Sicily in December

5 nights/ 4 days is not a lot. Will you have a car?

Staying in Palermo, you can see the main sights; go to Trapani/Erice for a day (Erice may be fogged in, so pick your best weather day), Monreale, Segesta as day trips, maybe spend an overnight in Agrigento.

Shorter daylight hours, too, may affect your sightseeing time.

Thank you. Yes, I was planning on renting a car so driving for some day trips is possible. But also don't want to be spending all the time in a car driving so I would plan on being strategic.

I know it is a short trip but I will assume we will come back (hopefully during the summer) so there is no need to drive and see every site. We are more about staying in a nice place with charm and character and eating and drinking good wine versus running around trying to see every church/monument, etc. if that is helpful for suggestions. Perhaps a day or two in Cefalu or Taormina?

Cefalu is easily reached on public transportation and could be done as a day trip. I wouldn't go as far as Taormina with as little time as you have. Besides, it's best in beach weather IMHO - Isola Bella and so forth. (Of course, the same could be said for Cefalu.) With all there is to see in Palermo and environs as suggested by others, you won't have any trouble filling your time.

Scratch Taormina from your list. It's on the opposite side of the island, and it will take too long to get there. One absolute must-see near Palermo is the cathedral of Monreale. Just jaw-droppingly beautiful mosaics. If you don't rent a car, you can get there by bus. Cefalu can also be accessed by car or train.

I wouldn't go to Sicily for so short a time in the absence of a compelling reason to do so--like some sort of family connection. Eighteen days wasn't long enough for me, and I don't much care for Greek ruins, so I skipped Agrigento, Segesta and Selinunte.

However, if you do proceed and are looking for a charming area to stay in, I'm not sure you want Palermo. It is a big, bustling city with some really interesting sights (mainly but not exclusively churches and oratorios). I wouldn't call it "charming", though perhaps there's a neighborhood I didn't stumble upon. You certainly might find a Palermo hotel that fits that description, if that would satisfy you.

Things to consider . . . Sunset is around 4.45-5.00 pm. Weather is unpredictable (maybe sunny, maybe raining). Driving in Palermo is not so much difficult as it is incredibly slow. Cars are often double-parked on main streets turning wide, 4-lane avenues into narrow 2-lane roads with people pulling in and out frequently.

I enjoyed 3 days in Palermo but charming is not an adjective that comes to mind. Cefalu charmed me but it was spring and the beach was picture postcard perfect and the old town was interesting for a day. I remember Ortigia (the old town of Syracusa) being more lively in the evenings with possible day trips to Noto/Ragusa and Taormina. It's easily accessible from the Catania airport.