You should also try to Trip Advisor forum on Sicily...you will get alot more feedback quickly.

I would spend at least 3 full days in Palermo or more. You can visit the beach and Cefalu as a day trip. I really enjoyed Palermo, perhaps because it had more to offer than the other towns I visited.

My absolute favorite thing I did in Sicily was to see a puppet show in Palermo. I was on a group tour and I can't tell you how much all the seniors enjoyed the show. We all got into it and even though it was all in Italian it was easy to follow. We laughed and clapped throughout the show which was perhaps 20 minutes. It was a traditional puppet show based on the Song of Roland and courtly love. There was a knight, a princess, a dragon, and the bad guys.

I also enjoyed seeing an oratorio with a guide who explained the bas relief and the function of oratorios.

My second favorite thing was meeting Maria Grammatico, the subject of Mary Taylor Simeti's book Bitter Almonds. This was in Erice.

My third favorite thing was seeing the temples at Agrigento lit up at night.

Three weeks is a wonderful amount of time on Sicily. I had 12 days and didn't see everything I wanted to see.

I can't comment on September weather as I went in May which should have been quite warm and dry but wasn't. The second week (last week in May) was cold and rainy. There's no predicting the weather.

I just posted on Trip advisor and Slowtrav.com, but somehow, I feel more comfortable here.

Thanks, Adrienne, for your tips. Im starting a file and will keep your suggestions in it. My any chance, so you remember the puppet show's name?

Click on my name above to find my trip report from 2005. We spent 15 nites and stayed in 5 places. You will love Sicily.

Thanks Bob- any thoughts on the weather? It sounds like September might be hot.

I have photos of the name of the family who runs it and the phone number. The sign indicates the shows are Sat and Sun at 6:30. Below is a link to my photos. The second row of the puppet section shows the phone number (1st photo) and the second photo is the name of the family (Cuticchio). It was behind the Opera house some place but your hotel can help find it for you or call for directions. It would be easy to miss if you don't have the street name or decent directions. This is not the only puppet show in Palermo but I thought this one was wonderful.

http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/sicily2011

I'd also recommend the art museum in the Palazzo Abatellis which houses (among other wonderful works) a spectacular Annunciation by da Messina.

I was not impressed with the Opera House tour. I've seen much more magnificent opera houses and the guide was extremely disinterested.

I have a huge file on Sicily which I can send you if you're interested. It's compiled from info from guide books and this forum and other internet sources. Click on my name for my email address.

We did May and it was perfect. I would make it late in Sep or early Oct.

You might be interested in my trip report; click on my name to find it.

I loved Sicily, but it is true that you need to move around some. My two favorite places, Erice and Ortigia, were on opposite coasts. My TR from 2008, including places to stay, is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/crumbling-palazzos-and-creamy-cannoli---savoring-sicily.cfm

I went in the spring and loved the wildflowers. I'd check http://www.wunderground.com/ for historical weather patterns, but if you don't like heat (me either!) I'd probably go later rather than earlier.

Don't short change the west, besides Erice I really liked Trapani. And if I were going back I'd think about visiting the Aeolian Islands.

JR - i too am interested in sicily - actually I'm interested in most places in Italy, but Sicily is quickly working its way to the top!

something that has recently piqued my interest is a terrific series by an italian chef called Georgio locatelli and an art historian called andrew Graham-Dixon. the programme is called "Sicily unpacked" in the UK, and is really excellent, with plenty of food, art , and human interest. straight afterwards we get an italian-made police drama called "Inspector Montalbano" which is also set in Sicily, and also shows a lot of the island.

i recommend both, if you can get them.


there are also a number of trip reports and threads about sicily on this forum.

I think that unless you are absolutely urban-allergic, you might want to spend just a few more days in Palermo.

I would expect it to be quite hot in Sicily until the end of summer (Sept 21) and a bit beyond. The more you can edge your trip into October, the better.

Sicily's historic fishing area is generally around Trapani/Erice.

Sicily has developed a number of highly regarded agriturismi that serve dinners to their guests, and that is the experience I would want of Sicilian eating.

If your husband speaks italian, it is really worthwhile to seek out smaller Sicilian cities and towns as your place to stay. These places are largely untouched by tourism and getting a chance to interact with Sicilian culture is fascinating. If you have not read up on the "baroque" towns of south-eastern Sicily, they can be a very rewarding destination. Here's some interesting links:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1024

http://www.peregrineadventures.com/highlight/sicily’s-baroque-cities

http://baroquesicily.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Baroque

It sounds like the recommendation is to book in October if possible. An additional question would be, then, when does it start getting colder in Sicily and do any of the sites, restaurants, etc., close and, if so, when?

We love Sicily as well. We stayed outside of Palermo when we were on the western side of the Island and in Taormina when we were on the eastern side.

The antiquities are sensational.

Here is one shot of the amphitheater at Segesta
https://picasaweb.google.com/113523841271811111555/March42012

Adu - your photo link doesn't work.

We were in Sicily at the beginning of November last year. The weather was fine but I think October would be better. By November Taormina was shutting down but that's not a place to spend much time in. Both Palermo and Catania were worth visiting.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/bruce-and-marija-carless-in-sicily-in-november.cfm

Justretired, as you we also are 60+, do not like hot weather and visited Sicily in October (2009). We had there 2 weeks, we did not rent car but use public transportation and enjoy every minute in Sicily.

You can find our trip report at http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/a-short-report-of-our-vacation-in-sicily-and-malta.cfm

Thanks, everyone for your expereinces and suggestins. We are planning on traveling for about 2-3 weeks, leaving around September 22- I haven't booked the flights yet.

If anyone has suggestions on agriturismi, B&B's, or other lodging suggestions, I would appreciate hearing about them. I hope to stay a few days in Palermo, some time on the east coast, a few days in Agrigento, and then east. I haven't decided whether it is doable to base oursleves in Syracusa (Ortyga) and make day trips to the baroque towns and Toarmina or move north to Taormino and Etna before leaving from Catania. Any thoughts?

I understand that we are moving around more than usual, but it seems like staying in at least 3-5 places will be necessary.

I would stay in one of the Baroque towns even though the distance is not far from Syracusa. That way you can tour a couple of them leisurely and don't have to rush to get back before dark (I hate driving in the dark in unfamiliar places).

