Messina recommendations

[hubofhockey]

Does anyone have an e-mail for Mario Astone? Sounds like he does great tours. Thanks!

 

marioastone@tiscali.it

[NJ Cruisers]

Thanks so much! I had looked on the web but was unable to find him!

[hubofhockey]

Thanks so much! I had looked on the web but was unable to find him!

 

His business is pretty much word of mouth and he relies on references on Tripadvisor and also this site. I am relying on those reviews in booking with him. He will send you a seven-page pdf listing details of his tours. I will post a full detailed review of our excursion with includes Taormina/Castelmola/Mt Etna/Messina when we get back (mid August).

[Mailgirl]

I just returned from a 9 day cruise on the Carnival Magic and our day out of the port of Messina was our absolute favorite! I know that sounds crazy after visiting Rome and Florence on the same trip, but the day in Sicily was the most fun, relaxing day we had. We used a local tour guide named Mario Astone (you can google him) and his brother for 2 eight passenger vans to go to Taomina and Castelmola. The price was only 45 Euro per person, much less than the average 87 Euro per person we spent with Rome in Limo for 3 other tours, and way less than Carnival was charging. I can't say enough praise for both the brothers! They were fun, knowledgeable, and professional and planned a great day for us. They met us at the terminal at 8:00 and drove us quickly to Taormina providing history and suggestions of what to do there along the way. Then my favorite part was they left us ALONE with a highlighted map to explore Taormina for 2 and a half hours before lunch. After being led all over Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, and the Amalfi coast the days before, it was just what we wanted! Mario showed us the best gelateria and recommended the pistachio gelato....nothing like I've ever tasted commercially... sweet and salty at the same time. We walked through the Greek Theatre and took in the beautiful views, and then spent the rest of our time wandering the quaint streets and shopping. Yes, it's touristy, but it has gorgeous views and beautiful balconies everywhere dripping with flowers! Mario met us around noon and then drove us even higher in the mountains, about 3 miles, to the village of Castelmola about 1800 feet above sea level. Talk about views! The large tour buses can't even get to Castelmola because of the small, winding roads. It is much quieter and less touristy than Taormina, so it's a perfect place to have lunch. Mario provided us with compmentary cold drinks and wonderful sweets from a local shop as we arrived. He took us for a short walk through the town and told us its history from 350 BC! Mario had arranged for our group to have a relaxing lunch at an outdoor hillside cafe under umbrellas with a view of the Mediterranean. I absolutely loved the Sicilian grandma who greeted us like family into her restaurant. We didn't even have a chance to order before she plopped down huge plates of bruchetta and caraffes of wine! I ordered a personal pizza and it was the size of my steering wheel! After lunch she brought complimentary glasses of their sweet almond wine which the area is known for (you can buy some in the shops there...very inexpensive). We ended up sitting and chatting with our Cruise Critic friends for a 2 hour lunch, and the Astone brothers never made us feel like we needed to rush to go anywhere. They had told us the tour would be about 6 hours, but they saw we were having such a good time that they added a couple of hours at no charge. On the way back to the ship, they stopped for several photo opportunities and then showed us the highlights of Messina including the astronomical clock and the Duomo. After discussing our day with our fellow travelors, we all agreed that if we could come back to only one place from our trip, this would be it! There are lots of other small villages to explore in the area as well. I hope you have a great time and consider the Astone brothers if you are looking for an easy relaxed day!

 

 

I am looking at Mario's Tours, Did you take the Taormina & Castelmola tour. Were you able to see the Bell Tower come alive at noon in Messina. I am torn between doing a tour or just staying in Messina for a leisurely day so that I can see the bell tower at noon and see whets left of their historical sites. I know it sounds crazy. Beautiful views or miss seeing the bell tower.

[cknic]

I am looking at Mario's Tours, Did you take the Taormina & Castelmola tour. Were you able to see the Bell Tower come alive at noon in Messina. I am torn between doing a tour or just staying in Messina for a leisurely day so that I can see the bell tower at noon and see whets left of their historical sites. I know it sounds crazy. Beautiful views or miss seeing the bell tower.

Four of us will be in Messina Sept 4 on the Noordam but only in port from 7am to 1pm..After reading the posts about this stop and the great info provided, I corresponded with Mario. He assures me that there would be no problem taking his tours and getting back to the ship on time. Now we are torn between his Taormina & Castelmola tour and the Godfather Tour & Taormina. Suggestions? Thanks, Carolyn

[wantocruisemore]

We just returned last night from our trip and Mario toured us around in Messina, Taormina and Castelmora on July 4th. He was WONDERFUL!!!

