Woo! Less than a month, well, a month to be exact, but, it sounds so much nearer when it's "less than a month".
Flying into FCO December 2, fly on to Catania, arrive to pick up rental car and go to hotel in Agrigento area. Sightsee for 3 days, head to hotel near Palermo, spend 3 days again, cross country via Enna to Taormina, stay one night, leave for Messina, take ferry and spend 2 days going through Calabria to return to Rome for final night.

I booked the airfare from Rome to Catania and through Meridiana (thank you Steve James, )it was a mere $32 Euros. I printed out my credit card confirmation, flight number, etc. Will I get an email verification, if so, how long does that take usually? Or, will then send me paper tickets. I didn't see anything on the website to indicate that.

Finally, if one were to choose between Erice, Trapani, Castellammare del Golfo, which location would one suggest? I like to look out onto the ocean, drink some vino in the afternoon, and mostly, find some quiet.

I found this website online and think it has some great information and walking tours.
http://sicilyweb.com/_index.htm

Thanks for all the suggestions, esp, Elizabeth sending her restaurant list! I welcome more.

Erice is your best bet, although it will be cold (altitude) and possibly fogged in (with no view of the Mediterranean Sea). Castellammare del Golfo might be too rustic. From Enna, there are no sea views.

To answer the email confirmation question: In August, I booked with Meridiana two different flights that we took last month. I had to call them in order to book the flight because their web site wouldn't let me book on-line. (After I booked the flights, I had to ask to be transferred to a different operator in order to pay for the flights.) They gave me a "codice di prenotazione" (reservation code) which was a 6 letter code for each flight. Both times, I got the email confirmation almost right away-within an hour. It was impressed upon me that all I really needed to check in was that code.

Where in Calabria will you be going to? I agree that Erice is very likely to be foggy. I can't wait to hear about your trip when you get back!

Make sure you check your flight with Meridiana a few days before you leave. My flight from Naples to Palermo was cancelled without notice to me. We ended up having to sit around for nine hours until the next one.
I'm not clear if you were considering staying one night in Erice, Trapani or Castellammare del Golfo, or just doing a day trip. Erice is pretty, but IMHO not worth an overnight stay. It's a fairly short drive from Palermo and you can see the whole town in an afternoon. For me, Trapani, which is located near Erice, has little to offer. The older section of the city, which is recommended by the guidebooks, is not very special. My strongest recollection was the number of unleashed dogs I saw wandering around. Trapani does have some nice restaurants, however. P&G, Via Spalti 1, is excellent. We were in Castellammare del Golfo this summer, and while it does have a nice beach and view of the sea, I'm not sure what would be open there in the winter. You can check out this site: http://www.castellammareonline.it/
You are going to Agrigento, so you must have some interest in ancient ruins. You might consider day trips from Palermo to Segesta and Selinunte. Both of them are much smaller and more accessible than Agrigento, but have wonderfully preserved sites.
Have a wonderful trip.
Roger

How far in advance would you suggest to purchase tickets on Meridiana for end-of-March travel?

GAC, thanks for the reply re Erice. I have read much about this area and several people have confirmed what you said about it being foggy. I'll just have to take it as it comes and hope for the best.

wantagig- I was able to book online and received a transaction #, reservation # and some code. I should be alright. I sent a follow up email and asked for an email confirmation. So far, no response. I may fax them if I don't hear by the end of the week. It could be that I'm all set and they don't feel it's important to get back to me, or they can't find the reservation. Your post gave me some comfort, however, as I at least got a confirmation number.

AP6380, I read your trip report about Sicily-great fun! I don't know where in Calabria I'll be yet, I don't know that I'll know until I get there. If I really like Sicily, I may just drive through Calabria on my way back to Rome where I am dropping off my rental car. Last year I was planning a trip into Basilicata but so enjoyed the Amalfi Coast I spent a week there before going to Venice and Rome. I like to be flexible and spend time at places that feel right. Does this make sense?

Roger, thanks for the tip re Meridiana! I shall check in advance and have an alternate plan.
I'll look at the website you listed. Thanks for including that.

Holly, I don't know how far in advance you need to book. The reservations I have are non-refundable, etc. But, I only paid $15 E for the flight plus $16.20 in taxes. It was really cheap, anyway.

Anyone else have any other hotels, tips they would like to share?
Thanks to all who posted!
Gigi

RBrazill: As dog lovers, we were shocked by the amount of abandoned dogs. They look so sad. They're filthy and get virtually no attention. We started holding food aside daily to give to the dogs. It's very sad.

Designergigi: One recommendation would be to rent the audio tour in Agrigento. For 4E you get a hand held device similar to a telephone. It lets you stop, rewind, replay, etc. We each rented one, but you can get by with renting just one as it's less to carry and the descriptions are brief.

With the audio tour, they also give you a laminated card that has corresponding number to the site. You key in the numbers and listen. The shame is that those numbers don't match the numbers on the signs in front of the site. For example there is a sign (in Italian) in front of the Temple di Giova site. There is also a number on the sign that says, lets say, 73. On the laminated card you'll see for Temple di Giova press 646.

One other thing. The laminated card said that there was a Temple of Zeus. We couldn't find it until someone told us that the Temple of Giova WAS the Temple of Zeus.

You can save money by buying a ticket "completo" (6E/pp 3E for retired) to see both sections of the ruins. We spent about 3 1/2 hours there and really, really enjoyed it!

For those who take the train in, it was a quick 10 minute bus ride from the train station.