I didn't get to the Baroque towns during my trip but had planned to so booked a small, spartan B&B. I had planned to drive from Taormina, spend one night, and drive back to Taormina the next day so I wanted a place in Piazza Armerina to be at the villa casale first thing in the morning. Here's the place I booked.

http://www.ostellodelborgo.it/

We liked this rural B&B near Siracusa.
http://www.limoneto.it/open.asp?pag=home&lang=eng

Best limoncello I have had.

Limoneto has a good restaurant.

I'd recommend Casa Talía in Modica with its fabulous view over the town and also Villa Sogno in Selinunte. An Australian couple we met at Casa Talía (and whose taste seemed compatible with ours), loved these two lodgings:
http://www.mandranova.it
http://www.pensionetranchina.com

Mandranova is an agriturismo on the southern coast and Pension Tranchina is located in the hamlet of Scopello in the west.

Wish we'd had time for the Aeolians.

Here's the link to my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/it-was-sicily-for-our-special-trip.cfm

I also loved Casa Talia in Modica.

And Palazzo del Sale in Siracusa/Ortigia.

We drove to Piazza Armerina on a day trip from Modica.

Cannot comment on the weather as we visited late March/early April, but I will second the recommendation of posting questions on the trip advisor Sicily board. I am a longtime Fodor's person, but TA was much better for Sicily advice, especially nuts-and-bolts details.

No disrespect to the other posters here, of course. (I know many of us have benefited from the postings of the wonderful vagabond and Palermo's own biondo.)

Thanks all.

I'm having some difficulty figuring out how long it takes to get places. For example, Leely, you drove to Piazza Armenina from Modica- how long did it take? Would it be better to get there from either Siracusa or Catania. How long does it take to get to Nota or Ragusa from Siracusa? As I said above, I'm still having troubel deciding if we shoudl stay in one or two places.

I'm booking the flights today ot tomorrow. I'll let you know more when I do that.

Have you tried mappy.com or google.com or viamichelin.com to get travel time and distance? You also get driving directions and a map. Any of the sites are great travel planners.

I always add about 25% more time to what any of these sites give you and that has proven to work well for me.

I don't think you will need more than a full day in Agrigento.

I also wanted to add that driving in Sicily can be stressful because the local culture of driving is a bit more risk-taking and "aggressive," so if you have been trained to be a defensive driver, it's not a relaxing scenic spin through the countryside.

Therefore, if staying in more than one place cuts down on the amount of "commuting" you do to make day trips, it is worth the minor hassle of packing up and relocating.

I also wanted to add that driving in Sicily can be stressful because the local culture of driving is a bit more risk-taking and "aggressive," so if you have been trained to be a defensive driver, it's not a relaxing scenic spin through the countryside.

Not my experience except in Palermo and Sciacca. In fact, most of the roads we took were quite free of traffic.

I would choose to stay in Ortigia (the old part of Siracusa) rather than Taormina, which feels more resort-y than Sicilian to my mind. You are in for a treat with three weeks of Sicilian food.

Ditto adrienne's rec of viamichelin.com.

The drive from Siracusa/Ortigia to Noto is easy. We drove from Modica to Ragusa Ibla on the scenic somewhat windy road which took us right to the good parking lot below the town.

I found driving on the Sicilian highways less stressful than here at home in SoCal. Similar to Michael's experience, we found the highways uncrowded and typically just two or three lanes across. Followed advice not to drive in Palermo. Driving in towns could be challenging but no more so than any other place built before cars. Moments of sheer terror were restricted to the high windy road before Comiso on the way to Agrigento. The mile high viaduct we could see from Modica that, I think, went to Ragusa would have also given me pause. Our car came with a built-in GPS which worked well, definitely a sanity saver.

I would give my whole heart in agreement with zeppole for once.

It is the only place in the world which we have visited and would hesitate to hire a car again. The driving at times was appalling. On two occasions over a week I have absolutely no idea how we survived. On one occasion two 90 old year olds were approaching us on the road outside Noto on both sides of the road. One just didn't have the speed to overtake the other and we had to pull into a ditch to get out of way. We must have had at least 10 "what!!!!" moments.

If you have visited other areas of Italy, Sicily can be a shock to the system as it differs hugely from the mainland. We swore we wouldn't return but it has a certain romantic, charismatic draw to it.

I think we will try again this October following encouragement from our old friend Inspector Montalbano and the BBC series which Annhig refers to above.

Do some thorough research as some areas are stunning, whilst others resemble the rougher areas of Sao Paolo. Below Noto there is a beautiful coastal nature reserve at Vendicari with resident flamingos.

The issue of heat has been hard to tie down over the past 2 years in Southern Europe. Seville has pretty consistently retained summer temperatures of 40oC but we were in Sardinia last late July and it was cold at night. Too cold to sit out. Sicily can easily hit 40oC in September but 30 was more the norm last year. We were in Siracusa the year before in late October with 18oC and frequent rain.

We stayed here just outside Siracusa, it has the huge benefit of a very quiet, incredible garden which was an oasis from the rest of Sicily which at times was a little "mad". The property is a converted mansion with very helpful staff but you would need a car.

http://www.hotelilparco.net/

We stayed in both Ortigia and Taormina. The latter was at the end of our trip and more for relaxation. Loved the views of the Med and the coast from there. Our hotel was the Villa Schuler (www.hotelvillaschuler.com), which was ideally located with the great views and easy access to the main pedestrian shopping street. We then flew home from Catania.

We had dropped our car in Siracusa and took the train from Siracusa to Taormina, a very comfortable ride.

Ortigia was a very nice place to stay also, mostly pedestrian and surrounded by water, with lots of shops and restaurants. It's the center of old Siracusa, attached by 2 bridges to the mainland part of the city. We can also recommend our B&B there, L'Approdo delle Sirene (www.apprododellesirene.com). Comfortable, modern, a great view from the top floor breakfast room -- and the loan of a free notebook computer.

We started our trip from Palermo, where we stayed at the Hotel Ambasciatori. If you look them up on TripAdvisor, you'll find rave reviews, with which we concur. The rooftop terrace view is fabulous.

