Which islands should I focus on in Sicily?

i have been to stromboli several times in the early 2000's (by ferry from napoli) and on a day trip to vulcano in 2021 via hydrofoil from milazzo. i was based in messina and took the train there. in hindsight, I should have taken the same hydrofoil service from messina. day trip to vulcano is doable but the other islands in the aeolian chain are further out from sicily. i know a lot of day trippers come to stromboli from reggio calabria. hope this helps.

I'd choose the Aeolians. I haven't been there, but I was underwhelmed by Favingnana. It has sandy, uncrowded beaches, which means it gets very high ratings from Europeans, but sandy, uncrowded beaches aren't that hard to find in the US.

We really enjoyed our stay at Lipari. Charming little portside town, local bus circles the island, great ambiance. Access to the other islands, we took the hydrofoil from Milazzo Brad

Thanks for the helpful replies! Looks like I'll plan to take the train along the north coast then. Without a car, it may be a bit of a challenge to get into the coastal towns on the way to Milazzo so I still have some research to do. I'll stay 1-2 nights in Cefalu and maybe just train from there to Milazzo or Messina to leave enough time to get to a few of the islands. Brad, thanks for the info about Lipari and using the hydrofoil from Milazzo to get around the other islands. And alomaker, good tip that the hydrofoil also goes around the islands from Messina. Not sure whether to base from Milazzo or Messina -- I'll be eventually taking bus or train or ferry??? down to Siracusa then back up to Catania to fly home. And acraven, it's helpful to get your insight about Favignana -- especially because I live 10 minutes from the ocean! Any recommendations about accommodations in Milazzo or Messina or on the islands?? BTW --- thoughts about Cefalu, anyone?? I have a reservation at B&B Scirocco that I could cancel and just do a day visit. Thanks everyone!!

i can't say much about milazzo because I was there to catch the boat. i enjoyed messina. small city mainly a port and especially the crossing point for trains going back and forth to the mainland via ferries. an interesting experience by itself. the cathedral is lovely and the elaborate clock tower put on quite an 'animatronic' show at noon every day. there are also a couple of Norman churches but they weren't open when I was there in 2021. I went to messina, however, because the museo regional has two late caravaggio paintings on display. must see if you like art.

here's the link to the liberty lines schedule: https://www.libertylines.it/en/destinations/. i think it is their winter schedule.

Good tip about the Caravaggio paintings -- thanks! Have you see the beautiful one in Rome at the Galleria Doria Pamphilj? Nice that it's a bit off the beaten track.

After a few days on Lipari or one of the other islands, I'm planning to take the train from Milazzo or Messina to Syracuse and use that as another home base.

I would say definitely give Cefalù 2 nights at least. My husband and I were there last year in early March before embarking on the RS Sicily Tour. We stayed 2 nights and loved it. It is a charming little town and a great place to relax and get over jet lag. I know you can do it in a day trip but that’s not very relaxing. We took the train from the airport to Palermo and then another train to Cefalù . Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Thanks for the good info on Cefalu, Lynne! I've seen pix and am very drawn to the pretty beachfront -- I'm always looking for water!! My hotel has a rooftop terrace, so that should be nice as a lookout point. Any favorite restaurants, etc?

Anyone spent any time in Milazzo?

if you are on the 'caravaggio trail' then don't miss the one in santa lucia, syracusa. regarding the doria pamphilj, it's one of the places in rome I haven't made it to. another trip...! specifically about the caravaggio there, I have to admit I am not a fan of his early works. sacrilegious I know but I am partial to his mastery of chiaroscuro and tenebrism. as a matter of fact if you want to combine your interest in islands and more caravaggio you could hop over to Malta...just sayin'!

So many options!! and not enough time... Thanks for the tip about the Caravaggio paintings in Messina & Syracuse, alomaker. I'm not on his trail & am not an expert (had to look up tenebrism-- ha!! ) but I do admire his work --- along with many others of that era. I love Bernini and should probably just be going back to Rome for a longer visit. All those wonderful churches!! I never can pass one by. My all time favorite is the Ecstasy of St Teresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Now I really MUST get on with planning this trip to Sicily! Malta will have to wait... ;-)