 

We had a group of 5 in his clean Mercedes van and he provided water and pastries. I had written ahead to tell him about my DD's gluten-free needs and when he could not find a restaurant ahead that had gulten-free pasta he bought some and fixed it for her. But, as chance would have it, when he took the vehicle in to be cleaned just before picking us up the guy who cleaned it threw it out since it had a "funny color" and was afraid it was spoiled.

 

We did the tour in reverse since we wanted to be at the Duomo for the 12 min. display at noon. It worked out great! Mario had driven us around and we even got to see a special collection of old carriages (private collection, long story and best not to ask for it on tour because it worked out by accident we were "invited" by a local businessman to tour it since we had stopped near their warehouse for photos. Since we were their guests, no harm, and they were gracious, but please do not ask Mario to include this on your tour since our special photo request of Patton's headquarters put him in "controlled teritory"). 15 min. later when we stopped in town and he walked with my SIL to show her a bank she could use, it had already spread around town about the stop because she was approached and asked if she enjoyed the collection. Definitely a different world with stereotype-looking people.

 

Then on to Castelmora for a wonderful lunch. He showed us some views and recommended a wonderful place for eating. Then we had time to walk around the town and evjoy it. Next was Taormina and he pointed out some places and then on our own for the theatre and the great views. We walked around the town, shopped and then met Mario at our time and he got us back to the ship with minutes to spare. WONDERFUL DAY with him.

 

Some additional notes, it had been mentioned on this board about him not licensed and implied he was not legitimate because of no website, and an earlier incident where his tour was pulled etc. BUT he showed me the License and the additional paperwork for the vehicle etc. He does not do the website because it would be expensive for him to set up and he is usually booked almost every day.

Also, he had arranged for tours with with others on our ship with his brother for one group and another group for a family. I saw the guide waiting for them when we got off the ship. There was some time mix up and they got off an hour later and their driver had left. Mario spent alot of time on the phone calling around trying to make sure they were taken care of. He finally found someone who could take them around. His extra efforts to take care of them were further examples of his professionalism and going the extra to take care of clients.

 

I cannot recommend Mario enough!!!!

[BklynBorn47]

Wantocruisemore and I were 2 weeks apart on the Mediterranean, but are following each other around this morning on the boards.

 

We also had a wonderful day with Mario's brother so I was concerned about the license issues I heard about when we returned. Glad to know he's legal.

 

Here's the detail from my trip diary.

 

As soon as allowed, we walked off the ship. Our tour guide was waiting for us right outside the gate. So we got right on the road well ahead of the fleet of tour buses all lined up.

1st stop: Mt Etna, about 1.25 hours away and at an elevation of approximately 7000 ft. We could see it in the distance as we drove with smoke (steam) rising from the crater. Our guide was Ig****o Astone (Mario’s brother) who pointed out points of interest along the way along with relevant history. We saw the village where the Godfather movie was filmed as well as the fortresses that were so important to this strategic port. You have to have nerves of steel to drive here with narrow mountain roads to share with big tour buses.

The Silvestri crater was amazing and we climbed up and down to get the best vantage points. Ignacio provided us with a delicious snack of fruit tarts along with cold drinks before our volcano exploration.

We then drove back down the mountain passing tour buses along the way and up again to the town of Castelmola. We ordered lunch in a lovely local restaurant with a perfect view of Mt Etna. While lunch was being prepared, we walked around the town with its amazing panoramic views.

Lunch was delicious and with renewed energy we proceeded down to Taromina, a picturesque town larger than Castelmola where we spent some time shopping. We found cute carvings made from Lava rock for gifts and other stuff as well.

Our final stop was the town of Messina with its famous astronomical clock at the cathedral. I wish we could have seen it at noon, but with the drive to Mt Etna, this wasn't possible. Ig****o described each figure to us in detail and got us back to our ship with 15 min to spare (whew!). His knowledge, personality and obvious love of his island made this tour special. In fact we were enjoying our day so much we elected to skip formal night and see the last few sites in Messina even though it meant we would miss our 6 pm dinner in the MDR.

[wantocruisemore]

Wantocruisemore and I were 2 weeks apart on the Mediterranean, but are following each other around this morning on the boards.

