Sicily: Should we take a night from Taormina and add it to Ortygia/Syracusa?

Janet, I think your itinerary looks fine. You could also tinker with it without doing any harm. When in Taormina, I encourage you to go up to Castelmola, nearby but far above Taormina itself. It is a tiny old stone hill town, with a castle, some small lanes and shops etc. Up there, you can also stop at a nearby beautiful and unique church carved into the rocks, outside there is a striking view back down to Taormina and its ancient amphiteater. I’ll also mention that one of my favorite places in Sicily was Erice, near Trapani. Erice is also an ancient stone hill town. I expect you already plan to visit Erice on a day trip, but I spent two nights there, and especially loved the quiet misty early mornings and evenings. Great food in Erice too!

Our Italy trip 6 years ago was in December, and although we had 3 weeks total, there was just one week for Sicily. So we were on the move a lot, staying 2 nights in 2 places, and doing one-night stays the rest of the time, using a Lonely Planet guidebook, and making some of those room reservations by phone, that day, on the way to the town. So are your other reservations booked, except for how many nights in Taormina vs. Ortygia? Our first night, after driving from the Palermo Airport was in Erice. I'll second the recommendation, but boy, was driving on those super-narrow passages in that village tight! I hope you're planning on stopping at the fabulous Greek temple at Segesta on the way to Trapani, and not actually driving straight and non-stop to Trapani. It's one of the supreme sights in all of Sicily.

One of our best nights, albeit a single night, was our stay in Modica. Glad you're at least going to visit the town, and hopefully experience its wonderful chocolate, but if you've got the availability and the inclination, taking that night from Taormina and making it in Modica is highly recommended!

It will be great to have so much time in Sicily. Without knowing what you plan to do at each stop, it's hard to know how to advise you. Some people might plan to go to both Mount Etna and Catania (which has a very nice historic district and an interesting food market) while staying in Taormina. In that case, 3 nights might be needed. Me, I found the town too touristy to want to stay there very long, and I made my side-trips from my base in Catania instead.

If you happen to be interested in the wealth of church and chapel (oratorio) architecture on display in Palermo, that is probably the place most in need of extra time. And I say that as someone who especially liked Ortygia. If you're visiting the Baroque towns while you're staying in Ragusa, that frees up your time in Siracusa for use in the city itself. You won't have a car with you while you're in Palermo, so you'll need to take the bus to Monreale; allow a few hour for the total excursion.

You might also find yourself wishing for a bit more time to see the inland towns while you're staying in Piazza Armerina,

I take it that you aren't landing in Palermo directly after an overnight flight. If my assumption is wrong, I suggest that you not drive to Trapani on your arrival day.

I will also just pass along advice given to me while planning my visit to Sicily: do not plan to make tourism stops along the way when you have your baggage in your car, especially in places that have open parking lots, such as the ruins at Segesta and Selinunte, or street parking in various towns. I was told there are repeated cases of break-ins and thefts in those situations. I was going to stop at Segesta between Palermo Airport and my visit to Erice, and was asked: “How would it affect your trip if your baggage was stolen during your first day of travel?”, and I listened and adjusted my plan. I visited wonderful Segesta, also Selinunte, the next day, with an empty car.

I think this looks good. I was in Sicily for 2 weeks and didn't see everything on your list (3 weeks is better!), so I can't comment on everything. You could leave it as-is and have a great trip, but if you are still switching things I do have some ideas.

I do think 3 nights in Taormina might be a lot, but if you will be going to Etna from there it's ok. If you aren't visiting Etna or planning on doing it from elsewhere then I'd say move the night to Siracusa. Ortygia was wonderful and more time there never hurts, I don't love Taormina the same way.

I think 3 night in Palermo might be low, I did 4 and could have done 5 easily. But I don't know where to take the night from. I didn't spend time in Trapani (just a day trip to Erice), is there a particular reason you are giving it 4 nights and Palermo 3? I'd consider 3 Trapani/4 Palermo instead - there is so much in Palermo. Then again, I only know a little about Trapani (read a bit thinking about going but did not have time). Or Cefalu - could be a 1 night, especially as you are coming from Taormina - that's 5 nights in a row of smaller waterfront towns, with no car to explore surrounding areas. I'd be ready for a bigger city by then.

Two or three nights in Taormina depends on whether you are planning to go to Mt. Etna. If not, then move third night to Siracusa/Ortigia, giving you four nights there.

I agree with the above replies, that your trip basically looks great, and that everyone will do it a bit differently.

