Planning a trip to Southern Italy/Sicily in July.

quote:

---

Does anyone think Covid will have slowed down enough by July?

---

I would only book refundable or movable reservations, and what do you mean by slow down enough? Do I think I could likely have a great time in July, absolutely. I don't think I'd plan on it being normal though unfortunately.

Hotter than a summer in Louisiana?

Sounds like a lovely trip--but I agree that I wouldn't be booking ANYTHING that is non-refundable. Health infrastructure in the South is not robust, especially in Puglia/Basilicata. It is difficult to predict how quickly people will be vaccinated in those mountainous regions---I haven't been keeping up with vaccine distribution and immunization in Italy.

I've driven from Rome to Palermo & back--the roads (at least the big autostradas) in the south are new & nice, so the driving isn't difficult. Now, the drive across the middle of the Sicilian interior on the A19 (from Catania to Palermo) is another story--long stretches of elevated roadway over river flood plains & the concrete was visibly crumbling, rebar visible all over the place. Many stretches down to one lane or under repair (this was 2018).

What's your planned itinerary within Sicily?

Agree about the organized chaos—a wonderful way to describe Palermo for sure. If your route from Siracusa goes back to Catania then on to Agrigento, consider a stop in Enna around lunchtime. One of the better meals of my life was in a simple trattoria in Enna: La Rustica. Traditional food, served to locals.

I'm not sure how sold you are on going to only southern italy. I'd consider something like flying into Milan and then training south. I don't know maybe its a dumb idea, but my thought is that then if Southern Italy is not a good idea you have Switzerland, france, northern italy, austria, etc. all within a couple hours. Would potentially be easier to change your trip on a whim.

Now obviously you could do that with flights too.

ETA: I gotta assume Italy needs tourism back and once opened they'll be eager to see people. But maybe I'm wrong, knowing italians they're happy broke and with the place to themselves.

quote:

---

Sucks booking and planning so much stuff only to have to sweat it out to see if you'll even be able to go.

---

This was the worst part of last year, and unfortunately seems to be trending this way in 2021 as well. If you get a chance to go Sicily is a hidden gem, it's definitely gritty, but I've enjoyed it more than any other place I have been in Italy.

quote:

---

Flying into Milan makes zero sense if his objective is to see family in Sicily. Travel between regions in Italy may get restricted.....and a border crossing into Switzerland or Austria is even chancier should Covid rear it’s ugly head in the north again. It’s 8.5 hrs by train from Milan to Lecce. A whole day wasted, just going south.

---

Sure, but you basically took every bias possible to make your point. I was assuming OP had to fly direct into Milan or Rome then travel from there right? Are there flights direct from USA to Sicily? Honestly don’t know. But why fly through CDG or Heathrow right now? I wouldn’t add that risk imo. If half of your scenarios occur like shut down between regions or shut down from Italy to Austria his trip may as well cancel as is, right? The main issue I see with southern Italy/ Sicily is once there it’s a long ways from anything else. A short flight certainly, but that can be said of anywhere in Italy.

I was assuming he could fly from Milan to Sicily or wherever. I was simply saying I’d consider going somewhere with options in every direction in case something happens in one.