Sicily

When are you going? What are your interests?

My husband and I fell deeply and madly in love with Sicily.

Three weeks! Wow, that will be fun. You should be able to see all of the island. Make sure that you read some travel guides (we like Lonely Planet books), and then pick no more than 5 places to stay......4 would be better. If you have that much time add the Aeolian islands to you itinerary, you won't be disapointed! I assume that you will be driving.......you cannot see everything without a car. (just be really careful if you drive in Palermo and Catania!)When we toured the island we picked two places on the north side; a agritourismo outside of Trapani, a Rick Steve's recc. agri in the Madronie mtns, (and then a great B&B in the Aeolians for 3 nites.) When we did the south side we used a Rick Steve's recc. hotel in Taormina, and a Karen Brown recc. agri outside of Syrcusa.

Go to Trip Advisor and post the same question. TA has some fantastic and extremely knowledgable people that can answer any question that you may have about Sicily. Just remember that Sicily is hot in the summer!

Drive to Erice and Segesta if you are close to Trapani. We stayed in Palermo and Trapani and one of our favorite things was taking the Hydrofoil over from Trapani to Favignana Island, renting bikes for the day (cheap) and just riding. It was absolutely beautiful.

I managed to see a good portion of Sicily in a whirlwind 9 days, and by far my favorite place was Erice. Not a place where you need spend a lot of time, but I would certainly spend the night. It takes on a whole different character wandering around the medivial streets after all of the day-tripper tourists go home for the day.

We found the "Rough Guide to Sicily" a thorough and useful resource.

Have fun!

Don't miss Erice on the west coast and Agrigento. In Erice, we stayed at Hotel Moderno, email: info@hotelodernoerice.it or moderno@tin.it. IN Agrigento, try Hotel Amici, Email: info@hotelamici.com The fancy restaurantin the middle of Agrigento features occasional visits my Mafia types -- therefore good food! In central Italy, near Piazza Amerina, try Agristursmo Gigliotto C.da Gigliotto S.S.117/Bis KM.60, Piazza Armerina, Enna, 94015.

Three weeks is definite a good amount of time to discover this wonderful island, often portrayed in a too negative light. Sicily is as big as Vermont, but it differs enormously from town to town. If you are going during this time of the year, I would suggest to visit the coastline and take advantage of its great http://www.sicilyguide.com/sights/beaches.htm
.

Sicily boasts an incredible cultural heritage with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy: the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento; the archeological area of Syracuse; the Aeolian Islands (Messina province); the Villa Romana del Casale (Enna province); the Val di Noto (Syracuse province); and the Necropolis of Pantalica (Syracuse province). Recently, another one has been proposed: Sicily's volcano, Mount Etna.

Other places you should not miss:
http://www.sicilyguide.com/sights.htm
.

I would second what everyone else has listed and add one thing more. Do not miss the cathedral at Monreale, just outside of Palermo. It has mosaics equal to any I've seen . . . Rome, Venice, Ravenna . . The interior walls are completely covered. Also, see the cloister. Each column has a different mosaic design, and each capital has different carvings. Astonishingly beautiful!

http://www.initaly.com/regions/sicily/sicily.htm
http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art183.htm

Definitely visit the cathedral in Montreale. It is gorgeous and so is the town. We also stayed in Cefalu on the north coast and completely loved it. It has a medevial part of town and a newer part of town. It has some of the best beaches we have seen in Italy.Very walkable as well. Friendly!

Anita

You are going to LOVE Sicily. We just got back from a one week stay there. It is a fascinating place. There is such variety: mountains, sea, wheat fields, historic ruins, galleries, magnificent churches. O.k.some advice. If you can help it I wouldn't drive through Palermo. It is insanity. Of course it is difficult to avoid it if you are going anywhere on the west side. The alternative is a very complicated mountain network of roads. We found ourselves in bedlam four times on the ring road around Palermo. Also get the SMALLEST car possible and avoid the interior of cities. These roads started as ox cart passages and are very narrow. We scratched and dented the side of our rental car trying to negotiate a very narrow one-way road.Get your car early before all the small ones are taken. Wonderful places are Selinunte, Monreale, Cefalu. A drive along the north shore is spectacular. If you like spas there is a very atmospheric one in Termini Imerese.