Anonymous wrote:For those that have been in summer, I’m wondering how miserable it is. I’ve heard etna is cool enough and the beach is obviously the beach but what do people think about places like agrigento, Ragusa, Siracusa in the summer?

Sicily is very hot in the summer. I visited in May (wonderful weather) and September. I would avoid the summer. Mount Etna is cooler at the top but it was erupting recently so I am not sure you can actually go

5 days???? It is more than nothing.... but you really need to organize that trip if you want to go around. We did 8 days flying from an other European country. So no jet lag. If you rent a car you can do more than us. But we used trains. So 8 days was enough for Taormina, Siracusa and Catania. I really enjoyed Ortigia in Siracusa. Specially early morning sunrises when basically no one is around. Don't rush from one place to the other.... Pick a few places and enjoy the slow life of "Dolce vita". Take a breath and enjoy the moment. Many people just running from one place to the other..... That is not the Italian and specially not the Sicilian way of life.... Touch the buildings... wait for the sunrise next to the old towns. Don't just eat.... taste slowly the food. And try to find the small local restaurants. Million times tastier than the one tourists go. And if you love pistachio as much as I do... you will be in heaven

Anonymous wrote:For those that have been in summer, I’m wondering how miserable it is. I’ve heard etna is cool enough and the beach is obviously the beach but what do people think about places like agrigento, Ragusa, Siracusa in the summer?

Think we were there in June and it was very hot but not miserable. Obviously walking around the valley of the temples (not much shade) is different than hanging out in Siracusa (some indoor sites plus cafes and the water). We did adjust what we did for the heat but still had a great trip.

Anonymous wrote:Make sure you pay attention to sun exposure. DS just returned from Palermo and had bad burn despite being pretty vigilant with reapplying sunscreen. The intensity of the sun there is a whole different beast.

We were just there with no issues, including a teen who fights me on using sunscreen.

For those that have been in summer, I’m wondering how miserable it is. I’ve heard etna is cool enough and the beach is obviously the beach but what do people think about places like agrigento, Ragusa, Siracusa in the summer?

OP here. Thanks for the recs so far. Forgot to mention that we will be traveling with our 8 yo DD!

My favorite trip ever was a couple of weeks DH and I spent driving around Sicily.

A bit out of the way, but beyond spectacular: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_Casale

The most and the best Roman mosaics you'll ever see. My favorite is the lady athletes in bikinis.

Make sure you pay attention to sun exposure. DS just returned from Palermo and had bad burn despite being pretty vigilant with reapplying sunscreen. The intensity of the sun there is a whole different beast.

Or if you wanted to do western Sicily you could fly into Palermo, see Monreale and Segesta, go to San Vito lo Capo if you want a beach, then Trapani/Erice, then Agrigento (Valley of the Temples and maybe Scala dei Turchii) and back to Palermo.

Yeah, you really have to pick what you want— beaches (and/or islands), baroque towns, greek temples, etc.

You could maybe fly into Palermo, see Monreale and Segesta, then go to Cefalu, do a boat trip to the Aeolians, then visit Taormina and Etna, then Siracusa and fly out of Catania, but even that is probably too much for 5 days.

Maybe just do Taormina/Etna/Siracusa and do a beach day near Siracusa (there’s a variety— some undeveloped with lots of natural beauty and some with amenities)? Could also do a day trip to see Villa Romana if you want.

So with the enormous caveat that I haven’t been…..I e been researching this a while and here is my bucket list trip—
Fly into Palermo
Few days beach at cefalu, boat trip to islands
Agrigento
Ragusa
ortigia
Taomina (ruins not the fancy beach clubs)
Climb mt Etna
Train back to Rome
(Or do it the other way around)
I guess that’s more than 5 days but I’m not sure what I’d cut out if this. I guess I’d cut taomina first and mt etna secknd.

Would love to know your favorite cities, restaurants, activities, and secret spots!