P. Marlin July 2022
Note: A work in progress, not all photo content is posted yet.
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was the itinerary for our family's first trip to Italy. Originally planned for 2020, the trip was delayed due to COVID. This gave me an additional 2 years to fine tune our multi-week trip to Sicily, Almalfi Coast, Florence, and Rome. An aggressive itinerary does not provide much flexibility, so we were disappointed in flight delays that resulted in our arriving in Florence eight hours later than planned. As a result, we were unable to use our timed reservations for Michaelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery. Fortunately, we were able to visit Florence again later in the trip - though without seeing David. Arriving in Florence near midnight, we briefly enjoyed our airbnb and an early morning view of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore before catching our flight to Palermo, Sicily and the beginning our 3 week adventure.
Italy Itinerary Overview (additional details below)
Dates: June 4 - 20, 2022
Positano. P Marlin June 2022
We were headed to Sicily ... the home of the Cosa nostra, the cannoli, and my husband's ancestors. Our first two days in the "old country" were spent in Palermo. Authentic as it gets, we thoroughly enjoyed the cultural sites and sounds of the nearly 3,000 year old city. Ranging from Arab to Norman to Roman, Palermo's city markets showcase the city's broad ethnic base. As our trip to Italy's mainland progressed, we realized that Sicily offered the most authentic "off the beaten path" experience as well as the best food of the entire trip. Once we landed in Palermo, we rented a car and drove around the island the first 10 days of our Italy trip. Airbnb's were our primary lodging, however, our first two nights in Sicily were spent at the Best Western Ai Cavalieri Hotel. This was to accommodate our need to park the rental car easily. For century perspectives of Sicily, visit Sicily Then & Now.
Our first view of Palermo, Sicily. P Marlin June 2022
We took a flight from Florence to Palermo, where we picked up our rental car and carefully made our way to the Best Western Ai Cavalieri Hotel close to the city's historic district. From the hotel, we spent the afternoon walking Palermo's historic city center.
Our full day in Palermo included visiting mercati (markets), piazzas and churches. We enjoyed eating arancini's, brioche with gelato "brioche con gelato," and cannoli's. Little did we know, but we had our best cannoli of the trip that day at the Chiesa di Santa Caterina's bakery. I ate the large cannoli very quickly, but its creamy, not overly sweet taste lingers in my mind and on my taste buds!
A fantastic view of Palermo from the rooftop of the Palermo Cathedral.
It was time to start the road trip. Outside Palermo's city limits, Sicilian driving was navigable. Our first stop was Segesta, the temple ruins from the time of the Elymians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily. We then ventured toward another set of ruins, though more modern, the ruins of Poggioreale, a city destroyed by the 1968 Belice Valley earthquake. It was hot and dry so we were looking forward to our next stop, Scala dei Turchi, the site of the famous Stair of the Turks on Sicily's west coast.
Scala dei Turchi (Turkish steps). J Marlin June 2022
After waking up to a stunning view of the bright blue Mediterranean sea, we spent the rest of our morning at the Valley of the Temples. A UNESCO Heritage site of eight Greek temples and ruins, we took a two hour scooter tour through the ruins. We thought the scooter tour was fantastic, however, if you do not know how to navigate a scooter (and some people don't), you may consider just walking the park. Once the tour was over, we ate at the Valley of the Temples cafe located close to the entrance (where we picked up / dropped off our scooters). A nice summer breeze cooled us as we sat in amongst the shade of the citrus trees eating our lunch. After lunch, we drove about an hour into the interior of Sicily to visit the 14th century medieval Castello Manfredonico, also called Mussomeli Castle.
Castello Manfredonico. P Marlin June 2022
Our visit to Riesi was special. My husband's ancestors, the Lupo, Anzaldi, and Butera families, all from Riesi, immigrated to America in the early 20th century. Centuries old traditions hold firm in this small community, from the afternoon riposo, an extended afternoon break, to pensioners, mostly elderly men, who sit or pace in the piazza from morning to evening. The American tradition of dinner at 5 or 6 pm is unheard of as families gather in the piazza for dinner from 9 to 10pm. We were thankful for the restaurant that fed us dinner at 7pm (those Americans!). Our goal was to learn as much as possible about the culture and history of the community as well as research family history. The language barrier was restricting and initimidating, but overall, our experience in Riesi was wonderful. We stayed at the Veneziano Palace in Riesi, located near the Piazza Garibaldi, the only accommodations we found in Riesi. Located on a historic street, the hotel interior is modern and comfortable. My husband's Italian Genealogy.
