We have flights booked in and out of Rome for 7 nights. We'd like to fly onto Sicily and save Rome for the final 2 nights on the way home.
One of the reasons for visiting Sicily is to visit Villa Roma near Enna to see the area my grandfather and also I would like to see Taormina.
Not sure of the best itinerary for the limited time, but thought fly in and out of Catania and just see the area south of there plus Villa Roma.. or would it be better to go into Palermo drive through Villa Roma and go to Taormina and fly out of Catania and possibly try to fit in southern areas.
Suggestions appreciated TIA

Villa Romana is a bit closer to Catania than Palermo. For such a short trip I would recommend staying in Ortigia, and just taking a quick look at Taormina, which can be swamped with tourists.

I agree with thursdaysd that with your limited time, you should fly into and out of Catania. with 5 nights, I suggest the following:

Day 1 - fly into Catania from Rome. Assuming you land at a reasonable time, pick up hire car and drive to Ortigia. Stay 2 nights.

Day 3 - Drive to Piazza Armerina via Enna. Stay Piazza Armerina.

Day 4 - Tour Piazza Armerina, [leave luggage at hotel] Collect luggage! drive to Taormina.

Day 5 - Taormina,

Day 6 - drive to Catania and fly back to Rome.

Day 7 - Rome

Day 8 - fly home.

You need to check that you have 7 nights rather that 6 for this itinerary to work. If it's only 6 you need to choose whether you drop Taormina altogether or just spend one night there. If you just visit Taormina and don't stay there, you will only see it when it is full of tourists whereas if you stay there, albeit briefly, you'll get an idea of why it's been so popular over the years. You could do a tour of Etna if you have a whole day while you are there.

Thanks so much..
Our April 9th flight arrives Rome in early am April 10th and we depart Rome morning of April 17th. So your plan is doable.
Is Piazza Armerina a better place to stay than Enna? is there a particular reason to stay there? Also, any particular places to stay if you've been there before?
Is it better to stay IN Taormina to get the feel of it?

I apologize. I realize I typed Villa Roma instead of Villa Rosa. Villa Rosa is near Enna and Caltanissetta.
Please revise what you think would be best.

In that case, you might consider trying to see the Villa Romana del Casale!

I can't speak to your options near Villa Rosa, but i can say that I enjoyed a brief stop and overnight in Enna.

IMO, the views from Taormina are stunning, but the crowds can be crushing. I wouldn't think they would be too bad in early April, though.

Apologies. I made the same mistake as kja and assumed you wanted to see the Villa Romana di Casale which is near Piazza Armerina. [and when I wrote P. Armenina in the itinerary, that's what I meant. Sorry I wasn't clear]. Anyway, were you going to be staying in that area it would be a pity to miss it; it was one of the highlights of our trip 2 years ago.

here's a link:

default7.com

IMO it is best visited first thing in the morning before all the tour buses arrive and before it gets too hot, which I why I suggested staying overnight nearby, and then heading off elsewhere once you have seen it.

I see that Villarosa is a small village outside Enna. I assume that it has family connections but it doesn't look as if it would take long to explore. I did a quick google search and the nearest hotels are in Enna, as I expected.

As for Taormina, April may well be one of the best times to visit before too many cruise ships and tourists turn up. It is in a stunning position and early in the season could well be delightful.

Thanks, Kja, Ann, & Thursday...

Enna appears to be about 15 minutes west of Enna, so Enna should be a good place to overnight. I can then also see the mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale, as everyone seems to think it's not to be missed.
I'm starting to think that fitting three areas into 5 nights may be too much, considering the distance from Ortigia/ Taormina/Villarosa. Should I eliminate Ortigia? or perhaps we should add a night to Taormina or stay outside of Taormina to avoid the crowds? or somewhere else altogether.
This is first time to Sicily, so I'm not sure which areas should be a priority in such a short time.
.
Also, we arrive on a Tuesday morning and I thought Taormina may be less busy on a weekday?(or maybe it's busy all the time), so head there first to avoid it on weekend..for maybe two nights? then head to Ortegia (or another suggested town) for a night, saving the last two nights to be in Villarosa?

Something like this:
Tues April 10 Arrive Rome 7:45am Arrive Catania approx. Noon-1pm(not sure haven't booked this flight as yet) 2 nights Taormina
Wed April 11 Taormina Etna AM/ Taormina PM
Thurs April 12 Rent car and head to Ortegia or ?????? 1 night ( or eliminate this altogether)
Friday April 13 Head to Enna and visit Villarosa 2nights Enna
Sat April 14 AM Villa del Romana Casale PM Villarosa

Sun Apri 15 head back to Catania flight back to Rome 2 nights Rome
Thoughts?

Your trip, your call, but I do think that fitting all of these places into 5 nights is too much.

Personally, I far preferred Ortygia to Taormina. YMMV. IMO, Ortygia easily merits 3 nights, if not more. I don't know that you have that. OTOH, one night in Taormina would give you time to see it after day trippers leave.

No need for a car to get to Ortygia -- public transportation options are easy and convenient. From what you've said you would only need a car for the part of your trip that includes Enna, Villarosa, and the Villa Romana del Casale. If you insist on having a car elsewhere, do make sure you know what you will do with it in places that aren't particularly car-friendly.

Good luck!

Thanks, kja.. this is the type of info I need. I agree it's a lot to fit into 5 nighta So, maybe spend just the one night in Taormina. Head south to Ortygia for 3 nights OR SKIP Orygia and head to Palermo after going through Villarosa/Enna for only one night and spend the rest of the days in Palermo instead of back tracking to Catania.Fly out of Palermo. Wish there was more time to fit it all in.

Palermo is NOT in the area that you have been considering, and easily deserves far more time than you have. Please -- do some research about what YOU want to see and do, using a calendar and map, and figure out what works for you.

Kja.. I have done research and expressed some of our interests. I was hoping others may have more feedback and itinerary ideas. Thank you so much for your suggestions and advice

Got. it. Good luck!

Personally I agree with kja that missing Ortygia when you are so close would be a great pity. Now you've decided just to stay in Taormina for one night, you would have plenty of time to really enjoy it. As for staying in Enna, honestly I would have thought that one night would be enough, unless you have people there that you want to visit. Villarosa is tiny and probably won't take you any time at all, unless, of course, there are specific family things that you want to see. Using the autostrada it should take you no longer than 2 ½ hours to get from Taormina to Enna, and you could have the whole of the rest of the day and evening there.

Then in the morning make for Piazza Armerina and the Villa Romana, which will take you the rest of the morning, and in the afternoon drive to Ortyigia. I don't think that you would regret it.

Thank you, Annhig. One night should suffice for Villarosa. If we decide not to do the Villa Romana, we could even make Villarosa a day trip allowing the extra time to Etna or Ortygia.
I thank you ALL for letting me 'bounce' around my itinerary !

No problem, dosu.

I hope that you enjoy your trip to Sicily as much as we did.