Ok, so I sent you over here, but then I posted a response to the other thread.

Hope you enjoy your trip to Sicily! We loved our visit. We have a friend that has a place in Scopello -- near the national park. Hope to get back their some day.

Mt. Etna was fascinating, as was the amphitheater in Taormino. Catania was also very nice -- of course, our friends toured us around so we got the non-touristy tour.

Summer in Sicily will be very hot. The best time to go is spring or fall. I would pick spring for the wildflowers, but the water will be warmer in the fall. I love Sicily, but not Taormina...

"As you can tell have never organised a trip before." And you are doing a big one for a first time planner! It will be fun and you will be an expert when you finish.

My Sicily experience is limited (though I loved my short visit there), so others may have better ideas, but here goes.

You must already know it is going to be super hot in July and August.

Sicily is larger than you might think. You will need two bases to visit both sides of the island - a week on each side.

I would rent a car in Sicily.

Agrigento is a "don't miss" sight, IMHO.

For a cruise to the Greek Islands, look at vacationstogo for ideas of what is available. If you have not used the web site before, join it. Look for the 90 day ticker. Drop down to Greek Islands. Two easy options would be Celebrity from Rome to Rome (Look at deal #21130) or Princess from Rome to Venice (deal #25273). Princess does more islands, Celebrity visits some pretty great sights.

Many options, but you could take the ferry from Sicily to Naples, train to catch cruise, or fly to Rome and home from Venice. or the reverse.

If you haven't been to Rome, try to allow a couple of days there before the cruise. It will be hot, but worth it. If you end in Venice, allow a couple of days there also - more than worth it, though muggy hot in summer.

I doubt there will be much difference, but, if June is cooler, I would go to Sicily in June and do the cruise at the end.

With 8 weeks, you could do
14 days Sicily
1 day travel
3 days Rome
12 days cruise
3 days Venice
rest of time?
All of above just suggestions to start.

We toured Sicily by car in November and it was still warm enough for the beach. I think July and August would be stiflingly hot. Our route- fly into Palermo (3 days) visited Monreale by bus from Palermo as well as wandered the streets and markets. From Palermo to Erice via Segesta. Erice to Agrigento (agree not to be missed. The Greek Temples are as good if not better than Greece IMO). Agrigento to Siracusa. Recommend visiting Piazza Amerina for Roman mosaics (Brilliant). Noto and Ragusa also worth visiting.
Siracusa is lovely- esp staying on island of Ortigia.
Siracusa to Cefalu- beach to relax on.
back to Palermo. I think that was about 10 days

I would definitely pick cooler months for a Sicily visit. We were there in late September and the weather was very warm. If you have 8 weeks including your cruise, I would plan to visit other parts of Italy as well. If you want to stay in apartments and visit all of the island, I would pick 3 different bases and tour each area by car. Three weeks in Sicily would be wonderful and allow you to see the island well.

If you plan on two weeks for a cruise, that will leave you with 3 weeks to fill. Have you been to Italy before? If not, there is so much to see and do.

What a wonderful opportunity to see Italy in depth. Have a great time planning and a great trip!

Sicily is wonderful but I would not spend 8 weeks there, especially in summer. If you speak Italian you can explore the villages in the interior. If you so not speak Italian the interior villages won't be very interesting for you since (with few exceptions) they so not offer tourist sights and people are not likely to speak English. It will be very very hot. I also would not base myself in Taormina which is good for about half a day of sightseeing.

If you're doing 8 weeks I would rent apartments in 3 areas; Parlermo, Syracuse/Orgygia, and perhaps Agrigento. Also spend a few days on the Aeolian Islands.

Books to read: Bitter Almonds (Mary Taylor Simeti) - I met the woman this book is about when I was on Sicily last year; The Stone Boudoir (Theresa Maggio).

Enjoy your Sicily trip!

Here is Sicily in May---a good time to go.

I too suggest more than one base location. You can see most of the island from 3 locations---NE, NW, and SE.

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showgallery.php?cat=3828

Thanks so much for the tips. Lots of research to do.
When is the best months for fruit picking.
So much to see, will have to make a list of places we want to visit & organize itinerary from there.
Any more tips on things to see.