Planning Sicily

"Is Piazza Armerina and Villa Imperiale del Casale the same site?" The Villa Romana del Casale is the archeological site, which is just outside the town of Piazza Armerina. It's definitely worth visiting if you have the time.

If you focus too much on the Greek stuff, you've going to miss a hell of a lot. Unless you're one of those people hung up on knocking yourself out seaching for cutsy hotels ahead of time, just look for a place when you're about ready to stop for the day - - you won't have a problem. You can drive the whole south coast in four hours or so, thus, no matter where you stop, nothing's too far away the next day. And what about the north coast and the interior????

Thanks for your input Ed. We've planned the north and east of the island with day trips out of Palermo and Taormina- Monreale, Cefalu and Etna. It's just the south and west we have to plan. What to see? What to pass on?

Don't scratch Agrigento or Segesta from your list. They have probably the best-preserved and most beautifully sited Greek temples in the world. And don't neglect to go up the hill in Segesta to see the magnificent amphitheater. Another place we enjoyed was the spectacular medieval clifftop town of Erice. You can take a cable car up to it from Trapani if you have the time, or you can drive to the top. Here's a link to the cable car website: http://www.funiviaerice.it/ Erice is only a half-hour's drive or so from Segesta.

Ragusa, Noto, and Modica are all Baroque cities, so maybe it's a little redundant to visit all three? On the other hand, I don't see Villa Imperiale del Casale on your list. Even with much of it under restoration, the Roman mosaics are outstanding. It's about a 1.5 - 2 hour drive from Catania. Don't miss the cathedral at Monreale when you're in Palermo.

Is Piazza Armerina and Villa Imperiale del Casale the same site?

Dont miss few days in Noto and Modica. Just great, esp. In the evening when everyone comes out and the bars and cafes open. I would stay in one or another and travel between. I loved both towns very much, but might favor Noto so you can easily hit the beach during day. there is a beautiful nature preserve called Vendricari (sp?) very close to Noto with very nice beach....locals only!

We loved Selinunte on the south coast (more Greek ruins!) but part of the delight was that it was spring and the ruins were awash in gorgeous wildflowers. My husband lay flat on his stomach to take a picture of the reconstructed temple through the yellow and purple and red. Don't know what time of year you're going. We're suckers for Greek ruins, by the way, and Sicily has some of the best.

Here is a site I used to plan a lot of my activities in Sicily. Hope you get to Cefalu. http://www.bestofsicily.com/index.htm