I LOVED Taormina and found it magical, and I didn't even go to Etna (it was clouded over the day I had thought I would go, so there was no point). I liked Ortigia, but not the way I loved Taormina. So, for me, I'd leave your days as is. As you see, others have different experiences with these places.

I have one suggestion. As you may know, 2 nights = 1 full day, maybe another half. Cefalu is close enough to Palermo to do as a day trip from there. That way you can get the extra day for Palermo that someone recommended.

Are you arriving in Palermo after your overseas flight, or coming from some other stops in Europe?

If this is your first stop in Europe, I would not suggest driving all the way to Trapani that day. Instead, spend your first night in the tiny town of Scopello. It's less than an hour from the Palermo airport, easy to get to, and very scenic. We stayed at B&B Talia last spring and enjoyed great meals at Bar Nettuno.

Then get up the next morning, rested, and head for Trapani. I think 3 nights is plenty there.

Ortigia is one of my favorite places ever, so I'd spend more than 3 nights if possible. Maybe do Cefalu as a day trip and add two nights to Ortigia? Or one to Ortigia and one to Palermo?

There's so much to see in Sicily that it's hard to make these decisions!!

It's true that Cefalu is an easy day-trip from Palermo by train (just less than an hour). It's not a terribly large place, and it may be quite non-lively in October. For me, a few hours were enough, though I know some others were more entranced than I was.

Thank you everyone for your great replies and so much good info! Along this planning journey I have bookmarked and read and re-read so many threads on this forum along with Harold and our dear Zoe's trip reports among others. Vagabonda on Trip A. has been a wealth of info too. We are flying into Palmero from the U.S., arriving around 2:30 p.m. We did debate about the drive to Trapani after the int'l flight but we decided to just do it.. My husband has driven alot in Europe and would rather not change accommodations after just one night. Re. Taormina, we will definitely see Castelmola and may do a daytrip tour to Mt. Etna, weather dependent of course, then which we would want the 3 nights/2 full days in Taormina. Originally thought 4 nights in Palmero (will take daytrip to Monreale) as there is lots to see there and doing a daytrip to Cefalu but seems so many people love Cefalu we thought we would stay awhile although I may still rethink this. I cut the Madonie out as just not enough time. Re. Trapani-- decided on 4 nights in Trapani, which gives us 3 full days to do the following, not in any order:
Trapani:
1. drive to Segesta in morning/then to Erice, either drive there from Segesta or take funicular.
2. weather dependent, hydrofoil to Egadi island of Favignana & maybe Levanzo. This would take up an entire day.
3. drive to Marsala, see Mozia, salt pans

I know the topic of left luggage in your vehicle has been discussed on this forum and the T.A. forum but we do not leave luggage in our car so daytrips will be from our bases.

Thanks again everyone for your input! I will try and do a trip report when we get back. Still need to do one from last fall's trip to Puglia, including Matera,

Check the hours of the cable car from Trapani up to Erice if you planned on taking it. It’s website is funiviaerice.it. If I’m reading it correctly, from September 17, 2018 to January 6, 2019, it stops running at 8pm (2000 hours) except for Saturday and Sunday when it closes at 8:30pm. Trapani also has its own salt pans. You could see both salt pans in the same day. The salt pans by Trapani are at Via Chiusa, 91100 Nubia Paceco TP, Italy. In Erice, there is a very good bakery, Paticceria Maria Grammatico at Via Vittorio Emanuele, 14. Maria is related to the grandfather of a female I went to high school with.

I was underwhelmed by the Egadi Islands. I suspect the major reason they are popular is that they have uncrowded sandy beaches (a rare commodity in Europe), and I don't care about beaches. I was sorry I spent a day on that excursion when Sicily has so much to see. I have no idea what the islands will be like in October.

Thanks for the heads up on the shorter hours on the Erice-Trapani Funicular. I have bookmarked the website. Yes, we will definitely check out Maria Grammatico's pastry shop in Erice as it sounds delish.

I have also read mixed reviews on going to the Egadi but then I read a blog post about Favignana on a blog I stumbled across--John Henderson's Dog-Eared Passport (an American living in Rome) and I thought oh maybe we should go there. His blog said October would be a nice time to visit. Will have to see what the weather is like. Thank you again for all your great responses. Love this forum!

Hi Janet,
I like your itinerary but I have a few suggestions:

If you're planning to visit Erice and Segesta on the same day, I'd suggest you go to Erice in the morning, then head to Segesta in the afternoon. The reason being is the unpredictable weather in Erice. I went there in the late morning and by the time I got to the castle, the clouds and fog started rolling in and the castle was obscured within minutes. Take a light jacket and a scarf as it got windy and cold up there!