This trip was in early October. The weather was good except for a un seasonable rainstorm at the beginning.

I didn't find the driving bad at all (I did not drive in Palermo), not even those mile-high bridges bon_voyage mentioned, but we did manage to get lost frequently, so getting from point A to point B generally took about 25% longer than viamichelin had estimated. I cannot remember how long it took from Modica to Piazza Armerina, but it was an easy day trip. And we never had early starts, especially not at Casa Talia with such beautiful breakfasts outside on the lawn.

Don't shortchange Palermo, a fascinating city with lots to see, do and eat. And I would definitely include Modica or Ragusa Ibla for several days.

But you're sure to have a genuine Sicilian adventure no matter what your itinerary.

I think a day is more than enough for Ragusa Ibla. There are some great places to eat and it's a pleasant town to stroll but there's not much there. Based on our bus ride through Modica and Noto it seemed like there was more activity in those towns. (We didn't venture to the "new" Ragusa, since it wasn't walking distance so there may have been interesting stuff up there.)

Oh, to clarify, I wasn't specifically recommending Ragusa Ibla; I meant stay in one of the Baroque towns for a few days and visit a few places from there. We stayed in Modica and with visiting Piazza Armerina, Modica itself, some long meals, chocolate shopping and general relaxing, we never even made it to Ragusa.

Let's try this again:

https://picasaweb.google.com/113523841271811111555/March42012#

Just for giggles, I googled a pensione where we stayed many years in Scopello called Tranchino. The hosts were incredibly gracious and by the reviews which were basically by Italians the place seems even better.

You might want to take a look at it, as it was well-placed for visiting the western part of island.

I would not stay in Siracusa for a week, it is too south of Sicily. North west Sicily has the loveliest scenary. Cefalu is lovely and so is Trapani in the north west. How about staying in one of these places for some of the days and do a day trip to Palermo from there? From Catania provence - check out outskirts of Catania, believe me, it is chaos in centre of Catania, and many pickpocketers - consider smally lovely seacoast towns of Aci, Acireale or Acicastello. From there you can visit Catania centre, Taormina, Mount Etna, and Temples. September might still be very hot, October is a better option if you do not like very warm weather. End of October, beginning of November in Catania there will be a huge fair called Fiera dei Morti, with countless stands of clothes, shoes, toys etc, a unique experience.

Zeppole is right about driving in Sicily, especially in cities like Catania!!! Believe me there are no regulations at all, scooters all the time crossing in front of you, people everywhere, and traffic jams!!! But it is getting better on the main roads, but they do drive like crazy. But of course, if you are an experienced driver it should not deter you from driving. Avoid centre of cities, like Catania and Palermo.

Anna Galeta's description is spot on. And I would add to that, if a car is leaving the curb, it is your responsibility to be clairvoyant, anticipate it, and act accordingly.

My suggestion is to embrace it and not fight. It can be quite liberating to drive like a loony. I picked up my niece at the Palermo airport and accidently took off someone's side view mirror. She screamed at what I had done and I told her this is Sicily and you never know who owns that car.

We spent 10 days in Sicily at the end of September and beginning of October. The weather was perfect - a little too cool for swimming and ideal for tourning. The sun was hot but the shade cool. We had no trouble driving - picked the car up as we left Palermo and dropped it off when we arrived in Taormina, our last stop. The only problem we had was driving in very small towns. The roads were sometime so narrow that it was difficult to turn around to leave town.

Great thread with so many good suggestions.

Hi, I would like to jump in & ask Anna Galea if one would need a car in her 3 town suggestions outside of Catania. We are travelling in May - I am making the excursion to Stromboli, but would also like to do Etna - just trying to figure out whether to drive there & organize a tour, or tour out of Catania/Taormina. We will be picking up car in Palermo, spending couple nights Erice area, couple nights Agrigento area (there is an interesting beach down there I'd like to explore) a couple nights Ortigia/Syracuse and then Etna & Stromboli - I had planned 1-2 nights Taormina, but really don't like cities, so am 2nd guessing my self. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. It’s been a very helpful thread.

We’ve pretty much decided to fly into Palermo on the 9/25 and leave from Catania 10/13. That leaves us with 16 days in Sicily minus the travel days. Though I doubt that the fares will get any lower based on comments here and on www.slowtrav.com, I thought I’d wait for a few more days to book. I’ve looked on Kayak, Orbitz, and Vayama. If anyone can suggest alternative sites, please do so.

Now comes the difficult part- where to go, how many days in each place, and where to stay. As I originally said, we prefer locating ourselves in one place and taking day trips from there. I understand that Sicily does not lend itself to this and that we will have to move around a bit.

Here is the basic itinerary I am thinking about:

Day 1-4: Palermo (with the jet lag day that leaves 2 full days to explore the city- enough time?)
Day 5-6: Northwestern Sicily
Day 7: Agrigento (Do we need 2 nights here)
Day 8-10: Baroque villages (we’d be driving from Agrigento, so that leaves 2 full days- are that enough?)
Day 11-13: Syracusa (too many days after time in the baroque towns?)
Day 14-15: Taormina
Day 16-17: Catania

OK- here are my questions. Of course, I’d love suggestions on the itinerary. I think this is doable, but with a lot of changing lodging and maybe not using time to the best advantage. Is there any way of combining areas so that we would not have to change hotels as often? For example, does it make sense to combine Palermo and Northwestern Sicily? Should we combine the Baroque towns with Syracusa? Can we get to Pizza Armarina from any of the other areas for a day trip and is it worth it to stay overnight in that region? Are we making a mistake not going to the Aeolian Islands? Our thinking is that there is just so much one can do on a 2 week holiday.

Mostly, I’d like to know your further thoughts now that I’ve begun to plan. Any additional suggestions on lodging would be helpful.

We’ll be renting a car. My husband does all the driving, and he has driven in Italy, France, and Spain rather extensively. All the same, it sounds a bit different. In the past, we have rented a mid-size car (for safety, figuring that, in an accident, a larger car is safer). I gather many of you would suggest a smaller car doe Sicily. Right?

We would pick the car up on our way out of Palermo. Can we drop it off in Taormina, since I don’t think we’ll need it after that? How would we get to Catania for the last day’s excursions if we did drop it off in Taormina? Maybe we should just keep the car until we get to Catania. Thoughts?

