I will be traveling in Sicily for 9 days in February and would appreciate any help regarding the following:
1. Can I book a flight from Rome to Sicily at the last minute or should I do it in advance? Are there any airlines I should avoid?
2. Are there any hotels\b&b's etc. in Taormina and other resort towns that are open in February?
3. Should I rent a car or take public transportation? I plan to travel from Catania to Palermo, stopping at major sites along the way.
4. Which towns would be good places to stop along the way?
Thanks for your help!

1. As February is very low season, it should not be very difficult to book a seat from Rome to Catania with little advance notice. I'd look at the websites for Alitalia, Air One, Meridiana and Volareweb to find the best rates. Any of these airlines would be fine.
2. Many hotels in Taormina are closed in February, but you should check the Pensione Svizzera, which is essentially a bed and breakfast and has very reasonable rates.
3. I would not rent a car if you're merely going to Taormina and to Palermo. From the Catania airport, there is a direct bus to both cities. (Interbus/Etna Trasporti lines to Taormina for Euro 4.00 one way; and SAIS Trasporti to Palermo for Euro 11.90 one way).
4. Piazza Amerina and Enna would be worth visiting between Catania and Palermo. You could rent a car, or take the bus from Catania to Piazza Armerina, then on to Enna, then on to Palermo. Near Piazza Armerina is the wonderful Roma Villa of Casale, with its fantastic ancient mosaics.


www.interbus.it (Catania Airport to Taormina and to Piazza Armerina)

www.saisautolinee.it (Catania Airport to Enna and to Palermo, and from Piazza Armerina to Enna)

1. As February is very low season, it should not be very difficult to book a seat from Rome to Catania with little advance notice. I'd look at the websites for Alitalia, Air One, Meridiana and Volareweb to find the best rates. Any of these airlines would be fine.
2. Many hotels in Taormina are closed in February, but you should check the Pensione Svizzera, which is essentially a bed and breakfast and has very reasonable rates.
3. I would not rent a car if you're merely going to Taormina and to Palermo. From the Catania airport, there is a direct bus to both cities. (Interbus/Etna Trasporti lines to Taormina for Euro 4.00 one way; and SAIS Trasporti to Palermo for Euro 11.90 one way).
4. Piazza Amerina and Enna would be worth visiting between Catania and Palermo. You could rent a car, or take the bus from Catania to Piazza Armerina, then on to Enna, then on to Palermo. Near Piazza Armerina is the wonderful Roma Villa of Casale, with its fantastic ancient mosaics. You'll need a taxi to reach Casale (3 miles from P. Armerina)


www.interbus.it (Catania Airport to Taormina and to Piazza Armerina)

www.saisautolinee.it (Catania Airport to Enna and to Palermo, and from Piazza Armerina to Enna)

From Catania to Palermo- do you mean just the northern area, or are you going to make a loop around the island? With a car and 9 days you could see quite a lot. I had 10 nights and did 3 Palermo, 3 Sciacca, 1 Ortygia, 3 Taormina. I felt I had made a bit of a dent in all that Sicily has to offer, but there were many things that I missed!

1. Sure, but why not try and save a few bucks and start checking now, just in case. If you want to get it last minute, it should be pretty easy. This is a route that is flown several times a day by several different airlines. GAC listed all the airlines you should check. Either way it should be about 80 - 110 Euros round trip (including taxes). Flight only takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.

2. Yes, they can be found. Search the web. Taormina will be pretty dead this time of year, but beautiful always and the teatro greco and some shops will be open.

3. Why not rent a car? 9 days is a good bit of time, you could see so much with a car in that time.

4. Taormina, Segesta, Sellunte, Agrigento, Cefalu, Palermo (Monreale is not to be missed!), up to Mt. Etna. You could ceramic shop in San Stefano or Patti on the way or pass Palermo and head over to Marsala, Erice and Trapani. There are so many wonderful things to see/do/eat. Your choices are many! Get a good guidebook and map and you are all set!

Have a wonderful time in a wonderful place!

volareweb.com shows a super discounted rate from Roma Fiumicino to Catania of 10 Euros each way (plus applicable taxes and surcharges), IF you purchase by February 1st and travel by March 31st. Take a look in their website.

Don't fail to also check Alitalia, Air One and Meridiana.

Thanks for the advuce. I will be doing the loop from Catania to Palermo, and appreciate all recommendations regarding things to see and places to stay along the way. Thanks again!!

When you say you are going to make a loop from Catania to Palermo, I'm still not clear if you are intending to head north through Massena (which would make sense if you are going to Taormina), or west toward Caltanissetta and Enna. If the latter, then I'd suggest stopping in Caltanissetta for ceramics. Much of the ceramics sold throughout Sicily are made there. From there you can head down to Agrigento, it's a pretty easy drive. I don't know if you are interested in archeology, but Agrigento, Selinunte and Segesta, some of the best preserved Greek ruins in the world, are all along the way to Palermo. Sciacca is a very nice town which is often skipped over by tourists. Erice is also a lovely town for a day trip, but I don't think it's worth an overnight stay. I agree that Monreale is a must see.
Most of the restaurants we liked had outdoor terraces with great views, and I'm not sure if they'll be as nice in February. In Taormina we ate twice at the Granduca, Corsa Umberto 172. In Monreale, we found a really nice out of the way spot called Dietro l'Angolo ("around the corner&quot, Via Chiasso Piave 5. Da Vittorio's in Porto Palo is worth going out of your way, but I'm not sure if it is open in the winter. In Trapani we liked Cantina Siciliana, Via Giudecca 32. Have a wonderful trip, I'm jealous.