I'd also read about Maria Grammatico's pastry shop so I knew I had to go there, so I did! I ordered a variety of treats and to my disappointment they all tasted very similarly and I didn't really care for them as they all appeared to have been soaked in alcohol.

On my last day in Trapani, I took the ferry to Favignana, and I was underwhelmed, although I loved the clear turquoise water and picked a handful of sea glass on the small beach near the old Tuna factory. The old Tuna factory closed early when I was there so didn't get to visit. The highlight of this day trip was my delicious seafood lunch at, 'Trattoria El Pescador', on Piazza Europa.
Keep in mind that most of the shops will be closed during the middle of the day (1:00- 4:00pm)

BTW, the best gelato in Trapani is at, Gelateria Ciuri, Ciuri, on the waterfront near the ferry dock.

Can you tell I love gelato? My favorite treats were also the almond cookies (biscotti) found in most of Sicily, but the best ones were at 'Panificio Lucchese', a tiny bakery in Palermo (on Via Venezia near my b&b), and at 'Pasticceria Diana' in Piazza Armerina where they were individually wrapped so they stayed fresh. BTW, Pasticceria Diana also has delicious gelato and granita.

I didn't have a car when I visited Sicily, but if I had (or if I'd had more time) I'd have visited Caltagirone (I love ceramics!) on the way to Siracusa from Piazza Armerina. You may consider stopping there on the way to Ragusa.

If you're still looking for a place to stay in Ortigia, you may consider staying at Domus Mariae Albergo
(on Via Vittorio Veneto 76). I had a comfortable room with a balcony facing the deep turquoise blue sea.

When you stay in Ortigia, make sure you eat at my favorite place, Sicilia in Tavola, and say hello to my new friend, Doriana, the restaurant owner.

The best gelato in Ortigia is at Gelateria Gusto, yum!

Now I wish I were still in Ortigia!

Have an amazing trip!

Thank you Priscilla! I have taken notes in the margins of my Lonely Planet Sicily book and already checked out the website for Sicilia in Tavola. Great tip on visiting Erice in the a.m. We do plan to visit Caltagirone from our base near Piazza Armerina. I also love ceramics!

Priscilla, I did check Albergo Domus Mariae but it was fully booked. Then decided an apt. with a washing machine would be a good idea since we wil be about half way through our trip. I found a beautiful apt in Orgygia with a private terrace with sea views and it has a washing machine and drying rack.

Janet,
The apartment in Ortigia sounds nice!

When I was there in May, I thought I'd go to a laundromat but ended up washing some of my clothes in the sink and hung them on the balcony on a nice sunny day. I took some paracord with me and got some clothes pins at a shop in Trapani.

Just wondering... Since you referred to Zoe's trip reports, will you be staying in some of the same accommodations as she did?

Send me a PM if you have other specific questions about Sicily.

Enjoy!

Edited to add:
I almost forgot. If you like shoes, check this small shoe store in Cefalù: Rita Giovani. I bought a nice pair of very comfortable leather sandals and now I wish I'd bought two pair! Good excuse to go back to Sicilia!

Just to let everyone know that I ended up keeping our itinerary as in the original post.
Have 2 more accommodations to book--Cefalu & Palmero.
Priscilla, I actually printed Zoe's trip report last summer and it is all highlighted now. We had planned to go to Sicily last fall but went to Puglia so I filed it in my "Sicily" file. I did try to book her recommended Secret B & B in Trapani but it was full. It looks like a wonderful place. I checked out Zoe's rec.in Piazza Armerina, B & B Dimora del Conte, but since we will have a car we decided to stay in the country on the outskirts of P.A. When looking at the pics of this place I saw the suit of armour on the landing she "always smiled at." Also in Ortygia her recommended B & B Via Della Giudecca was fully booked and in Palermo her recommended B & B Delle Vittorie was also full.
In Ortygia I ended up booking this apt (on booking.com, located in the Jewish quarter) because it had a washing machine with drying rack and a private terrace although the apt. is more space than we need. This apt., the Superior Deluxe, and the Superior Premium apt. both have washing machines.
http://www.residencedamarete.com/it_IT/accommodation/superior-deluxe/ Many times we have done some laundry in the sink:) I always pack 2 inflatable hangers (got mine at AAA) and make my husband do the same along with at least 2 of those plastic hangers with the attached clips that places like Kohls will give you, if you ask, when you buy pants. Then we just leave the clippy hangers in the closet at our last destination. I will plan to do a trip report when we get back and also for Puglia.