Thanks again for all your kind suggestions. I also posted on slowtrav and tripadvisor, but have found that you guys are just more helpful.

-Margie (and Larry)
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I would add a day to Palermo. It's a city and there are lots of things to do. If you go to Monreale (and I highly recommend this trip) that will take half a day, getting the bus to and from your location and visiting the monastery and then walking around the town a bit. It's not far out of Palermo but you do need to depend on public transport. I could spend a day wandering around the markets, walking along the seaside, seeing some gardens, etc.

You might want to take a day (or most of it) and go to Cefalu, a really nice town about an hour outside of Palermo.

Taormina is tiny; I think a day there is enough unless you want some down time to relax.

I think 2 days in Syracusa and Ortigya is too much.

By NW Sicily do you mean Trapani and Erice? If so then the public transport schedules from Palermo and back are not good. Too much time on the bus and waiting around for a connection to Erice. It's best to do these towns after you leave Palermo.

Sicily is a wonderful destination, and honestly, you will have a great time with any of the options you are considering.

If you want to do some consolidating, you can do Agrigento as an easy day trip by bus from Palermo (of course you will miss seeing the temples after dark). You could also do Taormina as a day trip (which for me was enough) from Catania. Both buses and trains link Taormina, Catania, and Ortigia.

Ortigia was my favorite place, so I would not scale back but maybe consider adding another day.

We did our whole trip with public transportation which was easy to do and would allow you to reduce some of your driving.

Here is the link to my Trip Report, if you want to take a look: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/free-lemons-and-fat-ladies-in-sicily-and-malta.cfm

I think this looks good. Our flight was delayed into Palermo so we only had one full day fo sightseeing (much to my disappointment). We still managed to see quite a bit: Piazza Marina, the Quattro Conti, two of the Oratori with the Serpotta stucco work, the Norman Palace, the Cappella Palatina, the cathedral at Monreale, and shopping and hot chocolate in the new part of town. Obviously we missed a lot, but I found sightseeing in Palermo easy because much of what we wanted to see was close to other sights. Not Monreale, of course.

I might to try to see the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento as a day trip from somewhere else just to give yourself another night somewhere without packing/unpacking. As noted above, you could arrange this from Palermo. We wanted to visit Cefalu from Palermo as well but couldn't fit it in.

I would not cut a night in one of the Baroque towns (Modica has over 100 churches), Palermo or Ortigia if you want some down time/serious eating time as well as sightseeing. Once you start researching Sicily there's just more and more you want to see--at least that was my experience.

We hired a driver to take us from Ortigia to Catania airport. He was recommended on the Sicily forum on TA. Great guy, good service. I'm sure you can find something similar from Taormina, but isn't there a train that runs that route?

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/palermo-oratorio-del-rosario-di-santa-cita.htm

Thnaks, Adrienne and Magster. Mag, your trip report is great. It makes me think that maybe we should use public transportation for at least some of the trip.

I find that everyone's opinion varies and this is why our forum is so helpful. At the same time, when you are new to a region such as Sicily, it can be difficult to sort out. In just the two answers above, Mags liked Syracusa/Ortyiga and Adrienne thought we should just spend a day. Hmm....I wonder if spending more time in one place allows one to aprreciate the atmosphere and culture. I know that I now love Venice, but during my first visit there, I felt it was too touristy. I had to really spend time there and experience the ambiance to fully appreciate it.

That being said, I had been thinking that we were short changing Palermo. If we add another day, and lose a day in Taormina, maybe that would work.

I'm still working on this. Thanks.

We went to Sicily last May. We saved some airfare by booking round trip to Rome and flying Easy Jet to Palermo and Windjet from Catania.

We did do a day trip to Cefalu from Palermo and enjoyed it. My favorite city was Syracuse, where we stayed in Ortigia. We loved the Valley of the Temples and thought seeing Mt. Etna from Taormina was as good as the actual trip to the mountain (which we did). We stayed at the Hotel Villa Belvedere in Taormina, and the flowers and the view were gorgeous. I liked Ragusa, too, for the cathedral and the shopping (and I'm not much of a shopper).

You will have a wonderful trip. This was something my traveling buddy daughter especially wanted to do, and it was really terrific.

Wow, this is leading me to start thinking about going back to Sicily! If I do, I'll revisit Ortigia, Trapani and Erice, and the Villa Casale (which was undergoing restoration when I was there) and add the Aeolian islands and some time in the interior - maybe Enna and the Madonie. Once was enough for touristy Taormina, but I wouldn't mind more time in Palermo.

To complicate things further, we ended our trip on Ortigia and spent hours in the Siracusa Archaelogical Museum learning about the early history of the island and its settlements. While we had all read about this in advance of the trip, we agreed that we would have liked to see the museum prior to the ancient sites we visited (Valle dei Templi and Segesta) just for context. So flying into Catania and ending in Palermo might also be a good option if you're big museum-and-history people. I think that's what Bon voyage did, spending their first couple of days relaxing in Taormina.

You can't wrong in Sicily. (Note that we found it far less polished than the other places in Italy we have visited--but that is part of its charm.)

Re: Ortygia - It is true that a day or an afternoon in a town leave you with a different flavor than spending a day or more in one place.

Please do not miss seeing the Agrigento temples lit up at night. You and your husband can take turns driving up to the temples so both of you can view the approach from the car. The road winds around so the temples are seen from both sides of the car but the driver must pay attention since the road is narrow and quite dark.

Sicily turned into one our favorite trips. Between the people, food, antiquities, and the landscape, it was all encompassing.

Where are you picking up the rental car? I suggest the airport; it's well outside of town in the direction you're going. Along the way to NW Sicily, you could stop to see the Greek temple and theater at Segesta. On the way to Agrigento you could stop at Selinunte.

I don't think you need so much time in the Sicilian Baroque towns. You could see Noto as a day trip from Siracusa. (It's only about half an hour away, so really a half day trip.)

That would allow you time to see the Roman villa at Casale near Piazza Armerina. The mosaics there were one of the highlights of our trip -- along with Monreale.

