The following a ROUGH itinerary for my 10 day trip to Sicily in February. Please critique so I can adjust.

Day 1: arrive Catania late am, rental car from airport to Taormina, check in to hotel (San
Domenico), rest of day relax, see part of town

Day2: explore Taormina and surrounding area (? Castelomolo, Giardini-Naxos, Alcantara lava
gorge), 2nd night at San Domenico

Day 3: drive to Siracusa, check in to hotel (Grand Hotel), walk around old town (ortygia)

Day 4: check out of hotel, visit archaelogical park/ museum, drive to Nota and Ragusa Ibla for brief
visits, then Piazza Amerina (villa imperiale del casale), and finally to Enna (? Grand
Albergo Sicilia) for the night

Day 5: couple hours in early am touring Enna, then drive to Agrigento, see Temples and perhaps
medieval part of town, stay at ? Villa Athena

Day 6: Drive to Sellinunte, then to Segesta, dinner and evening in Erice (?Hotel Moderno)

Day 7: Explore Erice for couple hours in am, then return car at Palermo airport west of the city
(perhaps stopping at a beach, small town along the way), take a train/bus into Palermo,
check into hotel (as yet undetermined), rest of day touring city

Day 8: tour Palermo/Monreale/Surrounding area by foot/bus

Day 9: more of above

Day 10: depart

-- I assume trip to Mt Etna not recommended due to weather in February?
-- I realize I did not list Aeolian or Egadi islands, but probably no time, unless I drop something form above?

Thanks for any feedback !!

Day 4 is doable, but very, very busy and LONG. Mt. Etna is best viewed from the vantage point of Taormina. Do't need to get any closer. The Aeolian Islands are best appreciated in the spring or very early summer. February is too early (unless the day happens to be very clear, no rain, and calm seas). Erice may be a disappointment if covered in fog. Don't need much time there. Otherwise, the itinerary is quite good, in my opinion.

xxxxx

I like your itinerary a lot! It's a shortened version of the one I took last spring.

My trip report (work still in progress) is at:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34431208
and
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34452210

A few thoughts:

- Even though it's one of my favourite places in the world, I don't think I would head to Taormina in February on your limited schedule. It's a primarily a beach resort and should be pretty forlorn at that time of year. Start out in Siracusa.

- Day 4 is crazy IMO - I would cut Noto (apparently lots of construction going on there right now) and see the archaeological park in Siracusa (the museum is very interesting as well) on day 1 or 2.

- I would see Segesta on day 7 to avoid "greek ruin overkill" on day 6 and spend the extra day in Palemo - so much to see there!

- Do NOT miss lunch at Vittorio's in Porto Palo on day 6! Amazing food.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Just in case it wasn't clear, I suggest spending 1 extra night each in Siracusa and Palermo instead of going to Taormina.

Andre

I wouldn't skip Taormina. We were there in the summer and didn't even go to the beach. The town itself has a nice ambience and beautiful views of Etna (which are better in the winter on a crisp, clear day and you get to see a snow capped mountain). There is also the Greek theater and some interesting churches.

My first thought is that you apparently don't hate packing and unpacking and checking in and checking out as much as I do. I count six different hotels in nine nights. I agree with Andre that Taormina might be a little disappointing in February. I think you might want to spend a day or two more in Siracusa instead. I also think that Day 6, with Selinunte, Segesta and Erice in one day, would be rather hectic. I also don't think you want to drive up the mountain road to Erice after dark. Erice is nice, but it is dead at night and you will be paying more for a room there then a comparable room below. Your dining choices are also restricted. It might make more sense to find a place near Segesta or Trapani for the night and go to Erice the following day.

My only advice would be to slow down a bit, so that you can savor the island more. I was there in September and absolutely fell in love with Agrigento. Be sure to go to the Valley of the Temples at sunset. it's eeriely gorgeous.

Taormina was fine for us in March, a place to see as Grinisa pointed out, in any season.

Wouldn't miss Taormina even if it will be a little slow in the cold season. You can still see the greek theater, enjoy the views and peace and do a little shopping. Definitely can be a restful time in an otherwise full schedule. I agree with GAC about day 4 and also Erice. We were just there and after dark there isn't much to do/see. Even finding a resturant open for dinner was a real challenge. Also, as someone else said, wouldn't want to drive that drive up there in the dark. Definitley a daytime place to visit as the views are lovely - hope you get a clear day. If you do decide to stay in Erice, La Pineta is a lovely hotel (little cottages, big balconys, beautiful views, secure parking). Make sure your hotel in Palermo has parking. Park and do your thing on foot - the driving is quite hectic there. Everything else sounds great. You will LOVE Agrigento, its my favorite! (Find out when in Feb the festival of the almond blossoms will be - maybe you can catch it while you are there) Have a great time!

