where to spend one month in Sicily

This website has good info on Sicily:
www.bestofsicily.com One month is quite some time. In the West i truly enjoyed basing myself in Scopello, next to the Zingaro reserve. With a car you can visit everything in the prov. of Trapani. Of course October might be low season and the sea may not be as warm, but if summer holds out, it's great. I don't like the Modica area too much. That area of Sicily is kind of too dry for me. It reminds me of Southern California. But I enjoyed staying in an agriturismo next to Avola (www.masseriasulmare.it). From there I visited Noto, Avola, Siracusa and a bunch of other places. Piazza Armerina in the interior is also very quaint and not too far from Caltagirone, another nice place to visit. The Villa del casale is also there. Agrigento is famous for the temples, and the nearby cliffs of the "La Scala dei Turchi" (the Staircase of the Turks), a very unique cliff (Google Image it).

thank you for the info, Roberto. I will check out the places you mentioned. We are looking for a town for the longer part of the stay where we can become familiar with the place on a deeper level.....getting to know the markets, groceries, cafes, etc. We would plan day trips as well. This is why Modica seems like a potential spot....not too big and not too small as well as being close to areas you mentioned. Can you stay for an extended time in the agriturismos? Thanks much. Linda

Agriturismos are geared to longer stays, although many allows also one nighters. But Europeans generally rent them for a whole month (few Americans have such long vacations, unless they are retired) or at least at least for a couple of weeks. If you stay in the same place for two weeks, choose a location that is central to several sights you want to visit, that way you can take several day trips to those places. Agriturimos are great places and are located everywhere in the countryside. They are Good value for the money, a relaxing atmosphere, and no parking issues for your vehicle. But some people prefer the more vibrant ambiance of a city or a town where there are a lot of people, rather than the staying in a converted farmhouse in the middle of the countryside contemplating the firmament together with your spouse. It's a matter of personal preference. But the Masseria sul Mare had many units, so you might make friends with fellow guests (most of whom will be German).

Thank you again, Roberto. Good comments. We will check out the agriturismo that you reference. We stayed overnight in one in central Sicily some years back and it was great. It seemed like most guests were staying one or two days only so I wasn't sure on the lengthier stay possibility.

Oh....one more thing that may eliminate the agriturismo. We all like to cook and when we stayed for a couple of weeks in Calabria near my relatives, we had a set-up that included a kitchenette which allowed us to go to the local market, shop and then do some cooking. We also wanted to enjoy the local restaurants which was also wonderful but, I think we will want to do both. Thanks again, Va bene,
Linda

Some agriturismos provide full meals with a restaurant on premises. Others don't and you cook your own (basically it's just a farmhouse rental). Masseria sul mare in Avola has a family style restaurant service. They provide breakfast as part of the room and, if you want, lunch and dinner (you just have to reserve ahead of time). My wife and I stayed for dinner a couple of times, and a couple of times dined in town in Siracusa. Near Segesta (on the Western side) we went to an Agriturismo which also had a restaurant. The name of the Agriturismo was "Baglio Pocoroba". As I said, even in agriturismos with restaurant, you can opt to eat in or go out on your own. For Agriturismo you can check the following websites:
Agriturismo.com (.it or .net)