I adore Italy, and have visited it many times. From Milan in the north to the Amalfi in the south, I love it all. When my brother announced that Sicily would be the venue for his wedding I was so excited. I had never visited before and the venue, about an hour outside of Noto in the South West of the island, looked incredible.
However I was left with a lot of questions - should I go on my own or take the boys, how would they cope with a number of big events in a row and what about the flights - it all seemed rather daunting.
J and I eventually decided we would go as a family - it felt like such a great opportunity and there were some very special people flying in from Australia and the States that we wanted the boys to meet.
Although the bride and groom had put together a week-long programme of events we decided to divide our week to give the boys some quiet family time first. We spent the first three nights in Syracuse and then headed over to Noto for the final four.
WEATHER
Syracuse is located on the southern Ionian coast of Sicily - we visited in late September (2023) and the weather was still in around 28 - 31 degrees. The weather was mostly blue skies and sunshine, although we were a little unlucky and had a couple of short lived but torrential downpours during our stay.
CHALLENGES
If anything the boys found the weather too hot, and we noticed they struggled during the heat of the day. They also hate putting on sunscreen / hat wearing so this was an issue - particularly as they had thought all that was over for the year at the end of August"
Unfortunately Fred was also sick a number of times on the second night (although the rest of us were fine). We're not sure why but it may have been a combination of travel / heat / too much dairy / just being overwhelmed.
This meant that on the morning of our last full day we stayed inside so Fred could relax on the sofa with the shutters closed. Charlie was actually very happy to stay inside as well, it had been a hectic two days so we probably should have factored in this down time. Despite the upset tummy it was a great decision to visit Syracuse and we still managed to have a really fun time.
Fred and Charlie's 5 favourite activities in Syracuse (Part 1 of our Sicily family trip)
Visiting an Ice cream Parlour
This choice was all Fred - and to be fair the ice cream parlours in Syracuse were a 7 year old boys dream; the ice-cream colours, marble counters, toppings and sprinkles were all brilliant!
It was particularly exciting for Fred because just 6 months earlier he had finally passed his milk and egg challenges in hospital which meant he was no longer allergic to them, although at this point we were still carrying an epipen for peanut and sesame allergy.
We had agreed that Sicily would be his first milk based ice-cream EVER so he was super excited. As soon as we'd unpacked a little we headed out to find a parlour and stopped at the first one we found. He loved it!
Note: Charlie eats a very restricted diet of safe foods. This list doesn't include ice-cream. However he did enjoy looking at the displays and sitting up at the counter with us with his own snack. He even tried one little spoon of chocolate ice-cream on the first day which we all delighted by, however he said it was too cold and he didn't want anymore after that.
Self-guided Walking Tour & Temple of Apollo
On the morning of our first day we walked to the far end of the island. The boys had some energy to burn and the weather was lovely. The boys really enjoyed:
- walking along the coastal footpath and looking down at the waves crashing far below
- spotting the all the different cactus plants, which they had never seen in real life before
- posing for photos in front of statues and even an anchor
- feeling like they were getting lost in the winding streets, and having to be explorers to find their way to the main square
The Temple of Apollo was our destination. Built by the Greeks in 6th BC, it is the oldest Doric temple in Sicily. You can only view it from an elevated position but it was fascinating to see and I enjoyed that Fred was interested in hearing a little about its history.
Old Market
The Old Market is situated behind the Temple of Apollo and is partially covered. It is not that big, maybe three or four long roads and Fred in particular loved looking at all the stalls. We had great fun trying on loads of sunhats together before he chose a yellow one with comedy bunny ears that popped up when he squeezed a little hand pump - very sensory!
You can also buy fresh produce from the market, and the boys enjoyed helping us buy some of the most amazingly fresh fruit - peaches, melon, strawberries (Charlie LOVES fruit), while Fred was brave and practiced handing over the money to the stall holders and saying Ciao!
By this point in the morning it was getting crowded and Charlie wanted to go in his buggy so J took him for a walk to look at the nearby Muelle, an old fort by the sea and have some space to run around on his own. Fred and I continued to have fun buying fresh meats and cheese from the different delis. We were done just as it started to get really busy, so the market is definitely somewhere to visit as early as possible if you need to avoid crowd overwhelm.
Velobike Tour Ecologico - Syracuse
The Velobike Tour Ecologico was something I'd found online in London, and booked before we left. I had timed our ride for 12:30 knowing we'd probably have an early lunch. The boys are usually up pretty early so get hungry by 11am and cafes are less crowded at opening time. We ate at the awesome Arancina Gluten Free which was only a few minutes walk from the departure point.
The tour took us around the island in two x 2-person pods, each pulled by a guide on an electrified bike. The boys thought this was terrific fun and it meant J&I got to sit down and enjoy the scenery too.
Swimming at Spiaggia di Cala Rossa
Our boys adore being in the water, although they cannot swim! So when I read that Ortigia has a number of rocky beaches / swimming spots I knew to pack the trunks. Spiaggia Di Cala Rossa was our nearest, and lucky for us was probably one of the nicest. It was literally at the end of our street and around the corner, so we were able to wear our swim wear down and just take towels. We had planned to go in the morning when the tides were better and the sun would be hitting the beach, however Fred's bad night meant we'd had to push the outing back to the afternoon.
It turned out to be the perfect relaxed activity after the difficult night. Although it was a little bit rougher than we'd expected (the wind had picked up over lunchtime) the water was cool and so clear. It was a very scenic spot to be swimming and the boys liked the novelty of being so close to the town and looking up at all the amazing architecture. The were having so much fun they didnt want to leave, in the end we had to practically prise them out of the water - it was pretty funny running through the narrow street in our dripping swimsuits back to the room.
If you decide to visit this beach then I definitely recommend wearing swim shoes as it is VERY rocky and some of them are pretty sharp. Unfortunately it is not an accessible as you have to go down quite a lot of steep metal stairs to get from the footpath the rocky cove.
We had such a great time in Syracuse, although there was a lot we didnt do. I really had to rein in my ambition once I saw how much the travel and weather was taking out of the boys. Should you decide to visit this gorgeous city I hope you have as much fun as we did!
