Sicily
You can see my photos album Google.
You can see my Youtube playlist : Sicily
2 weeks stay September 2019
Preamble
Back to Sicily 24 years later. Upon that time I drove from Grenoble, taking a ferry at Villa San Giovanni.
Now, willing to see other spots.
Crossing
From Toulon, taking Corsica ferries to get to Trapani, NW of Sicily at 6p.m. and landing at 1p.m.
2 weeks later, back to Toulon same schedules.
Lodging
By Booking, for the first week, I found out a self-catering cottage between Noto and Avola : Massaria Usamborgia. A good place to visiting SE coast.
This place was tough to get to, even with the gps point, because of my 2 softwares (Sygic and Becker Map Pilot) giving very bad ways. Fortunately, a Sicilian guy in a gas-station was very helpful guiding me to the gite right after phoning to the gite owner at dusk.
Even during the daytime it was difficult to find the way back because of lack of signposts.
This place is like heaven. Many animals in freedom. Very good welcome. Meals, based upon vegetables, are delicious, a little bit expensive but good quality.
Free wifi.
Dont' miss to buy fresh olive oil and almonds.
Be aware that we are in the middle of nowhere, so buy some food if you don't wanna eat in their "cucina" !
For the second week, I went to Cefalu lodging in Villa Magara, a gorgeous spot in the hills upon the harbour. Easy to find.
A big house, from XVII century, dominates the place with many animals : goats, donkeys, turkeys, hens, rabbits, dog, ...
Welcome is very good and breakfast (4 euros) is fabulous. A very nice place close to Cefalu.
Road network
Driving from Trapani to Noto, using SS115 through Marsalla, Agrigente, Gela, I noticed badly-maintained roads and refuses all along. An open-air garbage.
Motorways are bumpy and surfaces are uneven. Some are free.
The highway code isn't usually enforced by inhabitants. So I drove as Sicilian guys do without any trouble.
Visits
In SE coast, I wished to visit again Taormina and Syracusa, but I got to give up because it was impossible to park even with an admission fee !
Very different in N coast because the SS113 runs along and there are many beautiful villages. For instance, Santo Stefano di Camastra, well-known for ceramics.
Be careful not to drive in ZLT. Many cameras at entrances and you 'd get as many 100 euros fees as a camera take your carplate ..... when back home !
Cefalu is a very nice place to go all over. Don't miss to eat "cannoli" a special ice-cream and getting lunch at La Tavernetta restaurant at the harbour.
From this city, I went for a ride to Lipari and Vulcano using Visit Sicily Tours. Departure at 8 a.m. Return at 7.30 p.m.
Buy tickets at VST office in a street close to the cathedral.
I didn't get back to Stromboli because of ticket price and return at 11 p.m. And other islands included didn't interest me.
Conclusion
Getting back to Sicily 24 years later was disappointing because of all I wrote before but I enjoyed very much the lodgings : that's the main thing.
