Italy with Patty’s Places

My wife, Felice, and I have traveled to Europe six times in the last seven years with Patty’s Places (1251 NW 195th St., Seattle, WA 98177; 800/775-3861 or www.pattysplaces.com). As a result, we have learned a great deal about Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey. On our 3-week tour to southern Italy, March 9-30, ’05, we got to know a lot more about Sicily.

First, though, we started in Naples and visited Herculaneum before driving up to Mt. Vesuvius. Then we stopped at Paestum. Those three places offered a good feel for southern Italy. From there, we made our way to Palermo, on Sicily, where some other travelers joined us.

Patty’s tour circumnavigated the island and assured that we visited a number of sites representative of the many cultures that have had an influence on Sicily over the centuries. The ability to see ancient, extraordinary structures and magnificent mosaic floors firsthand while listening to a local expert describe the history is something we shall remember for a long time.

Our driver knew the island intimately, and this was a much-appreciated enhancement to our tour.

On Sicily we stayed in Tropea, Palermo, Agrigento, Syracuse and Taormina. The weather was perfect!

Because Patty truly cares about her clients, she selected outstanding, strategically placed hotels. We enjoyed many wonderful evening meals and breakfasts. One day she arranged for lunch in a winery (with Mt. Etna visible in the distance) and we got to taste some of Sicily’s excellent food and wine. We then visited the top of Etna itself. Patty also arranged an exceptional dinner in a restaurant in Messina that highlighted local cuisine and allowed us to talk with some of the city’s residents.

Everything we wanted was included in the tour. We always had the option of visiting more of the areas, and because about half of the dinners were not included we were able to ferret out some special spots for dining on some of Sicily’s special offerings.

The cost for the two of us, land only, was $5,694. Pam Bennett of World Travel (Portland, OR; 877/529-9181) handled all our booking and tickets as she has done for Patty for many years.

We opted to return through Rome, where Patty offered to show us some of her favorite haunts in the older part of the city. We were there on Easter Sunday and got to see Pope John Paul’s last public viewing. All in all, it was a memorable three weeks. Felice and I heartily recommend all of Patty’s tours as top of the line.

— NICK KECK, Gold River, CA