 

We also had a wonderful day with Mario's brother so I was concerned about the license issues I heard about when we returned. Glad to know he's legal.

 

Here's the detail from my trip diary.

 

As soon as allowed, we walked off the ship. Our tour guide was waiting for us right outside the gate. So we got right on the road well ahead of the fleet of tour buses all lined up.

 

1st stop: Mt Etna, about 1.25 hours away and at an elevation of approximately 7000 ft. We could see it in the distance as we drove with smoke (steam) rising from the crater. Our guide was Ig****o Astone (Mario’s brother) who pointed out points of interest along the way along with relevant history. We saw the village where the Godfather movie was filmed as well as the fortresses that were so important to this strategic port. You have to have nerves of steel to drive here with narrow mountain roads to share with big tour buses.

 

The Silvestri crater was amazing and we climbed up and down to get the best vantage points. Ignacio provided us with a delicious snack of fruit tarts along with cold drinks before our volcano exploration.

 

We then drove back down the mountain passing tour buses along the way and up again to the town of Castelmola. We ordered lunch in a lovely local restaurant with a perfect view of Mt Etna. While lunch was being prepared, we walked around the town with its amazing panoramic views.

 

Lunch was delicious and with renewed energy we proceeded down to Taromina, a picturesque town larger than Castelmola where we spent some time shopping. We found cute carvings made from Lava rock for gifts and other stuff as well.

 

Our final stop was the town of Messina with its famous astronomical clock at the cathedral. I wish we could have seen it at noon, but with the drive to Mt Etna, this wasn't possible. Ig****o described each figure to us in detail and got us back to our ship with 15 min to spare (whew!). His knowledge, personality and obvious love of his island made this tour special. In fact we were enjoying our day so much we elected to skip formal night and see the last few sites in Messina even though it meant we would miss our 6 pm dinner in the MDR.

 

 

LOL Bklynborn47, yea we did almost the same but we didn't do Mt. Etna. Did you eat at the restaurant at Castelmora that had the rooster on the sign? That place was great, even gave free brushetta! Our other half of our group took a different tour since they wanted to just do Mt. Etna, but it was a company that Mario recommended and they were exceedingly pleased. I'll post a review on it later for them.

 

Guess I was on the boards early today because my body is still on Italy time and I am still psyched over all the fabulous places we saw.

[Cruisenewbie1956]

My 2 daughters and I have booked the "Taormina & Castelmola" tour with Mario, on August 19, 2011. We are on the Carnival Magic.

 

Mario suggested that we see if we can find anyone else to share the excursion with us. The cost for 1 additional person is $50eu each, 3 additional people 45 eu, 5 additional 40 eu.

 

I have to warn you though, we plan to take the tour at a leisurely pace because one of my daughters has mobility/stamina issues. We will leave it up to Mario or his brother to decide.

 

Let me know if you are interested.

[BklynBorn47]

LOL Bklynborn47, yea we did almost the same but we didn't do Mt. Etna. Did you eat at the restaurant at Castelmora that had the rooster on the sign? That place was great, even gave free brushetta! Our other half of our group took a different tour since they wanted to just do Mt. Etna, but it was a company that Mario recommended and they were exceedingly pleased. I'll post a review on it later for them.

 

 

Wantocruisemore - I don't remember a rooster, but I think Mario always uses the same restaurant. Both vans went there during our tour. The children really loved Mt Etna.

[hubofhockey]

My 2 daughters and I have booked the "Taormina & Castelmola" tour with Mario, on August 19, 2011. We are on the Carnival Magic.

 

Mario suggested that we see if we can find anyone else to share the excursion with us. The cost for 1 additional person is $50eu each, 3 additional people 45 eu, 5 additional 40 eu.

 

I have to warn you though, we plan to take the tour at a leisurely pace because one of my daughters has mobility/stamina issues. We will leave it up to Mario or his brother to decide.

 

Let me know if you are interested.

 

You should post this on your roll call. We found three on our roll call to join us for a total of seven people. Your prices indicate to me that it is tour #1. Tour #2 is a bit more expensive and includes Mt Etna in addition to Messina, Castelmola, and Taormina. I think we have 7 people at about 70 euros pers person. Have a great time. We are doing tour #2 from the Carnival Magic cruise just prior to your cruise. I will review it.

[vacation fool]

 

Some additional notes, it had been mentioned on this board about him not licensed and implied he was not legitimate because of no website, and an earlier incident where his tour was pulled etc. BUT he showed me the License and the additional paperwork for the vehicle etc.

