Sicily and Calabria Help please!

The first Rick Steves guidebook on Sicily is coming out April 16 or so. You can pre-order on Amazon now. It was written in collaboration with two Sicilian experts, so there should be some good recommendations.

I didn't drive during my Sicilian trip so I don't have a good sense of travel time by car. You can use ViaMichelin.com to plot out your journey. If you zoom way in on the maps, especially scenic roads will be highlighted in green.

I don't know that you'd have time for all of this, even with a car, but these are among the highlights if you do a sort of U-shaped trip out of Palermo (a city in which you should not drive):

• Food markets in Palermo

• Monreale (outside Palermo) for the magnificent basilica. If there is absolutely not time to go there, substitute the Cappella Palatina in Palermo.

• Villa Romana del Casale outside Piazza Armerina in the interior (Roman mosaics). The drive across the interior is pretty, and I think it's important to see something other than the more touristy coastal places. I don't remember any food source (and maybe not even water) out at the villa, so don't arrive hungry. The town of P.A. looked pretty from the very little I saw of it. Other interesting towns in the interior are Caltagirone (ceramics) and Enna.

• Noto and Ragusa in the southeast. Add Modica and Scicli if you have time, but Ragusa has rather a lot to see. There's an old-fashioned chocolate shop in Modica that's somewhat interesting to see, but I wouldn't make it (or the town) a priority in lieu of adequate time for other places on this list. I think Ragusa would be the best overnight stop.

• The medieval Ortygia section of Siracusa. The archaeological park and museum elsewhere in Siracusa are also good. Definitely 2 nights here if you hope to see the arch. park and museum. You can spend a lot of time just walking around picturesque Ortygia.

• Taormina. Very beautiful town in a stunning hill-side situation, unfortunately terribly overrun with tourists. Will probably be your most expensive lodgings if you choose to stay here. I could only stand about 3 hours because of the crowds, but I imagine it's a lot nicer at night.

Messina's rather blah; I'd minimize my time there in order to spend as much time as possible in more engaging places.

Sicily observes the siesta, big time, so if you roll into a small town at 2:30 in the afternoon, it may feel like a disused film set. If this is a summer trip, expect it to be very, very hot.

If your objective is Calabria, why not fly into Lamezia Terme (SUF)? Then take the train/ferry to to Messina to visit Sicily?

How many nights total does your trip encompass?

If you intend to drive to Calabria, check that your rental car company permits the car to be taken on the ferry and if there will be a drop-off fee.

If you like castles, between Palermo and Cefalu is Caccamo Castle. It’s a few miles south of the E90. It’s worth visiting. The road does twist and turn getting to the town. We got lucky and got a parking spot right by the castle. We also enjoyed or day in Cefalu.

Make sure you check Caffé Sicilia’s closed days!

We stayed at Terra dei Limoni near Noto. It s a wonderful b&b with a pool and cabins. It is set in a lemon grove and near the beach. We found it very relaxing after sightseeing in cities like Noto and Siracusa. Another fun place was Cefalu on the coast east of Palermo. Good beach and great historic town.

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I stayed at this Agriturismo when visiting Syracuse:
https://www.masseriasulmare.com
Agriturismo Masseria Sul Mare
SS115, Km 391, 600, 96012 Gallina SR, Italy
+39 0931 560101
https://goo.gl/maps/PJPV4xH9CeE2

It was perfectly located half way between Noto and Siracusa (20 min drive from each).
They also have a wonderful beach for your kids.
They serve local food and, besides the huge breakfast, you can eat lunch and/or dinner at the Agriturismo (Reserve first on the day you want to eat there). Just be aware that they will serve you huge quantities of amazing local dishes (they serve you at the table all you can eat style) and after dinner my wife and I couldn’t even bend. Our stomachs were too full and allowed us only to stay straight. I had to drive back to our room laying down in the car while my wife stood up through the sunroof giving me directions.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

The flight is already booked, so I am flying into Palermo first because my mother can't meet me in Calabria until the end of our trip.

Appreciate all the recommendations!

Sorry to get in on this late. When are you going? Also, how long will you be in Calabria? There are some fun things to do there too. Depending on how you want to spend your time and what your budget is, we loved Cefalu for the beach and for the general laid back nature. It is on the north coast closer to Palermo than Messina, but nothing is particularly out of reach. La Calette is the place we stayed. It's out of the main part of town, so a little less touristy. Excellent breakfast included and you can't go wrong with the views! In Calabria, Reggio has the Riace Bronzes, Pizzo has gelato tartufo with many options to try as well as a cute beach at the bottom of the town. Scilla is famous in Italy for its beaches and as the Swordfish Capital del Mondo! Some things to check out on your way.

No worries! We aren't leaving until August.

Which rental car company does everyone recommend?

We've always used this company. Their US based, so a short phone call should answer your ferry question.

https://www.autoeurope.com

2 reliable choices would be Hertz and Europcar.

Rental cars aboard ferries are generally permitted if they are regular ferry lines to/from Italian islands. For sure Europcar has such provision stated in their contract agreement.