— TRAVEL & LOGISTICS GETTING
THERE.
JUN 19 – JUN 28 · IBERIA · SICILY BY CAR · VILLA GIUSY

Two flights, one van,
one villa.

Boston in to Catania via Madrid. Pick up a 9-passenger Ford Tourneo at the airport. Drive 40 minutes south to Melilli. Stay put for eight nights.

SECTION01

Flights — Iberia K10VH

Both legs both directions. Confirmation K10VH for the whole party.

  • FRI 9:20 PM
    Boston (BOS) → Madrid (MAD)

    Outbound. Overnight. Arrive Madrid Saturday 10:30 AM. Long layover at MAD.

  • SAT 4:00 PM
    Madrid (MAD) → Catania (CTA)

    Lands 7:05 PM. Walk to Sicily by Car desk for the van pickup at 8:30 PM.

  • SUN 12:00 PM
    Catania (CTA) → Madrid (MAD)

    Return leg 1. Lands 3:10 PM. Layover then home.

  • SUN 5:30 PM
    Madrid (MAD) → Boston (BOS)

    Arrives BOS 7:50 PM Sunday evening. Done.

Flight quick facts

AirlineIberia
Conf.K10VH
Pax7
OutboundFri 6/19 → Sat 6/20
ReturnSun 6/28
HubMadrid (MAD)
Sicily airportCatania-Fontanarossa (CTA)
SECTION02

Car rental — Sicily by Car

9-passenger Ford Tourneo Custom van. Booked via Booking.com, paid in full.

VEHICLE
Ford Tourneo Custom — 9-seat passenger van. Boxy. Fits 7 people, 7 carry-ons, and a costco-bag of groceries with room to spare. Diesel. Manual.
PICKUP
Saturday 6/20, 8:30 PM at the Sicily by Car desk inside Catania Airport (CTA). Bring the booking confirmation and the credit card the reservation was made on. Second driver registered.
RETURN
Sunday 6/28, 9:00 AM back to CTA. Fuel up before drop-off — the desk usually wants the tank at the level it was at pickup. Confirm at pickup what that level is.
HEADS UP
Italian car rental desks add fees for second-driver and full insurance separately. Both are included in the prepaid total below — verify on the contract before signing.

Rental quick facts

VendorSicily by Car (Booking.com)
Reservation #716176178
VehicleFord Tourneo Custom · 9 seat
PickupCTA · Sat 6/20 · 8:30 PM
ReturnCTA · Sun 6/28 · 9:00 AM
DriversTwo registered
InsuranceFull · included
Total$2,247.78
StatusPaid 3/13/26 (BofA)
Cancel by48h before pickup
SECTION03

Lodging — Villa Giusy

Eight nights at Villa Giusy in Contrada Spalla, Melilli — about 25 minutes north of Ortigia, 35 minutes south of Catania, and three minutes from a large supermarket per the host. The villa has a pool, a terrace, a kitchen big enough to cook for the whole group, and enough beds for the seven of us without anyone on a couch.

We booked direct via Airbnb listing 17375861. Half of the total is already paid; the second half is due before arrival. The host has agreed to advise on a grocery delivery for Saturday night so nobody has to navigate an Italian supermarket at 10 PM after a 14-hour travel day.

The villa is also where the private chef cooks Thursday dinner — multi-course Sicilian, ~€80–150 per person. The Cesarine network or Take-a-Chef can match a chef. Book 4–6 weeks ahead.

Villa quick facts

AddressContrada Spalla, 96010 Melilli SR
Nights8 (Jun 20 – Jun 28)
Sleeps7
PoolYes
Total$4,656.41
PaidHalf · second half due pre-arrival
MapOpen
SECTION04

Daily drives — villa to villa

All distances measured from Villa Giusy. Round-trip times are typical, not hard estimates.

Day Anchor One-way Round-trip Notes
Sat 6/20CTA airport → Villa~40 minArrival drive only
Sun 6/21Ortigia (golden hour)~25 min~50 minLate-night return
Mon 6/22Neapolis + Ortigia~30 min~60 minAnchor day, easy
Tue 6/23Noto → Marzamemi~50 + 30 min~2:30Long return after dinner
Wed 6/24Etna → Taormina~1:15 + 1:00~3:45The big drive day
Thu 6/25Villa (rest day)Optional Augusta is 10 min
Fri 6/26Ragusa Ibla → Modica~1:30 + 40 min~3:25Park in lower Ibla
Sat 6/27Catania~35 min~70 minClosest excursion
Sun 6/28CTA airport~40 minDeparture drive only
SECTION05

Critical timings nobody can miss.

PICKUP
Iberia lands at 7:05 PM Saturday. Sicily by Car desk closes at midnight but rental queues at CTA can be 30–45 min. Get to the desk by 8:30 PM at latest.
FUEL
Sicily by Car typically requires the van be returned at the same fuel level as pickup. Confirm the level on the contract at pickup. Last-mile fuel station near CTA: ENI on SS114 (open 24h).
TO BOOK
Pre-order a grocery delivery to the villa for Saturday arrival night. Ask the host. Avoid an Italian supermarket run at 10 PM with seven jet-lagged people.
TO BOOK
Confirm Iberia seat assignments for both legs both directions — get aisle-near-bathroom seats for whoever wants them on the long leg.