Sicily Help...
 

I've been to Italy a couple of times - but never Sicily! How many days should I set aside to be able to enjoy it? And what areas will be a must for my first trip?

Sicily is marvellous. It is, I believe, the largest Island in the Mediterranean, and so takes some time to cover.

Briefly you could look at the East (Syracuse, Taormana and the towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa). The West (Trapani and Erice). The Temple complexes at Agrigento and Selinunte and of course the areas around Palermo.

There are some excellent threads on this board on Sicily, many of which I used in planning my own trip.

There are some excellent threads on this board on Sicily, many of which I used in planning my own trip.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34699704

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34416277

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34620334

I have a sort of an account of our trip at : www.microbes.plus.com/sicily2005.htm

If possible, consider stopping at your local library to pick up the travel section of last Sunday's Phila. Inquirer. They did a big story on traveling in Sicily.

Hi there! For those willing to spend some days in Agrigento (Valley of the Temples!), I suggest the B&B Terrazze di Montelusa: located in the historical center, huge panoramic terraces, bedrooms with airconditioning and private bathrooms, ambiance 5 star hotel but B&B rates!!! The owner is very friendly and gave us all information we needed. We really loved it!

We are just back from 3 weeks in Sicily and loved it all (except for the traffic and erratic Italian drivers).
We had one week at San Vito lo Capo, a delightful little beach town, great swimming. Visited Segesta, then Motya at Trapani, and south to Selinute. Loved that site. We stayed two nights at a tiny fishing village near the site so we could have a full day, wandering around the ruins.
We had seen Agrigento on a previous trip, so skipped over that and headed east to Modica. Spent a week there, lovely old Baroque city. Took day trips from there to beaches, various small cities, the mosiacs at Piazza Amerita (sp?), Catania. I thought the mosiacs wonderful and while some criticize the roof over them, if they were not protected from the elements, they likely would be destroyed. It is always a conflict in archaeological sites like that. You want people to see them, but at the same time they must be protected.
The traffic at Palermo was terrifying. Too bad because we might have spent more time there but were freaked out by four lanes of traffic on a two-lane street, drivers going up on sidewalks to pass cars, etc. Total chaos.

Another vote for Piazza Armerina (that's how to spell it). IMO, these are the best ancient mosaics anywhere in the world.
And don't miss the (little known) south-east of the island: Ragusa, Noto, Modica, Siragusa.
Side note for ngarona: if the traffic of Palermo already managed to terrify you, I guess you haven't been in Siragusa? I, as a passionate driver, and a passionate Italian driver, haven't been terrified by any city's traffic all over Italy, except for Siragusa...

I also agree, don't miss the Villa Romana Ducale @ Piazza Armerina although some posters on this site have said it's over rated, don't listen! It's extraordinary and it shouldn't be missed. I also agree that the southeastern region of Ragusa is wonderful, don't miss the Baroque town of Scicli which is in the same area as Modica and Noto but oftne overlooked. I found the people there to be exceptionally warm and friendly and it has a plethora of Baroque art that could fill 3/4 of a day for sure. If you intend to stay in Cefalu, I recommend Sicilian Break if you want a seaside apartment, write to Massimo at [email protected] . See my review on their website http://www.cefalu.it/vacanza.php?lingua=en
Enjoy Sicily and don't forget to eat the Cassata, my favorite!

I would follow ngarona's pacing when it comes to time allocated. We went to Sicily for 7 days last year and found that we barely "covered" the east coast (Siracusa, Noto, Ragusa, Mount Etna, Palermo) in that time. It is truly a rich expereince and one worth 3 weeks to a month if you have the time.