Remnants of the old and abandoned Sommatino Sulfur Mine, greeted us as we drove into the small town of Riesi. My husband's ancestors worked the sulfur mines for many years. Thankfully, Riesi acknowledges the history of sulfur miner at the local museum, Museo della Miniera Trabia Tallarita. An accurate and informative presentation of the mine's work and history, the staff kindly walked us through the museum. Speaking only Italian, we absorbed as much information as we could while observing the museum's displays. Once our museum tour concluded, we made our first visit to the Riesi Cemetery, where my husband's family is buried. Located on a hill above Riesi (the dead always have the best views), we searched for long deceased ancestors before settling at the Veneziano Palace for the night.
The Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario in Riesi. J Marlin 2022
Using historic documents as a guide, we traversed Riesi's historic streets where my husband's ancestors dwelled over a century earlier. The Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario, Riesi's oldest church, proudly overlooks the Piazza Garibaldi as it has for centuries. A walk inside the Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario transitions one from a warm stone exterior to a lovely cool blue and white interior where ceremonial statues and historic paintings grace the walls overlooking the historic santuary. Many of my husband's ancestors were baptized or married in this very church.
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the Veneziano Palace before our road trip took us west to Gela. We made a quick stop at Gela beach where, in July 1943, World War II allied forces, under the direction of General George S. Patton, landed in an effort to re-take Italy from the Axis powers. There was not much commemorating this event at the beach, so we traveled to the nearby Area Fortificata del Ponte Dirillo Nord. A memorial at this site commemorates the men of the 82nd Airborne Division who fought and died at Ponte Dirillo on July 10, 1943 during Operation Husky. The pill boxes (concrete dug-in guard-posts) used by World War II German and Italian forces still fill the landscape.
We quickly moved on as we still had a full day ahead of us. A few hours drive east took us to the ancient center of Syracuse, the Island of Ortigia. Several parking garages line the edge of Ortigia making it easy to visit if driving a car. Rich in Greek and Roman history, Syracuse provides its own uniqueness to Sicily's many historic destinations.
Leaving Syracuse provided us with our first glimpse of the active volcano, Mt. Etna. An impressive site, we continued to wind our way along Sicily's southern coast until we arrived at the beautiful town of Taormina.
Area Fortificata del Ponte Dirillo Nord. J Marlin 2022
Our full day in Taormina included a walk down the Corso Umberto, a cable car ride to the beach, and a visit to Taormina's ancient theater, Teatro Antico di Taormina, with its inspiring views of one of Europe's largest active volcanos, Mt Etna. As natural with an active volcano, we could see lava stream down the mountain at night and smoke billowing during the day. The highlights of this trip were our Airbnb with its view of Mt. Etna and Sicily's famous breakfast "granita" at the Bam Bam bar.
Taormina at twilight with the active volcano, Mt. Etna, in the distance. J Marlin June 2022
Reluctantly leaving Taormina, we drove east to the hilltop town to Savoca, Sicily. Savoca was the site of the 1972 filming of the movie, The Godfather. A winding road led us up to Savoca along with other tourists commemorating the 50th anniversary of the movie. The small village was busy, however, we were able to get a seat at the Bar Vitelli where Michael Corleone sat when he asked the Bar Vitelli's propietor if he could date his daughter. We also ventured up the winding walkway to the church where the Corleone wedding scene was filmed. Our final destination was Falcone, a seaside town where more of my husband's ancestors lived before immigrating to America.