We dropped our car in Siracusa, took a nice clean train to Taormina, and, after our stay there, got a driver to take us from Taormina to the Catania airport. Or you could take the bus for this leg.

CalgaryDoll, If you have the rented car, you can drive to places like Etna, Taormina etc, again if you are an experienced driver, but driving is much easier than in centre of cities like Catania. My husband swore he would never drive again in centre of Catania. The towns I mentioned are seaside towns. I am sure you would be able to get a bus connection to Catania.

From Catania there are buses that go directly to Taormina. It is a really lovely town, and feels so rich and high-class there. I love it both in Summer, due to its beaches, and in Winter. The scenary is breath-taking. The road to reach it is winding, up a mountain. As I already said, you can still visit it by bus.

Justretired, be careful that you won't be spending too much time in driving, especially if you prefer a relaxing holiday. Trapani, on the west coast is quite far from Palermo, I would spend a couple of days there. | would not stay in Syracuse, but take a day trip when you are in southern Sicily. From Agrigento to Syracuse it is over 200kms for sure.

You can certainly leave car in Taormina and go by public bus coach to Catania, especially if rental office is at centre of Catania. Alternatively, check out whether rental car company has office near harbour of Catania, it might be easier for you to arrive there as you would not have to drive through the centre, and yet you are still very close to centre of city. If you plan to take any taxis negotiate price before with the drivers, you always need to lower their price there, it always gives us a good laugh when we visit - Do not trust Sicilians, they are nice friendly laid back people but would do anything for an extra penny

I would certainly spend a couple of nights in Taormina, the scenary is breathtaking and high class. Many tourist from northern Europe love this small city.

One suggestion, how about stopping at Taormina, visiting Etna etc before visiting the very south of Sicily and lastly Catania, that way you won't be repeating routes, and going south and then north again. Check out and plan your route on a map of Sicily before booking accomodation, so that you would avoid unnecessary extra driving. Nobody mentioned Messina, it is such a lovely medieval small city in Sicily.

As Leely mentioned, we started in Taormina which I'd do again coming off a long flight over several times zones. I'd also want to be at full capacity to take in Palermo (Leely, you packed an amazing amount in your one full day there).
A word on Taormina--touristy, yes, but not tacky. We tourists are all there, after all, for a reason. Taormina's job is to sit on her spectacularly sited balcony and look beautiful, and she does it very, very well. The looming presence of Etna makes for an interesting juxtaposition, a reminder that the carefree pleasures of Taormina can change in an instant.
Our stay in Modica gave us our best taste of modern Sicilian life. We liked it a lot. Ragusa Ibla is lovely but looks a bit like a stage set. Noto is so close to Siracusa/Ortigia that you just might as well stay there.
One night would be sufficient for Agrigento.
I join the chorus of those who strongly recommend time on Ortigia.
Do you have a specific reason for wanting to stay in Catania?
The exceptional hospitality and helpfulness of the Sicilians we met really enhanced our visit.

I disagree that Trapani is "quite far" from Palermo. It's true my bus took two hours to get to Trapani, but 40 minutes of that was getting out of Palermo, and 30 minutes was getting into Trapani - the problem was traffic not distance.

I also, strongly, disagree with skipping Siracusa - i.e. Ortigia - in favor of Taormina. Yes, Taormina has a great setting, but it doesn't rate more than one, or at the most two nights, unless you want to either shop, or just sit and stare at the the view. Ortigia, on the other hand, is a great place for wandering around, and has a "lived in" feel missing in touristy Taormina. When I went I had a choice of extra time in Ortigia or extra time in Taormina (which would have been logistically much easier) and I never for a minute regretted picking Ortigia.

This is so helpful, nit only for me, but for others planning a Sicilain trip.

Instead of two lodgings (one in Syracusa and one in the baroque villages), I am thinking of renting an apartment somewhere in the southwest for a week. I was thinking about possibly Ortigia, and making day trips from there. What do you think? I know some of you prefer the baroque towns- would that be a better base?

One benefit of traveling directly to Syracusa from Agregento is that we could go through the center and stop at Piazza Armerina- maybe stop for a night- and see the mosaics and nmearby ceramics. Thoughts?

We will only spend a night (maybe two) in Taormina before transferring to catania prior to our departure at 7:00 AM.

Syracusa and Ortygia are one and the same, the latter being the original island town. If you stay in a agriturismo such a Limoneto, you do not have to worry about getting out of the city when doing day trips.

Repeat: You might want to look at my trip report.

Michael- I did forget to look at your trip report, so thnaks for reminding me. You certainly had an adventure!

I know that Syracusa and Itigia are next to each other, but didn't think there would be much traffic getting in and out of the area. I loved the look of the Limonetta and the fact that the food is good makes it more appealing and maybe more of an option. Those of you who have stayed in Ortigia- did you find the traffic dfficult to deal with? Thanks all,

-M.

I wasn't driving, so the only time I found traffic a problem was the day I took a bus to Noto. It was a Saturday, and there was some kind of parade, so the bus ran very late. I arrived and left by train the first time, and with a tour group the second, and I don't remembered the tour bus having any trouble.

Parking is quite limited on Ortigia, so make sure your apartment has a spot for you. I don't know that I'd want a whole week there, even with day trips, although we very much enjoyed our two day stay. How about splitting your week between Modica and Ortigia? We also found Catania quite interesting and were sorry we only spent one night there before flying out.

I drove to Ortygia and parked in the parking lot designed for visitors. I assume that if you stay there you will need to obtain a special permit via the hotel, because my impression was that street parking was only for residents.

I would split my time between Modica and Ortigia. (As opposed to a whole week in Siracusa.) You can travel to Piazza Armerina from Modica pretty easily. There were a few other places--smaller places--I wanted to see based from Modica and Ortigia but we were short on time and by the time we got to Ortigia we really wanted to hang out a LOT.

Like Bon_voyage, I thought Modica felt the most work-a-day Sicilian. Except for Palermo, of course.

There is a Centro Storico in Ortigia with cameras and you will be fined if you enter without a pass. I doubt the hotels have passes but I could be wrong. The main car park At the north end of the island was inadequate at times in October and so goodness kows what August is like.

I simply do see the point of a two centre in such a small area. Both Modica and Noto are fairly close day trips of less than an hour and two hours respectively. Ortigia with its lack of traffic also provides a good respite from some of the insanity on show outside the Centro Storico.

