Mikhaila Friel, from Scotland, said she would rent a cheap room, stay for more days, and visit more beautiful cities in Italy if she had the chance to visit a second time.
Mikhaila Friel. Photo: Insider
Mikhaila Friel visited Sicily in April and spent four days exploring the cities of Taormina and Catania. It was her first time in Italy, so she had a lot of fun. Friel learned a lot. "But there are a few key things I would do differently on my next trip," the Scottish traveler said.
Here are five things Friel would do differently if he were to visit Italy a second time.
Rent a room for cheaper
On this trip, the female tourist stayed at San Domenico Palace for more than $2,200. "The food is good, the view is beautiful, but it's not worth spending thousands of dollars," she said of the hotel.
Infinity pool at UnaHotels Capotaormina. Photo: Booking
Instead, she suggests staying at UnaHotels Capotaormina, which costs $260, cheaper than San Domenico Palace while still enjoying similar amenities like free breakfast, an infinity pool, a restaurant, bar and private beach.
Buy tickets at the counter
From Catania Airport in the city of the same name, the female tourist took a bus to Taormina for 7.5 USD. There was a bus departing every hour. Friel did not buy tickets online because she found the ticket sales website slow and the interface difficult to interact with, so she decided to buy tickets at the counter.
In her rush to get on the bus, she didn’t have time to buy a ticket at the counter, thinking that the conductor would sell tickets like in Scotland. But in Sicily, this was not possible. So she had to get off the bus, buy a ticket at the counter, and wait for hours for the next bus. The little incident taught her a lesson: always be prepared and observant when traveling, unlike at home.
Skip the local cooking class
The female tourist found that spending 5 hours learning how to make pizza and pasta "wasn't ideal" for a solo traveler like her.
She joined the class because she thought there would be many tourists like her, and it would be a chance to make friends. Baking was also a fun activity to learn more about Italian cuisine. When she arrived, Friel quickly realized that everyone had a friend with them, except her. Everyone else had come to learn how to cook, not to make friends. They went in pairs, so they had someone to take souvenir photos of them while they were cooking, but Friel did not. Next time, she will bring a friend if she wants to go to a cooking class.
Visit more
This time she only visited two cities. If she had the chance, Friel would like to visit more places on the island, such as the capital Palermo and the city of Noto. She would also go to the mainland, take a boat to visit Rome, Venice or Florence and stay longer.
Choose a more suitable time
Friel went to Sicily in April. The first few days were warm enough to wear dresses. But the last few days were overcast and rainy, and she had to wear jeans and a sweater. It was too cold to swim. "When I went to Catania, I ate gelato in the rain," she said. If she went again, she would choose July or August, which is also the peak season there.
Anh Minh (According to Insider )
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