Sicily

Pros: Special sites and towns, warm people, variety, great food.
Cons: Driving is hairy and countryside isn't always as scenic as other parts of Italy.

Planning a trip to Sicily was difficult as I had trouble figuring out priorities for our limited (one week) trip, whether to create a home base and see one side of the country or dash about in our rented car. We ultimately decided to cover as much ...

Pros: Nice people, wine, food, scenery
Cons: Scary Driving - if it says there is snow there will be!

When you get married it is the job of the groom (traditionally) to arrange the honeymoon, unfortunately for me the husband is rather likely to worry about tickets and passports and arriving on time at the airport so we decided quite early on that in ...

Pros: Fascinating cultural fusions and antiquities
Cons: Difficult to get around

Except perhaps for the Adriatic coast south of Venice, Italy is overrun with tourists, especially American and German ones, during the spring, summer, and fall. Tourists are not quite as thick on the ground anywhere in Sicily as in Florence, Rome, or ...

Pros: Warm weather, friendly people, wonderful food.
Cons: Over-touristed beaches during peak seasons, some concerns about crime.

We've all heard rave reviews of the wonderful beaches that can be found on the Greek islands, Hawaii, and Mexico. When it comes to experiencing Italian culture and history, it's hard to escape the overwhelming consensus on cities like Venice, Florence,...

Pros: Gorgeous scenery, friendly people, wonderful food...the list goes on!
Cons: I don't live there.

Imagine a sunny island lush with trees laden with citrus fruits. The beautiful blue sea splashes gently against the sandy shore as you gaze out across the water. Mansions built high on the hillside keep watch over the island. Sound beautiful? It...

Pros: Beautiful landscaping, lots to see and do.
Cons: Makes it easier if you know the language.

When my father was in the Navy, Europe was laid at our feet.

Of the places he was offered to transfer, one of them was Sigonella, Sicily. We jumped at the offer! I have lived in many different places, but Sicily was by far the most exciting...

Pros: Gorgeous architecture, consistently old, great food, friendly people
Cons: A bit out of the way of most travel plans

For the serious traveler to southern Italy, the Isle of Ortygia is a true must-see. The heart of Syracuse, this pint-sized island is one of the most architecturally, gastronomically and historically fascinating parts of Sicily, if not the whole of...

Pros: Unbelievable markets, arab architecture
Cons: Lacking in bars, nightlife

I arrived in Sicily a week ago on a ten hour ride from the Amalfi Coast and Naples. At 9 pm, the train pulled into Palermo Centrale and as in Genova, I found the streets deserted. I knocked on the tremendous wooden doors of my hotel, substantial enough...

Pros: adventure, eccentricities, Old World, strange only different
Cons: trash, rude people, overpopulation of stray pets, pollution

The deal is that I have come to LIVE in Sicily. While many of us traveling to Italy read Frances Mayes book "Under the Tuscan Sun," to prepare us for our adventure to Italy, travelers to Sicily should remember two things: 1) Sicily although...

Pros: Volcanoes, it's beautiful, volcanic eruptions, great place for exploring
Cons: limited ferry service, don't go in the summer

This is another place which American tourists tend to overlook. The Aeolian Islands rank up with Capri and Elba in beauty and variety and yet, because of its location, non-Europeans tend to miss the area altogether. It is a group of volcanic islands that...

Pros: Wonderful ambiance, food and locale.
Cons: Poor interior common areas.

If you are a devotee of Sicilian cooking via books written by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene, you are familiar with Gangivecchio. Gangi is a hilltop city located 1 hour east of the north-south A19 autostrada in north central Sicily. Gangivecchio (old ...

Pros: Adventure and a double-dose of Italian culture
Cons: Not always clean

Travel through Sicily is a wonderful adventure, and a great place to visit for those people wanting a trip that is a little more unconventional. If you love Italy and would like a double dosage of Italian culture, then Sicily would be a great vacation...

Pros: Everything, plus my relatives
Cons: Not many trees....

In 1995, I went on a trip with my family to Europe. I'm half German and half Italian, and our first stop was Sicily. The very first city we visited was a small town called Vencini. It was very interesting. The culture is COMPLETELY different,...

Pros: Mysterious
Cons: Not in Kansas Anymore

There are some places in Italy that are now too much like Disney World-- too touristy, too Americanized. Luckily Sicily is not one of those places! Yet that lack of slick tourist ease means the Sicilian traveler has to do a little extra homework to...

Pros: Beautiful Lots to see and do.
Cons: Dangerous driving!

If you like ancient ruins, beautiful blue water and lots of sun, excellent food, then Sicily is the place to go. I have live in Sicily for the last year, and still have many places to go and see. Siracusa, on the south west of Sicily has a wonderful...