Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily

Denise, Michael, Steve and Linda join Inight's Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily tour on Saturday 26 September 2009. As we arrive in Rome late in the afternoon we stay close to the hotel and meet the rest of the tour group for welcome drinks. Day two we set off for Alberobello where we see the Trulli houses - Truly amazing! In the evening we skip the optional dinner and make our way to the centre of town where a festival is in full swing. We have a lovely dinner in the town square under the lights for a quarter the price of the optional. The next day we take the optional tour to the white washed town of Ostuni. On day four we travel to Matera to see the 'Sassi' and make our way down the narrow streets past the houses and churches dug out of the rock. The trip down the coast is long and the hotels are average but we enjoyed the sights. The ferry crossing to Sicily is short. On arrival in Messina the bus struggles to pass the cars whose drivers had chosen to stop in any fashion. At one stage several of the tour group males got off with the bus driver to lift a car into a parking space. We are soon transferred to small mini buses to make the steep climb to Taormina. A lovely town with panoramic views.

Our excursion to Mt Etna was eventful as we saw many rally cars coming down the mountain. The road was very windy and as we made our way around the bend one of the rally cars underestimated the corner and ploughed into our bus. Mt Etna was very barren and the weather changed quickly going very windy and cold. Steve made the climb up the very steep and slippery walking track to get some good pictures. Our next stop was Savoca in the Sicilian Hills famous for the filming of the Godfather. We were lucky to be there on a day when the shooting of Godfather 4 was taking place. We make our way to Palermo and visiting Agrigento and the Monreale Cathedral.

The hotel in Palermo is lovely and we have enough spare time to explore the streets and sample local food and wine. Sightseeing with the local guide included the Cathedral, Quattro Canti Square, Palatine Chapel and much more. The highlight of our time in Palermo was the fishing town of Cefalu. We were soon on the ferry to Naples.

After spending the night on the ferry from Sicily we arrive in Naples early in the morning. We are taken to a local hotel for breakfast and then off to a cameo factory. From there we go to Pompeii and only spent two hours exploring this huge historical sight. Disappointing really. Unfortunately we felt very tired not having slept well on the ferry and wasted valuable time at the cameo factory which should have been allocated to Pompeii. Our hotel (La Medusa) for the next two days is half way between Sorrento and Naples and is just beautiful with lovely gardens overlooking the Bay of Naples. We take the optional tour driving down the Amalfi Coast to Positano - not to be missed. The views are spectacular and the day was lovely. On day eleven we take the ferry to the stunning Isle of Capri. We spend our time cruising around the island, walked through Capri Town and caught the funicular train - another must do.

On day twelve we return to Rome and visit the Colosseum and St Peter's Basilica with the tour group. Although we have been to these sights before they never cease to amaze. That evening we have our last meal with our tour group. Denise, Michael, Steve and Linda have one more day in Rome before flying home so we catch the hop on hop off bus and enjoy the Rome at our leisure.

My photoshow can be seen at the Members Gallery:

Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily

Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily - two

Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily - three

Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily - four

Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily - five

All my photos can been seen at:
flickr

Thank you Linda. Sounds like you had a gr8 time. Your pictures are very good, and very appreciated.