Driving in Sicily - Should You Do It?

So you want to do a road trip in Sicily. Is it a good idea? What sort of driver do you need to be? And what do you need to know before driving in Sicily? Read on for the low down of the challenges and delights of driving in Sicily.

Dear Reader, there's no sugar coating it: driving in Sicily is a challenge and is not for the faint hearted. I'd say around 80% of visitors hate it and 20% like it. And Mr NQN fell into the latter category. Sicilian drivers are either some of the best or the worst depending on who you are talking to. Sicilian drivers are hyper aware of other drivers whereas in Australia and America the lanes make you less aware of other drivers as everyone sticks to their lane. Not so in Sicily. They duck, weave, speed and tailgate you. It's nothing personal, they are just in a hurry. Mr NQN describes driving in Sicily as like walking through an airport or a train station. People aren't walking in defined lanes and are often coming in different directions. Sicilian people are chill except when they are driving - then they are in a hurry!

I would only recommend driving in Sicily if you meet ALL of the following criteria:

1 - You are a confident driver. This is the most important thing of all. If you aren't an experienced driver I do not recommend driving in Sicily.

2 - You have experience driving left hand drive cars. Mr NQN has driven left hand drives in America, Finland and Portugal but most of his experience is driving right hand drive cars in Australia. But I would not make your first experience driving left hand drive cars in Sicily.

3 - You can rent an automatic car if that is what you are used to. Again in Australia most rental cars are automatic but in Sicily they are usually manual so make sure to specify an automatic car if that is what you are used to. You may have to pay a bit more. It goes without saying that if you are used to automatic cars, driving manual adds a degree of difficulty.

4 - Rent a small car. There's a reason why everyone drives small cars. A little Fiat is the perfect car to drive in Sicily as a couple. Once you put the seat down you can fit two large checked pieces of luggage and two small carryons plus a bag or two. It is however not big enough for a family of four with luggage because the seats need to go down to accommodate luggage.

5 - You have change or a credit card for the tolls or have a tollway pass. It makes things much easier when paying and these are the faster toll booths. Otherwise you will need change. When you see signs for Alt Stazione that means there is a toll booth coming up. When you get on the highways you will take a ticket. Then when you reach a toll booth you give them the ticket and they will charge you the amount for that distance from the ticket point.

6 - You have an adult passenger with you that can handle the GPS and maps because you will not be looking at the GPS map, your eyes will be on the road and other drivers. You really do need your wits about you if you are not used to driving in Sicily.

Other Things To Know About Driving in Sicily:

Car hire is very reasonably priced in Sicily. We paid $292AUD for 5 days rental of a Fiat.

I recommend stopping every 1.5 hours. It is tiring being hyper aware of everything. If we were to do another road trip, we would make more stops and overnight every 1.5 or 2 hours. This sounds totally extreme I know, especially when we drive for 8 hours before lodging for the night in Australia but Mr NQN was mentally exhausted after driving. He had a bit of a meltdown after driving from Taormina to Palermo which took 5 hours. Also there are many beautiful towns to stop at in Sicily, especially if you do a scenic coastal Sicily drive.

This brings me to another point - when google maps tells you that a certain amount of hours, double the amount of time! It will take longer because the estimate is based on Sicilian drivers that whizz by at 150km/h!

Beware the ZTL zone. ZTL zones (Zona a Traffico Limitato) are restricted traffic areas found in many Italian cities, particularly in historic city centres. These zones are designed to limit vehicle access in order to reduce congestion, lower pollution and protect the architectural and cultural heritage of the area. So they're a good idea but they can be confusing for tourists or first time visitors.

Only residents, taxis, emergency vehicles and public transportation are allowed to enter the ZTL during certain hours and you can get fined for driving in them. In our time in Sicily, we came across ZTL zones in Ragusa Ibla, Ortigia, Noto, Taormina, Palermo and Cefalu. Some cities like Catania, Syracuse and Taormina have automatic cameras that will detect if you go into these areas and the fines are around €45 (so while you want to avoid it, the fines are not as punitive as Australian fines).

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever driven in Sicily and what did you think of it? What is the most challenging place that you've driven in?

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