We found Sicily to be very regionally insular and so each area can a very different feel. Generally, the Baroque towns were very friendly which was to opposite of what we found in Catania and Taormina. Taormina had to rate with Porto Cervo as Italy's most over-rated experience and was in our opinion middle market tacky with far too many "straight off the ship" tourists. In terms of size and cultural feel, we thought it pretty similar to Nassau (which we also avoid like the plague).

Taormina will not be so touristy in October (except during Fiera dei Morti days which is end of October), as it would be in July or August. I think spending nights in Taormina would be enough.

Regarding south of Italy, I would stay in Ortiga or Modica and do day trips from there. Yes, you do have to allow two hours to arrive from Palermo to Trapani, you will always find traffic jams with locals on the way out and into the cities and that wastes a lot of time. If you stay for a few days in Trapani, you can visit the north-west coast, with its lovely villages and breath-taking scenary. Maybe if you stay more than one night in Catania, or in a town nearby you can visit Mount Etna from there.

Forgot to add - it is true that you have to be extra careful about parking or road fines in villages and towns in Italy, and always to be on the lookout that you do not enter any bus lanes, as if cameras catch it, you will get fined.

Make sure that you do not enter historical centres that do not allow access to motorists, or park in any reserved parkings. I have a child with disability, and we have the blue sticker which we always put on the front window when we park, we park in the reserved parking for disability, and still we sometimes get fines. We then give document evidence etc online that we have child with disability and Blue Sticker, but still many car rental companies still charge you a processing fee for the fine (about 46 Euro), which is not refunded. This has happened to us both in Florence and in Pisa a year ago.

We also got to know that in some cities we even have to phone the local police to inform them of our parking (sometimes the rental officer of the car hire gives us the numbers, often there would also would be a tel. no. on the parking sign on site.

I am not sure, as this does not apply to us since we have the Blue Sticker and our child with disability, always with us on holiday, but maybe you might be able to pay something extra and enter a historical centre if your hotel is situated there. Always check with the hoter that you book.

The safest thing to do is to park just outside the city centre (believe me not that easy sometimes), there are nearly always a parking areas, where you can do so, sometimes paying with a slot machine according to the time you intend to have your car parked in that space, that way you are always safe and according to their law. You will find that the Sicilians do not really stick to parking rules, but since you would be a tourist with a rented car, that would be another story.

Be very carefule, otherwise you might receive a few penalties by recorded mail when you arrive back home, it might be even months after your holiday.

I don't know that I agree that Taormina will not be so touristy in October. Not quite as bad as July, perhaps, but there are still many cruise ship visits. This site should be helpful in deciding which days to avoid:

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-messina-sicily-2012.html

I too prefer to stay in one place and make daytrips. But Sicily doesn't lend itself to this style of traveling. And Ortigia would make a bad base for daytrips. Siracusa is really quite a big city. And to get into and out of Ortigia, you'd have to thread your way through most of Siracusa. Plus Ortigia is really more of a pedestrian area. That's a lot of its charm.

I know Taormina is popular with cruiseship tourists. But, as usual, there's a reason. It's a very beautiful place -- with gondola access to a beach. If you prefer a quieter location, up the hill beyond Taormina is Castelmola.

I am a little puzzled by the idea of threading your way through Siracusa. Our hotel was 3 miles south , it took us 6 minutes from the door to the car park on Ortygia.

We were in Taormina in the last week of October and "Disney on tour" was evident everywhere. I can justify the idea of "busy for a reason" in some world class examples such as Venice or Rome. Taormina is so busy because it is flooded with the tour parties as it is a convenient stop for the boat.

Thursdaysd's suggestion above on the surface seems ridiculous but in this case I wold follow the advice.

DickieG, we used the freeway E45 and came into Siracusa that way. As I assume most daytrippers would do. Maybe you used back roads that were inexplicably free of traffic. And maybe back roads would be a better choice, given the obstacles we encountered (huge traffic jam, fence across freeway entrance).

We did and after the first day found traffic free routes.

The huge amounts of traffic and inane road works were another testing side to Sicily. On our day trip to Taormina, the E45 was closed and reopened every 10 minutes just so 3 road workers could avoid setting a traffic management system up. We were in the queue for 90 minutes.

Sounds like a great case for taking the train!

I'm jumping into this thread quite late (sorry about that), and I haven't read all the undoubtedly helpful comments you have already received, but hope to offer some useful info nonetheless. But first of all, congrats to both of you on your recent retirements!

> I know that Syracusa and Itigia are next to each other, but didn't think there would be much traffic getting in and out of the area.

I drove into Siracusa, where I turned in my rental car and walked on to Ortygia - and I was glad I did. Traffic was bad during the day time (my trip was in May); it was awful during the evening, as people from all over came to enjoy Ortygia's restaurants. So, if you can turn in your car upon arriving in Siracusa, it might be worth considering. But it might not be as much of a problem at the time you are traveling. Perhaps you can ask your hotel? Or ask your hotel if there is a place where you can park without too much difficulty from traffic?

If you haven't already found a place to stay in Ortygia, I was truly delighted with my B&B, L'Approdo delle Sirene. The breakfasts were outstanding and the views from the roof deck were among my favorite memories of a fabulous trip to Sicily.

http://www.apprododellesirene.com/

> I know some of you prefer the baroque towns- would that be a better base?

I spent a night in Noto, and was glad I did because I enjoyed seeing it in the differing lights of day, evening, and night, but if I had to choose between Siracusa/Ortygia and the baroque towns, I'd go for Ortygia without doubt. I thought Ortygia had a wider array of worthy restaurants and more interesting streets to roam. But that's just me.

> One benefit of traveling directly to Syracusa from Agregento is that we could go through the center and stop at Piazza Armerina- maybe stop for a night- and see the mosaics and nmearby ceramics. Thoughts?

By all means, stop at the Villa Romana del Casale! Plan on a few hours there, and expect it to be swelteringly hot no matter the season - the ruins are encased in a greenhouse-like structure, and it does get hot and steamy inside!

