We went off-season, the week before Thanksgiving, November 2017. This was a good trip; the weather was perfect, no crowds, but more things might have been open if we had gone a couple weeks earlier. We flew into Sicily and spent a couple days to see one of my husband’s ancestral homelands, then flew up north to spend some time hiking Cinque Terre, part of the Italian Riviera. We drove through Tuscany and finished up our trip with a few days in Rome.

Day by Day Schedule

Day 1 – Flight to Sicily & Drive across Sicily

We took an overnight flight from NY to Palermo and rented a car. We stopped in Bagheria and Enna on our way to Taormina, along the A19.

Day 2 – Taormina

We spent the day exploring this town.

9.14 miles walked, 129 flights of stairs

Day 3 – Sicily to Milan

We took an early morning flight from Catania to Milan. At the airport we rented a car and took a 1 hour detour to Switzerland. In Milan we climbed the Duomo roof and walked the canal district.

11.83 miles walked, 29 flights of stairs

Day 4 – Milan to Corniglia

We drove to the Italian Riviera and accidentally explored Sestri Levante.

8.04 miles walked, 74 flights of stairs

Day 5 – Cinque Terra - Corniglia Hiking South

We hiked to Manarola & Riomaggiore.

12.84 miles walked, 294 flights of stairs

Day 6 – Cinque Terra - Corniglia Hiking North

We hiked to Vernazza & Monterosso.

13.02 miles walked, 274 flights of stairs

Day 7 – Tuscany

We drove through Tuscany stopping in Lucca, San Gimignano, and Siena.

13.54 miles walked, 108 flights of stairs

Day 8 – Orvieto to Rome

We explored Orvieto and drove back to Rome

13.10 miles walked, 148 flights of stairs

Day 9 – Rome

We did a walking tour, toured the Colosseum, walked to St. Peter’s Square, saw the Pantheon, and had an amazing dinner.

13.24 miles walked, 69 flights of stairs

Day 10 – Rome

We did an audio tour of the Forum, walked around Paletine Hill, and wandered the city.

16.65 miles walked, 103 flights of stairs

Day 11- Going Home

Budget

Approx $2550 total for two

• Flight: $1140
• Lodging: $920
• Car rental: $390
• Tours: $100

Short on Time?

You could easily fly directly to Milan instead of Sicily and still have a great trip.

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