Sicily advice please - which of these locations

[Muppetshair]

Only going for 4 nights end of May - will likely hire a car and explore nearby but want a quiet simple authentic base - these names come up frequently on Lastminute for accommodation - anyone have any insights ? Any to avoid?

Trapani
San Vito lo Copo
Mazara del vallo
Custonaci
Castelveron

I've been to Sicily 3 times (once for my honeymoon) and love it - I've stayed 2 nights in Trapani and it's nice, but there's not a lot to do. However, it depends what you're into - they have great restaurants and lovely architecture.

Nearby Erice (we took a bus up and the cable car down - I'd recommend leaving the car at the foot of the hill and taking the cable car both ways) is a wonderful day trip.

Stagnone Nature Reserve, in between Trapani and Marsala, is another unforgettable day trip. It is located on salt flats and offers a cafe-bar to enjoy the most amazing sunsets (I just wish our taxi hadn't turned up so quickly!) and has boat trips to the (very) nearby island of Mothia.

Anywhere else I'd recommend on the island is Siracusa (lots to do and very near Etna) and Taormina (ditto, and it's beautiful, though expensive).

Yes to Siracusa it was so nice. We enjoyed catania, so many bars/restaurants and things to do.

@Haveallthesongsbeenwritten Been to Catania 3 times as the plane we take lands there :) We always stay a few days.

Another place I fully recommend is the rural part of Randazzo (specifically agrotourism accommodation in the hamlets to the right of Randazzo, in their vineyards, such as the Sole Di Sicilia) - imagine staying in the country, with ash black soil everywhere, Etna in the distance, silence, wine everywhere... Wonderful for a few days!

Thanks for those recommendations.

Just booked flights and BnB (with car hire) outside San Vito lo Copo which is on the furthest western tip between Trapani and Palermo - so excited will have 4 days to explore the area!!

Any restaurant tips (vegan? And not expensive?) and off the beaten track places would be v welcomed.

Is Palermo worth while - I don’t really want a city break but if it’s amazing would pop by.

Palermo... Well, I've never been there, and the Sicilian owner of my favourite cafe here (who is actually from Palermo!) and his Slovak partner both say that it is dirty and not a place they'd choose to visit if it weren't for his elderly mother still living there 😂 They both prefer to go on day trips to smaller, nearby places.

No tips of vegan food I'm afraid, Sicily is very much a fish and seafood place! Its wine is amazing, as are its traditional marzipan sweets and pastries - I hated marzipan until I came here!

Thanks for that - would love to know what day trips a local would take.

Erice is lovely as mentioned by @ExpatInSlavikLand . I also love Palermo - lovely market (which is like going back in time) and beautiful churches as well as a wonderful opera house - been three times. Mazara del Vallo has canals and is very pretty with beaches as well.

We were in San Vito last summer. It's a typical beach destination but was august so we weren't looking for too much!

Definitely go to Erice. We loved it. It gets chilly up there so take cardis.

There is an old village built into caves in Custonaci called the Grotta Mangiapane which is worth a look and has a lovely bar for sundowners.

In San Vito San Vito lo Capo: pasticceria La Sirenetta for granita con panna e brioche, pasticceria Peralta per cannoli e pasta di mandorle

We went to Palermo at Easter. It’s definitely dirty but we found it had a certain dilapidated charm. Great food and cheap for Italy. The catacombs are….interesting.

Hi. I don't know about where you are staying but there was plenty of vegan food available when we went to Taormina and Ortigia. The Happy Cow App was great for finding places.