Haven't been to Sicily so I won't comment on that part.

Florence and Rome: The stock answer is "It depends."
If you have a lot of interest in art, you could spend a week or more in Florence. Not so interested in art? Then less. For instance, you easily spend a day at the Uffizi (sp?), or you could spend an hour.

Generally, I'd say you could spend about 4 days in Florence, which is fairly compact:
1 day for the Uffizi and Acaddemia (to see David). Get tix in advance by calling.
1 day to tour the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio area.
1 day for a day trip by bus to Siena or a nearby town.
1 day to take a bus to Piazzale Michelangelo to get a view of the city, and then hit the street markets to find bargains (sort of).
That's by no means all-encompassing, and others no doubt will add or disagree. Just a general idea.

Rome: You could easily spend a week, because there are so many sights to see. However, for me, a week is about my limit in Rome because it's so hectic, a bit like NY.

So, I guess if you count travel time, plus a little give and take, you could figure two weeks for Florence and Rome.

Also, What are some *must see's* while I am in Sicily?>

Palermo and its famous Monreale Benedictine Abbey

Mt Etna - ascend it via Nicolosi and Philosopher's Tower - cable car and ATV link to up near the crater - totally awesome!

Segesta and its great Greek Temple and ruined Greek Theatre

Agrigento and the astounding Valley of the Temples - awesome Greek temples and ruined villas - in a lovely setting overlooking the sea

Taormina - world-famous resort overlooking the sea and Mt Etna in the distance.

Syracuse, especially its Greek Archaeological site with an old quarry and Greek Theatre.

For starters...

Sicily is dense with historical sights. Waves of conquerors: the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Normans, among others, left their mark.

PalenQ listed some of the top sights. Taormina is especially beautiful and has a Greek theater overlooking the sea and Etna. (Those Greeks built in all the best places.) The old part of Siracusa, Ortygia, is pedestrian friendly, a nice place to stay.

I would add the Aeolian Islands (you can ferry from Messina), western Sicily, especially Trepani and Erice, Cefalu and especially the Roman villa at Casale. It's a little hard to get to without a car but has some of the best mosaics in the world.

Also of interest are the 3 Sicilian Baroque towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa in southeast Sicily. After an earthquake in 1693 which destroyed these towns (and part of Siracusa), the towns were rebuilt -- in warm yellow sandstone -- in a ornate flamboyant version of Baroque. Noto is an easy half-hour from Siracusa. There are examples of this style in Catania also.

Anyway, as you can see, there's lots of interest in Sicily. It's also surprisingly green and fertile.

You omitted Venice from your mainland Italy destinations. You have time to fit it in, though Venice (and Florence) are very crowded in the high season. But Venice is a truly unique and beautiful city. And, with rising sea levels, who knows how long we'll be able to visit it.

To start, consider 'open jaw' and fly into Palermo and out of Florence.

Then you could get a very inexpensive ticket, from Palermo to Rome to start the second leg of two weeks between Rome and Florence.

Or you can do as I did and take an overnight train between Florence and Palermo - save on a cost of a hotel to boot. For lots of great info on Italian trains - there are also day trains but they can take all day and the scenery is rather the same after a while... check out these fab IMo sites - www.trenitalia.com (score discounted tickets on this official site of Italian State Railways) and www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Take a look---you will like Sicily:

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

I would never call Sicily 'gritty and harsh". We had a wonderful time in the 10 days we spent there. It is extremely beautiful and full of wonders. We loved Palermo, Agrigento, Enna, Ortygia and Taormina. The island is full of the influences of the many cultures which have settled there including architechure, food, etc.

As for how much time to spend in Florence and Rome, I would divide the 2 weeks equally. There is so much to see and do in each of them that you will run out of time before you run out of things to do.

If you have never been to Venice, you might think about splitting the two weeks into 5 days Rome, 5 days Florence and 3 days Venice, leaving the 14th days to travel between the towns.

You have an unique opportunity to see a lot of a fabulous country. Have a wonderful time!

"Must sees" can be found by reading travel books. The Michelin Green Guide for Sicily is a good start.

>>>Then you could get a very inexpensive ticket, from Palermo to Rome to start the second leg of two weeks between Rome and Florence.<<<

I would fly to Florence from Catania (budget airline or Alitalia). Since you have two weeks, you could also fly Catania/Venice, spend a few days, train to Florence and then Rome.

It just seemed to me that the OP was suggesting flying into Rome and going directly to Sicily.

So, I think there are a lot of options, but if the OP went directly to Sicily he/she then could easily fly back to Rome on a very inexpensive flight. Then do the balance of the trip.

But I agree, there are many options and we need more imput from the OP

Hey Guys! Thanks for everything, a lot of interesting things to look into and think about

My flight is from Australia to Rome and I thought I would travel directly to Sicily from Rome as soon as I could so that I could meet with my friend and get a feel of the country and 'settle in' before I travelled to Rome and Florence.

