I don't know if it was a good point, I do think an apology was in order, and -- most importantly -- I appreciate your graciousness, annhig. Thank you.

You are going to have one memorable birthday! Great plan!!!

P.S. If you choose to dine in Taormina, the most memorable meal I had in Sicily (and that says a LOT) was at the Osteria Nero d'Avola, which apparently still gets great reviews. Keep in mind that I haven't been there since 2007, so much could have changed.

kja - no problems. I know what you've said has been meant kindly.

thanks for the restaurant tip.

Kia yes thanks for that restaurant reco. I do remember thinking there must be some good restaurants in Taormina but we didn't find them.

thanks for the warning, sundried. I suspect that we will eat in the hotel on the first night we are there to try it out, and elsewhere after that, unless we are blown away, that is.

I see that there are a couple of Michelin starred restaurants in Taormina, [one two star, and one one star] and I suppose that we might look at one or other of those as the time gets closer.

Oops my spellchecker renamed kja again, sorry! Annhig, yes, the restaurant by the beach looks intriguing, one Michelin star. We love fresh seafood, especially beside the sea.

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...a-167020-41102

http://www.pietrodagostino.it/wp-con...a_capinera.pdf

the menu looks great!

OK, thanks to progol [though probably unintentionally] I've altered out itinerary again and Agrigento is out. The reason is that I really want to see the mosaics at the Villa Casale but I couldn't work out how to fit in and Agrigento in without having a horrendous day driving from Agrigento to Taormina.

The answer was - don't!!!

so our itinerary is now like this:

3 nights in Ortygia, 2 nights in Ragusa, 2 nights in Piazza Armeria, and 3 in Taormina. Suddenly I feel so much happier! [I did try for an extra night in Ragusa but the place we are booked into was full so I just added on the 2 nights in PA, which we prefer anyway to "one night stands".

I suppose that if we feel like it we could do Agrigento as a day trip either from Ragusa or on the day that we move from there to PA - either of those has to be easier than driving from Agrigento to PA, seeing the villa, then driving to Taormina.

i feel much happier now.

annhig, I think you will be very happy with your plan. After a month in Italy, I am coming to the conclusion that rushing around is not enjoyable anymore! Our favorite places were the ones where we stayed put for a few days.

Just a suggestion, but we found a lot of the better restaurants in Taormina quite expensive. Our hotel recommended Il Barcaiolo down on the waterfront. Just take the funivia down to the bottom and it's a short walk from there. Not gourmet, or Michelin, but really good family style eatery, and not too expensive. Try the stuffed sardines? or anchovies, can't remember, but really good!

I envy you the British pound, much better value than our Canadian dollar right now...

thanks, sundried, that's reassuring! I agree about taking your time - one of the reasons I've changed the plan is because DH hates one night stands and every time we have one, I realise that he's right. In fact if the place in Ragusa had had 2 more nights, I might just have booked that and been done with it.

Thanks too for the tip about the restaurants in Taormina. I'll try to remember il Barcaiolo - in fact I've printed off the first page of their website. Grazie!

I hope you won't regret the three nights in Taormina. One too many (at least) for me.

Hi, annhig,
I think your plan sounds great! And I'm very glad that the response I wrote on my thread helped you to realize that you don't need to see Agrigento!

I think it's important for people to feel comfortable eliminating places -- we try to squeeze so much in and the experience loses in translation. Better to enjoy the places that one sees rather than racing through and seeing sites that are not personally so necessary.

I hope you won't regret the three nights in Taormina. One too many (at least) for me.>>

One day in Messina and environs, another on Mount Etna - that's our three nights, thursdaysd.

progol - I spend a lot of time here advising people that less is more - time I followed my own advice.

Wow there are a lot of comments here.

Just a couple more to add. We rented a car in Catania, drove it to Taormina and then Ortigia. We did a day trip from Ortigia to Villa Romana and didn't have any trouble driving in and out. That was in April. We booked a B&B with parking, so that was helpful too. I know some people had complained about driving into Syracuse, but it really wasn't a big deal at all for us. It's pretty easy to get on the autostrada or the SS roads. And Ortigia is so small even if you make a wrong turn it's easy to circle around. There were some car parks on the island. Be sure to go to the market and eat at Fratelli Burgos at the end of the street by the water. That was one of the best experiences.

