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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- Europe
- Italy
- Sicily
Sicily
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, may be just
a short hop from the Italian mainland, across the narrow strait of
Messina, but it is a world apart in atmosphere and attitude.
Everything Italian seems a little more appetising here - not only
the food, but the history and culture as well.
For a long time, Sicily was ignored as a holiday destination,
largely because of the Mafia stranglehold and because of the
poverty of the people. Today, however, the island is experiencing a
tourism boom and a surge in development as the destructive
influences of the Mafia wane. Visitors discover that the Sicilian
people are gracious, noble and welcoming, and that the island
itself offers natural and historic attractions of great beauty and
enormous interest.
The main cities of Palermo and Catania feature some of the most
exquisite architecture in the world, a legacy of the many great
civilisations that have vied for control of this
strategically-situated island over the centuries, from the Greeks
and Romans, to the Arabs and Normans, to (more recently) the
French, Spanish and Italians. There are massive Romanesque
cathedrals, the best-preserved Greek temples in the world, Roman
amphitheatres and magnificent Baroque palaces. The continuous blue
skies and temperate climate, lush vegetation and rich marine life
all add to the island's appeal. Nature has given Sicily Mount Etna,
Europe's tallest active volcano, a dramatic coastline and a fertile
soil that gives forth much of the bounty on which the island's
unique and delicious cuisine is based.
Information & Facts
Climate
Sicily has a coastal Mediterranean climate of mild, wet winters
and hot, dry summers. The mountainous interior has cooler
temperatures, with snowfall during winter; while along the coast,
winter temperatures average about 50°F (10°C), and summer
temperatures about 84°F (28°C).
Language
The official language of Italy is Italian. English is
understood in the larger cities but not in the more remote parts of
the country.
Money
The Euro (EUR) is the official currency, which is divided into
100 cents. Those arriving in Italy with foreign currency can obtain
Euros through any bank, ATM or bureaux de change. ATMs are
widespread. Travellers cheques can be exchanged with ease in the
large cities, not so in the smaller towns. Credit cards are
accepted in upmarket establishments and shops around the cities.
Banks are closed on weekends, but tend to have better rates than
casas de cambios.