Southern Italy with small children in August? Recommendations?

[sjcmum]

Went to Sicily for our honeymoon, and would love to go back for our 10th anniversary next year. Trouble is we are now tied into school hols, so it would probably have to be August. Would we be mad? Would it be ridiculously hot? or very crowded? (I know most of Italy goes on holiday in August!). Would be good to hear other's experperiences. Only other option would be may half term, but then obviously we'd be limited to a week.

Children will be nearly 7 and 4 1/2 by then - any recommendations for where to head or suggestions of self catering places to stay? We'd be happy with Sicily, Sardinia or anywhere else on the mainland near good, and relatively quiet beaches.... we're not big resort people.....

The beaches just north of Alghero are fab and quite quiet if you don't mind hiring a car for the week. We stayed in an agriturismo and it worked well (can't remember name as 3years ago). V small kitchenette but eating out was actually v reasonable and it has to be the most child-friendly area we've stayed in.

Can't help with weather as we went May holiday. It was gorgeous.

It will be blisteringly hot and crowded at the beginning of August but it should start to calm down towards the end of the month. It would also be better if you stayed on the coast rather than inland, and especially avoid the cities. Are you planning on driving? The western coast of Sicily is wonderful but harder to get to and less served by the holiday companies- I think Thomas Cook etc focus on the eastern side.

We did Sicily when the kids were 4 and 6 in August and split 12 days over both the east and the west coast - we flew into Palermo and out of Catania.

We spent the first week in a villa with a fab pool in Selinunte on the west coast and used this as a place to explore that side - Marsala, Agrigento, Selinunte etc. The beach at Selinunte is actually very nice and fairly quiet.

We then drove to the east coast and spent 5 days in an Agriturism place south of Catania and we explored Taormina, Etna, Syracuse, Ortega etc (we also stopped off at Cefalu for the day on the drive round). The east coast was definitely a lot, lot busier in Augsut than the west coast.

A bit belatedly - but thank you for the tips! Sounds like it may be feasible as long as we don't mind being hot. Quite happy to find our own accommodation and not go with a tour company, so like the sound of Western Sicily which is a bit quieter.

Thanks