Hi Valerie,
I visited Sicily in October, 2002. Such a long time ago now, but here are some of my thoughts from that trip. I spent 5 nights in Cefalù, with an overnight trip to Agrigento from there in the middle of that stay, then went to Taormina for 3 nights, and finally Siracusa for 3 nights.
Cefalù from what I remember and rereading my notes was a relaxing seaside town. I would not go out of my way to visit Cefalù but I did enjoy my stay there. The one highlight I remember from Cefalù was climbing up to the top of La Rocca, where there were amazing views.
I took a daytrip tour to Palermo from Cefalù, which I really enjoyed. My favorite part of this tour was
going to Monreale where there were spectacular mosaics in a huge Cathedral. We also visited the Cathedral in Palermo where the outside was very detailed, we walked through a very entertaining street market, had lunch and then visited the little seaside town, Mondello, which was right outside of Palermo. I remember thinking that would be a great place to stay if I ever returned.
Because of the crazy train travel from Cefalù to Agrigento, I really did not have much time there. Very poor planning on my part! Visiting the valley of the Temples was definitely worth the trip though. I would love to go back there again.
I also thought I might not like Taormina because of all of the tourists, but was really surprised when I arrived there. It was my favorite part of my trip to Sicily. There were many relaxing piazzas. I loved the food there. I stayed at Hotel Bel Soggiorno. My room was clean, breakfasts were served on the veranda. My room had a spectacular view. I was very happy with my stay there but of course that was many years ago, so not sure if things have changed. From my notes, two of the highlights of Taormina besides the amazing cannoli were climbing up to the tiny town of Castelmola, which is perched high above Taormina and climbing up to the Santa Madonna della Rocca. The climb up to Castelmola was not an easy climb. The climb to the Santa Madonna della Rocca was easier. I also enjoyed a visit to the Teatro Greco. My friends from Italy also recommended that I visit Isola Bella and the Grotta Azzurra. They said they are both worth a visit. I might have visited these places but do not remember now/do not have it in my notes.
My last stop was Siracusa. I had a very bad experience there and so I do not have wonderful memories of Siracusa. It was the only place I have ever been in my 11 trips to Italy where I did not feel safe. BUT that was mostly because of where I stayed when I arrived there. I booked a room at Hotel Gutkowski. DO NOT stay there! I did not feel safe in that area and had a horrible experience there. I did check out the next morning and moved to a different area of Siracusa where I stayed at Hotel Roma. This hotel was very nice, but at the time for me, very expensive. Not sure where it stands regarding expense today. I do remember feeling like there were many rich people looking down at me when I stayed there. Besides hotel issues, I did enjoy Siracusa a little more after moving to a different hotel/different area of Siracusa. The main thing I remember being "wowed" with was visiting Orecchio di dioniso (Dioniso's Ear). Notes from my friend also recommended visiting the Roman ruins, the anfiteatro and the museum near the ruins.
The main thing I remember about Sicily was how different it was from anywhere else I had visited in Italy. I hope you and your parents enjoy your trip there and some of this may help... AND happy birthday!!
What do you think is a good base for a week? I'm a little non-enthusiastic, not because I don't want to see Sicily, but it's last minute and not great timing for trying to plan and put it together when I'm swamped with other stuff. Oy.