— DAY 09 OF 09 · DEPARTURE 09.
SUNDAY · JUN 28 · CTA → MAD → BOS

Arrivederci, Sicilia.

Wake. Pack the van. Last walk-through. Fuel up. Return the car. Iberia at noon. Home in Boston by Sunday evening.

DRIVE~40 min
WALKINGAirport only
PACETight · early
RESERVATIONSAlready done
BIGGEST CALLFuel before drop
SECTION01

Today's map — villa to airport.

Same drive as arrival night, in reverse.

Sunday route Villa Fuel + return Airport
SECTION02

The day, tight and early.

  1. 6:30 AM
    Wake · coffee · last loads

    Coffee on the terrace one last time. Last loads from rooms to the central staging area.

  2. 7:30 AM
    Pack the van · last walk-through

    Tetris the bags. Check every room: closets, drawers, bathrooms, under beds, the pool deck, the kitchen for any forgotten chocolate or cheese, the terrace for sunglasses.

    Take the trash out. Run the dishwasher. Strip beds if the host requested. Lock up.

  3. 8:15 AM
    Drive to airport area · fuel up

    Sicily by Car requires return-at-pickup-fuel-level (or full — confirm at pickup). Last-mile fuel station near CTA: ENI on SS114 (open 24h).

    Take a photo of the fuel gauge after fueling and the receipt — backup if they dispute the level.

  4. 9:00 AM
    Sicily by Car return · CTA

    Drop the keys. Get the printed receipt. Walk to terminal.

  5. 9:30 AM
    Iberia check-in · security · gate

    CTA is small. 90 minutes is plenty for check-in, security, and a sit-down breakfast at one of the airport cafés.

  6. 10:30 AM
    Breakfast at the gate

    Last cornetti. Last espresso. The teens get final gelato cravings out of their system.

  7. 12:00 PM
    Catania → Madrid

    Iberia. Lands MAD 3:10 PM. Layover.

  8. 5:30 PM
    Madrid → Boston

    Iberia. Lands BOS 7:50 PM Sunday evening.

  9. 8:30 PM
    Home

    Customs. Bags. Curbside. Pizza order on the way home from Logan. Sleep.

SECTION03

Heads-up for the day.

FUEL
Fuel up before the rental return. Sicily by Car charges premium for fuel-on-empty (and charges flat-fee even for partial fills). Photo of the gauge + receipt is the protection.
EARLY
Everyone in the van by 8:15 AM. No exceptions. CTA can have a long Sunday-morning queue at the rental return desk.
CHOCOLATE
Pack the Bonajuto chocolate in checked luggage, wrapped in clothes. It can melt at airport-tarmac temperatures. The vacuum-sealed bars handle it; the open ones don't.
VILLA
Take photos of every room before you lock up — easier to refute any post-stay damage claim. Send a quick "thanks, we're out" text to the host.

Arrivederci, Sicilia.

Nine days. Seven of us. One villa. Two volcanos seen from far enough away. About 28 plates of caponata. We'll be back.