Savoca, Sicily where The Godfather was filmed (1972). The church in the
photo was used in the scene of Michael Corleone's marriage to Apollonia. P Marlin June 2022
After our final night in Sicily, we drove west to Cefalu, then Palermo. After a short visit to Cefalu, we drove to the Port of Palermo where we returned the rental car, then prepared to board the GNV ferry for an overnight trip to Naples. History point: My husband's ancestors boarded a ship for America in Palerma traveling via Naples on their way to America in the early 20th century. we decided to take a similar path. Early the next morning we took in our first view of Mt. Vesuvius as we sailed into the Bay of Naples. Next destination: Pompeii.
The sun sets on Sicily's northern coast. P Marlin June 2022
A complex transportation day. Arriving in Naples, we had to rely on public transportation for the rest of our trip. After disembarking the Naples ferry, we expected to catch the Naples subway for a short ride to the Naples train station where we would catch the Campania Express to Pompeii ruins (Pompeii Scavi). Pulling our luggage, we arrived at the subway station to find out that it had closed the day before for maintenance (ugh! the unexpected situation). Walking to the train station was a tolerable distance, however, it was hot and the weight of the luggage made the idea less feasible. After walking for some time, we decided to grab a taxi, however, we didn't realize that we had to go to an official "taxi station" to get a taxi (taxis ignore you if you hail them from the street). Backtracking and trying to figure out what to do, we came across a taxi station and was quickly driven to the Naples train station.
TIP: I had bought the Campania Express train tickets prior to our trip. The Campania Express is a nicer (way nicer!) train than the cheaper, heavily-used, seriously run-down, Campania train. The Campania Express offers air conditioning, more luggage room, fewer trains and less stops. It's important to note that getting on the nicer Campania Express train is a tad more difficult. Upon entry to the Naples Train Station, go to the bottom level via the escalator (there will be a sign indicating Campania Express trains). There is one small window where you show someone your ticket. They will instruct you to wait until personnel show up to take you to the Campania Express platform. And yes, a few minutes before your train is due to leave, someone shows up and walks you to the Campania Express platform. Getting on the train was still confusing, but somehow we ended up in the right car on the right train. After a harrowing morning, we were on our way to Pompeii Scavy!
View of Mount Vesuvius from the Bay of Naples. D Marlin June 2022
Our day at Pompeii included a morning tour booked with Airbnb (highly recommend) and an afternoon touring the site at our own pace. Pompeii is huge - we only covered about a quarter of the site. If you are serious about visiting Pompeii, I recommend spending more than one day visiting the site. After our day at Pompeii, we booked Positano Car Service (highly recommend) to pick us up at the entrance to Pompeii and drive us to the Positano Airbnb. It was at Positano, after walking up many flights of stairs to our Airbnb, that we finally concluded our long transportation day.
We stayed at the Almalfi Coast for 3 nights. One full day was spent in Positano where we had a fantastic breakfast at Casa e Bottega, shopped the incredible stores (love the linen clothing), and wandered down to the beach where, unless you are willing to pay, you will have no place to lounge. The next day, we traveled to Capri via pre-booked ferries to and from Positano. These two days were spectacular. Midway through our trip, the relaxed Positano day provided us a respite from complicated transportation issues and general weariness from our regulated time schedule and the heat. The day trip to Capri was even better.
After the 9am ferry from Positano to Capri, we walked a short distance to the HP Travel office where we picked up our pre-booked tickets for our boat ride around Capri. As we sailed out of Porto Turistico di Capri, stone cliffs, seagulls, and blue-green water greeted us as the salt air blew refreshingly in our faces. This boat service was especially nice because, though it did stop at the Blue Grotto, it not linger causing us to wait for those who wanted to go into the grotto (other boat services wait). As we sailed around the north west corner of the island, we saw the amazing sea stacks looming in the distance. We returned to Porto Turistico di Capri and used our pre-booked bus tickets (purchased through HP Travel as well) for the ride up to Anacapri. The bus ride is a bit adventurous as narrow streets and winding roads make for an interesting ride.
At Anacapri we ate lunch at ??. This was the first time I had a fresh basil plant accompany my margherita pizza order (how cool is it to pick the leaves from a fresh basil plant for your pizza??). After lunch we took the chairlift up to Monte Solaro (this is an incredible ride), where we captured amazing photos of the island. Upon returning to Capri via bus, we walked up to the ruins of Emporer Tiberus' palace, Villa Jovis.
