Sicily

Sicily is big. To get a good response, please provide more details, such as how many days you have available and what specifically you are interested in Siciliy (e.g. archeological sites, cities, Mt. Etna, wine region, etc?). Aside from Lonely Planet, this is a good planning website: www.bestofsicily.com

The most likely gateways are either Palermo or Catania, although there are smaller airports elsewhere like Trapani. So most trips are planned having the inbound and outbound gateway in mind. You can also do open-jaw between Palermo and Catania if you have time for a moderately paced trip (say at least 10 days or so).

Here's my VERY detailed trip report from spring 2014: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina

You'll have to ask more specific questions to get advice. For example, if you want hotel recommendations, where in Sicily and what is your budget?

I spent 2 weeks there, flew into Palermo (changed planes in Rome) and out of Catania to mainland Italy on a budget airline for another week. With 2 full weeks you can see a lot. With a rental car you will see more than if you rely on the buses and few trains. I was there April-May and the wildflowers were incredibly abundant. The sea views along the coast were calendar-perfect but the water is much too cold for bathing.

There are several people on this forum who can help you with planning a trip to Sicilia, but more info is needed: time of year, how many nights, what do you like to do/see? Classical antiquities alone could fill a 2-week itinerary. Let us know, we who love Sicilia are waiting to help!

Robin
I've spent a total of one month in Sicily. It is a grand, wondrous culture.
I agree with person who asked you to fine tune your request.
I travel with my Rick Steves backpack suitcase and my Rick Steves day pack. That's it.
Check the YouTube video by Rick's staff regarding how to pack lightly. It works.

I travel all over the country by bus - not rental cars. You'll see more. Be more relaxed. Great fun. But you must have a sense of adventure. I'm writing this from Catania. In Catania there are 4 bus terminals surrounding each other. I'm thrilled that I have mastered the Catania bus system. Great fun.

I use AirBnB and have been mostly pleased.
I travel by myself. I feel completely safe.
Read many books on Sicily to streamline your choices. Great advice on this site.

Thanks for your help. I am looking for hotel recommendations in Ragusa, near Etna, and a small town near Trapani. My budget is about $220 per night.

That's a fairly high budget (Sicily is not that expensive - you should be able to get a hotel in the 100 EUR range). I did not stay in the areas you listed, but I used www.booking.com to find my accommodations in southeast Sicily.

"A small town near Trapani" sounds like the very atmospheric Erice to me. Sorry, no hotel suggestions from me; I'm on the opposite end of the budget scale.

Robyn, my wife and I just got back from Sicily. We stayed at air b & b and thoroughly enjoyed it. We stayed East of Palermo(Santa Flavia). As one poster already said Sicily is huge . You need to plan where you want to visit and how to get there. We ended up driving from the North to the South a few times. It is a long haul by car and the Italian road system and drivers are not like anything you have experienced in the US. The thing we learned is if you want to see the sites be prepared to spend a couple of days in one place and move . Work your way around the island. I thought we would have one base to work from and go from there. I ended up spending a lot of time behind the wheel. Pick the sites you want to see and move accordingly. Maybe two or three nights and then move closer to your next place.