Sicily: Righteous Ruins and Dicey Drivers


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Europe » Italy » Sicily » Palermo
May 24th 2022
Published: May 30th 2022
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It is fair to say that we enjoyed our time in Sicily and saw many amazing things as it is an arceiological paradise that we will tell you about, but in our opinion, Sicily needs a coat of love and care, a bit of paint and have the garbage picked up sooner. Now, before you simply move on to another blog or just take a peak at our pictures, we implore you to read the entire blog because overall, we ... Read Full Entry



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Swordfish PastaSwordfish Pasta
Swordfish Pasta

Yummy - Taormina
Greek Theatre.Greek Theatre.
Greek Theatre.

If history could tell us all the stories.
Scenic Turkish StepsScenic Turkish Steps
Scenic Turkish Steps

Near Agrigento, Sicily
Dave and MJDave and MJ
Dave and MJ

Enjoying Ancient Ruins
Temples are ProtectedTemples are Protected
Temples are Protected

Rich in history
Flamingos in TripaniFlamingos in Tripani
Flamingos in Tripani

They look white
Six weeks into a trip.....need a burger!Six weeks into a trip.....need a burger!
Six weeks into a trip.....need a burger!

Could not do another pasta today.



30th May 2022

I liked Sicily too
We stayed in Taormina which was lovely. Agrigento blew me away, though we did get menaced by a pack of wild dogs there, which was unpleasant. I wish I'd gone to Palermo (next time). Syracusa was fine, I remember a superb amphitheatre. I found Trapani quite charming, though I can't remember why, we stayed one night there before we flew back from its little airport. What did strike me was the number of ruined farmhouses we saw driving across the country. Sicily has always been the poorest part of the Italy.
30th May 2022

I liked Sicily too
The number of ancient ruins in Sicily is astounding. Many are well preserved and well restored. Sorry to hear about the pack of wild dogs.
31st May 2022

Great Recommendations!
Thank you for this complete account with great specific recommendations! I hope to visit one day! It is interesting your guide wanted you to drive. When researching another part of Italy for next spring I saw where a tour would give you a discount if you drove your own car and met them at the stops?! This is so strange to me. My number one reason for having a tour or day trip is not to drive. If I take myself to all the places and incur the expense and hassle of a car I will just use a guide on site if needed.
1st June 2022

Great Recommendations!
We thought it was odd the guide asked us to drive but if she were going to do that it would have made more sense to us to do it weeks ago when we were talking with her on the phone. Strange. I do believe the untick in the price of gasoline may have had something to do with it but Dave can't enjoy looking around if he is driving. We never got used to the drivers in Sicily... or the extremely narrow streets. We've driven in others parts of Italy and not had these experiences. Sicily was a one and done for us. This island offers many, many amazing ruins and tons of interesting history so we are glad we went.
4th June 2022
Stormy Ragusa

the crossroads of cultures
Sicily as the largest island in the Mediterranean positioned as if about to be kicked by the boot of Italy and the crossroads of many cultures, looks and sounds like a fascinating destination. A pity about the garbage which appeared to have blighted your appreciation. The rising numbers of tour buses also signals you were wise to visit when you did. Stunning photos for stunning memories no doubt. I have not visited TB for a while so this blog makes me pleased I did. No doubt a skype is in order to hear more firsthand.
4th June 2022
Stormy Ragusa

The crossroads of cultures
We've had a great trip and we'd love to Skype with you. Sicily has so much history to offer and the ruins are well cared for... we are glad to have gone in the off season.
4th June 2022

Bucket list
This is high on my places to visit in the near future! Thanks for the excellent suggestions. Sounds like there less pleasant things to experience, but I rather know going into it!
4th June 2022

Bucket list
Well worth the visit. Not every country can wow you completely. For some Sicily is one of their favorites... for us... we loved the history and are glad we went. The things we didn't care for ... well that's all part of traveling and we are ok with that.
5th June 2022

