hi!
I have about 3 1/2 days in Sicily (I know, probably not enough but it's what I've got to work with!). Two questions:
What are your top "don't miss" sites? I'm interested in Siracusa, Roman villa of Casale, Agrigento, Mt Etna, Enna. Interests: Archaelogical sites, small medieval towns, catacombs.
Recommended home base to travel from/stay at? (I'm flying out of Catania for return trip home; not sure where flying into yet, coming from Rome).
Thanks!
Deb
Deb, how many nights in Sicily? At what time is your flight out from Catania on your last day?
Picking one home base for all that you want to cover will not be possible, without spending your entire days in the car. You may want to choose the last 2 nights either in Siracusa (Ortigia) or Taormina. Your first night could be somewhere like Erice, Agrigento or Piazza Armerina, for example. Maybe consider flying from Rome into Trapani.
One thing for sure, you will have to narrow down what you will be able to realistically see from your list. Eliminate Enna right off the bat - the A19 is undergoing under major repairs in the coming months, with one part closed. Only combine two places that are close by to each other, for each day's plan. Count on delays: slow driving, slow meal times, etc.. You will love Sicily and kick yourselves for not having allocated more time!
IMO, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina are the top three to see in a very short time. Although I really like the areas around Palermo and the interior, you don't have the time. Siracusa can be your base for the duration if your plan sticks to these top 3. Between Agrigento and Siracusa, you could take the coast road, with a stop in Noto, for example.
You need to do some mileage calculations, Sicilia is big. Choose Piazza Armerina instead of Enna, and you can visit Villa Romana del Casale, Morgantina and the museum in Aidone in one day. Siracusa or Taormina for the other two nights and daytrip to the one you're not staying in (I would choose Siracusa). I don't even want to think about what you will not be able to see, but three nights is better than no nights.
Since you are seeing the eastern side of the island, you should fly into and out of Catania. Check Skyscanner for flight options: http://www.skyscanner.com/. If you fly Alitalia, you can often get better prices from their "International" website than their US one for these domestic flights. The cheapest tickets can sell out fast, so book as soon as you know your travel dates for sure.
You can get to Catania airport by bus direct from many places in Sicily, or you can take a bus or train to the city of Catania from anywhere and then connect to the airport bus. So, don't let that determine where you stay.
Here are my reviews of where I stayed in Taormina: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy-reviews/taormina-accommodation-casa-cuseni and Siracusa: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy-reviews/siracusa-airbnb-in-ortigia. Logistically, Siracusa would work better for your sights, and the place I stayed has a 3 night minimum, so it may work for you (although you do have to walk about 15 minutes to get to your car from the apartment).
By all means, fly in and out of Catania. Because you only have three days & travel in Sicily takes a lot longer than you'd think, stay on the eastern coast and use Taormina as a base--it's beautiful although can be crowded in high season. We were there in October 2010, and although there was rain, the tourist level was tolerable. Used Sicily Life for our daytrip (the catacombs and to Savoca, Forza D'Agro & Castelmola to see the film sites for 'The Godfather') and our transport to & from Catania. Sicily Life also does a variety of Etna tours. Took a magnificent cooking class from Angelo Longo, who used to run Ristorante Licchio but now owns Rosso Peperoncino on Corso Umberto, the main drag in Taormina.