I like the idea of flying from Rome to Catania (or Palermo) so I do not have to try and negotiate trains and taxis when I first get into Italy. But would you recommend this? And how do prices compare?

And love the itinerary suggestion from mamcalice for 5 days in Florence and Rome and 3 in Venice. I really would love to see Venice but had just been told it was expensive and I am afraid of blowing my budget (that's why I am pre planning already)

Venice is expensive, but no more so than Rome, IMHO. You probably can find some reasonable rates at B&B-type places if you do a little research (starting with a search here). The other choice, not recommended by most on Fodor's, is to stay at a less expensive hotel outside Venice and take a bus into the city each day, for no more than a few euros. It wouldn't be my choice, but it is another way to save a little money.

We have stayed here and highly recommend it for a reasonably priced place in Venice €100 a night
http://www.aitagliapietra.com/

Try R/T Rome to Palermo on this site. www.kayak.com

>>>I really would love to see Venice but had just been told it was expensive<<<

What is your budget?

You don't have to blow your budget in Venice. Since you won't be arriving jet-lagged from Catania, you could limit your stay to two nights and move on to somewhere cheaper (Florence? Siena?). There are several hostels that are very cheap and quite a few convents (most will have a curfew though). If you don't mind a hostel, this one can be anywhere from 10-30€ per night (depends on season). A bit more if you want a more private room.
http://www.ostellosantafosca.it/ostellosantafosca.it/Home_Page.html

I think Istituto San Giuseppe has single rooms and a curfew of 11:30. Price should be around 45€.
http://www.sangiuseppecaburlotto.com/OSPITALIT%C3%80/default.aspx

This convent/hotel in Siena is a few minutes walk from the Duomo (with views from your room) and has AC and no curfew. A single room is 48€ (includes breakfast).

http://www.hotelalmadomus.it/

>>>Try R/T Rome to Palermo on this site. www.kayak.com<<<

I don't think Kayak shows all the budget airlines. Since the OP's destination is Catania, I would look for flights to there after flying all the way from Australia.No need to book round trip in Europe as they don't mark up the one-way trips like the US does and perhaps book the departure trip from Palermo to Venice (if the OP wants to visit Palermo).

Use www.whichbudget.com and www.skyscanner.com and you should find some more choices. Summer schedules/sales might not be loaded yet as the budget airlines don't always list schedules as far out as the full service airlines.

As suggested, flying Rome to Catania, then Catania to Venice, all non-stop using kayak.com lists a total price of $163 US on Air Italy. [But dates I used] Seems reasonable. Plus convienent flight times.

If your not familiar using kayak, just check 'multi' and it's easy.

Then, Once the locations and dates are established, there is a box under the airport locations to check 'nearby'. Check that box and see what happens.

Also check out convent stays in Rome and Florence. YOu get a simple clean room and breakfast for very reasonable prices. The only catch is that they lock the doors around 11 or 12 pm. If you can deak with that, it could be a money-saver for you.

On a less-positive note, be aware that August is extremely hot and humid in Italy, especially the south. If you live in a hot area of Oz, you may not be bothered, but be aware of it.

We were in Sicily last October. It IS pretty and there is LOTS to see. Mt. Etna is a must. We also went to Savoca where part of Godfather was filmed....and to Agrigento. Now, the only good thing I can say about Palermo is the airport is close by and the flight to Rome was fine and fairly cheap. Unless something has changed, many streets in Palermo are filled with garbage...everything from rotten veggies to old mattresses. Taormina is beautiful. But, like Savoca and other Hill/mountain towns, it's hard to get there (steep/winding) and then find a place to park. If you're staying with people who live in Sicily I'm sure you will find many things of interest and they'll keep you out of the bad spots. Venice is great. Go to venere.com to look for accomodations and reviews.

So many ideas! Thank you so much! I'm creating a big checklist of all the things I want to see

I'm thinking Fly from Rome to Sicily (Question: My flight lands at 6pm after a 31 hour flight, should I try and catch a plane down to Sicily which is only a 1.10hr flight immediately or should I crash for a night in Rome? I plan on sleeping as much of the plane ride away as I can), Sicily for a month-ish, fly to Venice for 3 days, train to Florence for 5 nights and train to Rome for 5 nights before I head home.

Staying at convents sounds really interesting! Not really worried about curfews either so that shouldn't be a bother, will do my research

I would take one night from Florence and add it to Rome, then rent a studio apartment in Rome to save money - not only on the room but on food as well.

I think you may find the flight to Sicily, may be two or three hours after your landing.

With almost one and a half months, one night at the airport will help you recover from the trip.

Just stay at the airport booking.com/FCO

Then you will find a 7 or 10am flight the next morning.