A
Age restrictions
According to Italian law, persons under 16 are not allowed to drink alcohol. The minimum age for driving with a valid licence is 18, but for renting a car in most cases a driver must be 25 or over.
Sicilian elder
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
B
Budgeting for your trip
Prices generally match those of mainland Italy. Mid-range hotels charge €150–200 a night for a double room, and you can pay more than €400 at a luxury hotel. B&Bs and agriturismi are much cheaper. In touristy areas you’ll find a three-course dinner with wine will set you back €40-plus a head, but simple trattorie charge much less. Fuel costs are similar to those across Europe, but public transport remains comfortably inexpensive. A taxi from Palermo airport to the city centre costs €40, from Catania €25–30. EU citizens over 65 or under 18 are allowed free entry to many sights, and those from 18 to 25 get a 50 percent discount.
C
Children
Children are always made to feel welcome, and are readily accepted in restaurants. Although restaurants don’t often have kids’ menus, any restaurant will happily prepare a simple pasta with cheese or tomato sauce for the little ones. You can also ask for half portions. At the beach, children usually wear bathing suits and it is not customary to let them run around naked if they are over two years old. Babysitting services are available in many of the upper-range hotels. Children under the age of six are usually admitted to sights free of charge and those from six to 16 at 50 percent discount.
Climate
April, May, September and October are the loveliest months, when Sicily enjoys a semblance of solitude combined with the pleasures of a mild climate. July and August, on the opposite, are crowded with Italian and foreign tourists and temperatures can get very hot. If going to the beach is not your main concern, going in winter may also be an option: there’s a lot to see and temperatures are mild with relatively frequent sunny days.
Clothing
Bring light clothing and a hat during the hot summer months. In spring (April and May) and autumn (October and November) you will need a jacket or sweater for the evenings. Winters, particularly in the mountainous central areas, can be cold. Mount Etna requires strong footwear in any season.
Caltagirone steps
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Crime and safety
Petty crime is the main problem for tourists: pickpocketing, bag-snatching and theft from cars, particularly in Palermo, Catania and the historic centre of Siracusa. Keep an eye on valuables at all times, and when driving always lock car doors and keep valuables hidden. If you are robbed, report it as soon as possible to the local police. You will need a copy of the declaration in order to claim on your insurance.
Customs
Free exchange of non-duty-free goods for personal use is allowed between EU countries. For non-EU citizens the duty-free allowances are 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine, 60ml of perfume, 250ml of eau de toilette, and duty-free gifts worth up to €175.
D
Disabled travellers
Sicily is one of the worst places in Italy to get around for disabled travellers. Most churches and sites have steps, and few of the museums and archaeological sites have wheelchair access.
Given the challenges, it is wisest to book through a specialised tour operator who can offer customised tours and itineraries, eg www.flyingwheelstravel.com and Accessible Journeys (www.disabilitytravel.com). Access-Able Travel Source (www.access-able.com) is a database of travel agents from around the world with experience in accessible travel.
E
Electricity
Sockets take two or three round-pronged plugs; supplies are 220-volts AC, 50 cycles. Your best bet is to bring a travel adaptor with you. Adaptors can be bought before you leave home, or at airports and stations.
Embassies and consulates
If your passport is lost or stolen you will need to obtain a police report and have proof of your identity to get a new one. Then call your consulate in Rome (see below):
Australian Embassy: Via Antonio Bosio 5; tel: 06 852 721; www.italy.embassy.gov.au
Canadian Embassy: Via Zara 30; tel: 06 8544 43937; www.canada.it
Irish Embassy: Piazza Campitelli 3; tel: 06 595 2381; www.ambasciata-irlanda.it
UK Embassy: Via XX Settembre 80a; tel: 06 4220 0001; www.gov.uk/government/world/italy.it
US Embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121; tel: 06 46741; www.usembassy.it
Emergencies
General emergences: 113; Police: 112; Fire: 115: Ambulance: 118; Breakdown/road assistance: 116
Etiquette
Wearing miniskirts, skimpy shorts or shoulderless garments in churches is likely to cause offence. Casual clothes are quite acceptable in most restaurants, but avoid swimwear. If invited for dinner by locals, you are expected to always bring something: pastries, wine or flowers are always appreciated.
