Sicily in March

I would spend a week in Siracusa as well as the cities you listed, and take daytrips to places nearby. Then a couple (or three) of nights each in Piazza Armerina, Selinunte or Agrigento, and the Aeolian islands.

From these places you can use public transportation (I do) to get to Monreale, Erice, Segesta, Cefalu, Villa Romana del Casale, Noto, Ragusa, Stromboli, Panarea, Mount Aetna, and Catania. (I have posted trip reports on several of these places, with more to come.)

You might shorten some of your weeks to five or six days, as transportation to some smaller bases might take time. Try to avoid traveling on Sundays if possible. Buses are a good option, as well as trains.

Lucky you! You can Google railroad map Sicily and use it as a guide. There are few enough train connections that the situation will be pretty simple to figure out. Remember that not only is the day of the week critical (very, very few buses on Sundays), but you must detemine whether there are any holidays falling during the period of your visit, because train service is likely to be cut back then and buses probably will not run. Consult the local tourist office very time you change base cities to determine whether there are upcoming holidays you need to worry about.

The buses basically showed up as expected for me in 2015, but of course they are subject to traffic delays. Keep in mind that as a user of buses, you will be more exposed to weather conditions than car travelers, because very often (perhaps even always) you will be standing around outdoors waiting for the bus.

The frequent lack of a single bus office serving as a centralized information point means you need to allow some extra time for on-the-ground determination of departure points and schedules. My first stop in each new town (base city or day-trip destination) was the tourist office, to learn everything I could about onward transportation. Be aware that even during peak season, all but the largest tourist offices may take a rather long lunch break. If you arrive around mid-day, you may be navigating without a paper map for many hours. The offices may also be closed on Sundays and holidays, or occasionally at other, less predictable, times. I suggest Googling Tourist Office Ragusa, etc., when you're planning each day-trip. That nearly always turns up information on the hours of operation; you just need to hope it's current information.

I'm pretty sure Rick's book has general language about what parts of Sicily are most easily reached by train, and which by bus. He usually always has maps too showing the train coverage in a certain area . . .

I'm not sure Sicily is covered in the "Italy" book. I used two other guidebooks in addition to Rick's for my most recent trip to Italy,

No, at this time Sicily does not appear to be in the RS Italy guidebook.

We used Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Eyewitness Top 10 Sicily. Preferred Lonely Planet.

This forum was very helpful with specific questions.