I thought you had booked the Villa Schuler hotel in Taormina? We loved it, but didn't try to get to the beach. We couldn't swim then anyway. We were a bit rushed - had to squeeze everything into a week. I second the idea of getting to the Greek theatre early in the morning.

Have fun on Etna - that was a highlight, despite the price tag for getting to the top. Can't believe it's already been erupting again!

Bookmarking, for a trip to Sicly 25th April to 9th May 2017. A two week excursion, flying from Venice and back to Venice.

Hi Palatina,

thanks for the tips especially about driving in Ortygia and Siracuse. I had been wondering if it could be as bad as people were suggesting so I am feeling somewhat reassured. we have parking at the hotel [I hope!] so I'm not too worried about that. In the end it was a great deal cheaper to hire a car at the airport when we get there and just drive to Siracuse in it than it would have been to somehow get from the airport to Siracuse and hire a car there 3 days later - in fact it was about half the price. So that made my mind up for me.

We will certainly go to the market and thanks for the restaurant recommendation. while i was looking for its website [I find that printing off the homepage is the best way to remember places that I may want to find a few months later!] I came across this website, on which the Fratelli Burgio are featured:

http://www.cibodistrada.it

You just put in the name of the place you are interested in and "eccolo" - there you are. Ragusa gets 5 hits, Modica 6, etc. [i think that's right, I haven't quite worked it out yet] so there's plenty of research to be done before we go.

Regarding Taormina I think that I tried for the Villa Schuler but couldn't make the dates work so we have ended up at the Villa Sonia at Castelmola, which will give us access to Taormina but hopefully without the crowds. they also have an arrangement with someone on the beach but whether we will get there i don't know - we may just have to put up with the hotel pool!!

Peter - I got 144 hits for Venice - plenty of research for you to do too!

Ann:

Your trip to Ortygia will be fairly easy. Drove it last fall for a day trip. The exciting aspect is a couple of roundabouts in Siracusa, my advice is to just keep driving. We parked prior to the bridge to Oryigia and rode the shuttle into that part of the city. Not sure if your hotel has parking or not. It would be helpful if it does as that shuttle gets very crowded.

Huggy - that's great advice, thanks. When we get to the roundabouts, we'll just keep going.

Yes the hotel does have parking [one of the reasons we chose it] and I think I've booked a space in it.

I just want to say that I love Sicily AND, unlike most here, I love Taormina; I'm so glad I ignored all the "warnings" about crowds, etc. Without a doubt, Taormina has to be one of the most spectacular places I've ever visited. We were there in late September 2014, and I cannot wait to go back. (Two days in Taormina is far from being "too much", imo; but, of course, we all have different experiences in the places we visit.)

Oh, and we managed to get a last-minute room at the Villa Schuler by checking in with the hotel every day for 3 weeks....and I'm so glad we did: extraordinary place, an oasis, breakfast on the blissfully beautiful (and quiet) terrace with a view of both Etna and the sea.

Castelmola is fine, but since so many people are onto its being an "escape" from Taormina (which, imo, does not need escaping!), it's hardly undiscovered, and not all that convenient. For me, the bus trip up the mountain was a bit long, and the village itself a bit disappointing. The hike down the hill from C to T, though, was worth it. There was nobody on the trail except us and a few wild goats.

Ann,

I returned my rental at the Hertz office ON Ortigia and it could not have been easier. Coming from the Vendicari Nature Preserve, I only went through 1 roundabout (which I love) and traffic was heavy right there, but no problems at all. I really didn't see that driving on Ortigia would be a big deal at all, but some of the tiny streets are indeed very tiny and one way. I'm sure detailed instructions from your B&B will help. Yes, parking is limited.

If not, my Plan B always works well. I get as close as I think I can, then park and walk to find my hotel. I'm usually quite close and the B&B can help from there.