G
Gay and lesbian travellers
Many gay travellers report having been the object of negative comments when displaying affection in public, but attitudes are fairly relaxed in the bigger cities, where gay magazines are sold at most newsstands. Taormina is still the focus for the native and foreign gay community. Consult Arci-gay, the national gay rights organisation, www.arcigay.it, or contact the Palermo branch (tel: 349 884 5809; email: palermo@arcigay.it). To access bars and discos, you need to join the association.
Fishing in Palermo
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Green issues
Sicily’s record on recycling is poor to say the least (piles of rubbish are a familiar sight), and a new project for waste management is frozen for lack of finances. Although the larger centres have bikes to rent and a few hotels have free bikes, urban leisure cycling has yet to take off. A bike scheme set up in Ortigia failed after all the new ranks were permanently vandalised.
Several specialist companies offer bike tours in rural Sicily and the islands, eg Sole&Bike (www.solebike.it). Beautiful stretches of coastline and mountain regions are now protected as nature reserves, attracting cyclists and hikers, and the island has seen an increasing number of sustainable tourism projects created in recent years.
For ideas on accommodation and green stays in Sicily, visit Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com), which promotes eco, green and responsible holidays.
Lípari at dusk
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
H
Health
All EU countries have reciprocal arrangements for medical services. UK residents should obtain a European Health Insurance Card. This only covers medical care, not emergency repatriation costs or additional expenses. It is therefore advisable, and for non-EU residents essential, to have travel insurance to cover all eventualities.
In many areas in summer there is a Guardia Medica Turistica (tourist emergency medical service) which functions 24 hours a day. Details are available from pharmacies, tourist offices and hotels.
Pharmacies and hospitals
A pharmacy (farmacia) is identified by a green cross. All main towns offer a 24-hour pharmacy service, with a night-time and Sunday rota. Duty pharmacists are posted on all pharmacy doors and published in the daily papers. For emergencies, dial 118 for an ambulance or head for the Pronto Soccorso (Accident and Emergency) of the local hospital.
I
Internet facilities
Internet cafés and points, which come and go, can be found in towns and resorts. To use them you may need to show a passport or EU identity card. Wi-Fi hotspots are scant, but many hotels now have Wi-Fi access.
Trápani dog
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
L
Left luggage
Luggage can be left at the left-luggage office at Palermo’s Stazione Centrale (daily 7am–11pm) and at Stazione Marittima (daily 7am–7.30pm).
Lost property
In the event of lost luggage on a train, go to the left luggage office at Stazione Centrale. Items lost in the street are never recovered.
M
Media
The main Italian papers (Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica) publish southern editions, but the local dailies are more popular. Il Giornale di Sicilia, Palermo’s paper, covers western Sicily, and includes practical listings. La Sicilia, Catania’s main paper, also has provincial supplements for Siracusa, Ragusa and Enna. The major towns and resorts have English-language newspapers the following day.
Money
Currency
The currency in Italy is the euro (€). A euro is divided into 100 cents with 5, 20 and 50 cent coins, and 1 and 2 euro coins. The euro notes are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500.
Changing money
You will need your passport or identification card when changing money, which can be a slow operation. Not all banks will provide cash against a credit card, and some may refuse to cash travellers’ cheques in certain currencies. On the whole, the larger banks (those with a national or international network) will be the best for tourist transactions.
Credit cards
Except in smaller villages, major credit cards are accepted by shops, hotels, restaurants and petrol stations. They can also be used to pay motorway tolls, but it’s always best to also keep some cash on hand, as the card-reading machines are frequently out of order.
Cash machines
ATMs (bancomats in Italian) are found all over the island, even in small towns. Instructions are given in English. They are the easiest and generally the cheapest way to obtain cash.
Taxes
Italy imposes VAT (IVA) on most goods and services, including hotels. Non-EU citizens are entitled to a refund of around 12 percent if they spend over €155 at stores with a ‘Tax Free for Tourists’ sign. The invoice must be stamped at Customs; you then receive the rebate when you go to the Tax Free desk at the airport.
