs. We took that from the Aeolian Islands and then arrived in Naples early in the morning and took a ferry to Sorrento. Really easy to do! We also took a bus (DO NOT DRIVE TO AMALFI) which is really easy from Sorrento. Take the Cirecumvesuviana (the subway) to both Pompeii and Hercunaluem. It is not far from Sorrento and not far from the hotel Nice. And drops you off right in front. Don't miss the Porta Portese Flea Market (Sunday's only) in Rome. We took and early morning bus (6AM) from Sorrento to Rome (got us there at 9AM). Hope that helps!