what would you suggest for 8 days in lake Como/lake Maggiore area in early September 2017; then 6 days in Sicily later in September?
What does Rick have to do with your question?
And what kind of suggestion are you looking for exactly? Hotels, what to see, how many days in each?
For sure you need to fly to Sicily. All Milan area airports have flights to Sicily: Alitalia, EasyJet, RyanAir, to name a few.
Sicily needs at least 10 days to see. Lake Maggiore 3-4 nights and Lake Como 2-3 nights at minimum.
I think he is probably looking for the Rick Steves' consulting services. Go to ---
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-help/plan-your-trip-with-our-expert-consultants
You can get your help there
Six days in Sicilia is not a lot of time, probably best to focus on one part of the island. What are your interests? Greek/Roman ruins, Baroque cities, beautiful landscapes? Some of us may have suggestions if we know more of what you want. In the meantime, look at bestofsicily.com