We are planning a 7 to 10 day trip to just the Eastern side of Sicily in October. Thoughts are to use Taormina to explore northern half and Syracusa/Ortigia for the southern half. Tentative itinerary includes Mt Etna, Ortigia/Syracusa, Noto, Modica, Ragusa, Taormina, Solicchiata and Marzamemi. We don't plan on actually lying on the beach but would like to see the coastline. We do enjoy wandering through the narrow streets and villages. Any recommendations on lodging or other comments (including Mt Etna tours) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

An enthusiastic YES to Ortigia!

As for Taormina, the views are stunning, but the crowds can be utterly overwhelming and, IME, can make time there decidedly unpleasant. Whether you stay there or not, be sure to check the cruise schedules so that you can limit your exposure to crowds to at least some extent.

People visit Mt. Etna for two very different purposes – to go to the top or to visit the wineries. It is hard to combine the two, so be sure you know which you want and plan accordingly.

With your wish list, my guess is that you’ll want closer to 10 days than 7.

Enjoy!

Okay, thanks for the feedback. We are hoping that the crowds will not be that bad in October, but will take the cruise schedules into account. Any recommendations on lodging?

If a B&B is of interest, you might look at L'approdo delle Sirene in Ortigia.

October should be a bit easier

In October, seawater at Lido di Pigna, at the lower end of the cableway line, would be too cold for most Europeans.
You will see no Italian and few othe rEuropean tourists in October, but a lot of others.
A cannot see what you plan to do at Sollichiata and at Pacchino, but Siracusa and the 3 baroque cities are fine.

Marzamemi will be shut up pretty tight in October.

Even at the height of the season, there is not much except an Instagrammable piazza ringed by pretty forgettable restaurants, and the two famous tuna producers... There is no beautiful beach in town and the outskirts have sprouted unattractive new development. I never understood the fame of this town among foreign tourists. Rumor has it that Mick Jagger has a home near here, so maybe the highlights are just unknown to the ordinary folks without the yachts.

If you want to visit that general area, I would recommend Porto Palo di Capo Pessaero; less tourist-focused than Marzamemi.
Taormina will be bearable enough by October....as long as you realize what the town is about, Plenty of people live here and go about their lives, but there is a big tourist influx in high season....choose wisely and you could have a lovely stay in October....but do more reading than usual...

we have visited Sicily twice in October and found many of the sites we visited to be quite crowded, but with careful planning, i.e. getting an early start, you can really maximize your enjoyment, especially in Taormina and Ortigia.
We stayed in a great AirBnB apartment in Ortigia on both of our visits. On our first stay in Taormina, we were at Villa Ducale but the prices really went up and we didn't feel like splashing out on our second visit. For that one, we stayed at Casa Cuseni for two nights -- great for the gardens and historic interest, plus excellent breakfasts, but the rooms and house in general are pretty timeworn. We added an additional night in Taormina to the beginning of our stay, after getting rained out in Cefalu and managed to find a last-minute deal in one of the rock garden suites at Hotel Villa Belvedere and loved it.
Drove to the Vendicari Reserve to do a lovely walk one morning, and then headed to Marzamemi for lunch and it was absolutely lovely. ate at restaurant Nassa, which is in a quieter spot on the other side of the boat pier.
Staying a couple of nights in very touristy spots gives you a chance to wander the streets in the early morning, and in the evenings, which makes all the difference to us. We really loved our 2-night stay in Ragusa Ibla as well........on our first trip, a two-hour stopover in Noto was more than enough for us, and we didn't feel compelled to visit Modica as we already had a pretty packed itinerary.

Thanks to all for your feedback. My wife and I are just starting to do our research, so we have a fair amount of flexibility as far as which villages/sights to see. And of course, if time permits, we can swing over to the Palermo area or further west as we will be renting a car. So please feel free to provide any other recommendations in either the east or northwest. Thanks again.

With only 10 days max, I would be surprised if you have time for Palermo.

If you haven't already consulted it, the Rough Guide to Sicily is excellent.

KJA - you are probably right about the 10 days. Will also check out the Sicily guide. Tnx.

We really enjoyed Ortigia. Stayed at the Ortea Palace which was about a 15 minute walk from the train station and has lots of parking around the hotel. Used train to visit Taormina. Did not particularly care for Taormina. Took a bus tour to Mt Etna with a stop at a pleasant winery. Glad we did not drive as low hanging clouds or mist was so thick when we came down that visibility was about 10 feet. Drove to visit Noto, Ragusa, and Modica as well as other areas nearby. We have friends who own an apartment south of Ortigia who directed us to their favorite beach.

Hii! this sounds like a really nice plan for 7 to 10 days. I would definitely keep the 2 bases, Taormina for the north and Ortigia for the south, it makes the trip feel much less hectic. For lodging, I’d stay inside Ortigia if possible, just bc the evening walks there are so lovely, and for Taormina I’d choose the town itself only if you don’t mind the prices, otherwise Giardini Naxos is easier. For Etna, I’d do a half day guided tour and wear layers, it gets colder than people expect. Also, if you like narrow streets, Castelmola is really worth adding, and for coastline without beach time I loved Vendicari more than some of the towns. We usually checked https://www.visitsicily.info/en/ for ideas, https://www.parcoetna.it/ for Etna info, and https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/desti...s/italy/sicily just to see seasonal boat connections and nearby options. Your itinerary already looks very well thought through though, I think October will be such a good time for it

Hi Daphni - great info. Much appreciated. Thank you!