Sicilia
When your friend asks you to join them in Sicily for her 40th birthday how can you say no!GETTING THERE If your goal is to fly business we have had some success finding great business class deals so long as you include Naples on your itinerary. As Delta Gold/Platinum we searched mainly Delta partners and found a great deal traveling to Naples via Rome. This does mean you would have to spend a day or night in Naples and for one day that is just fine. Book yourself a 5 star hotel with a pool by the old fort and grab a pizza. It's well worth its weight of 5000 dollars of savings. We ended up flying Alitalia 777-200 with the new business configuration 1-2-1. Opt for the second rear business cabin with window seat to optimize your privacy. Overall the gate experience, updates and communication were far from superior. The flight experience itself was smooth an overnight flight with a 180 degree lie flat product allowed us to sleep at least 6-7 hours.You will need a connection to Catania (CTA), a small but convenient airport with well located car rentals. We reccomend using Hertz (leverage that gold membership from your Amex platinum).The airport is about a 25 minute drive from out villaWHERE WE STAYED:Villa Augusta- rented on airbnb is located 25 minutes from the Catania airport offers a great space with a main home, two kitchens, and a beautiful pool that you can spend endless hours in. The house can occupy up to 20 individuals. The caretakers live literally next door and are available to help facilitate any needs that may come up during your stay. We spent a total of 5 days here.
What to do?It's allAbout day tripping in this region. For a week or less pick at least three destinations to leave yourself some downtime as well. These just happen to be the ones we chose:Fontane Bianche Beach followed by SyracuseA 45 minute drive from our villa brings you to a nice beach. It has all the essentials, blue waters, a sandy beach, and a decent little venue for food. Have some euros on hand to grab yourself a beach chair and umbrella.