Sampling the delights at this pasticceria in Erice
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Tipping
A 10–15 percent service charge is often included in restaurant bills, and although a tip will be appreciated, no extra is expected. For quick service in bars, leave a coin or two extra. Round up the fare for taxi drivers, and tip guides €5 per person.
O
Opening hours
Shops are generally open 9am–1pm and 4–7.30pm. Except for those in tourist resorts, shops are closed on Sundays. Food shops may also close on Wednesday afternoons. In cities, other shops are closed on Monday mornings.
Banks are open Mon–Fri 8.30am–1.20pm. Some also open from 2.45–4pm.
Post offices are open weekdays from 8.30am–1.15pm, Saturdays from 8.30–11.20am.
P
Police
Emergency telephone numbers: Police 112, General emergency services 113. The Carabinieri, in blue uniforms, are the armed military police who handle public law and order; the Polizia Stradale, or state police, patrol the highways and other roads.
Post
The postal service is notoriously slow. If you need to send an urgent letter, send it by Postacelere. Post offices are generally open Mon–Sat 8.30am–1.30pm, with main post offices in the cities staying open all day. In Palermo the main post office in Via Roma (near Piazza Domenico) is open Mon–Sat 8am–6.30pm. Stamps are also available from tobacconists (tabacchi) and bars that also sell cigarettes. Italian postboxes are red and have two slots, per la cittá (for the local city/town) and per tutte le alter destinazioni (for all other destinations).
Public holidays
Banks and most shops are closed on the following holidays:
1 January: New Year’s Day
6 January: Epiphany
March/April: Easter Monday
25 April: Liberation Day
1 May: May Day
2 June: Republic Day
15 August: Ferragosto; Assumption Day
1 November: All Saints’ Day
8 December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 December: Christmas Day
26 December: Boxing Day
Major holidays and festivals
New Year’s Eve is very big business in Sicily: there is usually a large dinner followed by drinking, dancing and firecrackers. It falls in the middle of a long holiday period that begins on Christmas Eve and lasts until Epiphany on 6 January. The friendly witch (befana) who brings candy to the good kids and coal to the naughty ones is a strongly felt tradition in Italy and especially in Southern Italy. Easter is normally a three or four-day religious holiday, though businesses only close on Easter Sunday and Monday. Trápani is famous for its Easter procession, when 20 life-size wooden statues, dating from the 18th century, are paraded for 10 hours through the streets. The statues, or Misteri, are kept in the Chiesa del Purgatorio on Via Francesco d’Assisi (which unfortunately is usually closed).
Every city or town has its own patron Saint, celebrated with processions around the city centre, some of which end with suggestive ceremonies by the sea.
Chiesa del Gesù, Palermo
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
R
Religion
Italy is a Catholic country. The hours of Mass vary, but each church has its own Mass timetable pinned on its main door.
Other denominations may practise their faith without hindrance and have their own services in Palermo and Catania.
S
Smoking
Smoking is banned in public places, including bars and restaurants. A few establishments have special smoking rooms, and outdoor ones allow smoking.
T
Telephones
Several companies provide public payphones that accept phone cards (scheda telefonica) or coins. You can buy cards in various denominations from tabacchi and from many newsstands. Some payphones, especially in airports, accept credit cards, but fares can be high. There are a number of inexpensive international calling cards available from newsstands and call centres (in the bigger cities, usually around the train stations) where you can make a call and pay later. For calls within Italy, telephone numbers must be preceded by the area code even if the call is made within the same district.
When phoning abroad from Italy dial 00 (the international access code), then the country code, followed by the city or area code omitting the initial 0, and then the desired number.
International dialling codes are (44) for the UK, (353) for Ireland, (61) for Australia and (1) for US and Canada.
For international directory enquiries and operator-assisted national and international calls, call 892-412.
Mobile phone numbers begin with 3, for example 338, 340, 333, 348, and cost a lot more.
Mobile (Cell) phones
Check the international roaming rates with your company prior to departure, and whether your phone can receive and make calls in Italy. Maximum roaming rates are regulated by the European Commission, however if you are making a lot of calls or staying for some time it may be worth purchasing a SIM ‘pay as you go’ card, available at shops of the main provider or at the post office.
