Syracuse

Advantages: Easy access & parking
Disadvantages: Noisy & away from main town and ameneties

...disturbed us several times. This may be alleviated if you get a room on the opposite side of the hotel. It would be worth asking for. Also amke sure you don't get a room right next door to the ice machines - they appear to be very old, and therefore are VERY noisy. In hindsight I would have chosen a more up-to-date hotel nearer to the city, so that more amenities were close at hand, but I suppose there was a clue in the title of the hotel telling me where it was. If you are visiting or working at one of the fairgrounds exhibitions/trade shows this hotel would be a reasonable base, but it is not wholly suitable to the travelling tourist. It is on the outskirts of Syracuse, away from the restaurants/shops, and is noisy. On the plus side it is relatively clean and accessable. It is a very 'average' hotel, but I would however think twice about... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beautiful city, lots of things to see and do
Disadvantages: Very hot in the summer

...Syracuse lies on the south-eastern tip of Sicily, pointing towards the Mediterranean, almost provocatively. I found myself there, due to a happy marraige of chance and circumstance, and thought it was one of the most pleasant cities that I have ever come across. Like much of Sicily, the influence of the Greeks is very evident in Syracuse, (one of her most famous sons is Archimedes) which is most famous for the Greek Amphitheatre which they left behind. There are two distinct sections to the city, one is the ancient greek ruins bit (which I'm sure has a 'proper' name!), where the remains of the amphitheatre, which is wonderfully well preserved, is. It is definitely worth taking a walk over here as the amphitheatre is set in a glade of lemons and it smells wonderful. There is also Diogenes' Ear. A strange cave, which has a unique... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: The Volcano, the food, the black beach
Disadvantages: the horse meat stall in the market (don't buy anything from a butchers with a cute photo of a horse outside!_

...Catania lies on the eastern coast of Sicily and is, historically and culturally a part of the 'Greek' part of the Island (as opposed to the arabic West of Sicily). The most striking thing about the city is the constantly puffing, and frequently erupting volcano which colours (sometimes quite literally) the city in a magical manner. Some people don't have the temperament for Sicily, the cities here don't have the manicured edges of Tuscany or the Emilian hills, but can provide far more beauty and exhiliration than any other part of Italy. So Catania itself takes a little getting used to. It doesn't have the beauty of Syracuse and Palermo probably has more immediate attractions in it. It has a fine Sicilian Baroque architectural style, best seen around the Piazza del Duomo with it's famous elephant statue - the symbol... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful