Help with Sicilian itinerary

Since you’re only in Palermo for one night, why not just add another night to Monreale and take the bus into Palermo as a day trip. You could rent the vehicle upon arrival and drive straight to Monreale. Monreale is only a few miles from Palermo, but the traffic is terrible on the road between the two; more stop than go..

Caccamo is about an hour drive from Monreale. Its castle was very nice. Assume you’ll be spending 3-4 hours visiting the temples at Agrigento, so plan your time accordingly. Siracusa/Ortigia is about an hour from Catania. If you’re military or retired military you could stay on the military base at Sigonella. We flew in and out of Catania.

Thanks, @jaimeelsabio, that sounds like a solid plan re: Palermo. I appreciate the insight on the other stops.

We visited Sicily with a car in late December 2012, including Christmas, before taking a car ferry from Messina to the Italian mainland just before New Year’s. Be prepared for it to get dark relatively early in the evening. It was also cool enough to need a warm jacket, although the day at the temples at Agrigento was actually hot.

We flew in to the Palermo airport (from Rome), which is well west of Palermo itself. As we were going west to Erice, we never went to Palermo that trip, so drove our rental directly west from the “Palermo” airport. As you’re eventually heading to Monreale, jaimeelsabio’s suggestion of just going directly there seems to make sense. Did you specifically intend to sleep one night in Palermo? If not, staying in Monreale your first night and going to Palermo as a daytrip from Monreale could simplify your first lodging situation.

Edit: I see that while I was typing all this, you’d already replied to jaimeelsabio’s post. Still, were you going to rent your car at the airport when you landed, or on your second day, after checking out after your first night?

My favorite Sicilian town is Modica, which is relatively close to Siracusa, but far from Messina. If both Messina and Siracusa are desired daytrip destinations, then staying in Catania makes sense geographically.

@Cyn - thanks for your reply. We'll be in Venice over Christmas, so I'm looking forward to the relatively warm weather we'll hopefully have in Sicily.
Would you recommend a daytrip to Erice? I had it on my "maybe" list. I hadn't yet looked at where the airport was in relation to the city, so it definitely does seem to make more sense to rent a car from the airport and not deal with driving in Palermo at all. (My parents did it years ago and said the driving and parking was awful and that we should avoid it.) It may even save us money to rent a car from the airport instead of the city.
I'll look up Modica. Thanks!

While the airport might be more convenient, avoiding traffic and navigation complications while picking up a car, it might not necessarily be cheaper. There’s usually an airport concessions charge on rental cars, maybe an extra €20-€40, compared to a local rental office on the street. Often, though, getting a car at the airport still makes sense.

Erice is on the far western side of Sicily, and while very worthwhile, it might not fit into your schedule, or make sense geographically. With adequate time, Erice would be worth a visit, along with the ancient Greek temple and theater at Segesta, on the way to Erice from the “Palermo” airport. Erice was a wonderful place to stay, with tiled, very narrow streets, and a few Christmas presepi and lights in the small town. Rick Steves didn’t have a Sicily guidebook 12 years ago, but we found the Maria Grammatico bakery in Erice, and he’s since featured her in his books and TV episodes.

Thanks! We might be able to squeeze in a trip to Erice. Sounds lovely.
Good tip on the car rental, too. I'll see if there's a big price difference in the city vs. the airport.
We will definitely be visiting the temple at Segesta since we're going to Calatafimi.

With a car, I would not stay right in Catania for traffic reasons, but rather in the countryside or on the coast to the north. For example in Acireale or in one of the many rural hotels / agriturismo near Giarre - basically, somewhere with easy access to the Catania bypass. That way you can make quick day trips.
By the way, you are unlikely to spend a whole day in Messina. Just go to your museum, then leave. Taormina, tourisity as it is, is worth a stop. You could also be tempted to drive up to the Etna base at Rifugio Sapienza, but beware of snow/ice - it is very much a possibility in winter.

As a Caravaggio “fan” I have to say the works in Siracusa left a lot to be desired. I actually forgot about it until you noted it here, though would recommend Siracusa in an instant for every other reason. His paintings in Messina, on the other hand, look worthy of seeking out.

I’m only saying this because that’s a long way across the island. With the little time you have it might be worth reconsidering, and keeping to the west of Sicily. Just throwing it in the mix in case you were having second thoughts.

I like the plan of just staying in Monreal vs Palermo if that’s where you’ll be basing. Though I’d absolutely encourage a day trip (or two) to take in this underrated city.

@balso
Thanks so much for the advice about Catania. I wondered if the traffic and parking would make things difficult. I'll look for something where you mentioned. I appreciate your note about Messina: I figured that we would spend the day there, but now I'll look for another town or two to visit on the way there or back and will just focus on the museum.
I visited eastern Sicily 20 years ago and we stayed on Mount Etna. We went to Taormina and some other coastal towns. It would be nice to visit some of them again, but if we don't make it, I won't be too disappointed. I also want to find some time to do some birdwatching -- not sure if anyone here would have advice on that front, especially in winter and not during migration.

@awrzesinski
Thanks for the advice! Alas, we have to see the Caravaggios in Siracusa because I have a checklist (I've seen 75% of his works already and would like to see them all).