Brittney & Braiden
Brittney & Braiden
Travel
On this page we will go through tips on travelling to Italy, booking your accommodation and finally getting around once you are there!
Getting to Italy
If you are starting your trip with the wedding
We recommend flying into Catania, on the Island of Sicily. This major airport is a short 50 minute drive (or train) to the Town of Taormina (where the wedding venue is).
Note* Flights to this airport may be a little bit higher priced than some of the larger cities further north in Italy, as Sicily has become one of Italy's main attractions.
If you are starting your trip somewhere North of Sicily
If you are making your way down to Sicily after travelling other regions of Italy you have different options:
Drive - You can drive to the Southern tip of Italy, where the ferry departs from the beautiful Villa San Giovanni to Messina and only takes 20 minutes. You can drive your car directly onto this ferry and drive off once you get to Sicily.
Train/Bus - One of the most incredible ways to arrive into Sicily is by train. The train can travel from the Northern City of Milan to Southern Villa San Giovanni in only 9 hours to put it into perspective! Once this unique train reaches the ferry terminal on the mainland, it is transferred into the ferry using special tracks. The ferry then carries the passengers to the island of Sicily, from there it can take as little as 1 hour to Taormina via Bus.
Fly - Northern Italy can be a significantly cheaper to fly into and out of as some of the city airports are significantly larger (such as Milan, Florence, Venice, Matera, Bologna, Genoa) - after doing some research it seems to be around $300+ CAD cheaper per person. But if you are like us and want to start the trip with the wedding then it may be worth spending the extra money and arriving in Sicily and then travelling Italy and flying out of another city such as Florence, to take advantage of the best of both worlds.
You can take a domestic flight from various airports on mainland Italy to various cities in Sicily such as Catania (recommended), Palermo International Airports as well as Comiso Vincenzo Magliocco Airport near Ragusa.
It may not be possible to book your flights this far in advance with some airlines or services. Some things to keep your eye out for if you are waiting - there are trackers to notify you of prices (we use google tracker or skyscanner, then book directly through the airline to save money). But also keep in mind that Black Friday, Boxing Day and other similar days may have discounted flights!
Venue and Taormina
Villa Mon Repos
Villa Mon Repos will be the beautiful location of the wedding ceremony, reception and pool party. Located in close proximity to the main public beach Isola Bella Beach, the main walking street Corso Umberto and the Ionian Sea.
Travel within the City
Taormina is very much a walking city like Victoria, it has a lot of one ways streets into the city and so walking this is the most popular choice as most things are in close proximity especially when it comes to accommodation, shops and restaurants. Uber and taxi's are available in Taormina if needed for longer distances. There is a cable car that travels to and from the beach every 15 minutes, local public buses, you can rent scooters for the more narrow roads and fun adventures or if you are driving a car from accommodation further away, there is cheap/free parking that can be found near Isola Bella Beach and then take the cable car to the city core.
Accommodation
There are endless options for accommodation in Taormina as it's a major town on the Island of Sicily and has become a very popular travel destination (thanks White Lotus!). But we recommend booking sooner than later as it's a very sought after city especially during the good weather times of August - October.
A lot of accommodations in the core of Taormina are a 15-25 minute walk to the wedding venue Villa Mon Repos, or you can catch the local bus or arrange a car or Uber.
Isola Bella (Located on the Wedding Venue's Property)
Listings we have found that may interest you:
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/346
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/371
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/675