Hello. My new bride (as of this Sunday) and I will be flying into Sicily (Catania) next Tuesday AM. We are staying through Saturday afternoon before moving on to Tuscany.

We are statying in Taormina (Villa Ducale).

We picked the area for a little R&R, but we'd love to explore at least one day- maybe two. We could rent a car.

Any suggestions for the four days/nights?

Siracusa is nice, though maybe a bit far from Taormina for a daytrip.

Or take a trip up Etna.

Messina is worth a couple of hours. Be in the main square at midday to see the clock make its display.

Or up into the hills behind Taormina.

Go to the local travel agency to book a day trip to Etna.
Your hotel is not really in town.
Here are some Taormina shots you may enjoy.

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

You might want to consider a train ride aruond Mt. Etna.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/si...ing-there-away

Etna would be great. Or you could do a day trip to Siracusa (it's probably about 1.5 hours each way).

My suggestion would be Siracusa - Ortigya Island is where I would head. It is lovely and not a very long car ride. There are some nice restaurants as well. Etna is another choice, and a little further would be to grab a ferry in either Messina or Milazzo and go to Lipari, an Aeolian Island, for the day.

We traveled by train from Siracusa to Taormina, and it was a very pleasant ride of about 2 hours. From the Siracusa station there's a free bus to Ortygia. But there are also the Greek theater, the Roman amphitheater and an archeological museum to be seen in Siracusa.