1 month Sicily by car May24

Well, we did a combination of train/bus and car but had far less time than you. We revised our itinerary a couple times too and the last time was in response to a Sicilian colleague of my husband's insistence that we go to Erice. Luck have it, we had horrid weather and couldn't see two feet in front of us! Will have to return!

But this is what we did and how much time I would have stayed had we had more time.
We flew into Catania and out of Palermo. We took a bus to Taormina from the airport.
Taormina 3 nights. This I think was perfect. We did a day trip to Mt. Etna. There really isn't that much to see in Taormina but I suppose you could stay 4 nights.
Ortigia 3 nights. We could have stayed 4 if wanted a day trip to Noto. I would not stay for two weeks and do day trips from there.
We rented a car in Ortigia which worked very well.
Ragusa 2 nights. I would have stayed longer had we had the time. Modica would be a good home base as well. 3 or 4 nights would work well to see the area by car.
Agrigento 1 night. We had a night also scheduled for nearby Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina which I would do with enough time. I would also consider 2 nights in Agrigento if you want to visit La Scala del Turchi. It was raining when we were there so we didn't but really didn't have time either.
Trapani area. We spent two nights in an airbnb outside Erice. This area deserves more time. Maybe 4 nights? But with time, I would also want to see more of the west coast.

Palermo-3 nights. I think 4 would be perfect. We had half day visit to Cefalu. I would have spent more time there. We did see Montreale by bus. We returned our car to the airport before going into Palermo by train.

This would get you to about three weeks leaving a week for islands and/or more time on west side of island.

With a month ,you have the luxury of spending more than a day or two in some spots. We never made it to the Aeolians, but did spend the six total weeks circumnavigating the island. We used a combination of private drivers (vice renting a car), trains, the hydrofoil to the Egadi Islands, and buses. It worked well for us. Depending on where and when you plan to pick up a car, I see a couple potential parking issues, most notably in Palermo, Taormina and Ortigia. However, I have a lower threshold for parking anxiety, so this might not be a big concern for you.
Castelbuono is very small and I think it would be hard to spend three nights there. One, maybe, although we did it as a stop enroute and spending an afternoon at the castle and having lunch was enough. There is a wonderful restaurant there, Nangalarruni, which specializes in local foods. Be sure to try anything made of maialino nero, a local black pig, local mushrooms, and preparations with manna. Manna is a local delicacy extracted from the sap of an ash tree that grows only between the towns of Pollina and Castelbuono. I had a delicious maialino cutlet breaded with it. For dessert, the mannetto cake is a treat.
We found 4 or 5 nights in Palermo, without side trips (except for a ½ day to Monreale), to be the sweet spot, although you could take one of those days for Cefalu. Loving cities, I would have chosen another couple days there, but we had a schedule to keep. We spent a few nights in Cefalu for a rest stop. It’s also worth a day or even two on its own, although many people do it in a day, or even a half day. From Cefalu, we stopped at the Sanctuary of Gibilmanna on our way to Petralia Soprana. Petralia Soprana is a quaint, cobblestoned village, but in September, the summer season, with its colorful flowers and more people, was pretty much over. That goes both ways. It was quiet and restful, but lacked a buzz. After a couple nights there, (and a delay to return home for a family emergency) , onward to Castelbuono.

On our return trip, we started in Catania to stay for 3 nights. Four would have been better. It’s a gritty city, much like Palermo in that regard, but we really enjoyed it. Regretfully, the World War II museum was closed for our entire visit due to a power outage. Overall, Catania had the best food of our trip. Our planned trip around Etna, with a stop in Randazzo for lunch and sightseeing, was foiled by an hours-late departure of the Ferrovia Circumaetnea. That timing glitch allowed us only to go as far as Randazzo, change trains and come home. A total bust. We saw Etna in the distance (we had no interest in ascending the slopes, even to the first level) but it would have been nice to do the whole trip, as I understand the half from Randazzo back to Catania is the best part of the trip. From there, we spent 5 nights in Ortigia (with a day trip to Noto). For us, the puppet theatre and the archeological museum were the highlights. I could have spent another night or two there, just enjoying the city and the food, but it was time to move on. We transferred to Ragusa, which I loved. Three nights there, with a rest day (if you go, visit the very helpful tourist information center and Cinabro Carrettiere, where they make traditional carts). We walked down the steps adjoining Upper and Lower Ragusa, which was a good choice for us. Much less of a workout! From Ragusa, we transferred to Agrigento via Villa Romana del Casale, and a quick stop in Caltagirone and Modica (to see the stairs and get some chocolate). If your schedule permits, I’d suggest arrive at Villa Romana del Casale at opening or late in the day. We were not able to do that, and midday was a scrum. It was worth it to see the mosaics, but it would have been a lot more enjoyable without the masses elbowing for the best views. We probably could have spent a night or two in Modica---poor planning on my part. Two nights in Agrigento was more than enough.

