Next month, I’m taking a trip to Italy that, on paper, sounds meticulously well planned. There are multiple flights, close to 10 destinations, some new, some favorites, and a number of friends equal to that number of destinations involved.
It might be interpreted as concerningly complicated.
But, it’s not.
Rather, it is loosely organized with some quite firm components attached to a generous amount of opportunity for spontaneity.
I am so excited.
We start in Sicily where we’ll have a week to get an introduction to three cities – Siracusa, Catania and Palermo. Of the 7 days we’ll have on the island, I’ve booked activities for 4 of them. No surprise that three of the tours are focused on food and/or wine, with the fourth being a 5 hour excursion to Mt. Etna.
Sidebar: Can we collectively send the recently explosive Mt. Etna respectful and calming vibes? I’d really like to stick to our itinerary of landing in Catania and departing from Palermo.
Our first stop is Siracusa where I’ve arranged a 3+ hour introductory walking tour of the coastal city and neighboring Ortigia. We’re doing this on the afternoon of our arrival day – a plan that some might find aggressive after a transatlantic flight, but my perspective is that we can be led to some of the highlights of the area, places that we may want to explore independently the next day when we have nothing whatsoever planned.
After two nights in Siracusa we return to Catania. We’ll spend that three hours in the evening exploring the city with a chef. Again, it’ll be a chance to get oriented to a new place while enjoying local food and drinks with someone deeply familiar the food scene and history of a place that will be new to us.
The next morning, we meet our guide who will provide us with an introduction Mt. Etna along with a sampling of some of the bounty produced in the region. In the evening, likely after a siesta, we can independently revisit Catania and experience a Friday night out in what I understand to be a lively city.
Our final three nights will be spent in Palermo. I booked a welcoming wine tasting for the first night, but purposely left our remaining time unscheduled. My hope is that we’ll make our way to Monreale Cathedral to see what I’ve read are magnificent mosaics. I’m also very interested in soaking in a pool of natural thermal waters and this wish seems to be within reach if we continue driving past Monreale.
Beyond these activities in the Palermo area, we’ll have a day and a half to just check stuff out. If we opt to drive directly to Palermo from Catania, there might be an opportunity to take the train to Cefalu, a coastal town that has been recommended to me by a well traveled friend. We’ll see what the weather and our energy level supports.
After what I’m sure will feel like a fast week, we’ll move on to the mainland of Italy where we’ll be rendezvousing with dear friends of mine to share Thanksgiving in Florence.
To be continued…
