Welcome your comments on our Sicily itinerary

Hello,

I spent 3 weeks in Sicily in March 2018 and could have spent more time there. While worth visiting, Trapani isn't particularly pretty so I might stay elsewhere but in that same region. Ragusa is near the other beautiful small towns (Noto, Modica, Scicli, etc) and is also a good rest stop. Palermo, which comes at the end of your trip, is the most "chaotic" so keep that in mind. I find that on 3 week trips, I don't like to have the chaos at the end because by then I am starting to tire and be ready to go home. That said, Palermo is great and with a lot to do and see. What time of year are you going? Remember it will be hot in summer. We were there in early March and it was beautiful (I'm always cold and only wore a light jacket in the evenings).

Enjoy your trip!!!

In 2013 (at that time we were in our mid and late 60s) ago we spent 4 weeks in Sicily following a similar itinerary. We did not visit the Egadi Islands, Naxos, St. Agata, Mt. Etna, Messina or Cesaro but did stay in Sciacca, Enna, Piazza Armerina, in addition to the towns you have planned. We picked up our car at Palermo airport and drove to Trapani and then around the island, returning the car to the airport before spending 4 nights in Palermo. Each day was pretty full with day trips and time spent in the towns we were staying. We spent one night in Enna to shorten the drive from Agrigento to Piazza Armerina. We also only spent one night in Piazza Amerina after visiting Villa Romana del Casale.

Your plan looks fine. It looks like you have done a lot of research into what you want to see and do, and that will make your trip more enjoyable. We loved Sicily: the fresh pasta and all the other food, history, scenery, and the great people made this a really great trip for us. I hope it will do so for you, too.

Hi Wanderlust,
The first time we visited Sicily (month of September) it was in addition to a tour of Southern Italy. That said it was more of "a taste of Sicily." It was limited to Taormina, Mt. Etna, Ortigia, Noto, Ragusa, Modica and Catania. We knew we wanted to return and expand our time. It's been 5 years since our brief visit of this special island.

Looking at your itinerary it's similar to number of nights for our upcoming self guided tour. We are also adding the Aeolian Islands for 3 nights. Like you we are staying in most towns 3-5 nights and doing day trips. We are using public transportation! We are duplicating "Priscilla's" itinerary/accommodations (in memory of Zoe). I hope Priscilla will chime in with any added comments! ;). I wholeheartedly agree with your extended itinerary. Glad to read you are spending time in our favorite town of Siracusa. It's magical!

What time of the year are you traveling? Will you be driving?
Enjoy your planning!

Thanks to everyone for your comments. Trying to maximize the good weather season, we will be spending May making our trip. I'm not worried about having too much time anywhere. If anything, too little! Rather than keep going until we drop, we like to take our time and have scheduled rest days. I understand the concerns about finishing with Palermo, but I love big, gritty cities with lots of character. Yes, after the month the big finish may be a bit much, but my husband has been there, and I haven't. So he's going to take a rest day while I do a walking tour and street food lunch. A passeggiata and dinner will be a nice finish to our adventure. On to planning for a month in Portugal in the fall! I enjoy the planning almost as much as the trip.

I think you'll wish for more time in Palermo. It has a lot of sights. Cefalu, by comparison, is very small.

I found the Egadi Islands underwhelming. I believe their main claim to popularity is their comparatively uncrowded, sandy beaches--and I don't go to Europe for beaches. I, too, visited on a day-trip from Trapani. You have to pick the time of your return trip when you buy your outbound ticket. You are not short on time, so I'm not really discouraging you from using a day for the Egadi Islands, but I will say that on my next trip to Sicily I want to visit the Aeolian Islands instead.

I do not know St. Agata or Cesaro.

I liked what I saw of the Sicilian interior, which is very lightly visited. PIazza Armerina, Enna and Caltagirone felt very different from the coastal towns.

Wanderlust,
It’s great to see that your trip won’t be rushed.
I also visited Sicily during the month of May (2018) and loved the multitude of wildflowers growing everywhere!

Do consider visiting Segesta from Trapani; it’s an easy half day trip via bus.

I’d also suggest taking a night away from Ragusa and adding it to Siracusa, and do consider staying in beautiful Ortigia.

Here’s my trip report if you’re interested:
My trip to Sicily - In Zoe’s memory...

One more recommendation; make sure you go to Monreale while in Palermo!

Enjoy your trip!