Wait! There's more!
The city is boring, but of course, that’s not why you’re there. From Agrigento, we spent 10 nights in Trapani. Using Trapani as a base (and enjoying the town itself), we day tripped to Selinunte, Poggioreale and Cretti, then Erice, Mazara del Vallo (primarily to see the Dancing Satyr museum, which was wonderful). Segesta, Selinunte and the Egadi Islands. We stayed in Favignana in the Egadis, not being beach people. The tuna museum is a gem, and we enjoyed wandering around for most of the day. There are a bunch of tour companies camped on the pier in Trapani, but the trip is easy to do yourself. If you plan to go to the beach, renting a bike at the pier in Favignana is probably your best bet. The cost was miniscule compared to the canned tours offered from Trapani. I think the west coast of Sicily is underrated. We were never bored, there are lots of day-trip options, and the scenery is lovely. A quick transfer to Palermo and after one night, back to the US.

I know we have the luxury of time in our travels, but after two trips, I’d return to Sicily for more. I would have liked to get further into the interior, and can always spend more time exploring most of the cities on our itinerary.

Its all starting to make sense.. Thanks for the time spent BethFL and WanderLust58 !

Enjoy! Do know that roads in interior are not great. One of my colleagues was telling me his adventures getting from Enna to Palermo. We thought the roads from Villa Romana del Casale to Agrigento were challenging and he said not in comparison.

Also there are a number of trip reports on Sicily. I know both of us did one and there are others. I found them very helpful when planning.

You'll really enjoy traveling around Sicily by car!

We spent 4 nights in Lipari and found that to be too many days there. I think that 3 nights would be more than enough, even with day trips.

Ortigia is great - you could easily spend a week or two there to take daytrips if you want to base in one spot.

We liked the Western side and found Trapani interesting as well as Marsala - the archeology museum in Marsala is excellent. We also enjoyed a daytrip to Mozia - take a picnic and enjoy wandering around the island.

You have enough time to leave a few days open in your itinerary in case you hear about other places from fellow travelers and want to add them to your plan.

Great info & thanku for your thoughts also Marsale ..
Just a couple more if you would indulge me .. Stay: 2N in Modica OR Ragusa?, next stop Agrigento for 1N;

2N Trapani OR Erice , plus 1-2 nights on Moziac OR Marettimo ?

OR my head is telling me 3-4N in Either Trapini / Erice with a 1 day trip to One of the Islands.? :)

apologies WanderLust58 .. I think you have answered this already :)

Both Ragusa and Modica are nice. We visited both but stayed in Ragusa I la which we liked. But if I had a month I would would stay longer than 2 nights. We stayed 2 nights but only had two weeks.

The same with Trapani / Erice. We stayed two nights out in country outside Erice but area is worth more if you have time. Erice is up a steep hill that takes quite awhile to drive or there is a funicular so not good to use as place to explore other sites. Trapani is better for that but if you only spend two nights you won’t have much exploring time anyway.

Just a couple more if you would indulge me .. Stay: 2N in Modica OR Ragusa?, next stop Agrigento for 1N;

I agree with the poster above - either Modica or Ragusa would be good for even a 4 night stay - chose one and travel to the other as a day trip. One night is o.k. for Agrigento or just make it a stop on your way west.

2N Trapani OR Erice , plus 1-2 nights on Moziac OR Marettimo ?

I also agree that a 4 night stay in Trapani gives you many options for day trips. For us, a day trip to Erice was perfect - because it's so high up, it's a bit isolated for a longer stay. The island of Mozia does not have any hotels or apartments. It's an archeological site with lots of interesting ruins - we took a picnic and made an afternoon of it. Marsala (if you're interested in the museum in Marsala) is an easy day trip from Trapani.

Thankyou all . its a work in progress but Im very grateful for the input.

A Question for those that have stayed in Ragusa... To get a real feel for Ragusa is it preferable to stay inside Ibla or in the Superiore? Im finding lots of accom options just atm. Thanks :)

I'd recommend Ibla. It's got more charm and personality, good restaurants, excellent people watching and Cinabro Carrettieri. We didn't spend a lot of time in Superiore, mostly just to start the stair climb, or in our case, descent., but it felt bigger, busier and much less scenic. There is a cathedral, but otherwise, it was pretty dull.

Thankyou Wanderlust58 !

moved the Q to a new topic .. :)