Sunny Sicily on Dialysis – My Grand Italian Road Trip
There’s a moment, somewhere on the motorway south of Vienna, when the Alps start to rise around you and you realise: this is actually happening. A dialysis patient, alone in a car, heading for Sicily. Three weeks, multiple dialysis centres, a trunk full of medical documents — and a very long playlist.
This is the story of that trip. Every kilometre of it.
Day 1 — Hitting the Road from Poland
I left Poland early in the morning while the roads were still quiet. There’s something beautifully optimistic about a pre-dawn departure — the world hasn’t quite started yet, and anything seems possible.
The plan for the first day was simple: drive south and stop near the Italian border.
I chose Villach in Austria as my overnight base — a charming small city nestled between the mountains, perfectly placed on the route into Italy. After a long day behind the wheel, I checked in, stretched my legs along the river, and slept well knowing that tomorrow, Italy awaited.
Day 2 — Across the Alps and into Rome
The second day brought one of the most dramatic drives in Europe — through the mountain passes and then, gradually, the Italian landscape opens up: terracotta rooftops, olive groves, the long straight roads of the Po Valley, and eventually the Roman suburbs sprawling in every direction.
I arrived in Rome at around 6 PM. After checking in to the apartment, I couldn’t resist a short evening walk. The neighborhood around the Colosseum at dusk is something else — floodlit and ancient, impossibly grand.
I stood in front of it for a while, thinking that emperors once watched gladiators fight here, and now I was watching tourists take selfies. Progress, perhaps.
Early to bed. Tomorrow was a dialysis day.
Day 3 — Dialysis in Rome at Diaverum + Piazza Venezia
I had my dialysis booked at Diaverum Rome — one of the largest dialysis networks in Europe. The session was scheduled for noon, which gave me a pleasant morning to enjoy the city properly.
A slow breakfast, a brisk walk through the back streets of Rome, and then the ritual that every dialysis traveller knows well: a proper Italian espresso, standing at the bar, watching the city wake up. In Italy, even the coffee feels like a cultural experience.
The dialysis session itself went smoothly. The staff at Diaverum were professional, warm, and well-organised.
My EHIC card covered everything — not a euro out of pocket. This is the quiet miracle of travelling with dialysis in Europe that too few people know about.
After the session, feeling surprisingly energised, I grabbed an Uber to Piazza Venezia — Rome’s great central crossroads, where six roads converge beneath the enormous white marble Vittoriano monument. I sat in a nearby bar, ordered a coffee, and watched the organised chaos of Roman traffic with great amusement.
A perfect hour of doing absolutely nothing, which is sometimes exactly what the body needs after dialysis.
Then back to the hotel for an early evening and rest.
Day 4 — A Full Free Day: The Eternal City Unveiled
No dialysis. A whole day. Rome at my feet.
I started at the Colosseum — this time not just admiring it from the outside but going in. Standing on the arena floor, looking up at the tiered stone seats that once held 50,000 Romans, is genuinely humbling. You don’t need to be a history enthusiast to feel it; the scale alone does something to you.
From there I walked directly to the Roman Forum — the heart of the ancient Republic, now a field of broken columns and weathered stone. It takes a moment to recalibrate: these crumbled arches were once government buildings, temples, and triumphal roads. Julius Caesar was cremated somewhere in this rubble.
By midday I was at the Pantheon — still, after nearly two thousand years, one of the most perfectly preserved buildings in the world.
The oculus in the dome, the shaft of light falling through it, the cool marble interior — it stops you cold. I stayed longer than I planned.
The afternoon took me to Piazza Navona, built on the site of an ancient stadium, now a gorgeous baroque square surrounded by fountains and pavement cafés.
I sat there for a while, ate lunch slowly, and watched the street artists and tourists swirl around Bernini’s famous Fountain of the Four Rivers.
And then — the Vatican. St. Peter’s Square at late afternoon, when the tour groups have thinned and the light goes golden, is one of Rome’s finest experiences. The scale of the Basilica is almost incomprehensible up close; the dome, designed by Michelangelo, seems to float above the city. If you can time it for late afternoon, do it.
I returned to the hotel exhausted, feet aching, and completely satisfied. Rome, on one full day, is not enough. But it’s a magnificent start.
Day 5 — Final Dialysis in Rome, and Goodbye to the Eternal City
My last morning in Rome followed the now-familiar rhythm: morning walk, espresso, then dialysis at Diaverum. Another flawless session, another warm farewell from the staff.
Then I packed the car, pulled out of Rome, and pointed south. Sicily was waiting.
Day 6 — The Long Drive to Taormina
There’s no short way to Sicily from Rome. The drive south through Calabria, across the Strait of Messina by ferry, and up the eastern Sicilian coast takes most of a day. But what a day.
By the time I arrived in Taormina, the sun was already low over the sea. Taormina sits on a clifftop above the Ionian coast — one of those places that seems too beautiful to be entirely real. I checked in to my accommodation and stood on the terrace looking out at the water. The first night in Sicily always feels like an arrival of a different kind.
Dialysis in Taormina: Clinica Sparviero
My dialysis sessions in Taormina were at the Clinica Sparviero — and I can only describe it as genuinely extraordinary. The clinic is perched above the sea, with views across the Ionian that most holiday hotels would charge a fortune for.
Three times a week I sat in a dialysis chair looking at one of the most beautiful coastlines in the Mediterranean. There are worse ways to receive medical treatment.
