That's a nice mix, Leely, and I agree it's fun to meet other students, but it can be difficult to get a class of compatible students.
My class consisted of an Irishman, a young German man, two German women, a French woman and me. It was a nice friendly group and we also got friendly with students from other classes. One Irishman from another class was a guitarist who had two gigs in Siracusa the week we were there so we all went to see him. It was fun.

I think most schools do offer private and semi-private lessons.

Yes Panecott, I'm doing 2 weeks at the Academya Lingua in Bologna which a friend kindly tried out for me last year and liked a lot. IME the more experienced you get the bigger a school you need in order to provide classmates of similar standard, as the numbers of students decrease the "better" you get. So far I've been reasonably lucky in that respect or perhaps i just haven't progressed very far! I wonder which school you went to in Venice, Leely? IME that experience of yours is quite unusual as I have usually found that students of the same level are able to converse in Italian ok. I agree about meeting people from other countries and backgrounds; in Venice there was a most singular Russian lady who was married to a rich Italian and who couldn't understand the point of any italian grammar at all, and in Rome there were several priests, a couple from Krakow and another from Burma. We all managed to communicate ok. I will of course report back about how I get on in Bologna.

I look forward to hearing about your experience in Bologna, ann. When are you going?

Panecott - I leave for Venice in 3 weeks time and after 4 nights there, take a train for Bologna and the classes start the next day. Ideally I'd have had the time in Venice at the end so I could practice my newfound language skills but the cost of the flights made doing it this way much cheaper. I will try to do a TR while I am there, but no promises!

Buon viaggio, ann! Have a wonderful trip and don't worry about a trip report while you're there. There will be plenty of time for that when you get back. Enjoy!

Thanks, Panecott. The trouble is that if I don't do it at the time, my memory [and enthusiasm] fades. So [famous last words] I will give it a try.

Have a great trip, Ann.

This is very helpful, we are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Sicily next spring. I hope to read more about your trip if you get a chance to post more.

I, too, am planning another trip to Sicily next spring! I want to be there for Holy Week and Easter and also to see the wildflowers in bloom, which I've never seen. One of these days I hope to do a trip report but in the meantime, if you have any questions, ask away.

Panecott we were thinking of going at the end of March to celebrate a birthday but perhaps it will be too cold then and of course no wildflowers will be in bloom. Now you have me wondering if we should go later during Easter especially since it is towards the end of April next year. My guess is that the hotels should be booked well in advance.
This will be our first trip to Sicily and would love to hear what route/cities you would recommend for a 16 day visit to the island. We love to drive and visiting small towns as well as cities, hiking, eating and drinking wine.

Kikiv, I don't think Sicily will be cold in March altho' it will most likely be too cold to swim, but I do think that April will probably be a prettier month in which to see it and the weather should be mild and lovely - and not too hot. (I also celebrate a birthday in late March and I usually travel for the occasion and it's always in between seasons and in most places scenery is not at its best, so I do think April will be nicer, especially with the wildflowers). If you are going to a place with so much natural beauty you might as well see it at its best.

I almost went back this coming April/May and actually booked a couple of hotels. Then I realized that if I wait a year I can also be there for Easter and it might be nice to see some of the processions/celebrations, so I decided on next spring. It was just in the last two months that I started thinking of going back and there were plenty of hotels available. But once you decide when and where you want to go, you can book and always cancel or change dates later on. Sites like booking.com and hotels.com have liberal cancellation policies.

You didn't mention history among your interests, but Sicily has many wonderful historical sites with Greek temples and theaters which are well worth seeing, and its towns are chock full of ancient churches and other attractions. As far as food and wine, it is wonderful all over the island.

Most people fly into Palermo Airport, altho' there are airports in Catania and Trapani also - but Palermo is probably your best bet. You can either stay there a few days and explore the city or you can leave that to the end of the trip. Either way, you are best off not having a car in the city. The town of Monreale with its stunning cathedral is a good half day trip from there easily reached by bus.

For a 16 day trip, some not to be missed places: Palermo, Monreale, Erice, Segesta, Selinunte, Agrigento, Siracusa/Ortigia, Piazza Armerina/Villa Romana (I'm not a big fan, but most people love it), Mt. Etna, Cefalu. Some of these are day trips or overnighters, while others should be stays of several days. Cefalu is dominated by La Rocca, which you should enjoy hiking. I haven't yet been to Trapani, except for the salt pans, but I was researching it for my almost-trip this year and I think it's definitely worth visiting. It's a good base for a day trip to the Egadi Islands and Movia/Marsala salt pans, also Erice and Scopello and the Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro. Near Ortigia/Siracusa are the baroque towns of Modica, Noto, Ragusa, which I haven't been to but other Fodorites have. In northeastern Sicily is the hilltown of Taormina, which is very beautiful but has sadly become very touristy. I still think it's worth at least a day trip or overnight, and it's a good base for visiting Mt. Etna. Further up the steep hill is the town of Castelmola, with beautiful views and fewer crowds. Driving in Taormina is extremely difficult, and is not permitted for visitors to Ortigia. You will have to park in Siracusa, just over the bridge from the lovely, historic island of Ortigia.

I know this is not very organized, but these are some places you should consider and obviously will have to choose those that interest you. I'll be glad to answer any more questions. Meantime, there are several excellent Sicily trip reports you can read through for ideas. Also, since this thread title relates only to driving in Sicily, it probably has a limited audience so you'd be wise to start a new thread which will get more readers. Several Fodorites have visited Sicily recently and I'm sure they will have more suggestions.

Thank you Panecott! This is plenty of information to get my research started.

Great report! Also, I stayed at the Colleverde Hotel in Agrigento about 15 years ago, also because they had rooms with a view of the temples. The view at night, with all the temples lit up, was magical.

You're welcome, Kikiv.

Thank you, Kristina. Yes, the view was so special. I woke up in the middle of the night and went to look out the window and the temples were still illuminated. I just sat by the window and looked at them for about 10 minutes in the silence. I feel transported back there as I write this.