Sicily for a week

Take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it. We intended a longer trip but it was shortened by the Icelandic volcanic activities. But I would try to have more than a week.

Here is Sicily in May---enjoy.

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

My trip report is under my name above--just click to find.

Here's my must-sees from an architectural bent:

- cathedral at Mondeale (take bus from Palermo)

- one of the Sicilian Baroque towns: Noto, Ragusa, Modica



You'll wish you had more time.

Continued (keep forgetting tab doesn't work inside Fodor's)....

The interior of the cathedral is mind-blowing. At least it blew my mind.

We went to Noto only, but the rebuilt center, all in this warm, curvy sandstone, was, well, very Noto-able.

More must-sees:

Greek temple at Segesta. Well-preserved and set out in the countryside, as opposed to in a city.

Roman villa at Casale near Piazza Armerina. Best mosaics I've seen, better than Ravenna.

Valley of Temples at Agrigento, for the site and grouping

Taormina, for its site (fabulous views) and also for the Greek Theater

Siracusa/Ortigia. Some interesting modern architecture here, as well as another Greek theater and a Roman amphitheater. Ortigia is an island, the original city, just a nice place to visit (and stay). The Duomo here is also Sicilian baroque, but in cooler limestone. And it contains columns from the original temple to Athena on the site.

As I said, you'll wish you had more time

Mimar's list is a good one. For straight visual you-gotta-see-it: Segesta, Taormina, Agrigento, & Modica from its Corso Umberto would top my list.

Take lots of memory for your camera . . .

Ian

I haven't been to Taormina, so cannot comment on it, but I otherwise agree with Ian and Mimar. We had 8 days in Sicily and our itinerary (a bit too fast for me, the driver!) was:

Day 1: Arrive Palermo. o/n Palermo - our flight was delayed by several hours so we didn't get to sightsee this day, just a brief walk and dinner. Stayed at Hotel Falkensteiner.
Day 2: Sightseeing Palermo a.m, lunch then to Monreale in the afternoon to see the Cathedral. o/n Palermo
Day 3: Pick up car at airport, then Segesta, arrive Agrigento afternoon. Visit Valle dei Templi, o/n Agrigento countryside. Stayed at Villa Diana.
Day 4: To Modica. (Had three hour lunch in Modica, otherwise just saw the sights in this beautiful Baroque town. o/n Modica. Hotel: Casa Talia
Day 5: Drove to Villa Romana del Casale to see the mosaics. o/n Modica
Day 6: to Siracusa. Dropped car off in Ortigia. Sightseeing in Ortigia. o/n Ortigia, hotel: Palazzo del Sale.
Day 7: Siracusa archaeological museum, more sightseeing Ortigia and Siracusa. o/n Ortigia.
Day 8: hang out Ortigia a.m., afternoon flight from Catania to Roma.

A wonderful trip for us--could have used more time in Palermo, Modica and Siracusa. Especially Palermo.

Enjoy Sicily.