View to the Egadi Islands
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Time zones
Italy and Sicily follow Central European Time (GMT+1) but, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, the clocks advance one additional hour to become GMT+2. This means in summer when it is noon in Sicily it will be 11am in London and 6am in New York.
Toilets
Public toilets are hard to find, but you can usually use toilets in cafés and bars. In many cases the toilets are locked and you will have to ask for the key (chiave) at the till. Buying a drink at the same time will be appreciated. Major sites now have reasonable facilities.
Tourist information
Most of the main tourist offices will have staff who speak foreign languages, but this is often not the case with smaller information offices. If you can’t find a tourist office, try a travel agency or local tour operator, as these can be good sources of advice.
Agrigento: Via Empedocle, 73; tel: 0922 20391
Catania: Via Vittorio Emanuele II 172; tel: 095 742557; www.turismo.catania.it
Cefalù: Corso Ruggero 77; tel: 0921 421050
Lípari: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 202; tel: 090 988 0095
Palermo (city and province): Piazza Castelnuovo 34; tel: 091 605 8351; www.palermotourism.com
Siracusa: Via Roma 31, Ortigia; tel: 800 055500, and Via Maestranza 33; tel: 0931 464255
Taormina: Palazzo Corvaja, Piazza Santa Caterina; tel: 0942 23243
Trápani: Info Point, Via San Grancesco d’Assisi 27; tel: 0923 806 8008; www.apt.trapani.it
Excursion boat in Milazzo
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Transport
Arriving by air
Sicily currently has three international airports: Palermo (Falcone-Borsellino), Catania (Fontanarossa) and Trápani (Birgi). A new airport, Comiso, close to Ragusa, was completed in Spring 2013. Travellers for Messina use the Reggio di Calabria airport on the Italian mainland, just across the Strait of Messina.
The islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria are linked by air services from Palermo or Trápani.
Palermo Airport
Palermo’s Falcone-Borsellino airport (www.gesap.it) is 30km (19 miles) west of the capital at Punta Raisi. It is used by all the major airlines. Bus services run daily from 5.30am every 30 minutes, linking the airport with Palermo’s Piazza Politeama and the central train station. Tickets can be purchased on the bus, and the journey takes around an hour. The Trinacria Express train service also runs every half-hour from the airport to the central station, taking 55 minutes, and is a fraction cheaper than the bus.
Catania Airport
Catania’s Fontanarossa airport (www.aeroporto.catania.it) is 5km (3 miles) south of the city. There is an Alibus service departing every 20 minutes for Stazione Centrale (the central railway station), taking 20 minutes. Tickets can be bought from a newsstand inside the terminal. Services run by Interbus (www.interbus.it) link the airport to Siracusa, Ragusa, Taormina and many other cities in eastern Sicily, as well as Palermo.
Comiso Airport (Ragusa)
The Vincenzo Magliocco airport (www.aeroportodicomiso.com) serves Comiso and Ragusa and is used to complement Catania’s Fontanarossa airport with charter and low-cost flights to some of Europe’s most important destinations, including Stansted, Dublin, Frankfurt. Various private bus and coach lines, such as Autolinee Giamporcaro, Autolinee Tumino, Etna Trasporti and AST link it to Ragusa and surrounding towns and to the Catania airport.
Trápani Airport
Trápani-Birgi’s Vincenzo Florio airport (www.airgest.it), used by low-cost carriers, is 15km (9 miles) southeast of Trápani. AST buses link the airport to Trápani every half-hour, taking 25 minutes, with connections to Palermo, Agrigento and Marsala. Terravision coaches (www.terravision.eu) to Palermo link up with Ryanair flights.
Arriving by rail
The Italian mainland is linked to Sicily by train, with Milan, Rome and Naples the best connecting stations to the south. Unfortunately, the great improvements in the Italian rail system do not extend to Sicily, and the overnight sleeper service from Sicily to northern Italy has been cancelled.
There is a daily service between Rome and Palermo, Catania and Siracusa. At the crossing from Villa San Giovanni on the Italian peninsula the train carriages are shunted into the ferry, and then shunted off again at Messina. Palermo’s main station is Stazione Centrale. Always book a seat for long-distance travel.
