La guida di Antonino

The main town near Fondachello is Catania. There you have plenty of places to visit: the Cathedral, Piazza dell'Università, Convento dei Cappuccini, Castello Ursino. Nearby there is Acicastello, with a Norman castle, and Acitrezza, with its faraglioni, which the legend says were the stones thrown by Polyphemus against Ulysses ships. Then there is Acireale, where you can see several baroque buildings, and churches.

At 1h15m drive from Fondachello, you can find Lentini, Siracusa, and the Pantalica Necropole. A little further in the interior, there is Piazza Armerina famous for its Roman villa and its mosaics. Caltagirone, worth a visit for the beautiful ceramics. Further away, you may visit Noto and Ragusa. Agrigento is famous for the remains of Greek temples, but it is far away, so you should plan ahead, and leave early in the morning.

On Etna, most people go to rifugio Sapienza, which is easy to reach by car. From there there are paid excursions to the top. Consider about 4h for the excursion only. Other tips about Etna, if you like trekking: http://www.rifugiosapienza.com/18--Sentiero-quotMonte-Zoccolaroquot.html It is a little challenging slope, but doable with decent shoes. And it is free! There are not many people around, usually. Also, back at Rifugio Sapienza, I recommend tasting the arancini at the homonymous bar-restaurant-hotel. Do not forget to take with you appropriate shoes and cold weather garments. It can be windy and chilly even in summer up there. You may consider a picnic in the Pineta Ragabo or Nicolosi. There are also many restaurants on Etna, often with a fixed menu. They are generally good. I can think of two I was in the past years, Tenuta Favazza and Case Perrotta.

Taormina, the pearl of the Ionian Sea, is a tourist favourite. During the day you can stroll along its main street, shop around, admire the view from piazza IX Aprile, or rest in the shadow at the Giardini Pubblici. At night there are often concerts from internationally renowned artists and sometime operas at the Greek Theater. Castelmola is a short distance away. There you can see the remains of a Norman castle, and several ancient churches. Many people go to the bar Turrisi, for its 'R' (or even 'X') rated decoration and antiques.

There are buses from Fondachello to Mascali, Giarre, and Riposto, but only a few a day, which follow the time schedule of students. Uber is not an option yet. In Mascali and Riposto there are a couple of taxi services, see http://www.taximascali.it http://www.taxiriposto.it/ or https://www.mnautoservizi.it There have been a few guests who would walk to Mascali train station (about 3km away), then take a train from there. However, it is not for everybody, especially in rainy weather.

It may be uncomfortable to walk on the largest pebbles when getting inside the sea, thus water shoes are advisable. The markets nearby sell them if you don't have a pair.