Need suggestions for northern Sicily

To the west: Trapani, Erice and the Greek site of Segesta. I made a day-trip to the Egadi Islands but found them not all that exciting. I'd look for an island experience elsewhere.

To the east: Cefalu.

Farther east: Aeolian Islands. I was meh about Messina and consider it skippable, given all the other options in Sicily.

In the interior: Piazza Armerina (the Villa Romana del Casale is nearby, and there's a Greek site at Morgantina), Enna, Caltagirone.

I know there's much more, but I had less than 3 weeks myself, and no car. (Sob.)

Becky, in the west, my favorite spot in Sicily was the ancient stone hill town of Erice, known as Oryx in Greek Times. Especially beautiful in the early morning and evening, in the mist, with few other travelers around. So, spend a night or two there, not just a stop during the day. A car helps.

Also loved Segesta, a very intact Greek Temple and Theater, out in the middle of nowhere. Very beautiful. Assuming you do not have mobility issues, once at the site, I recommend taking the bus from the Temple up to the Theater, and then walking back down.

I do not know if you have any interest in seeing typical celebrations (this is a religious one) but I will mention it because you said you will be in Sicily in March. The small town of Borgetto (about 13 miles outside of Palermo) is known in Sicily for its popular March 19 celebration of the feast of St. Joseph. People set up tables/alters filled with homemade breads, pastries, fruits, vegetables, fava beans, and typical foods in their homes. The tradition started to give thanks after Sicilians prayed to St. Joseph to bring rain and save them from starvation during a drought and famine in the Middle Ages. There are photos and videos online that you can look at to see if it interests you. In addition to all of the traditional tourist destinations in Sicily that you will most likely visit, it is fun to visit lesser known sites. A Sicilian friend recommended the town of Caccamo and its hilltop castle and it is on your travel route. Caccamo is between Palermo and Cefalu, about 28 miles from Palermo. We were going to visit but ran out of time so it is on my list for the next visit that I hope to make in the spring. The photos of that area are very scenic and pretty with panoramic views from the castle.

To clarify the situation with Erice, you typically go there from Trapani. There's a bus (not sure of the frequency), or you can take a Trapani city bus to the foot of the funicular and ride the funicular up to Erice. Of course, you could also drive yourself if you had a car, or you could take a taxi all the way from Trapani or just from the center of Trapani to the foot of the funicular. I imagine the funicular would not run during extremely windy periods.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Any other suggestions for places east of Palermo or towns in the interior between Messina and Palermo?

Alas, I cannot help you there. I just hopped on a train in Palermo and hopped off in Messina to connect to a bus the next day. I think Milazzo is the departure point for the ferries to the Aeolian Islands. It may have an historic district; I'm not sure, though there is a "Cittadella". Tindari rings a vague bell for me, so I just Googled for photos. There's definitely some old stuff there. Sorry not to have more info for you.

Castelbuono in the Madonie Mountains region
http://www.visitsicily.info/en/castelbuono-in-the-madonie-mountains/
http://www.wondersofsicily.com/castelbuono.htm
http://www.bestofsicily.com/roadmap.htm

Becky

I highly recommend Erice and Cefalu. ..

Lorieann

I highly recommend the island of Favignana. It's a 30-minute hydroplane ride from Trapani. The Weather Channel ranked its waters as the 13th bluest in the world. I went, also in March, and it's true. It's the turquoise of French Polynesia. It also won't have many tourists in March.

Also, east of Palermo go to Cefalu. It's not in the interior but it's a charming town on the northern coast with a great old town and quiet atmosphere. It's a great day trip from Palermo or a one-night stay.

John

Favignana, like a number of other small European islands I've visited, was sort of disappointing to me. Perfectly pleasant, but I think highly rated mostly because of the beach (uncrowded beaches being pretty unusual in Europe). I regretted the day I devoted to the Egadi Islands when there were so many other interesting options in Sicily. But YMMV, obviously.

Interior, but perhaps further south than you want to be, are Caltagirone, Enna, and Piazza Armerina.

Cefalu is my favorite town in northern Sicily. I was there for 3 nights and loved the town, the beach, the restaurants, climbing the hill .
Here a link with some suggestions and info
Cefalu

East of Cefalu is a town called Santo Stefano di Camastra with many small ceramics shops selling gorgeous red and orange pottery. We never saw this pottery anywhere else in Sicily and now, 17 years later, we still talk about going back to Sicily just to buy some more.

I love hearing about places like your ceramic town, Nancy. I've learned the hard way that ceramics can be highly regional. Still thinking about some green pottery I passed up in Santillana del Mar (Spain). It was too heavy to carry around for another 6 weeks, so I figured I'd find it in Barcelona at the end of my trip. Nope.

Thanks for the continued recommendations. We are now thinking of flying into Catania and out of Palermo, so we could see some interior places, in adition to parts of the northerm coast. It's so much fun to plan!