We finally have decided on our Italy itinerary(I think) and will connect to Catania from our Rome overseas flight. We want to stay somewhere between Catania and Milazzo the first night before going to the Aeolians for a few days and then Taormina. So, do we stay in Giardini Naxos so we have easy access to a train to Milazzo (for the ferry) the next day or does someone have a better idea? Thanks.
I have enjoyed Catania very much. You could spend the night there and visit the Pescheria, the Castello Ursino, and the Duomo, and hop on the train the next morning. Hotel Savona http://www.hotelsavona.it/en/index.htm, very close to the Duomo, is an excellent choice and you can get there easily using the airport shuttle.
Let's not forget the house/museum of Vincenzo Bellini, Sicily's most illustrious musician/opera composer (Norma, I Puritani, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, La Sonnambula, Il Pirata, La Straniera, Beatrica di Tenda, etc), which is located very near the Duomo in Catania. It's an old-fashioned place, which seems not to have been updated in decades, but the experience is engrossing nonetheless. Catania is a bit "rough" to some, but has some lovely Baroque architecture and is a "real" Sicilian big city.
Or you could stay in Milazzo.....once past the industrial plant at the beginning of the peninsula, Milazzo is a pleasant enough seaport town. We had the single best "cornetto" we have ever had (up to then) at a bar near our hotel in the "centro".
My goal was to head out toward Milazzo to cut into the journey the following day. A nice seaside spot sounded perfect for the weary traveller and if I could then connect to Milazzo by rail to save on a driver the following day, that would be ideal too. Many thanks for the input and suggestions.
