I am planning a trip to Sicily for about 5 - 6 days in the Fall, leaving California Sept. 27. I would like itinerary suggestions. We will be flying into Palermo. I was thinking to spend two nights there, then follow the coast to around to Agrigento for one night, again follow the coast to Siracusa, then on to Messina. Maybe spend one night then take the ferry the next day to the mainland. I'm trying to figure out if this is a decent plan. Also want to take a trip to Etna and drive by Randazzo.

We love driving (we'll have our own car) -- love sightseeing and taking tons of photos. Enjoy ruins, cathedrals, the villages, flea markets, the ocean, and we can handle maybe one museum. We enjoy staying in B&B's, unique accomodations and usually stay away from your run of the mill hotels. Of course, we also go after the lower prices!

ANY ideas, recommendations are very much appreciated. We've been to Italy several times before but this is our first time to Sicily.

We've usually rented our car through Auto Europe. If anyone out there has any other ideas, we'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

Sounds great. I'm not a Sicily expert but we loved Sicily and spent about 10 days there. We started in Palermo, which we loved and spent 3 days. Then went directly south to Agrigento for 2 days, to Piazza Amerina for a day, Siracusa for 2 and finally Taormina for 2. We loved every bit of it. I think my single favorite sight was Monreale - the cathedral is fascinating and beautiful. We loved Taormina. The vistas were exquisite. We flew out of Catania.

Just a word of warning - watch out for the tour buses on Mt. Etna. We got scraped by one at a blind switchback and got hit (after we returned home)for the 100 euro deductible, even though it wasn't our fault.

You may want to read my trip report--skipping the medical part; click on my name to find it.

You will love Sicily---here are some reasons why.

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

Sicily should be right up your alley. We loved it! The island is big, and you may be surprised by how long it takes to get from point A to B, especially off the autostrada. Viamichelin is good for times. Do you have a particular reason for going to Messina? If not, you might want to fly out of Catania. Here's the link to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ecial-trip.cfm

Agree with other posters re Sicily. I spent 6 days there last October (not nearly enough) and drove throughout the island. Beautiful and wonderful, I would return tomorrow. I agree that you consider dropping the car at Catania and fly from there.

However, plan on taking twice as long as you estimate to drive from point A to point B, especially if you deviate from the autostrada. The streets in cities are narrow and I recommend renting a very small car to travel there. (Double parking is the standard.)

And if you're on the lookout for gelato, this recent article from the WSJ:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...to-article.cfm

Thank you everyone! btw, there is a note on here that says "Comments have been removed by Fodor's moderators." What exactly does that mean?

It means that the comment was inappropriate, most probably a sales pitch, and reported to the editors by clicking on the little triangle on the right of the top line of the entry.

Sounds good. Don't forget to visit Noto and Siracusa and Erica

Working on accommodations for Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa & Taormina. Which are the best "Zones" to stay in for each? We won't have a car in Palermo, but will rent our car upon leaving Palermo on our way to Agrigento -- I have found a bunch of very reasonable B & B's on B & B Planet.com. Lots of good reviews and pics. As much as I'd like to stay in the historic areas, maybe best to stay outside so we can get in and out easily and not worry about parking. Any tips/suggestions, appreciated.

Palermo: Our hotel, the Wagner, was between the old and new cities near Politeama Square. Liked this location a lot. Another possibility would be the area around Piazza Marina which might be closer to the sights in the old city.

Siracusa: highly recommend staying on Ortigia--parking is relatively easy

Taormina: up in Taormina rather than down by the beach

We stayed at the following B&B and love them:

Taormina - B&B Joan’s Heritage http://www.joansheritage.com/johan's...ge%20engl.html

Ortigia - La corte degli angeli b&B http://www.lacortedegliangeli.com/presentationM.html

Palermo www.butera28.it/Butera28ENG/Butera28_home.swf

All were central located, very clean and comfortable, the owners were very kind and nice persons. The prices were very good.

We loved sicily! We took our 3 daughters in March. It was fabulous. It was the last leg of our trip. We spent our first week in Venice, florence, rome and then flew EasyJet to Palermo. We entered Palermo and rented a car and drove east to a little town in the mountains, Polizzi Generosa. We stayed there for 2 nights at a great little spot called Ai Templari. It is attached to their restaurant. No one speaks english but we managed to get by with very little italian on our part. This town is quaint..like no other we have been. It is a step back in time. I loved the people, the scenery, the fog that rolls in...a true gem! It's about 1 and a half hours from Palermo and the coast is a beautiful drive. We actually stopped and swam in the Tyrannean sea in march. My kids are northern MI gals and they were the only ones swimming but the beaches are beautiful. Cefalu is a beachside town near Polizzi. You could stay there if you need more action and take a day trip to Polizzi. If you like to photograph Polizzi is for you.
For more info email me at [email protected]

"little town in the mountains, Polizzi Generosa"

We were in Sicily in May, staying in Cefalú and driving up into the mountains. At one point we sat at a crossroad debating whether to head towards Polizzi Generosa or up to Piano Bataglia. We chose the latter, but sounds like we missed out.

Later on in the day we found another lovely town in the area, Petralia Sottana. I'm sure there are many more in the Parco delle Madonie and I am sure we will go back and look again.
Brief trip report at http://www.microbes.110mb.com/sicily/2Sicily0.html

Thank you everyone for all the great comments! We leave on the 19th...all our reservations are made. By the way, I'd like to recommend bbplanet.it to make Bed & Breakfast reservations. Very easy to use with photos and reviews. The system keeps track of all your inquiries and bookings. I love it!

Have a wonderful time.

Have a great trip. I loved Sicily too. Please return to this forum and let everyone know how your trip went.