Where to plant ourselves in Sicily

Suggest you look around in the area near Naxos on the coast-it's about 1-1/2 hours to Enna and 45 Minutes to Messina. I'm sure you can find a villa that looks like it would be closer to both places, however, you may fall into "self-catering" in a more remote area. The Naxos Coastal area has everything you would probably need in the way of markets, restaurants. Finally, the area would offer fairly easy driving access to both Enna and Messina. We've personnally stayed in the city of Naxos on 3 trips exploring Eastern city, and it's a relaxing, laid-back place to stay after a day of touring.

A Sicilian I met at the bus stop in Monreale recommended the coastal town of Acireale to me. I didn't have time to get there, but the Google photos look very promising. Via Michelin estimates driving times of 1 hr. 18 min. to Enna and 1 hour to Messina. Acireale is north of Catania and south of Giardini-Naxos/Taormina.

ViaMichelin.com has lots of the secondary roads in that part of Sicily highlighted in green, indicating that they are unusually scenic. I recommend taking a look; you'll probably need to zoom in to see the green.

Thanks. A few more questions: 1. What's the difference between staying in Naxos and Taormina? (i've read mixed reviews of Taormina). 2. And I see that Aciereale is very close to Catania. What's the advantage and disadvantage of being close to Catania … in the month of May. 3. Both the recommendations are at or near the Sea. Are there inland (pastoral) options in the North-East region of Sicily?

Taormina is a beautiful town in a stunning location, but it swarms with tourists and costs are much higher there than elsewhere in Sicily. I have a problem with small places that are wall-to-wall tourists. It doesn't bother me so much in a larger city where I can walk a few blocks away and be in a mob-free environment. I was ready to leave Taormina after 2 or 3 hours, and the thought of spending multiple nights there is deeply unpleasant. But certainly there are folks who adore it; that's why it has so many tourists!

I don't know how much extra driving time you'd have if you were staying up in Taormina. If you can find a villa ($$$$$), I assume there would be parking, but be sure there will be parking for as many vehicles as you will need. Also, if some of your group have mobility issues, consider that Taormina--built on a hillside--may be a problematic base. The major shopping street is reasonably flat, but if you head off perpendicular to that street, you will probably encounter steps.

Giardini-Naxos is more or less at the base of the hill on which Taormina sits. There is bus service between the train station and Taormina. I am not interested in beaches, so I cannot tell you any more than that.

My reason for mentioning Acireale was that the photos show some historic architecture (not always present in towns on developed coastlines) and the town is seldom mentioned in English travel literature. It sounds more like my sort of environment. It is on the rail line. It would be convenient for part of your group to get to Taormina or Catania without a car. (Catania has a nice historic area around the cathedral and university.)

I have made a few day-trips into the Sicilian interior (while staying in Catania), and it is a lovely area. Enna had a sort of back-of-beyond feeling when I was there, but I think I hit the siesta period (and it was June, so quite hot). I don't remember many trees. I think Piazza Armerina is greener, but I just passed through there on the way to the Villa Romana del Casale. Caltagirone is a ceramics town and worth seeing. But both of those towns are beyond Enna (farther from Messina), so I don't think they're logistically appropriate for you. I do think staying somewhere in the interior would be lovely, but I have personal experience to offer.

Do realize that if you choose a spot away from the coastal railway line, your group may be totally dependent on cars to get around. There's very little (and slow) rail service through the interior, and none at all to Enna, which is on the Dittaino-Caltanissetta bus line. There are buses (not necessarily on Sundays/holidays), but moving around that way can be quite slow, and your trip is very short. I assume this is primarily a heritage visit. Really seeing Sicily takes more than 2 weeks and requires 4 to 6 bases, not one. If you stay within walking or taxi distance of a train station along the coast (where service is a bit more frequent), that will allow members of your group to split up on some days and do their own thing without everyone needing access to a car.

I suspect it would be worthwhile for you to work with a real estate agency in Sicily, but I have no experience doing that sort of thing.

You might google "Agriturismi Sicilia" to see what you find in that area (I've spent five weeks in Sicily but only touched Enna and Messina - nowhere in between. Another site to look at is InItaly.com. If you're looking for a lot of restaurant choice, you might be better off in Acireale or Catania rather than in the interior. Taormina area is gorgeous, of course.

Thank you. Very helpful. We're not too interested in being with a lot of tourists. It seems that being near Catania is not so bad. We will have autos and therefore will not need to be dependent on public transportation if we can find a nice place outside the beaten path. I will look into some of the references that all of you mentioned.