Hello I am from Sicily and your trip is really BUSY and it will be supertiring, I can tell you. Taormina is a must see, so Gola d'Alcantara.
Sicily is packed with greek temples and I can tell you that Agrigento is the best place to see for the amount of ruins and temples. Segesta and Selinunte have temples too, but not as many. Erice is a small town on the top of a mountain and its interesting to see, its worth it. You have to go to Palermo and spend at least one night there because its the biggest city in Sicily, it's a CITY and has many many interesting things to see like churches, the cathedral, the museums, the catacombe of Cappuccini....and Monreale is 20 minutes drive from there.
If you had more time you could have seen all the islands all around Sicily such the Eolians or Egadi, but those are much better in summer (especially for the big waves and the not-so-big boats the brings you there)
Another small thing if you are interested: San Domenico palace is like the most expensive hotel in Sicily...hope you got a good price!
Hope I helped you somehow!

Thank you all very much for your input. Based on your suggestions, I have amended my trip as follows:

- Go to Siracusa late on day 2 (thus only one night in Taormina), spend all day 3 (see ortygia, ruins) and SECOND niight in Siracusa

- Day 4: am drive to Ragusa ibla (perhaps brief visit), then to Villa Romana, overnight in Enna

- Day 5: to Agrigento, see temples, stay overnight (Collaverde vs Villa Athena)

- Day 6: am drive to solunte, then to Marsala (sounds like nice, authentic seaside town, stay overnight (alternative is to keep going to Trabani or even Erice )

- Day 7: am drive to Erice, then Segesta in pm, then overnight in Baglio Conca de Ora ( 3k from Monreale), which I will use as base for Palermo and surrounding area (this way I can keep my car for sights outside Palermo, take 15 minute bus ride into Palermo as daytrip, perhaps largely avoid Palermo traffic/mayhem)

- Day 8: Monreale/Palermo/surrounding area, overnight in above hotel

-Day 9: more of above

- DAy 10: drive directly to airport for am flight

Is it silly to only stay in Taormina one night? Seems there is no agreement on whether even to visit this time of year. Guess I just could not totally give it up, got good rate (Euro 120 incl breakfast) at Palazzo San Domenico.

Further feedback?

That's an AMAZING rate for San Domenico. I'll admit on my trip I only explored Siracusa (Ortygia) for 1 day. and stayed in Taormina for 3. I think I made the right decision, it's simply a beautiful town. You may regret cutting that 2nd night.

"Mt. Etna is best viewed from the vantage point of Taormina. Do't need to get any closer."

GAC I usually enjoy your posts/advice, but WHOA! Mt Etna is gorgeous and a great (but exhausting and illegal) hike! If exhaustion and the potential to get fined (but very, very unlikely) are turn-offs, stay in Taormina... but for me it was definitely worth both

I agree that Mt Etna makes for an exhilirating hike, but there are so many other wonderful things to see in Sicily that one must work hard to set priorities.

I just returned from Sicily last night. Taormina is beautiful and the San Demenico is a gorgeous hotel in a majestic setting. I would not miss Mt. Etna. It is an amazing visit. Our tour took us up to apx 6000 ft. and the snow covered Mt. and craters are incredible. It is cold up there so be prepared with layers. It is a highlight of a visit to Taormina. The greek theater in Taormina is also a must. There are wonderful restaurants all over which are set overlooking the sea. Giardini Naxos, which is where we stayed, is not much to see or visit in February...much is closed. Castelomolo is a hill town above Taormina. It is tiny and basically a visit for a higher view. You will have a great view from your hotel.

We stayed at Hotel Et Des Palmes in Palermo. We loved the location which is within walking distance to most sights. Great cafes, gelato and fabulous shops on Via Liberta are very close by. The room we had was large with great closets and storage but it all seems a bit tattered. Nonetheless, the service was excellent and the we all loved the location.

Many excellent restaurants but the most memorable was Il Mullinazzo which is apx. 10 miles outside of Palermo. This is a 2 star Michelin rated restaurant and we were the only non italian speaking guests last Sunday.

Somebody else went to Mulinazzo!! I'm so excited - isn't it wonderful!

When we were there it was a one star - did they get another star?

Yes, they now have 2 stars. Elizabeth, we went there at your suggestion and it was wonderful. We had the fantasy tasting menu. It was the best meal we had in Sicily. Thank you so much. We tried a few of your other suggestions and had lovely dinners.