We rented a car in Sicily from Avis a few years ago with the idea of making day trips from various city bases and then finishing up by driving to Palermo where we would take a bus back to the airport.

The drivers in Sicily are the most aggressive and careless that I have ever encountered anywhere in the world. They have this tendency to make 3 lanes, especially on curves, out two and it was white knuckles most of the way. I am a salesman and have driven nearly a million miles in all sorts of conditions and this was sweaty palms time for me. I finally asserted my old LA driving skills and dueled it out with the best.

The trouble is that the train service in Sicily is slow and inadequate and you really need a car to see most of the really important historical sites of the island.

We rented a more powerful, larger car that got us out of jams on the open road but became a huge liability in the small town narrow streets. It was also harder to park and at one of our hotels the attendants bashed in one side and fortunately we had the big deal insurance coverage.

We did fall in love with Sicily and plan to return. Our stay in Taormina was romantic and fantastic. You can take a bus directly there from the airport and definitely splurge on a room with a ocean view. The people walking the Taormina evening passiagiatta are some of the most beautiful in the world.

Peter in San Francisco