I have read articles in the UK travel press by journalists who, overwhelmed by their own intrepidity, actually visited Sicily and came back alive! They described their holidays as if they had toured Palestine with an Israeli flag draped over their backpack. You are 27 times more likely to get murdered in America than in Sicily, so I think they are being rather ridiculous.
Meanwhile, all the self-serving websites that sell holidays tell you “Sicily is one of the safest holiday destinations in the world,” which may be a slight exaggeration. Its cities are among the safest in Europe, but you still don’t want to walk around being a total dummy.
What is Palermo really like for tourists? I’ve lived here 10 years and they still think I’m a tourist, so here it is from the horse’s mouth.
1. Managing money
DO always check your change. Many Sicilians will rip you off. Don’t take it personally – they do it to each other, too, even in supermarkets. Look at the digital till display instead of trusting what the cashier asks for.
DO take travellers’ cheques as a plan B. And don’t put them in the same wallet or pocket as your ATM card! When travelling abroad, I usually use ATMs to avoid carrying large sums of cash. Yet on many occasions, all Sicilian cash points have refused to give me money from my UK bank account for several days. Sometimes they imposed a tiny daily limit. When I phoned my UK bank, they said it was out of their control.
DO ask your hotel receptionist to keep spare cash in the hotel safe (put it in a sealed envelope) and only take out what you need each day.
2. Do many people in Sicily speak English?
I’ve been teaching them for ten years. I’ve tried, really I have.
But sorry, NO, you’ll be very lucky to find a Sicilian who speaks anything resembling good English. Bring a phrase book and practise sign language, because they’re great at that.
3. When is the best time of year to come?
DON’T come in August. Italy is closed in August. Hotels, restaurants, clinics and even hospital departments will be replaced by a “closed for August” sign.
Do come in May-June or September-October to enjoy sweat-free sightseeing and cancer-free sunbathing. Avoid the last week of May which is school outing season, unless you enjoy being surrounded by miniature hooligans using ice lollies as missiles.
You may get some fab winter sun, enjoying pavement cafes in December, but check the weather forecasts because some years it’s rainy and miserable.
4. Are there Public Toilets?
Nearly all Sicilian bars will let you use their toilet even if you are not a customer. All they require is that you ask politely for the key (behind the bar) and that you leave the place clean.
5. How dangerous is it to walk to walk the streets by day?
Is Sicily safe? To get a yardstick on this:
- You are 27 times more likely to get murdered in the USA and 4 times more likely to get raped (that’s official data).
- On the other hand, I would say in Sicily you are approximately 100 times more likely to get a market trader fiddling your change (I just invented that statistic myself).
- I can’t promise nobody will pick your pocket, but it is far less likely than in many European or American cities. (I am going on UN stats here.)
- There are no Mafia fights or shoot-outs in Sicily these days, the Mafia don’t engage in street crime and as a tourist you will not be able to detect them no matter how hard you look. They will not play a role in your holiday.
Sicily is one of the world’s safest places overall. This is based both on published crime statistics, and on the fact that I spent 13 years walking around semi-derelict side streets in central Palermo with a large map and my baby in a push-chair humming “God Save the Queen” to him, and the most dangerous thing that ever happened to us was when my spike heel got jammed between two cobblestones. Some poorer neighbourhoods in Palermo look like Aleppo after heavy bombing yet I have wandered about them alone many times – looking radiantly white and foreign in my flowery skirts – and always been fine.
Please relax, and enjoy a laid back family holiday.
- DO Take the same precautions you would take in other European cities. If you usually carry your valuables in a handbag on your shoulder at home, do the same in Sicily because you’re more likely to protect it instinctively when distracted. If you specially buy a money belt or sew secret cash pockets inside your underpants, you’ll get yourself in a muddle, and thieves will notice.
- DO Keep a COLOUR photocopy of your passport somewhere separate from the real thing, just in case the worst should happen.
- DON’T use the word “Mafia” in public in Sicily. As a foreigner you are in NO DANGER WHATSOEVER from organised crime and you have no need to talk about it. The M-word is something Sicilians have thrown at them by foreigners and other Italians whenever they leave Sicily – often causing them considerable upset – so the last thing they want is the same kind of stereotyping in their own home.