For information and online booking visit the Trenitalia website (www.trenitalia.com) or call tel: 892021 (toll number, expect long waits). Tickets can be picked up (or bought directly) from one of the self-service machines at the station.
Foro Italico, Palermo
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Arriving by sea
Ferries link Sicily with Naples, Genova (Genoa), Salerno and Civitavecchia in Italy and with Cagliari in Sardinia; there are also links with Tunis and Malta. Hydrofoils (aliscafi) operate between Sicily and its smaller islands (see under Transport within Sicily below). Sicily can be combined with Malta on a two-island holiday using Virtu Ferries (www.virtuferries.com).
Ferry tickets can be booked online (though there is no need for the Messina/Villa San Giovanni crossing). The main operators are SNAV (www.snav.it), Grandi Navi Veloci (www.gnv.it), Tirrenia (www.tirrenia.it) and Grimaldi (www.grimaldi-lines.com). There are cabins on the longer routes, and these must be booked well in advance for high summer. Remember that sailing schedules are prone to change, especially in winter months when the seas can turn rough.
Arriving by car
Driving to Sicily from the UK takes 24 hours. Even from Rome it is a good seven hours to Villa San Giovanni in Calabria, where you cross to Sicily. To bring a car into Italy you will need a current driving licence and valid insurance. You must carry your driving licence, car registration, insurance documents and passport with you at all times when driving. You are also required to carry a triangular warning sign and a high visibility vest.
Transport around Sicily
Driving
A car in Sicily is a great help exploring the island, though in cities like Palermo, Catania or Siracusa, it is easier and less nerve-racking to use public transport or taxis. The network of roads has much improved, though you can still expect potholes even on some of the major roads. A system of mainly toll-free motorways (autostrade) crosses parts of the island, linking the main cities. Elsewhere roads can be quite slow-going, especially in the mountainous regions.
The main frustrations of driving in Sicily are parking (see below), negotiating town centres (which often have complex one-way systems and poor signing to the centre), Sicilian motorists who drive too fast and frequently recklessly, and the huge distances you have to drive to see the spread-out highlights of the island.
Car hire
Major hire companies include Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. You’ll find offices in the main airports, but it’s usually cheaper to book ahead through major travel websites or specialists such as www.auto-europe.co.uk.
Drivers must present their own national driving licence. Credit-card imprints are taken as a deposit and are usually the only form of payment acceptable. ‘Inclusive’ prices do not generally include personal accident insurance or insurance against damage to windscreens, tyres and wheels. Pay attention to your return time – it’s easy to get charged for an extra day.
Rules and regulations
Drive on the right, pass on the left. Speed limits are 50km/h (30mph) in towns and built-up areas, 90km/h (55mph) on main roads and 130km/h (80mph) on motorways. Speeding and other traffic offences are subject to heavy on-the-spot fines.
The use of hand-held mobiles while driving is prohibited. The blood alcohol limit is 0.05 percent, and police occasionally make random breath tests. Seat belts are compulsory in the front and back. Lights must be used on all out-of-town roads.
Easy-going Sicilians
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
Parking
Finding a parking space in town centres is notoriously tricky. Historic centres are often inaccessible to cars, other than those of residents, though visitors staying at hotels with parking facilities are allowed access. Look for a white ‘P’ on a blue background for parking lots and garages at the fringes of the town centre. Elsewhere in towns parking is controlled by meters or scratch cards, available from tobacconists and bars. Illegal parking valets (parcheggiatori abusive) are very common in the big centres and on the coast, and will ask you for a euro or two to ‘protect’ your car, often without helping you park at all. When they do, they may suggest that you park in a no-parking area, saying that it’s OK to park there or that they are friends with the police officers, so it is advisable to read the signs independently before deciding to trust them.
Fuel
Petrol (benzina) is readily available, and there are many 24-hour stations with self-service dispensers that accept euro notes and credit cards, though it’s wise to always bring cash in case the credit card machine is out of order. For unleaded ask for senza piombo.
Rail
Trains are operated by Italian State Railways, Ferrovie dello Stato (www.trenitalia.com). The rail system in Sicily is cheap but slow, and not really convenient for seeing all of the island.
The east of the island is better linked than the west. Messina is well linked to both Palermo and Catania, and all trains to Italy pass through its port in order to cross the Strait of Messina by ferry.
