In less than two months I leave again for Bella Italia and now I am getting excited. This trip had been postponed from April because of a bicycle accident sustained by my brother Rick. He and my sister-in-law and I are once again, going together to Italy. I am happy to report that he has fully recovered from a fractured clavicle and fractured pelvis and is back to biking fifty miles at a time and walking between five and eight miles a day.
On the streets of Taormina, Sicily
We are flying to Catania, the second-largest city in Sicily and plan to spend ten days total in Sicily, traveling to parts we have never seen, and also visiting with our Savoca family there.
Catania Elephant Fountain
One of the more exciting plans we made is for Monica and I to take a cooking class. After exhaustive research, we finally found a reasonably priced class in Sicily at an agriturismo about an hour away from Palermo. I am looking forward to this very much, and had to promise Filippo via e-mail that I will call a few days ahead to re-confirm.
Palermo Street vendor
We also plan to visit Siracusa and Agrigento, two cities we have never seen. And we will stay in Palermo for four nights to explore the city as well as neighboring towns that sound so appealing.
After Sicily we will fly to Naples, and then take a train to Salerno, as we will be staying at the wonderful Hotel Olimpico in nearby Pontecagnano. I stayed here last year with Sue and loved the hotel as well as the staff. This will be our base for three days as we explore Sorrento, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast.
Sorrento
Pompeii Bakery
Amalfi Coast road
Afterward, we will fly to Rome for our final two days. Naturally we plan to spend time in our favorite neighborhood of Trastevere, and have a cappuccino and brioche at Bar Quadrani. Who knows what else?
Preparing cappuccino at Bar Quadrani
I will be blogging from Italy and posting photos and taking plenty of notes, since I am already working on my next book, My Love Affair with Sicily. I hope to be able to publish it by the end of the year. Stay tuned. ♥
margieinitaly 
I am excited for you! Your trip sounds great….you know, half the fun is anticipating the trip. I will be returning in September for 3 weeks and will be in Rome, Naples-Campania, and up around Florence, and Emelia-Romana. We will have to compare notes!
All the best,
Susan
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Absolutely, Susan!! I agree-I love the planning too – your 3 weeks there sounds wonderful too. Will you be blogging from Italy?
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Yes, that is my plan. I have never done that before, but with a new Ipad, it should be easy. I can’t wait!
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We both know that you will have a fabulous time. I look forward to your blogs
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I loved Sicily, but we did a tour with Overseas Adventure Travel, but saw many of the same places you will visit. When you want to tour the Amalfi coast, I encourage you to call Monetti taxi out of Sorrento. http://Www.monettitaxi17.it
I have used them 3 times. They are also the drivers for Rick Steves when he is on the Amalfi coast.
I am envious, of course, as I want to be in Italy again myself. I will follow your blog religiously.
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Thanks dolly, Good information to know!
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Pingback: Trip to Italy – Sicily – Amalfi Coast – Rome | Home Far Away From Home
Glad to hear you are off to Italy finally..jealous much.Thankyou for wonderful update and photos..The countdown is on..
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It sounds like a marvelous itinerary Margie!
It goes without saying that you will have a spectacular time once more, and as your trip was cancelled and rescheduled , so was mine. Rather than sitting at home healing and looking for work, I should technically be wandering the streets of Murano as we speak…but all things happen for a reason and I can’t wait to travel through your eyes/words once more and wait for more opportune time for mine again.
I can’t wait to hear about the cooking class you will be taking!
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I will take lots of photos of the food too, Florence! Thank you.
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Hi Margie,
Can you share your thoughts about staying in Salerno vs Sorrento while visiting the Amalfi Coast?
Thanks!
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Hi Amy- Thank you for checking my blog – I think Sorrento is the better place to stay as a gateway to the Amalfi Coast. I stayed there in the past and you have access to ferrries and buses very easily. The reason we are staying near Salerno is because I like the hotel, Hotel Olimpico. They provide shuttle access to Salerno, and from there ferries can take you to Amalfi, where buses or other ferries can take you further along the coast. Originally we chose this hotel because we were coming in May and it was on the route for the bike race, the Giro d’Italia. Unfortunately our plans were postponed. The hotel is great though.
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Sounds just fabulous. Looking forward to your posts!
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The excitement is building, I can feel it in your posts. May this trip be as enlightening and enjoyable as the last one. And as fruitful as well. I look forward to the next editions of your writing.
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Margie, may Ipick your brain? I will be in Italy this September foe 3 weeks and would like to ask for some good blogging tips from Italy. Do you blog daily? What camera do you use? Anything you think might be helpful would be very much appreciated. You have walked this path more than I. Thank you, Susan Nelson
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To go with my above comment
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Hi Susan, I know you are excited as September is coming up soon! Three weeks sounds great! I did brig my iPad and blogged from there. WordPress has an app which is great. I also brought a Bluetooth keyboard to make writing a little easier. I did not always have WiFi, but I wrote every day. Sometimes I could not upload the photos and text for a day or so. I found having the connectivity was very helpful, especially reading the comments from friends and family back home. I felt connected to them even though i was far away.Don’t forget your chargers!
I used a Fuji Finepix 20 digital camera plus my iPhone. This time I have a new camera, a Nikon Coolpix S9100 which has a great zoom, and I will also use the iPhone – which makes it easy to post photos on Facebook or send by email.Feel free toemail me if you have any other questions, Susan. I am excited for you!
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Margie, thank you….great ideas. What WordPress app are you referring to? Also, the bluetooth keyboard….is it small, lightweight and easy to pack?
Susan
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Susan,
Hi, The wordpress app is on the iPhone and the iPad. I bought a very lightweight BlueTooth keyboard at Bed Bath and Beyond on sale for $29.
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This looks like an amazing trip. Love your photos too. Sicily is definitely on my list. Perhaps next year?
So you are blogging on an ipad? How does that work? I’m thinking of buying a tablet or very small laptop for my upcoming Italy trip. I have a macbook, but it is heavy! That plus my camera gear is just too much.
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