ragusa

Modica and Scicli are both good destinations for a day trip. More than Marina di Ragusa unless you specifically want to see the sea.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2019/05/east-coast-sicily-day-10-modica.html
Noto is a good day trip from Ortigia by train

Marina di Ragusa will not be a good use of time in April.
Where are you staying in Ragusa? Are you in Ragusa Ibla?
Yes, there are a lot of steps and steep streets in Ibla.
What kind of restaurants do you like?

In Siracusa we like DON CAMILLO; we order. la carte. Reserve in advance.

I've only passed through Lipari but I've been to Salina for a few weeks in total and can give you some ideas if you want to go to that island. I'm sure you know about booking your hydrofoil tickets in advance and are aware of the fact that these do often get cancelled.

Ek, HI! We just got back from 2 weeks in Japan so trying to now focus on Sicily in May!

For May, I was told we did not need to reserve our hydrofoil tickets in advance. Should we? Will check out Don Camillo!

We were just in Palermo for five nights (now in Randazzo) and headed to some of the same towns/cities that you are. We thought Dolce Capo had the kind of strongly flavored, not so sweet gelato that we favor (try the pistachio) and our favorite restaurant (which might not be everybody’s) was Trattoria Trapani. Very very small, you’ll need a reservation, the opposite of fancy (like, we award bonus points for wine served in regular glasses and for the food not being prettied up), and family run. We got to Monreale cathedral when it opened and an hour and a half later it was stuffed full of people. There we liked eating at Osteria Peper’s —- good antipasti.

thanks for the recs. We are getting excited!
I am not a fan of sweets so appreciate the gelato suggestion!

Here’s my unprioritized list of things we might do in Ragusa:

Ragusa Ibla

Cathedral of San Giorgio, Piazza Duomo, Baroque white stone. Scenes from Montalbano were shot here.

Cinabro Carrettieri = workshop that produces hand-painted Sicilian carts

Portale di San Giorgio Vecchio (before entering Giardino Ibleo Park), gothic portal of the destroyed cathedral, on the street just to the right of the garden entrance.

Church of Purgatorio, one of the very few that survived the 1693 earthquake.

Church of Santa Maria delle Scale, pretty spot, 15th-century Gothic style by Cistercian monks in the 13th century & rebuilt in Baroque style in 18th century.

Palazzo Cosentini, Palazzo Nicastro, & blue-domed Santa Maria dell’Itria, built in 14th century by order of Knights of Malta and not wrecked by quake

Modica — day trip

San Nicolò Inferiore; a 12th-century church carved into the rock

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto = local chocolate introduced to the region by the Spanish (who ruled Sicily at the time) and still made the original Aztec way.

Scicli – day trip

Town has medieval layout despite Baroque reconstruction.

Walk on Via Penna.

Palazzo Spadaro, P. Bonelli-Patanè, & town hall “Vigàta police station.”
Near town hall is Antica Farmacia, another Montalbano set.

Nearby is Palazzo Beneventano and its iron balconies.
From there, climb up to the church of Santa Maria della Croce. View from the abandoned church of St Matteo. Continue to 13th-century castle ruins, then to the old cave settlement of Chiafura, inhabited up to the 1950s.

Via Francesco Mormino Penna, one of the most beautiful streets in Sicily.

thanks for this!

Pamela..We did buy the hydrofoil tickets in advance, a couple of days before the travel date. This was in May. But there were also people who I saw waiting on line to buy them at the port. The boat looked like it was close to being full. So for me, I think the peace of mind would be worth getting therm in advance but I imagine it's not totally necessary in May. But if the May trip will be on a weekend, I would get them before arriving at the port, online.

I'm sure you will have a WONDERFUL time!
About DON CAMILLO--it's pricey but I think the value is good. They have tasting menus, which I try to avoid. But they also have a la carte. It's a long-running, old-fashioned type restaurant with great service and food. If you want someplace more moderate in price, we also liked this (SlowFood listed) restaurant, which is just over the bridge, so in Siracusa proper:

https://www.viamichelin.com/maps/restaurants/poi/siracusa-96100-573fd905

https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1028492106/latteria-mamma-iabica/