- There’s a neighbourhood in Palermo called Lo Zen (close to a touristy beach resort called Mondello) and you must not go there. You would suffer a fate far worse than getting your pocket picked.
6. Can you walk around at night?
Sicilian women would not walk around Palermo or other big Sicilian cities alone at night. They go out with their husband or boyfriend. For couples, or men, it’s as safe as any other town in Europe.
I think the main reason Sicilian women do not often go out alone is because of the family oriented culture, rather than because it is unsafe. The rate of sex crimes in Italy is one quarter of the rate in the USA, for example. Is that anything to do with the fact serious sex crimes carry a mandatory life sentence in Italy?
7. How can I avoid looking like a tourist?
You can’t. Some websites advise tourists to avoid flapping their street maps around. I’ve also read a “top tip” that you should buy a Sicilian newspaper, to look like a local.
Sicilians can tell you’re foreign no matter what you do, no matter how you dress, and no matter how far away you are. How they do it is a complete mystery to me.
The point is, it doesn’t matter. If you stand around gazing at a map and looking perplexed, some passer by will offer to accompany you to your destination, as an excuse to practise their English.
8. Do the men harass women?
In general, less than the men in other parts of Italy. We probably have the reputation of Sicilian fathers to thank for this! They are still Italians though – refer to my top tips on handling Italian men for specialist advice!
When Italian men pester you, it is almost always just that – irritation, not danger.
9. Any advice on clothing?
DO bring flat or clumpy wedge-heeled shoes. Sicilian towns are full of cobbled streets. I once got my heel jammed between a pair of cobbles while crossing the road, and had to unbuckle the ankle strap and run to the pavement barefoot while a line of cars shot towards me at terminal velocity.
Only bring natural fibres in summer. It’s humid as well as hot. If the label says anything other than cotton or viscose, don’t pack it. It does NOT cool down at night, so you won’t wear warmer things in the evening.
If you come in winter, you DO need jumpers and a coat. It’s not the tropics.
10. Skin protection
DO bring sun block from home. Sun screen in Italy is unbelievably expensive and often expired stock from abroad that doesn’t actually work.
DO buy insect repellent locally. They sell very effective organic repellent made from essential oils.
Do protect yourself from ticks. If you plan to go hiking in the undergrowth, you should be aware that Sicily has ticks which carry Mediterranean Spotted Fever and a few other nasty infections. Smother yourself in every toxic insecticide available.
Do bring antihistamine cream and painkillers. If you want to know how much they would cost you here, add a zero onto the price you would pay at home.
11. Car rental
Many areas in most cities in Sicily have “parking assistants” who will ask you for a euro when you park your car in a public street. This will be your only opportunity, as a tourist, to interact with the Mafia! If you refuse to pay this protection money, you may return to find your car has been broken into. If you find one area strangely free of parking attendants, beware. It will be designated a free-for-all zone where any petty criminal may steal anything he wants.
Some Mafia parking attendants ask for your car key, like valet parking, so they can shuffle cars around and let people out. Mua ha haaa! I’ve never left my car keys with a stranger in the street.
If the whole town is Mafia-free, though, with no illegal “posteggiatori” at all, you are safe to leave the car anywhere.
EDIT: In this post I originally recommended paying one euro to be safe, but a Palermo local shamed me, and said we should stand up to them. He photographs them instead. DO go and see his pictures of these scammers.
I have some German friends who pretend to be daft tourists who do not understand requests for money, and take a photo of the Mafia parking attendant so they can show the police if anything does happen to their car.
DON’T leave valuables in your car. Certainly not visible and preferably not in the boot either, unless you know you’re in a posh neighbourhood.
12. So what is dangerous in Sicily?
The drivers, of course. Look both ways each time you cross the road. Always expect the unexpected, whether you are on foot or driving a car. They sometimes go up the pavement you know.
+++++
If you are planning a trip to Sicily and have specific questions, write them in the comments box, and I promise to answer you.
