Sicily - would appreciate itinerary advice

I recently did a Sicily tour and visited all the places you mention, plus others in about two weeks. I suggest the Piazza Armerina (not sure my spelling of that town is correct) area for the agriturismo as you can visit the Roman villa there and it’s on the way between your other destinations. That is really an amazing sight which I would recommend more than a cooking class, as you can do that pretty much anywhere. But maybe you’ll have time for both. You will need two nights in Ragusa if you also wish to visit Modica. We had a really fun Fiat 500 tour in the twisty streets of Modica. This was all arranged by the tour but I think independent travelers can also arrange it. This tour was in the evening when traffic is lighter and the scene very atmospheric. If not for that, though, you might not want to bother with Modica with your limited time. Nothing wrong with it, it’s very scenic, but quite similar to Ragusa. Catania is very worthwhile, but I wouldn’t go there just for the fish market, as you can visit a market with fish (and much else) that’s just as good or better during your Palermo stay. The one Catania sight that is unique, if you have any interest in the World War II period, is the museum there about that, focusing on the Sicilian campaign. It’s very well done. Taormina and Siracusa should indeed both be visited, but I found the couple hours we spent in each of those towns to be sufficient, especially since they are the two most touristy places on the island and quite crowded even in the off season. Agree with as much time as you can give to Palermo, and with not missing Monreale and Agrigento which are both must sees.

I like Catania very much and have stayed a few times recently.
But I agree that you can skip "a piscaria," the fish market.
You'll see plenty of that in Palermo, and in Ortigia.

Choose your Palermo food market wisely if you can visit only one.

Yes, either Capo or Ballaro for your Palermo market. Your food tour will probably go to one of these. Not Vucciria.

-May is a good time and your itinerary is thoughtfully spaced and not over-filled.
-There is a fish market on Ortigia as well as markets in Palermo so no need to go to Catania IMO unless you have other sites in mind. They're all kinda touristy so just accept that you're getting a particular flavor of things
- Agriturismo...If you're comfortable driving a rutted road (you're gonna have full coverage on your car anyway) I'll recommend you Villa San Marco. Great views of the temples lit up and night, friendly folks, great breakfast. I think it makes sense to come here before Ragusa.
-Do 2 nights in Ragusa. I think nights in Ragusa are pretty magical and it's one less packing/unpacking. You can easily do a day trip to Modica.
-We stayed on the sleepier north side of Etna so I can't help you with tourist access to the volcano as that is primarily from the south.
-I'd probably search for that Fiat 500 tour on airbnb or one of the getyourguide-type sites.
-If you add Catania, you have to eliminate something from your list. Not shave a day - I mean totally eliminate. You just don't have enough time to give the places the time they deserve without adding days for Catania.
-You can sneak in a stop at the Roman Villa Casale on the way to Ragusa. It's a fantastic place.

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and helpful responses!!

It’s not a bad itinerary. There’s a lot of 1-2 night stays, but I feel like it’s tough to not have them in Sicily.

I wonder about the agriturismo nights though. Since you’re not sure where or when you want to do this, it feels like something that just sounded cool and you’re now trying to squeeze in. Without a clear idea on this, I would suggest throwing those two nights back into the destinations you already have going. An extra night in Ortigia always works. And I’m a little unclear where/when your Etna tour originates, but if that’s an all-day thing, having an extra night around there would be handy. Just gives you a tad more breathing room.

I think an agriturismo is a good idea for at least one night, especially as you’ll have a car. As with most other visitor itineraries, yours is along the coasts otherwise, and I think it is good to see something of inland Sicily. I don’t have the name handy unfortunately, but our tour stayed at a nice one near the Roman villa, which had the advantage of getting to the villa early before crowds accrued. The RS Sicily guide has some good listings in the area. If you have an extra night I would give it to Palermo rather than Ortigia/Siracusa, as you already have two nights in the latter which is more than enough.

Thanks for all the additional comments. We appreciate all the helpful feedback as we ascertain our itinerary.
We're now thinking:
3 nights Palermo
1 night Agrigento
stop at an agriturismo for lunch when driving from Agrigento to Ragusa. Late afternoon explore Ragusa.
2 nights Ragusa including day trip to Modica and Scicli.
2 nights Ortigia
2 nights in Etna area - arrive late for first night - stay over to be able to get an early morning Etna tour the next day.
Possibly stay the 2nd night so we don't have to drive after a physical day of Etna tour. Would welcome any Etna tour suggestions or feedback.
We also want to see Taormina. We understand it's very touristy and perhaps best to just spend a few hours. One thought is to go there between Ortigia and Etna or another thought is to go there after Etna.
After Etna, we have one more full day / night before our final night at an airport hotel in Catania before our 6am flight.
We could spend the extra night in Catania but that's just one idea.
Hope it's not confusing - we have 12 nights total before our departure morning.
Thank you again.

Have you already seen my trip report on a month in Sicily? If not, it has some useful information for you: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sicily-spring-2025

Thanks very much. It did have helpful info and I greatly enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing.

My thought is that “a couple of hours” in Taormina might be disappointing. The Greek amphitheater is stunning and, in and of itself, worth a stop. For sure, there are some touristy areas and restaurants but we stayed two nights at a mom and pop BnB, ate at small local spots they recommended and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. And, we used Taormina as a base to explore around the foot of Mt. Etna. Perhaps that might be an option for you.

PS - Sunset at Valley of the Temples was, for us, a highlight of Sicily. Enjoy!