Sicily

We traveled around in a rental car and had a wonderful trip in the spring a couple of years ago. The driving was fine if you stay out of the middle of the big cities. We found Karen Brown's books listed a lot of good places to stay (Inns and Itineraries and B&Bs) after you eliminated the hugely expensive ones. Have a great trip.

By car. Avoid driving in Palermo and Catania. Syracusa,Messina, Marsala, Trapani, Agrigento and smaller towns aren't too bad to drive in. Baglio Oneto in Marsala. Right on the line with Trapani and a few minutes drive from the airport. Terre dei Sogni in Fuimmefreddo di Sicilia. Quasi agritourismo in an orange grove. Both nice places and reasonably priced.

Ditto Katherine and Ron. Springtime is awesome in Sicily, and traveling by car lets you see everything. We love the Karen Brown suggested places, and we use Trip Advisor to read the reviews on any place that we are contemplating staying. You can also check out some of Alistar Sawdays' recommended places to stay. We picked up a copy of the Lonely Planet guidbook and used it to plan our trips to Sicily.

In Siracusa, I suggest Hotel Posta, on the island of Ortygia, the old town of Siracusa. There is parking just a few meters away, but to travel into the newer part of town for the great museum and other sights, you can take the bus (a mini-terminal is at the end of the block from the hotel, and a free mini-bus will take you across the bridge to the mainland train/bus station. Have never used a guide, except for the on-site guide in Siracusa at the major archaeological sites.