I wouldn't think you need to spend a night in the area, but I would recommend staying at least one night in Agrigento, preferably at one of the places that affords a view of some of the temples, which are spotlit at night. (wow!) As I recall, I spent about 3 hours (maybe 4) exploring the main ruins and another hour or two at the excellent archeological museum.

> We will only spend a night (maybe two) in Taormina before transferring to catania

For Taormina itself, I found a full day sufficient for my interests. I spent an extra night in Taormina so I could take a full-day tour of Mt. Etna and surrounds.

> Day 1-4: Palermo (with the jet lag day that leaves 2 full days to explore the city- enough time?)

I spent 2.5 days in Palermo and wish I'd had more time there, especially because (like you) I was suffering jet lag when I arrived.

> I think this is doable, but with a lot of changing lodging and maybe not using time to the best advantage.

For what it's worth: I have found that back-tracking from a day-trip often takes more time than relocating, but (and this is a BIG "but") I travel solo and unpack only those things I need, so I can settle in and check out of my rooms very quickly. I certainly don't recommend frequent changes of lodging for everyone, but note that I relocate frequently specifically because it IS the way for me to use my time to best advantage!

> Are we making a mistake not going to the Aeolian Islands?

I spent 1/2 day on Lipari before a taking an overnight ferry to Naples, and I was glad I did, but no - I don't think you are making a mistake by not going to the Aeolian Islands. You said it well: "there is just so much one can do on a 2 week holiday." You have identified a plan that covers some of Sicily's most wonderful of its many amazing highlights. If you have a burning desire to see these islands, take a day (or more) to do so; if it is something that seems appealing, but isn't a driving consideration, remember that getting to them would carry a heavy opportunity cost. You can visit the Aeolian Islands on your next trip to the area.

I hope these belated thoughts prove helpful. Enjoy!

No time to read all replies but just wanted to add this. We drove the whole of Sicily in September. Loved it! Fate was kind and by happenstance we ended up staying near San Vito Lo Capo in the northwestern corner during the International Couscous festival! If you can go during this time, it will be a highlight of your stay! Local vendors offer wine, olive oil, cheeses, etc. Wonderful! Our favorites were Erice, Segesta,and Monreale. Siracusa was not. Avoid driving anywhere near large cities! Look forward to a wonderful trip!

Agree with you nankar13 that north western Sicily is the loveliest, to avoid driving into large cities, unless you are an experienced driver in southern Italy, and that Siracusa is not a favourite of mine, we used to visit there often just to pay a visit to the Basilica of Madonna delle Lachrime (our Lady of Tears), renowned to be miraculous, and to do some shopping. But if it is just for shopping, other cities like Catania and Palermo are even better.

Are we talking about Siracusa or Ortigia?

If it is Ortigia, I am at a loss as to what people want out of travel anymore.

Thanks so far for your help in planning the Sicily itinerary- Fodorites are so generous and helpful. We have booked our flights, but changed our order based on suggestions from friends. We are landing in Catania and returning to the US from Palermo. I still have some questions on timing (how many days in each place) and lodging (any recommendations?).

One of our issues is when to stay in an agriturismo and when to stay in the villages in or near Syracusa, the Baroque villages, and Trapanni. .

Here is our possible itinerary:

Day 1-2: Taormina- Arrive Catania form Boston and rent car. Drive to Taormina and stay at the Taodomus Hotel for the first 2 nights. We chose it based on reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking. The hotel seems to be well located and was quite inexpensive for the area. We will see the Greek theater and maybe Etna and Castelmola if there is time.

Day 3- 5: Drive to Syracuse- We think we will stay in Ortygia to see the Greek Theater, the Museum, Ortygia itself, and to absorb the food, flavor, and sites of nearby area.

Day 6-8: Drive to the Baroque Villages- either Ragusa or Modica with a stop at Noto on the way south. We would like to make a side trip to Piazza Armerina to see the mosaics. Can we also visit Caltagirone at the same time? Doable?

Day 9-10: Drive to Agrigento: The drive from Ragusa to get to Agrigento and the drive to Trapani when we leave are both relatively long and with some stops, so we thought we would need 2 nights in Agrigento - the first night, we would visit the site in the evening and then, return in the AM to fully explore the sites.

We will probably stay here: http://www.fattoriamose.com/
It was recommended by a good friend and also Alistair Sawday.


Day 11- 13: Drive to Trapani or someplace in the Northwest with a stop at Selunite on the way. We hope to visit Segresta, Erice, Trapani, maybe Marsala, the salt flats, and maybe the Egadi Islands.

Day 14-16: Drive to Palermo and drop off car. Should we drop it in Palermo itself or at the airport? We are unsure of where to stay in what looks like a confusing and noisy city. We don’t need fancy lodgings, but prefer some place that has a quiet room. We’ve gotten some good recommendations and have to figure it out. Thoughts?

Day 17: leave Palermo for Boston.

Thanks for your help in advance,
Margie

I don't think you have time for the Egadis, and I found them rather boring.

Drop the car at the airport, skip driving in Palermo. I stayed here: http://www.bed-and-breakfast.palermo.it/eng/ - see my TR for details.

We stayed at the Hotel Joli, which is just a few blocks from the airport bus stop at the Teatro Politeama and just at the edge of the historic center.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4975525776/in/set-72157624349637005

> Can we also visit Caltagirone at the same time? Doable?

YEs, IMO that should be doable.

I would not drive in Palermo unless you're arriving on a Sunday morning when it is very quiet. Other times there is lots of traffic.

The hotels in Taormina and Agrigento look great. Don't forget to walk through the public gardens in Taormina.

I was quite disappointed by Etna. I only went to the parking area (not to the top) and walked around a bit. It's all lava with some craters. There are tons of souvenir shops. Etna looks better from a distance.

Looks like a great, realistic itinerary. Yes, you can easily visit Caltagirone on the way to or back from the Villa Romana del Casale. We simply did not because by that point in our trip we wanted to sleep late, linger over breakfast and putter around Modica.

Drop your car at the Palermo airport and taxi or bus in! Avoid driving in Palermo.

Your place in Agrigento looks very nice.

