Babymoon - Sicily or Sorrento

[pancakes22]

Hello,
We are looking at going to Italy in April for a weekend and have been recommended Sicily or sorrento for slightly warmer weather. I have never been to Italy before and probably won't for a while with the new baby so wondered if anyone had any tips as to which location offered better views/food/Italian experience. I will be 6 months pregnant so not after a lot of walking, just a couple of days eating and relaxing with the husband. Any recommendations of areas to stay would also be appreciated.
Thank you for your tips.

I went to Sicily when I was pregnant and I loved it. I always say going on holiday cured me of my morning sickness.

I would definitely rent a car and explore the island. We stayed in the north west which was stunning and lovely and relaxed. Then had a couple of days in Syracusa which is an amazing city.

Then only downside, was not being able to drink wine and beer, eat Gorgonzola and swordfish!

Sicily
Sicily
Sicily

So much nicer than Sorrento. We stayed in Cefalu last year and loved it.

Sicily is in a much worse place than it was 10 years ago.

Depending on how much you want "big city" experience or "smaller tranquil town" experience I would recommend Bari or Brindisi on the south east coast. I have a pet hatred of Naples because of the people there and there's nothing especially great about the city either.

In general, Italy is Italy, despite what the locals tell you. A pizza or pasta is the same in the South as it is in the North, for the most part. South tends to be cheaper as well as warmer, however has higher sexism and petty crime.

In April in the South I think you might be able to swim, depending on the weather (even if it's maybe a bit chilly!) so worth taking costumes in case you fancy a little paddle.

Trains have a bad rep, but in my experience function reasonably well and are never overcrowded. The intercity services in particular have ye olde style cabins with 6-8 seats in them which you normally have all to yourself. Use the app "Trenit" if you plan to ever get a train.

Buses turn up whenever they want. Timetables are a rough guide at best. Finding a local who speaks English is better than trying to get any sense off the bus company websites. English speakers tend to gravitate to service jobs - waiters in particular are a better bet than shopkeepers if you need to ask directions or similar.

You can function reasonably well with a few phrases:

Quanta costa? - How much?

Dov'e ...? - Where is...? (la mare = the sea, il stazione = the station, il centro commerciale = shopping centre, and so on. Just ask google translate for the names of things)

Posso...? - Can I...? (prendare = take, usare = use, pagare = pay)

Sinestra - Left, Destra - Right, Gira - turn so "Gira a destra" is "Turn right"

Halifax do a nice credit card that charges you nothing at all for foreign purchases, although it does have a small charge for cash withdrawals.

Anywhere on the coast will have a good selection of sea food, but I'd be sure of what you're going to get before ordering as it can often be difficult to tell on the menu what is fish and what is shellfish. Most established restaurants should have a menu in English.

I loved both - probably Sorrento slightly more but think it was just luck of where we stayed. In Sicily we initailly stayed in Palermo and could hear police cars all night but then went onto Taormina which was amazing. In Sorrento had lovely hotel, went on trips to Capri, Vesiovius, Pompeii etc and was amazing too. Food was great in both esp ice cream and swordfish kebabs in Sicily, not seen them elsewhere so maybe a Sicilian speciality.

The swordfish in Sicily is delicious.

Sorrento didn't do it for me (pretty but very built up and touristy with hotel after hotel) but some of the hotels have amazing views, it's easy to get to and if you don't fancy moving much, there are lots of places to eat within easy reach. I much preferred Amalfi but it's harder to get to unless you hire a car or book a transfer (by public transport its a bus which would be horrendous if you're pregnant). I really liked Sicily - not sure that I entirely agree that 'Italy is Italy', it really does have a different kind of vibe to say a Verona, Venice or Florence or other Northern Italian towns. Would second Syracuse (beautiful place - the old Greek bit is Ortigia, a connected island), it's flat, compact, historic and very easy to walk around. We flew into Catania (which was alright), took a train to Taormina (very very pretty but packed out peak season and hilly) and then onto Syracuse. The trains in Sicily aren't as great as on the mainland but it's possible to get around Sicily by them. So for me, Sicily over Sorrento but if you were talking some other town along that stretch of coast then it might be more 50/50! And totally agree with Sethis, Naples is grim!

