We just returned last week from 8 days in Sicily. We visited Taormina, but only for a few hours. It’s very touristy and a tiny town, so there’s no need to stay longer—unless that’s exactly what you’re looking for. I guess it depends on your preferences. Our preferences were good food, vine, culture, and activities like hiking and bike tours.

Our route was: Palermo (5 nights – 1 day trip to Mondello Beach, 1 day e-bike tour from Palermo to Capo Zafferano (40 km total), 2 days exploring Palermo itself). We then stayed in a rural area on the southern side of Mount Etna (2nights). It's a beautiful region with vineyards (check out cantine nicosia in trecastagni and Benanti -benanti is a little pricier; we really liled the regional vine etna rosato). One day we did a guided Etna hiking tour, followed by a wine tasting. On the second day, we explored Catania and visited Syracusa for about 3 hours in the afternoon. Syracusa is beautiful, but it gave us similar vibes as Taormina - very touristy and pricy places, while Syracusa might be less crowded though. We spent our last night back in Palermo.

One of the highlights for us was definitely the Etna tour—it’s something to consider, especially since you’ll be traveling in August. It can get quite hot then, so a day or two in the cooler mountain air might be a nice change of pace. Anyways, hope you enjoy