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I've been to Taormina twice, once with a different tour company and once on a cruise. While the walk is uphill to Teatro Greco it is more of a gentle slope with lots of things to look at on the way. I hope you go. Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite was filmed there.
British, your first photo of Mt Etna is eerily beautiful. Having to sweep up the fine silt of the Mt St Helens eruption for months,f I identify with the stay in town people. There is a lovely park below the main street to visit. I did a lot of backpacking on Mt St Helens and still can't bring myself to return.

i loved Agrigento but there is no escape from the sun. Have you considered using an umbrella to shelter you?

Growing up in California with volcanoes up and down the West Coast, I'd visited enough of them over time to know what I'd be missing by not going up Mt Etna. Different strokes for different folks - there is something out there for everyone!

Sicily is all about the many cultures and civilizations that shaped the island as it is today - food, language, ruins, etc. Mt Etna is one part of the landscape and is visible from many places you will visit. I skipped it and wasn't sorry. Spent the day walking all over Taormina.

Hello there:
1. Agrigento Greek Temples - about how much time is spent there and about how much walking is involved? (yes I realize this a level 3 activity trip). Concerned about the amount of time in the sun with no shade. Considering staying on the bus or seeing if there is a coffee shop / bar / gift shop nearby. Anyone skip this part? I recall at least an hour of walking over slightly uneven, slightly hilly terrain. No shade that I recall but there are occasionally benches under a few small trees. If you stay on the bus you will miss everything and they may not allow it due to needing to move the bus. I think there was a cafe but as I recall the pick up spot was not the same as the drop off spot.

2. It doesn't appear the tour goes to Monreale Cathedral. Did anyone go there? From Palermo? As I mentioned in another thread, it is easy to get to Monreale by taxi. The tour does not go there. Monreale, as in British's photo above, is huge and about 5 times larger than the Cappella Palatina included in the tour, but to my untrained eye has the same type of stunning mosaic work and mix of cultural influences. So I can see why they don't include it. After our tour of the opera house, we got a taxi right outside at the taxi stand, and the young man took us up to Monreale (30 min), waited for us for an hour, then returned us to the city center for 70 euro in 2023. He did offer some commentary in English and we though it was a worthwhile activity.

3. In Taormina the "uphill walk to Teatro Greco" did you enjoy this? Any info - shade, length of time / distance for the walk?
   If your tour is using the "upper" Belmond hotel (not the sister hotel at beach level), then the Teatro is right next door. Taormina is a bit hilly, and the Teatro itself has some climbing up the levels if you want to follow the tour guide. It is always interesting to hear about ancient structures and their knowledge of acoustics etc at the time, but I suppose if that is not too interesting to you, you could skip it or just leave early.

4. I think we will be skipping the Mt Etna excursion. I love churches and sight seeing, but not volcanoes. We will either stay in Taormina or schedule a tour of Catania. Any suggestions for either city - tour guides, places not to miss?
   You know, it is not the volcano itself that was so interesting to me, because it is a very barren landscape, but how people live with and manage the volcano and its activity. Unless you like to read up on all this yourself, you will miss the narrative from the excellent Geologist that comes along. Sicily is all about Etna. If you decide not to go, the Belmond hotels are fabulous and worth a day of relaxation, or you could consider a "Godfather" tour, some people in our group stayed an extra day and did that.

Hopefully others will chime in whose memory is better than mine, but I am also wondering why you really want to take this trip?