There's so much to do/see around Sorrento, personally I think it'd be a waste to just sunbathe etc.

On reflection I think we stayed in Positano rather than Sorrento itself, it was lovely, amazing views and not that built up, about 100 metres to next building. I maybe confusing Sorrento and Positano above.

Babymoon. Is this a new word?

We would have been to both out of school holidays.

If you go to Sicily I wouldn’t rely on the public transport getting you anywhere on time. We did a journey across the Island that took an extra 7 hours longer than it should have done!

Definitely rent a car to explore. We rented a moped, like we usually do and love, but a car can get you much further to see more.

Erice in the north is unbelievable and so worth a day out! A gorgeous old town, 800m above sea level, with amazing history and gorgeous views.

Your title says 'babymoon' - could you just confirm if you mean that in the normal sense (cocooning with your newborn) because gpdoing that abroad sounds like a rather bad idea for a number of reasons.

Or do you just mean 'holiday during pregnancy'?

"Babymoon. Is this a new word?"

No it's been around for the last 50 years or so. It means the period immediately after the birth when new parents nest/cocoon with their newborn' for a couple of weeks.

I don't think OP means a babymoon, just a last-chance holiday before the baby arrives.

I went to Naples when I was 6 months pg, it was really hot and I had no energy for siteseeing. Food was delish though.

We went to Sicily this autumn and weren't overly impressed. The beaches were dirty, lots of dilapidated buildings and litter everywhere. It's great though If you like churches and ancient ruins.
Palermo, we found dirty, noisy and smelly.
Cefalu was nice.
Agrigento and temple valley were impressive, as were Piazza Armerina and Scala di Turchei.
Etna was overpriced and like walking up a giant slag heap. I would only do if the weather is clear. We set off in sunshine but by the time we got to the top it was so foggy we couldn't see anything. We left in torrential rain and thunder and lightening. It was just before they had those really bad floods.
Syracuse/Ortigia was ok.
Ragusa was good. If you are a Montalbano fan there are special tours.
The food wasn't anything special although I think we chose the wrong restaurants.
You definitely need a car to get around although you will need nerves of steel to cope with the Italian drivers and I will never complain about the potholes in England again.
I think we also chose the wrong time of year to go to as the weather was mixed and it was dark at 7pm which made the driving even more challenging as the roads are badly lit.
I've never been to Sorrento but wouldn't go back to Sicily.

Can't comment on Sicily but I wouldn't go to Sorrento. Far too touristy though I'm sure other places nearby are nice eg Amalfi, Positano.
Also the ruins at Pompeii are not to be missed.

Neither - Positano
Or a different country

Sicily is fantastic; really historic with loads to do. I wouldn't bother going without a hire car though purely because you would miss so much interest.
Sorrento is not my favourite place to stay but it is handy for visiting the rest of the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Naples , Pompeii etc etc. Very touristy of course but no need for car as trains are good and there are lots of coastal excursions by coach. It isn't as atmospheric as many other Italian towns .Its position and outlet is great.

Venice. Because it's beautiful but not somewhere would go with young children. Not been to Sicily but did go to Sardinia with DS as a preschooler and it was fabulously family friendly. Went to Sorrento with DS now a teen this last half-term & liked it but one day was enough for the town. After that it was drive everywhere on busy roads though Pompeii is worth it.

Nowhere is really going to be hot enough for sunbathing in April. I am in the south and we had snow on 16th April.
If you're only coming for a weekend and want relaxing food/sightseeing etc, I'd go to a smaller city, Siena, Verona (daytrip to Venice from Verona)
Bologna etc.