3 weeks in Sicily

You may want to spend some time now figuring out where records you haven't found yet might be kept. Baptisms, marriages are usually easiest to find through a parish or diocese; birth and death records probably in a provincial capital. This is where I found family information.

Castelvetrano is close to Selinunte, which is on the coast, and close to Agrigento as well. Trapani is also on the coast and may be a good base, especially for daytrips to Erice and Segesta. On the eastern side, I like Siracusa and Taormina, both on the coast, and Piazza Armerina, inland. Palermo and Cefalu on the northwestern side (Cefalu has a nice beach area in addition to the cathedral). You might have time for Lipari and some of the islands nearby (Stromboli, Vulcano, Panarea).

Have a great time on your second trip to Sicilia!

The roads are good and mostly scenic, so I like the idea of basing in several areas and day tripping.

I really liked Cefalu, an easy trip by train from Palermo, for 2 nights. That might be an option if you fly into Palermo, then pick up a car afterward - or drop the car in Palermo and visit Cefalu before leaving Sicily.

Segesta is about 1/2 to 1-1/2 hours drive to the sights in the southwest and the coastal towns, including Trapani. I'd suggest a nearby agritourism for 5-7 nights, maybe more since your family roots are in the area. My route from there was to leave in the morning and head southeast to visit Agrigento (for the temples and the archaeology museum) and then drive to Piazza Armerina for one night. The nearby Roman Villa and its mosaics are not to be missed. It's a long day with a lot of driving, so it might be better to spend the night closer to Agrigento and take more time to see the coast. One or two 1-nighters with a car isn't bad. Just pack so you have one overnight bag to take out of the car and not have to deal with luggage.

From there I spent the next 6 nights in Ortigia (the best part of Syracuse). I loved it and it is convenient for day trips to Noto, Ragusa, Etna, Catania (very good WWII museum). I didn't spend time in Taormina but others love it, so you could divide your time between there and Ortigia, and though you might not need a car at all in Taormina, it might be worth keeping it to get to Catania for a flight out. It's easy to return a car there, then a 4-5 minute walk to the terminal.

You could easily spend the entire three weeks+ in Sicily, and that would be my recommendation. We were there in late April-early May for 18 days and wished we had another week.

It seems to make sense to start in Trapani. You can fly directly into Trapani Airport or into Palermo airport (it's about an hour away from Trapani). We ended our trip there, and were surprised how much we enjoyed it. You must try the gelato in a brioche at the gelato shop called Chocolate, near the big church at the end of Corso Vittorio Emmanuele. We kept seeing people eating it and finally gave it a try, and regretted waiting so long!! Trapani is right on the coast, and you can take a daytrip by ferry to the nearby island of Favignana or the funicular to Erice on a clear day.

I am not familiar with the other towns you mentioned but would recommend staying in or very near them, if you can. We have stayed in ancestral villages on other trips to Europe, and it's a very special experience. Although staying near the coast is also a great idea, as it will likely be very hot at that time of year. Get out a map and find those towns, and work out a logical route between them.

I agree that Ortigia is a beautiful place, and it would be a great place to end your trip. You could then drive up to the Catania airport, return your car, and fly home from there.

Oh, Charlene, you went for the gelato-burger! They looked so huge, I never tried one. I liked the granita - it lasts longer than gelato (and I hope less calories), so very cooling in the heat. And a canolo a day keeps hunger at bay.

The "gelato burger" was lunch on our last day, just before we left for the Palermo airport for our trip home. The brioche was very light, so it wasn't overly filling. I got 74% dark chocolate gelato in mine ... my husband had raspberry cheesecake. They also had cannoli shells that they would stuff with gelato. I would return to Trapani just for this gelato shop!