trip to southern Italy and Sicily

[#TheTBNR™]

I went on a trip as part of my Latin studies to Southern part of Italy. I do not speak Italian, but there are surprisingly large amount of people who are fluent in English. The most awesome bit was the ancient port of Rome, Ostia Antica, free of noisy rude tourists, and I had a great day there, looking at the mosaics and translating some inscriptions. I am curious to other people's opinion on Italy as both a tourist destination and an educational destination. What is your favourite place in Italy? Or if you have not yet been there, where do you want to go the most?

[Azog 150]

I've been to Sicily twice before. Awesome island, and the vibes you get in the towns and cities when it gets to passaggiata are fantastic. If you like Ancient History, some of the Ancient Greek and Roman ruins I saw there are second to none. In my experience not that much English was spoken there at all, but that for me just added to the experience and made it seem somehow more 'authentic'. Went to Syracuse, Catania, Palermo, Tripani, Erice, Taormina, Mazara and Agrigento among others. We did a lot of driving as well so got to see a lot of the countryside and smaller towns and villages in the interior. The architectural and cultural changes as you progressed from East to West on the island were interesting. My biggest regret was not spending nearly enough time in Palermo- only really went in for the day and didn't see nearly as much as I would of liked.

I thought that Catania would be a decent place to live as one of the more 'modern' cities on the island- although maybe I would be saying that more about Palermo if I had spent more time there.


Edit: I've never been to mainland Italy bar an accidental and brief detour into the very North Eastern tip. I would love to go though. I have heard great things about Naples and Rome, and I'd be interested to see how North Italy is.

[Treize]

I have only been to the north. The first time we stayed near Comacchio near the Po-delta. We visited Venice and Ravenna from there.
Second time we stayed at the Maggiore Lake, visited those islands and stuff. Also made a day-trip to Milan. There I sat on Silvio's chair at the football stadium, oh yes.
Last time was near Comacchio again, we visited Venice for a second time and we also paid a visit to San Marino.

Now I myself would absolutely love to visit the more traditional regions, especially Sicily. I love the ancient stuff, the landscape and the Nero d'Avola.