View of Capri from Monte Solaro. P Marlin June 2022
Ready for the final leg of our Italian trip, I booked the Positano Car Service to pick us up at the Positano Airbnb and drive us to the Naples Train Station. At the train station, we boarded the high speed train to Rome Termini. Upon arrival in Rome over an hour later, we took a taxi to our Airbnb which was located near Trevi Fountain. Still in aggressive itinerary mode (there is so much to see!), I planned a full afternoon in Rome. From our Airbnb we walked to the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna) and the Piazza del Popolo, then we ventured south on the Via del Corso to Piazza Venezie and finally Belvedere Tarpeo, a Roman Forum overlook. For a century perspective of Rome visit Rome Then & Now.
View of Rome from Viale del Parco del Celio. J Marlin June 2022
Our first full day in Rome was a historic (what else is there?) tour of the city. From our Airbnb we headed back to the Spanish Steps. I wanted to eat breakfast at the Antico Caffè Greco, the oldest cafe in Rome, however, they were closed on Mondays.
The oldest Roman bridge in Rome. P Marlin June 2022
We booked an Airbnb tour for the Vatican Museums (highly recommend) in the morning. From our Airbnb, we rode the Metro from Barbarina to Ottaviano Metro stop, then walked a short distance to the Vatican Museums entrance where the guide met us. At this point, our itinerary unexpectedly changed. I had planned to do the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica tours in one day, however, the St. Peters Basilica tour was moved to another day to accommodate the overcrowding at the Vatican in the afternoon. In addition, our Colosseum tour with Tours of Italy for the next day was cancelled due to an unexpected event at the Colosseum. Thankfully, Tours of Italy was able to re-book the Colosseum tour for later the same day as our Vatican Museum tour. The only draw-back to the re-booked 3:30pm Colosseum tour was I did not have as much time to spend in the Roman Forum since it closed at 7pm. The colosseum tour included the underground where gladiators waited before they competed, as well as the holding area for caged animals. To get to this level of the Colosseum, our tour guide had to seek out a staff member who had the keys to let us in.
The Roman Colosseum. P Marlin June 2022
Our Colosseum tour being moved to the previous day allowed us to rest in the morning before taking the high speed train to Florence around noon. This worked out well, as we had missed most of our Florence sites due to our incoming flight delays. In Florence we climbed the Giotto Bell Tower for an excellent view of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria (Brunellesci's dome), visited the Basilica di Santa Croce (Michelangelo and Dante burial sites), walked through the Piazza della Signoria, saw Botticelli paintings at the Uffizi Gallery, walked to Ponte Vecchio bridge over the Arno River, then walked back the train station to catch the high speed back to Rome.
A view of the Florence Dome from Giotto's Bell Tower. J Marlin June 2022
This was supposed to be our last day in Rome. We took our re-booked tour of St. Peter's Basilica as planned (Tours of Italy - just "OK), which included a climb up Michelangelo's dome, St. Peter's Basilica, and the crypt where the pope's are buried. It's unfortunate that photos aren't allowed in crypt, it is pretty cool. After the tour, we headed to the Appian Way. There is no easy way to get to the Appian Way. We took the Metro to Arco Di Travertino stop where we were supposed to pick up a bus to the Cecilia Metella stop near the Appia Antica Caffe. We grew impatient as a bus did not arrive, so we decided to have a car service pick us up and take us to a spot further south on the Appian Way, which then allowed us to walk up to the Cecilia bus stop. This made for less walking and we easily caught the bus back to the subway stop. We only walked a short portion of the Appian Way.
The Appian Way. P Marlin June 2022
All packed and ready to catch our flight out of Rome at 10am, we woke up to an email from Delta stating that our flight had been rescheduled for the following day. Woohoo! An extra day in Rome. We briefly panicked because we did not have a place to stay, however, there just happened to be another Airbnb in our unit that had availability that night (so thankful when things work out). Allowing us to check in early, we settled our stuff in the new Airbnb before venturing out again. It turned out to be a pleasant day as we had nothing on the agenda! We could explore as we wanted.
The Capitoline Museum. P Marlin June 2022