Southern Italy and Sicily

Most of my trips are planned a year in advance, but an itinerary including Sicily caught my attention, and I booked it on short notice.

The day before our April 22, 2025, departure, we learned Pope Francis had died. A friend sent me a link to a Viator tour, so we booked a three-hour golf cart tour that took us away from the main area. Simultaneously, I canceled a previously booked walking tour for a full refund.

On the Viator Rome tour day, our young driver of the golf cart expertly maneuvered through heavy traffic past long lines waiting to enter St. Peter's Basilica. First was the Spanish Steps, where we wandered up and down, snapping photos of the streets below, with crowds of people and vibrant flower displays in pink, purple, and white.

Next, at Terrazzo del Pincio, we encountered a singing entertainer blowing cascades of bubbles.

We had photo stops at the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum.

Some gelato, near where we began, ended our tour on quite a delicious note. I convinced (or, instead, dragged) my husband to shop a bit. I found a pretty rainproof jacket (nicer-looking than my hiking REI one) and a pair of wide-legged capris - both on sale!

On April 25, from our assigned bus seats, we headed south, visiting the ruins of Pompeii and then proceeding to Sorrento. (I found Turkey's Ephesus ruins were more impressive.) In Sorrento, a farmhouse dinner set in a lemon grove featured a supervised pizza-making demonstration for four of our tour members, outfitted in amusing aprons. Lemons hanging from the branches were larger than grapefruit. The meal was a fun experience, especially due to the warm hospitality of the farm owners. Their large Shepherd/Husky mix snoozed up on the tile roof, adding to the charm of the experience.

The following day, we put our suitcases out at 6:30 a.m. with a scheduled departure at 7:30 a.m. We rotated bus seats again, but the same people were still in front of us and behind us. The woman behind me coughed so violently, I finally put on a mask. Exhibiting no signs of illness, I hoped her cough was due to a dry throat or allergies, which many were experiencing.

The ferry to the Isle of Capri was smooth, and the twisty-turning drive along the Amalfi Coast to Positano was spectacular. Our tour dates coincided with local holidays occurring on non-consecutive days throughout the week, necessitating early departures. Shops were closed, workers were heading to the beach, and the narrow, twisty roads all led to increased traffic. Rest stops were brief, with long lines of Italians and other tourists at the toilets (I am not a fan of the seatless Italian toilets).

Interestingly, our tour included a family group of older people from New York of Sicilian descent, and eager to see Sicily. Driving past Salerno and through Calabria was panoramic, and then we boarded the high-speed ferry to Taormina, featured on the show The White Lotus. The beach scenes in The White Lotus were filmed elsewhere in the locale, since there are no lovely beaches in Taormina. Surprised that the production company fooled the viewers? It was hot with little shade in the ruins of Teatro Antico di Taormina. It features parts that are currently used by famous artists, such as Lady Gaga, for their concerts. Taormina is a very pretty and easy place to walk around, but it can be quite crowded. Our lovely hotel was situated in Naxos, offering a beautiful pool and gardens adorned with statuary. Our room had an expansive tiled terrace shared with two other rooms, with views of the pool and Mount Etna.

An early morning ride took us up to Mt. Etna, where we found shops, restaurants, and food trucks. The elevation was about the same as we can drive on Mount Rainier at the 6,000-foot level. We brought numerous lava stones home for good luck because the local guide said the mountain always produces more. It was shocking that we could, considering that in U.S. parks, it is illegal to take anything.

The next day, Etna was erupting and we could see the smoke from our hotel! I busied myself taking photos out on the terrace. As I returned to our room and began to open the door, I heard a man saying, "No, no, no!" I had entered the wrong room, and a man in his pajamas sat lengthwise on the bed, reading. I apologized profusely. He was gracious, not bothered. I rushed into my room and collapsed on the bed, laughing.

Syracuse, Sicily, included a walking tour led by a local. We laughed hilariously when she explained how Sicilians leave damage on their cars and never wash them. Other drivers yield, thinking banged-up vehicles have nothing to lose! We learned the Sicilian way to cross the street, with few crosswalks. "Step out, look in the opposite direction of the traffic; the cars will stop. If not, halt in the middle of the road and glare at them. Never run. Sicilians are easily panicked. Stroll across the street slowly and calmly.

The winding, uphill drive to Savoca is narrow and scenic. Part of the movie The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, was filmed in this village. Not climbing to see a church with the group, my husband and I encountered an elderly woman who spoke a single line of words in the movie. She came out onto her balcony, the apartment where she had lived during the movie and still resided. She lowered a basket of freshly baked loaves of bread to a pair of men working in the store below her apartment. We waved and smiled, and she gestured for us to stand in front of a beautiful tree with the valley behind, to take a selfie. I liked the drive to Savoca; it is charming, quaint, and uncrowded.

My husband and I skipped touring the Agrigento ruins. Visible from the road, the impressive ruins had no shade, and the two-hour walking tour was a challenge in the heat, and at the end of the day. We went to the hotel, found a small bar across the road, open at 4 o'clock, and shared our charcuterie with two tour mates. Those who visited the Agrigento ruins encountered a dust storm, and later, some reported coughing up orange dust. 😳

Near Palermo in 1992, there was a slaughter of a mafia boss, his family, and their bodyguards on the highly traveled road to Palermo - an ambush, killing them. A local guide explained the Anti-Mafia Movement that began after the assassination. The Mafia ran the country, keeping people poor and demanding payola; it ruined businesses if they were non-compliant with its demands. Residents couldn't even say the word 'mafia' out loud during those times without repercussions.

The views from Erice are the most incredible I've ever seen! Rising above the clouds, we saw large cliffs floating in the clouds poking out toward the sea. A historic medieval village, the shops and eateries were open. We weren't up to tackling the long, uphill climb through Erice, so we took a cable car down to sea level. Since it was a holiday, nothing was open in the sea-level town, and we rode back up to Erice for lunch.

By now, the Sicilian family members were all coughing heavily, as were many others.

We weren't.

***

The tour complete, it was time to head to the Palmero airport. We arrived three hours prior to the flight, but the luggage carousels were out of order. Rather than checking everyone in and manually loading the luggage, the agents kept us in line for over an hour. We had no water because we had not yet gone through security. The clerk was new and needed assistance to check me in, which further delayed us. We rushed to the gate with no time to purchase a drink. The plane left late, making our connection time tight at Heathrow, and we had to navigate many corridors, stairs, escalators, and a train. I trotted as fast as I could with a sore knee, and barely had time to reach the gate; again, without water. The flight seemed an interminable ten and a half hours. Once home, my internal clock took two weeks to return to my time zone. Jet lag is a bummer, but it is heaven to get home and sleep in your bed, cook in your kitchen.

A severe head cold settled in thanks to my tour companions and lingered for a month. My family was astounded because I usually recover in a day or two.

Thanks for touring southern Italy and Sicily with me!

Copyright © 7/31/2025 by Andrea O. Corwin

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