The staff were exceptional — professional, multilingual, and clearly proud of their unique setting. All sessions were covered by my EHIC card, booked in advance through the BookDialysis app, which made the entire reservation process effortless.
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Exploring the Taormina Area
Between dialysis days I threw myself into the surrounding region:
Taormina itself is a jewel — a medieval hilltop town with a famous Greek Theatre that frames Mount Etna in the background like a painting. The main street, Corso Umberto, is lined with boutiques, trattorias and baroque churches. It’s undeniably touristy, but rightfully so.
Castelmola, perched even higher above Taormina, is worth the winding drive for the panoramic views alone. A tiny village, a bar that claims to have invented almond wine, and a silence that the crowds below never reach.
Savoca — for any fan of The Godfather, this is a pilgrimage. The village where Coppola filmed the Sicilian sequences is almost unchanged since the 1970s. The bar where Michael Corleone asked for Apollonia’s hand still serves coffee. It’s a surreal, wonderful place.
Mount Etna demanded a visit.
I drove up to the crater area — the lunar landscape of black lava fields, the smell of sulphur in the air, the strange sensation of standing on an active volcano. Etna is not just a mountain; it’s a presence that dominates the entire eastern corner of Sicily.
Catania, Etna’s city, is gritty and magnificent — all black lava-stone baroque, a raucous fish market, and an energy entirely different from polished Taormina. The cathedral square, the Fontana dell’Elefante, the covered market: Catania rewards those who just walk and get lost.
Sciacca — A Fishing Town and a Week of Discovery
My next stop was Sciacca, a working fishing port on Sicily’s southern coast — far from the tourist trail and absolutely wonderful for it.
Dialysis here was at the Diaverum Sciacca clinic. Same network, same high standard, same flawless EHIC billing. I stayed for over a week, which gave me time to truly sink into the rhythm of the place.
Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples was the unmissable excursion from Sciacca. The ancient Greek temples rising from the hillside above the sea are among the best-preserved in the entire Mediterranean world.
Walking among them at golden hour, with almond blossoms in the fields below, is one of those experiences that stays with you.
Palazzo Adriano — a quiet, largely forgotten village in the Sicilian interior — was a discovery I hadn’t planned. Steep streets, faded aristocratic palazzi, an enormous piazza almost entirely empty of tourists. The kind of place you stumble upon and feel quietly grateful that not everywhere has been discovered yet.
Marsala — Wines, Islands, and the West
The final Sicilian chapter was Marsala, at the island’s western tip — famous for its sweet fortified wine and its proximity to some genuinely spectacular islands.
My dialysis sessions here were again at a Diaverum clinic, with the same reliable, professional care I had received throughout the journey. Three sessions per week, EHIC card, BookDialysis reservation — the system worked perfectly every time. The site of Diaverum clinic in Marsala.
A week in Marsala gave me time to explore:
The Egadi Islands — reachable by ferry in under an hour — offer some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. Favignana, the largest, has beautiful coves for swimming and a fascinating old tuna-processing factory turned museum.
Palermo is a city that hits you immediately. Chaotic, loud, and overwhelming in the best possible way. The Ballarò street market, the Arab-Norman cathedral, the Byzantine mosaics of the Palatine Chapel, the decadent baroque oratories — Palermo layers 2,000 years of civilisation on top of itself with very little apology.
Aspra, a small fishing village on the outskirts of Palermo, was a quieter counterpoint — good seafood, a working harbour, and the kind of unhurried afternoon that reminds you why you travel in the first place.
Heading Home — Cefalù and Rome Again
The return journey north brought one more stop: Cefalù. Its reputation is fully deserved — a Norman cathedral rising dramatically from the rock, a medieval old town, a golden beach. It is, as I had been warned, extremely touristy in summer.
But beautiful, undeniably beautiful. A brief stop, worth it.
Back in Rome for one final dialysis session at Diaverum — the team there greeted me warmly, as though I were a regular. Perhaps, in a small way, I was.
One day of rest in Rome, then north. Through Tuscany, over the mountains, through Austria, and eventually back across the Polish border.
The Practical Truth: Dialysis in Europe Is Easier Than You Think
This trip covered thousands of kilometres, three weeks, and more dialysis sessions than I can count off the top of my head. Here is what I learned:
The EHIC card is your greatest travel companion. Every single dialysis session on this trip — Rome, Taormina, Sciacca, Marsala — was completely free of charge. The European Health Insurance Card entitles EU citizens to the same healthcare as local residents. Use it, and don’t let anyone tell you it won’t work.
Book through BookDialysis. The app made every reservation straightforward — searchable by location and date, with confirmation usually arriving quickly. I cannot recommend it enough.
Diaverum is everywhere. With clinics across Sicily and throughout Italy, you can plan a serious road trip knowing that high-quality dialysis is never far away. The standard is consistently excellent.
Planning is freedom. The more you organise in advance, the more free you feel when you arrive. Confirm every dialysis booking. Carry your medical documentation. Then forget about the logistics and enjoy yourself.
Final Thought
People sometimes look at me with a kind of pitying concern when I say I travel on dialysis. Is that safe? Isn’t it too complicated? Aren’t you tired?
The answer to all three is: sometimes, a little, and yes. But the Ionian Sea seen from a dialysis chair in Taormina, the ancient temples of Agrigento glowing in the evening light, the smell of espresso in a Roman bar at nine in the morning — these things are not available to people who stay home.
Dialysis is not the end of travel. For me, it turned out to be the beginning of it.
All dialysis sessions on this trip were booked via BookDialysis.com. All costs were covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). I travelled independently by car from Poland.
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