Before returning to the US for the summer, Fille wanted to visit Italy.  We had up to a week for the trip. But where in Italy?

She was not interested in art, museums, history or monuments.  We had had plenty of that in Paris.  That ruled out Florence and probably Rome.  She wanted to eat Italian food.  Pasta!

Maman wanted a relaxing vacation ideally involving a beach.   I was interested in Cinque Terre which I have always wanted to visit.  I was also interested in returning to the Rimini area on the Adriatic coast where I had spent part of a summer when I was 9  and when I was 18.   My memories of Rimini are of the classic Italian beach life with rows and rows of beach chairs and umbrellas and great pasta.  I also have great memories of Lake Como, but it didn’t seem like a good fit for this trip.

Another consideration was that we were on our own so I didn’t want to take on too much.  For example, I would be okay with renting a car and driving but not too far.  I would also be okay with a limited amount of trains and buses. Those considerations ruled out Tuscany.  That also ruled out Cinque Terre which seemed complicated to get to and get around.

Sicily was highly recommended by a couple of friends for the ruins and the beaches.

What about airfares?  Milan, Venice and Sicily were the most reasonable.

So in the end, I focused on Venice and Sicily.  I eliminated Venice because I wasn’t sure there was enough to do for a week even though there are many places to visit nearby (Trieste, Padua, Verona).   I didn’t want to take on the burden of sorting out the trains/buses/cars to travel outside of Venice.

So Sicily it was.  I wanted a bit of beach and a bit of history.  Sicily has some great beaches and I was overwhelmed by the choices.  There were also two possible main towns to fly into, Palermo and Catania.  It was getting too complicated.

I wanted easy.  I wanted a resort.  I had less than two weeks to plan.   In the end, I found Club Med Kamarina. My plan was to spend 4-5 nights in Club Med Kamarina and a 1-2 days in Catania.  It turned out to be a great choice! Take a look at the beach!

IMG_6832 (1)

What are your suggestions for our next trip Italy?