Just curious if you could point me to the thread that mentioned the day all this went on with the tour being pulled. I happenned to be in Messina that day and was on a tour with Mario when all of this confusion occurred with a group of our fellow cruisers. Would be interested to see what was reported. Giovanni stepped in while Mario had to sort it all out and we had a wonderful tour as i already mentioned in a previous post.

I can't tell you how upset Mario and Giovanni were that day. Talk about "stereo types"-the plain clothes detectives looked like something right out of a godfather movie. They started interrogating us in Italian and asking ?'s as if we even knew what the heck they were talking about. Looked like a shakedown to me if i ever saw one. They wanted to know how much we paid as per Giovanni translating for us. They did not want him talking to us but as he said to them, we did not understand what they were asking. The government apparently does not take a liking to tour companies that do not contract with the cruise lines as they do not get a percentage. Don't want to go on about politics, but thinking we did not have to go on a "godfather tour" to actually experience it. :rolleyes:;) We got the reality version :D

[wantocruisemore]

 

Some additional notes, it had been mentioned on this board about him not licensed and implied he was not legitimate because of no website, and an earlier incident where his tour was pulled etc. BUT he showed me the License and the additional paperwork for the vehicle etc.

Just curious if you could point me to the thread that mentioned the day all this went on with the tour being pulled. I happenned to be in Messina that day and was on a tour with Mario when all of this confusion occurred with a group of our fellow cruisers. Would be interested to see what was reported. Giovanni stepped in while Mario had to sort it all out and we had a wonderful tour as i already mentioned in a previous post.

 

I can't tell you how upset Mario and Giovanni were that day. Talk about "stereo types"-the plain clothes detectives looked like something right out of a godfather movie. They started interrogating us in Italian and asking ?'s as if we even knew what the heck they were talking about. Looked like a shakedown to me if i ever saw one. They wanted to know how much we paid as per Giovanni translating for us. They did not want him talking to us but as he said to them, we did not understand what they were asking. The government apparently does not take a liking to tour companies that do not contract with the cruise lines as they do not get a percentage. Don't want to go on about politics, but thinking we did not have to go on a "godfather tour" to actually experience it. :rolleyes:;) We got the reality version :D

 

I think that thread that talked about the incident in Messina with Magic's first stop got pulled. It became very controversial and the op asked it be closed or pulled. It was during the week of Magic's first cruise. I read it and then emailed Mario with questions. I was satisfied he was legit and was VERY pleased with our experiences with him.

[siestavb]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for the great recommendations on Mario Astone. I've contacted him and looked at his Tour 1 and Tour 2 and wondered if those of you who went on the tour (I think most of you went on Tour 1) thought it was enough for one day? It sounds like you got to do exactly what you wanted! Do you know anyone who went on Tour 2? Comments? I'm trying to decide which itinerary I like better - and Tour 1 is 40 euros/person for 8 people, while Tour 2 is 70 euros/person for 8 people....

 

Tour 1 - Castelmola, Taurmina, and Messina - Basically, this tour heads to Castelmola to see views of Mt. Etna and the surrounding landscape, and then goes to Taurmina for the bulk of the time. This visit is followed by a quick city tour of Messina, ending with the astronomical clock.

 

Tour 2 - Mt. Etna, Taormina, Messina - This tour heads thru some Sicilian towns (Santa Venerina and Zafferana) and ends up at the Silvestri crater to see lava flows and grape farms. This is then followed by Tour 1.

 

I'd appreciate any feedback!

 

Thanks.

Siestavb

[Eightydays]

If possible, go to Taormina. It is very easy to do by train or bus.

 

I thought Messina was somewhat "industrial" with very little to see or do for more than a couple of hours.

[Karennella]

OK, in my above post I was just writing Mario's brother's name. I'll misspell it this time - Ignacio! although the c should really be a z. He spelled it for me.

That was my father-in-law's name; he was from that region and in more than forty years I have never once associated it with what is blotted out. Crazy!

[BklynBorn47]

Do you know anyone who went on Tour 2? Comments? I'm trying to decide which itinerary I like better - and Tour 1 is 40 euros/person for 8 people, while Tour 2 is 70 euros/person for 8 people....