Sicily
Wow, Sicily looks a real adventure. I can understand your love-hate relationship with the place. It seems you were really able to dig beneath the surface there. The guide in Siracusa sounded a bit unusual when she insisted you did the driving, normally guided tours do the driving themselves... Well done Dave in getting the car back intact, a very skilful driver indeed! I have made a mental note not to visit Sicily in May - thanks for the heads up, lol! I enjoyed reading this blog very much ?
5th June 2022

Sicily
It was odd for the guide to ask us to guide but we politely said no. Dave is a good driver. Sicily has some great ruins but not in May. LOL.
5th June 2022

Informative
In England too, when streams of school children visit museums, it is impossible to move and do a good viewing. They also make so much noise. Thanks for heads up on May. Other bits on general culture etc very useful.
5th June 2022

Informative
Thank you for commenting. It is always good to have a heads up on these things before planning trips.
6th June 2022
Posing for wedding pictures

Wedding
These guys are spoiling your view! Only kidding :) We love seeing weddings in other countries, especially when traditional attire is involved. I totally get what you meant about Rosa and listening intently to a guide for a long period. It tires me out more than the physical walking around a site... but most of the time I appreciate their in-depth knowledge. When we visited Naples many years ago, they'd had months and months of trouble with garbage collection too - in that case it was a mafia standoff with the authorities. I wonder if it was a similar scenario here too? Sicily sounds like a mixed bag destination, and I really appreciate the honesty in your writing.
6th June 2022
Posing for wedding pictures

Wedding
We love seeing weddings in other countries. They were lovely. We learned so much from Rosa and are glad we had her but we were worn out from listening. She really was excellent. The garbage issue was not mafia related. I'm not sure if they put it out too early or if they have too few workers. The cigarette butts being thrown everywhere was annoying. It felt like walking in an ashtray. The ruins were simply amazing so worth going to Sicily... just be ready to live with the dirt.
16th June 2022
Temple de la Concordia

If I ever go to Sicily...
If I ever go to Sicily I just have to visit the town/village Corleone just because I want to stand in the town square and say "I am going to give him an offer he can't refuse." Oh yes, I am silly. But I have a lot of fun in my sillyness. /Ake
17th June 2022
Temple de la Concordia

Going to Sicily
Yes, I guess we should have gone to Corleone. Let me know how it is when you get there. I assumed that scene may have been filmed in some other part but who knows. I'll have to research that.
20th June 2022
Temple de la Concordia

The scene has nothing to do with Corleone, Sicily
If there in the film are any references to the town Corleone at all they are probably very few. And the scene I am refering to has nothing at all to do with any location in Italy. It might even be a total coincidence that there is a town in Sicily that has the same name as the crime family in the Godfather. I am only looking for a reason to goof around a bit. /Ake
20th June 2022
Temple de la Concordia

Corleone
You can tell it has been a long time since I've seen the movie. I'll bet they looked for a town in Sicily with a cool name... or edgy history.
3rd August 2022

Sicily
Your photos certainly portray the positives of Sicily, it looks absolutely beautiful. I almost did a day trip to Sicily for Mt. Etna from Malta, but glad I didn't as feel it would have been too much in one day.
7th August 2022

Sicily
Mt. Edna was one of our favorite locations on Sicily. You wont want to rush it.
23rd August 2022

Sicily
I’ve just read this again after our recent second trip to Sicily. It is indeed an island of contrasts and contradictions. We absolutely loved Siracusa (we were lucky to get an apartment right off the main square in Ortigia): Cefalu (not sure you went there, stunning, probably our favourite), Taormina and Ragusa. Valley of the Temples and white cliffs on sea nearby also excellent. But when we drove there last time couldn’t agree more with your comments on the aggression of the drivers and their apparent complete disregard of the road rules. And the rubbish - everywhere on the sides of the road from Palermo to Agrigento, almost as if the collectors had gone on strike. On balance however it gets a tick from us!
24th August 2022

Sicily
We are glad we went to Sicily as the ruins and history are amazing.We will encourage others to go. I think we would have enjoyed Cefalu from reading your blogs but we didn't make it there. The attitude of the Sicilian people could soften a bit... and the trash is sad. Keep on traveling.

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