Last minute - Rome to Sicily or somewhere else?

[PaminaMozart]

We have about 10-12 days.
We've 'done' Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples.
Thought we would try further South and Sicily.

Wondering where to go - DH is thinking drive from Rome and take the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina.
Or take the fast train?
Or fly to Palermo?

Or should we stop off in a few places - which? - on the way south...
Or go somewhere else altogether - Puglia?

Help please........ any comments, suggestions etc would be very much appreciated!! 😀

Can't go wrong with a driving holiday round Sicily. We have been to cefalu and castellamare del golfo and loved both! When are you thinking of going? Italy will be boiling this time of year!

We were in Messina last week and the weather was totally doable: around 36, but with good sea breezes. The ferry sounds like a great plan; we toyed with the idea of the train that gets broken up and transported by ferry, but decided that the idea was probably more interesting than the reality.

Many thanks - we are planning go first 2 weeks of September.

Still very undecided as to whether to hire a car at Rome Airport and drive down (and back??!!!), or take the train and ferry and get a car in Sicily.

Capri?

Lovely but small...not a 10-12 day trip. It's more a day trip if you're doing the sorrento/pompeii/amalfi coast area , and the op said she's been to Naples so maybe already done that. (Mind you that's an area worth going to repeatedly imo).

I'm curious about Sicily ... we wanted to visit the archeological sites but driving isn't our idea of a holiday, but seems like it may be needed there?

Amalfi is the word that was eluding me. Yes you'd have to combine it.

We did something really adventurous many years ago. We took the overnight ferry from Naples to the Aeolian Islands, island hopped and then took the hydrofoil to Sicily. It was amazing!

I love Sicily as it has everything - landscape, history, beaches, food - but 10-12 days wouldn't be enough to do the whole island - I'd just fly to Sicily, pick 3-4 places to stay and stick with that.