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The Dangerously Truthful Diary of a Sicilian Housewife 
Hi loved your info on Sicily. My husband and I are planning to visit Sicily for a week from 27 April. Our daughter is flying into Catania to meet us for the weekend of 28th April. We are interested in archaeology, Mt Etna and general relaxing spots (such as beaches). Can you recommend where to stay that is accessible from Catania airport? We will not have a car. We have been looking at Linguaglossa and Nicolosi for accommodation – what do you think? any advice would be welcome thanks Sheila
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I am so glad I have found your blog – it has been incredibly helpful and entertaining. I will be going with my family, two sons (21 and 17) and my husband for 10 days over the holidays in December. I am very excited. We will be driving around the island, staying in multiple places. I decided to spend New Year’s Eve in Palermo. I would greatly appreciate it if you could recommend the best part of town to bring in the new year. If you could recommend a restaurant that would be enormously appreciated. I am finding the most difficult time to find a place to eat is Christmas Eve – I am afraid I will be stuck eating in my hotel paying their ridiculous prices!! We will fly into Catania on the 23rd and I figured it would be easiest to stay put in Taormina till the 26th. One last request, I don’t want to go to Corleone but my husband thinks it is a must. In your opinion is it really? I read there were some scenes shot near Catania and I am hoping it will placate him. My kids agree with me. Thanks, Deborah
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Hello!
I think you will have a fabulous time celebrating new Year in Palermo.
The tradition is to bring the new year in with a fireworks display in the piazza near the sea. Italians fireworks are on a whole new level compared to what you see in most countries (excepting perhaps China).
There are various hotels that lay on parties, which are quite family oriented, so I would watch this page:
http://www.regioni-italiane.com/capodanno-palermo.htm
Sicilians always change things at the last minute, so you most definitely need to double check everything before deciding it is finalised.
Once you are in Palermo, it will be easier to talk to your hotel and find out the most up to date info on what is going on.
A lot of family run restaurants are likey to be closed, but once you are in Palermo walking around you can ask in any restaurants you like, whether they will have a New Year opening.
Corleone is an average town rather in the middle of nowhere and, given the fact your holiday is not very long, I think there are far more interesting places that should be higher up your list of priorities. It has a Mafia museum full of photos of dead people which is sad but, to be brutally honest, also rather a yawn. It’s all in Italian and pitched at history students and journalists. It also has a few fountains and the wine round there is good.
Ask your husband what he thinks he will see there? It’s not going to have men walking round in sunglasses carrying violin cases or anything.
The main place that you really must NOT miss at this time of year is the nativity play in Termini Imerese.
https://siciliangodmother.com/2014/12/15/a-nativity-play-that-fills-a-town/
Not understanding Italian will not be a problem because you already know the story. My photos could in no way do it justice. This is truly unmissable.
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Great blog! No one has mentioned traveling to Sicily in March. What can we expect from the weather? We’ll have up to ten days, a rental car ( airport in Palermo) and expect to stay in 3 different locations. Any tips as to where to make our bases?
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The weather is very unpredictable, but go with layers and definitely be prepared for rain.
Some great bases are Cefalù, Sciacca, Palermo, Taormina and Noto. They will position you well for day trips to the main tourist attractions.
Have a great holiday!
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Thank you for this blog. It has given us a comfort level for vacationing in Sicily more than any other web site. My husband and I leave from US this Saturday.
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I am glad to hear it! Have a wonderful holiday 😀
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Love your article and reply! We will be in Sicily for 3 weeks in October. We will rent a car for the duration. We are starting in the West part of the island and then plan to spend 3 days in Palermo. Can we park the car outside of the city in a safe place while we stay in central Palermo? How would we find such a place?
Thanks so much!
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The first safe and lovely place I can think of is Santa Flavia. It is 20 minutes by train to central Palermo. There are of course other places but Santa Flavia is one of the places you can leave your car and not have to worry about it.
I also have two friends who own lovely holiday rentals there, so let me know if you are interested.
If you prefer to stay in Palermo, you could probably get away with keeping the car there for three days, but you could also think about looking for a hotel with a car park. Palermo is a big city and you may decide you want to drive around it after all!
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If I rent a car can I sleep in it as apposed to a hotel? I will be travelling alone end of October and am female.
Love your article.
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Personally I would not do that. But then, I would not do that in England either. If you park right in the centre of town, where people walk past constantly and there is street lighting, you would probably be ok, but definitely don’t do it out of town or in quiet roads.
Why not rent a caravan and use camping sites instead?