I had a courtyard-facing room at the Hotel Falkensteiner in Palermo which was spacious, calm and wonderfully quiet. Hotel was reasonably priced, peaceful and well located. Friends had a room that faced the street across the hall from me. Their view was of course charming, but they apparently were kept awake late on the weekend night we stayed.

http://www.falkensteiner.com/en/hotel/palermo/palermo-entdecken

We all really enjoyed Palazzo del Sale on Ortigia. Very attractive and intimate with warm and friendly staff.

http://www.palazzodelsale.it/

If you do end up staying in Modica--which is both lovely and real--I cannot recommend Casa Talia highly enough. I was traveling with two friends and we stayed in the mini suite called La Meridiana, perfect for us and with a private terrace.

http://www.casatalia.it/

If you are interested in fine dining while in Modica, we had a fantastic lunch at Ristorante la Gazza Ladra. It's located in a hotel that looked very nice too.

http://www.ristorantelagazzaladra.it/

Talking about Sicily is reminding me how much I want to return...

Enjoy!

Thanks again for all your help. I have a couple more questions, please.

I don't know how it exactly happened, but we have an extra day in our itinerary ( not a bad thing at all!). We probably will add it to our time in the Northwest. If we leave Agrigento, can we stop at Selinunte before traveling further north? Is it safe to leave a car in their parking area with the luggage in it?

We will have 4 nights and we want to see Trapani, Erice, Segesta, Egadi Islands (maybe), etc. during our 3 days. One question is where to base ourselves- one or two places. In looking at the map, we could spend 2 nights in Marsala (maybe on a farm?) and then moving to Trapani (in town). As I've said ealrier, we have tended in recent years to stay in one place and to spend our days traveling outward from that site to see the area. We came to the conclusion that it is not the most praqctical way of seeing Sicily (at least for a first timer). Would you stay in one or two places if you had the time and where would you chose to base yourself?

When we complete our reservations, I'll fill you in on our choices. I'm very grateful for your help and have made a couple of files already on your suggestions. Thank you, everyone.

Selinunte is quite isolated from any town area. The parking lot should be safe--it was for us.

Segesta is just a couple of hours. There's the Greek temple at the base, and the Roman and later ruins at the top of the hill.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157624349637005/show/with/4785234382

"Would you stay in one or two places if you had the time and where would you chose to base yourself?"

I chose two nights in Erice and two nights in Trapani, and was happy with my choice.

I second Michael's recommendation to include Segesta as well as Selinunte.

I LOVED Agrigento!! And, yes, it is usually still really hot in September. We actually went the first of November one year, and it was wonderful! Cool nights, but high 60's to high 70's during the day. That's the time of year their pressing the olives, too. Great chance to get some of the best olive oil in the world!!

I'm considering a 2013 trip to Sicily and this post has some terrific information, it's been extremely helpful reading!

LCI,

When are you going to Sicily? I'm planning on May 2013!

Dayle...

I have no firm plans yet, but thinking either May 2013 or late summer/early autumn 2013 (possibly Sept/Oct.)

I know little about Sicily and this post was great for me to get a good idea for possible itinerary.

We have booked all our lodgings, which range from small hotels to B&Bs. Since we often just stay in one place and take day trips from there, so this will be a reminder of past travels. I'm looking forward to discovering this magical isalnd. I'm now in the midst of compiling restaurants, so if anyone has a favorite, please let me know.

Larry and I will write a trip report when we return in mid- October. Maybe we'll even post some entries while traveling. LAst year in the Dordogne, we posted daily photos of food.

justretired - care to post your itinerary?

we're all keen to share others' ideas about Sicily, in search of that perfect trip!

Here is our current itinerary:

Day 1-2: Taormina- Arrive Catania from Boston and rent car. Drive to Taormina and stay at the Taodomus Hotel for the first 2 nights. We chose it based on reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking. The hotel seems to be well located and was quite inexpensive for the area. We will see the Greek theater and maybe Etna and Castelmola if there is time.

Taodomus Hotel
Corso Umberto I, 224
98039 Taormina
http://www.taodomus.it/

* Note that we decided not to visit Catania on this trip. We plan on returning for another visit to further explore Catania, and the North East region including the Lipari Islands.

Day 3- 5: Drive to Siracusa- We are staying in Ortygia to see the Greek Theater, the Museum, Ortygia itself, and to absorb the food, flavor, and sites of nearby area.

Aretusa Vacanze Siracusa
Vicolo Zuccala, 1
96100 Siracusa
http://www.aretusavacanze.com/inglese/home.htm

Day 6-8: Drive to the Baroque Villages- We decided to stay in Ragusa with a stop at Noto on the way south. If there is time, we would like to make a side trip to Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone to see the mosaics and ceramics.

L'Orto sul Tetto
Via Tenente Distefano, 56
97100 Ragusa Ibla
http://www.lortosultetto.it/

Day 9-10: Drive to Agrigento: The drive from Ragusa to get to Agrigento and the drive to Trapani when we leave are both relatively long and with some stops, so we thought we would need 2 nights in Agrigento - the first night, we would visit the site in the evening and then, return in the AM to fully explore the sites.

We have booked this agritourista: http://www.fattoriamose.com/
It was recommended by a good friend and also Alistair Sawday.

Day 11- 13: Drive to Trapani with a stop at Selunite on the way. We hope to visit Segresta, Erice, Trapani, maybe Marsala, the salt flats, and maybe the Egadi Islands.

Residence La Gancia
Piazza Mercato del Pesce
91100 Trapani
http://www.lagancia.com/en/index.aspx

Day 14- 18: Drive to Palermo and drop off car at airport- take a bus into town..

Ai Cartari (Bed & Breakfast)
Via Alessandro Paternostro, 62
90133 Palermo
http://www.aicartari.com/

Day 18: leave Palermo for Boston.

thanks!

it looks very interesting and the sort of thing we might do.

please indulge us with a trip report on your return.

You will love Sicily and I think that Ortigia will be magical for you!

jr - what great accommodation you appear to have found.

certainly a terrific starting point if and when we get round to Sicily.

No matter what, please don't miss Monreale-it is spectacular. If timing works out, have a meal up the street from the church.

Your itineray looks great! Agree that you won't want to miss Monreale. For lunch, there is a wonderful restaurant near the church called Taverna del Pavone (Vicolo Pensato 18).

Bookmarking since justretired just posted their trip report.