Catania is linked with the major cities (though trains take twice as long from here to Palermo as the coach) and is the starting point of the Ferrovia Circumetnea, the narrow-gauge train that calls at all villages around Mount Etna on a circular route (for more information, click here).
Seat reservations are obligatory on the faster Intercity services. Tickets for all trains must be stamped in the yellow machines on the platforms before boarding the train.
Taxi
In cities, taxis are best telephoned or found at taxi ranks in the main squares of the larger towns. Licensed taxis are white, with a Taxi sign on the roof, and have a meter which should be turned on at the start of the journey. When it comes to tipping, it’s usual to round up the fare. Beware of touts without meters who may approach you at airports and large train stations.
Palermo: Radio Taxi: tel: 091 513 311, 091 513 198.
Catania: Radio Taxi: tel: 095 330 966.
Coach and bus
Fast bus services link Sicily’s main towns and offer relatively speedy access to the interior and the south. Generally speaking, coaches are more reliable and quicker than trains, but they cost more.
City buses have a flat fare and tickets are valid for 75 minutes, including change of bus routes. Bus tickets, available from bars, tobacconists, and from machines at bus terminals and metro stations, must be validated in the machine on the bus.
Ferries/hydrofoils
Getting to the Aeolian Islands. Access by ferry and hydrofoil to the islands is shortest and most frequent from Milazzo (near Messina) on the north coast, accessed by the A19 and A20 autostrada from Palermo or A20 from Messina, or by train from both cities. In the summer, there are up to 11 hydrofoils a day to Lípari and Vulcano, and six a day to Salina. In high season some boats also go from Messina, Cefalù and Palermo. Hydrofoils are faster and slightly more expensive, but ferries give you better views. Services, which are quite often suspended due to bad weather, are run by Ustica Lines (www.usticalines.it), Siremar (www.siremar.it) and NGI (www.ngi-spa.it).
Getting to the Egadi Islands. Ferries and hydrofoils from Trápani run several times a day to the Egadi Islands (Favignana, Lévanzo and Maréttimo). Ferries are mainly operated by Siremar (www.siremar.it) and Uscita Lines (www.usticalines.it).
Friendly face
Insight Guides
V
Visas and passports
Visas are not required by visitors from EU countries. A current passport or valid Identification Card is sufficient. For visitors from the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand a visa is not required, but a valid passport is essential for entry to be granted for a stay of up to three months. Nationals of most other countries require a visa. This must be obtained in advance from an Italian Embassy or Consulate.
Catania market
Neil Buchan-Grant/Apa Publications
W
Wine resort tours
Sicily has seen an increasing number of appealing wine estates where visitors can usually also spend the night, dine or do a cookery or wine-tasting course. Just outside Alcamo, the Sirignano Wine Resort is a delightful organic estate run by the Marchese de Gregorio (www.sirignanowineresort.it). Guests stay in converted farmworkers’ cottages and sample the superb wines over meals cooked by an outstanding chef. For more comprehensive guided tours through Sicily’s wine tradition, visitors can contact a number of wine tour companies: Wine Tours in Sicily (www.winetourinsicily.com) and Italy and Wine (www.italyandwine.it) are two of the most popular ones.
Websites
Websites for specific sights and other attractions are given throughout the book. Other useful sites are:
www.enit.it. Italy’s official tourism website, with information about the most important sights.
www.regione.sicilia.it/turismo. Official Sicilian tourist website. Go to ‘La Sicilia per il Turista’ on the home page for tourist information in English.
www.yourwaytosicilia.com. Official Sicilian tourist office website.
www.parks.it. Italian parks and reserves (then consult Sicily).
www.bestofsicily.com. Packed with information; strong on culture.
Women
Women travellers will invariably come across Sicilians with a roving eye, but serious harassment and sexual assaults are rare. Use common sense (eg avoid scanty clothing in towns), and beware of bag-snatchers and pickpockets. In some of the smaller internal towns it is unusual to see women sitting at a bar alone, and that may attract attention. After dark it is wise to avoid the unlit backstreets in Palermo and Catania and the Via Nizza port area of Siracusa. The resorts of Taormina and Cefalù are normally extremely safe.