 

 

Siestavb,

We took tour #2. There were 7 of us (3 kids) and another couple. I posted a report above (post #32). We started out at Mt Etna and ended the day in Messina so as not to miss the ship. Our reasoning was that the kids would be seeing lots of beautiful scenery, but probably not get another chance to walk around the crater of a volcano. So we opted for the extra money. It was worth it to us. There was actually lava flowing on the north slope while we were there so our exploring was done on the south slope.

[wantocruisemore]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for the great recommendations on Mario Astone. I've contacted him and looked at his Tour 1 and Tour 2 and wondered if those of you who went on the tour (I think most of you went on Tour 1) thought it was enough for one day? It sounds like you got to do exactly what you wanted! Do you know anyone who went on Tour 2? Comments? I'm trying to decide which itinerary I like better - and Tour 1 is 40 euros/person for 8 people, while Tour 2 is 70 euros/person for 8 people....

 

Tour 1 - Castelmola, Taurmina, and Messina - Basically, this tour heads to Castelmola to see views of Mt. Etna and the surrounding landscape, and then goes to Taurmina for the bulk of the time. This visit is followed by a quick city tour of Messina, ending with the astronomical clock.

 

Tour 2 - Mt. Etna, Taormina, Messina - This tour heads thru some Sicilian towns (Santa Venerina and Zafferana) and ends up at the Silvestri crater to see lava flows and grape farms. This is then followed by Tour 1.

 

I'd appreciate any feedback!

 

Thanks.

Siestavb

 

We did Tour #1. But we did it in reverse so we could see the noon display of the astronomical clock. For that reason we had a little less time in Taormina for shopping. The ordinary order of the tour stops at the clock but is at the end of the day and you do not see the noon display. While we liked the display, I'm not sure I would bother with it again if we ever go back.

[sunlover757]

We were on the Celebrity Equinox last month and had a fantastic tour with Mario Astone, too. We took a lot of private tours on our cruise and his was one of the best. The personalized touches he provided (bottled water, little fruit tarts, maps, etc.) were very thoughtful and his attentive service was outstanding. We wanted to have lunch in Castelmola, so we went to Taormina first for several hours of touring around and a bit of shopping and we really enjoyed it. Great gelato in Sicily - don't miss it! Before heading up to Castelmola for lunch, Mario showed us a beautiful island with a lovely beach. If we ever come back to the area, I will definitely want to stop there for a while. Lunch in Castelmola was fantastic and then Mario brought us back to Messina to see the clock and some other sites. Sicily turned out to be one of our favorite days (there were many!) and I would certainly recommend Mario highly to anyone considering a private tour here.

[cruising grandma]

We just returned from our Med cruise.....used Sicily Life tour for Messina. We were very well pleased. We had a van of six(found four others from cc roll call) and the driver/guide. We did the Mt. Etna/Taormina tour, but they offer several others.

[Softball20]

Thanks Magiccruiser. We will definitely look up the Astone brothers. Sounds like the perfect tour!

 

We, too, love Taormina -- absolutely beautiful. We used Sicily Life Tours twice. The first time we did Castlemola (amazing!) and then Taormina, and then the second time we did their "godfather" tour which took us to a couple of the villages where the movie was filmed. It was interesting. We skipped Castlemola that time as we wanted to spend more time in Taormina. It's one of my favorite ports -- nice for just wandering around, enjoying the beautiful views, exploring some of the shops (yes, some are touristy), and having some gelato!

[picesfl]

Hi

Great and helpful posts.

Can anyone tell me if the streets in Taormina are paved or cobblestone.

 

Thanks:)

[Val S]

His business is pretty much word of mouth and he relies on references on Tripadvisor and also this site. I am relying on those reviews in booking with him. He will send you a seven-page pdf listing details of his tours. I will post a full detailed review of our excursion with includes Taormina/Castelmola/Mt Etna/Messina when we get back (mid August).

Hi are you back from your cruise? How was your tour with Mario?thanks

[hubofhockey]

Hi are you back from your cruise? How was your tour with Mario?thanks

 

The tour with Mario was great. He is exuberant and loves what he does and provides constant commentary. Only 3 or 7 of us climbed the second 2001 crater at Mount Etna. The others stayed back at the little cafe near the original main crater. It was tough climbing. I did it with my 11 and 13 year olds and it is also not easy on the way down. I would have to say that Taormina is the bigger highlight and and a pretty unique town.

[Marysunshine]

I recommend doing it on your own. Kay's attachment gives directions and it is easy to do. Join your roll call and find others who are doing the same DIY tour.

 

I know I sound stupid but how does one find the attachment???