Week in Sicily in October

I spent the first two weeks in May 2014 in Sicily (hmmm, I was there exactly a year ago!), in part on my own with a car, in part with the RS Sicily Tour. My personal favorite spots were the ancient small town of Erice, in the northwestern corner, near the Segesta Greek ruins, and Taormina in the northeast, near Mt. Etna, also with ruins. Both were unusual places on or near the coast, and both had plenty of good food, wonderful scenery, sites, shopping, and of course friendly Sicilians. Ortygia (older section of Siracusa) and Cefalu were also lovely. There are various other recommended spots in Sicily that I was not able to visit that first trip, will need to wait for next time, or maybe next life.

Sicily has tremendous variety of history and culture. If you have one week, you may want to choose an area or a simple route. My favorite places are Palermo and Monreale, Siracusa, Cefalu, Agrigento, Taormina, Segesta, Erice, Piazza Armerina and the nearby Villa Romana del Casale, and the Lipari islands, bu that is way too much for a week. You could get to Pa Lemmon, Erice, Segesta, Cefalu and Taormina in one week (basically the north Sid e of the island).

I was traveling solo with a car. If you want to spend a week around Syracuse you really don't need a car. You can get to Taormina and Catania by public transport. I had a car because I spent 2 weeks in Sicily and started in Palermo. I took the train to Cefalu (loved it) from Palermo and only took the car when I left Palermo, mainly to visit the wonderful Greek temples at Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento, and the Villa Romana del Casale. I only had a couple of hours to explore Piazza Armermina and would have liked more. Gorgeous beaches everywhere, but I was there in April when the wild flowers were in bloom but the water was icy.

If you want small villages, ruins and beaches, you could fly into Palermo and spend your time around Erice and the Greek temples.

Except for hotel staff in the larger towns (Palermo, Syracuse) no one spoke more than a few words of English. If you speak Italian, though, you'll meet lots and lots of nice people.

Thanks you all for your input. Sounds like starting In Palermo will best my and a direct flight from Madrid. I will investigate your suggestions. If you have any particular quaint places to stay in these towns please let me know.
Grazie Mille
Dave

I don't know if I can help much with lodgings, I go with cheap & clean, not quaint. I was very happy with Hotel Ambasciatori in Palermo (easy, short walk from train station) and pretty good location, great breakfast on the rooftop, lovely staff and the room was adequate and large, good toilet/shower. If you're going to be in Syracuse, Ortigia is the place to stay. Domus Mariae Benessere was excellent, and though not quaint, it did have a lovely church attached to it. It's run by nuns, but the staff were all lay people, very professional and helpful.

I stayed in a great, quaint place in Piazza Armerina (that Zoe, bless her heart, recommended). I only found it thanks to the extraordinary kindness of strangers, though.

Thanks Chiani, appreciate your input. I will be going to Syracusa so will try to find it as well. I think quaint was a poor word choice on my part. I think I mean character , although being from Canada almost everything in Europe has it. Like you my preference is clean and inexpensive .

The B&B in Piazza Armerina is Marchesa di Rocca Bianca, family-run, small. It's near the post office, or call and the owner will give you directions. Piazza Armerina is close to Morgantina and Villa Romana del Casale.

Glad you liked it, Chani.

I was in Sicily for 11 nights in April & May 2014. My very detailed trip report, including hotels (all full of the kind of individual character you are seeking), restaurants, ruins, one beach, and nice people, is here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina.

The closest airport to Syracuse is Catania, which is actually the island's busiest airport (Palermo is second, then Trapani, then Comiso). Use Skyscanner to see all flight options: http://www.skyscanner.com/

Thanks very much Harold, awesome !
Dave

Zoe, I loved it! And I loved Piazza Armerina, if I get back to Sicily I will certainly return. And I had a terrific dinner there. For some reason, I got it into my head that Piazza Armerina was a tiny town and I'd have no trouble finding the B&B. The best-laid (and most stupid) plans . . . I arrived at sunset to find a big city. I drove around in the dark for a little while, then finally found a gas station with people in the shop. No one spoke English, my Italian is limited to 6 or 8 polite phrases. Luckily a woman who was buying something spoke some French (better than mine) and we managed to communicate. None of the other 3 patrons (having a drink together) or the clerk recognized the B&B or even the street name. After some discussion (in Italian), one man pulled out his cell phone and called the B&B (at least I had their phone number). After more discussion and translations, one of the men got in his car and I followed him on a tortuous trip through tiny streets to the doorstep of the B&B. Luckily there was one parking place left, which I carefully negotiated the car into (it was brand-new and I was pretty scared I'd scratch it) with the help of the B&B owner and the kindly driver. I barely had time to thank him as he jumped back in his car and drove off. After I got into the charming room, my hostess arranged for a young woman (her assistant, her daughter??) to walk me to a restaurant so I wouldn't get lost! After my wonderful dinner, with a great view of a quaint piazza through the window, the owner insisted on having one of his friends drive me back to the B&B (it was uphill). Is it any wonder that I love the place. And that was before I saw it in daylight.

The young woman was her daughter. The whole family came to pick me up at the bus stop. I'm going back in two weeks, but the B&B was full, so I will be elsewhere.