Sicily home base for a week

We spent a week on Ortigia Island which is part of Siracusa, a perfect base We were so happy we stayed in Ortigia!!

Ortigia definitely checks a lot of your boxes. Still, it’s hard to call anyplace in Sicily a convenient base. Transportation with 7 is going to be a tough ask anyway you want to do it. Your best bet for day trips is probably going to be a private tour service. There’s some bus connections to the hill towns and Catania, but wrangling everyone in that situation sounds stressful. I think the math would work with a tour service versus a rental car and the responsibility that comes with it.

Palermo would be an option as well. Easy diy trips to Cefalu via train and Monreale, and tour groups to Segesta. Central Palermo is basically fully pedestrianized and feels small. It’s maybe my most underrated city, and there’s stuff to see there. A little more bustle, but still a pretty local driven city. It’s quite clean, safe and sophisticated.

Catania would give you easier access to Taormina and Etna. It has its own ruins (2 amphitheaters), plus Aci Castello and Castello Ursino. Tons of food options. A couple of nice parks (Giardino Bellini and Parco Gioeni). A metro for exploring different areas. And it's a transportation hub.

It's not as tidy as Ortigia, but feels more dynamic and "authentic", with its vibe changing from day to day (and over the course of the day). Having university students around also adds a dimension. If you are staying in one place for a week, I think Catania would offer a greater variety of experiences than Ortigia.

(You can still easily visit Ortigia as a day trip from Catania.)

I don't love Ortigia nearly as much as others on the forum do. It's very touristic so it's not the "authentic local vibe" you are looking for. But it's very easy for people to like. Seafood restaurants with great sea views, cobbled streets, sunsets, friendly Sicilians, and access to a few great day trips. I think it's a good suggestion. The boys will love swimming at the rocky spiaggia, there's the puppet theatre and backstage tours, there's the church with the ww2 bomb shelter and jewish mikvah, there's boat rides and snorkeling. It'll be relatively expensive and less "local" but maybe the boys will like it more.

I suggest that you pick between east side and west side of the island. Ortigia is a good base for the east side. Palermo or Trapani is a good base for the west side. You will run yourself ragged if trying to see the whole island in a week. Pick one. Public transport works for most day trips on either side of the island with patience and advance planning.

I liked Ortigia a lot but stayed in Noto has a home base for my 8 or 9-day stay going around eastern Sicily. That worked out well.