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Hello Veronica
We are visiting Syracusa and Noto, Ragusa, etc in early October. We are hiring a car to get from Syracusa to Noto and back to Catania airport. Do you recommend we take a higher level of insurance for driving in Sicily? We usually rent cars in the USA when visiting family (we live in England) and only take basic cover.
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Car insurance is so expensive in Sicily that the locals only ever get third party cover. For this reason, they will do whatever they can to lay the blame on you if there is a crash, inclulding phoning their cousin Gino who happens to be a cop and asking him to write in his official notebook that he saw the accident and it was your fault. Of course I am not saying they all do this, but it happened to me when a motorbike and car bounced off each other and happened to crash into my car. They almost got away with making me pay for everything, even though my car was parked at the time and I was inside a building nearby. I had to phone my own cop friend, who dashed over and saved the day for me.
If you do get full cover, it could double the cost of your holiday car rental, and there will also be a large initial waver, typically so that you have to pay for the first 300 Euros of damage yourself anyway and can only claim for amounts above that.
Personally I don’t think it’s worth the money. Just take a ton of photos if you do get into any scuffles, demand to see original documentation of their insurance, driving license and identity card, photograph all of those, and dash around grabbing any witness nearby to ask them to testify for you etc etc. And make sure the first person who phones the police is you.
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hi and thanks for so much helpful information! i will be traveling with my mother and a friend staying mostly in palermo and Taormina, but planning a night or two in siracusa, we also want to see the valley of the temples which seems like it is a few hours’ drive from siracusa… do you think it would be reasonable to go on a friday to spend the day in siracusa/ortigia, then saturday hire a car or bus to valley of the temples and then travel back to taormina? or would it be more sensible to stay a second night in siracusa? additionally, if we do stay another night in siracusa will there be any issue with trains on sunday back to taormina? i’ve been told things completely shut down in a lot of places on sunday
thanks again for any advice!
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You could do the Siracusa – Valley of the temples – Taormina round trip but you will need to set out early and have a lot of driving stamina. You do lots of walking in the valley of the temples and you may regret giving yourself only half a day there, as will not have time to see more than a taster.
Trains on Sundays : check out the Trenitalia website for this information, it is a very good site.
Coaches are usually faster from city to city so I would check locally for comparison of times.
Have a great holiday!
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So how safe are Catania and Palermo with the ongoing refugee crisis
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Perfectly safe I would say. I have not heard of anyone being threatened or experiencing any danger at all from refugees.
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Hi
I love your blog but I am now really apprehensive about travelling to Sicily with my children we are staying in Taoromina. Are we safe there especially with how close the lo Zen area is
We are hoping to hire a car and driver to take us to see the sights is this recommended? We have our car seats with us for the children.
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The Zen is in Palermo, it’s the other side of Sicily from Taormina, so don’t worry. Trapani is an incredibly safe town where women and even older children walk around on their own in the evening. It’s a town that never sleeps and it’s wonderfully friendly.
You’ll have a lovely trip.
Car hire is fine too, but I would personally go with someone recommended by the hotel, not someone chosen randomly from an advertisement or the Internet; it guarantees better service because they will want to maintain their good relationship with the hotel and get future recommendations. Also the hotel will recommend one of their friends, as that means they know it is a decent person!
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What a great post!
We are going to Sicily at the beginning of September and at least now I know what to expect and prepare for 😉
We didn’t book any hotel yet, as we actually want to travel around the island and stay in different places on the way, but it’s hard to plan since it will be our first time there. We were wondering if there are any safe places where we could park and sleep in the car (we’ll have Volkswagen Golf, but since we will look for a hotel at the last minute there is slight possibility that we will not find anything and sleeping in the car will be our last option)
Thank you!
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My husband says it will be fine, but not in the countryside, only do it in the city. There have been cases of kidnapping and attacks etc. So only sleep in towns, ideally along the seafront where people will be nearby.
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Hello!
Thank you for your post. My boyfriend is in the US Navy and of Sicilian descent. He is very excited to have been selected to go to Sicily for the next 3 years and wants me to go with him. I have researched what I need to do in regarding a work visa or a student visa. The base is in Sigonella and the job I am applying to is located in Catania. My question is if there is any public transit in Sicily? We have a Volkswagen, but we are wanting to leave it here since we rarely will ever leave base except for leisure or in my case work.
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I have very little experience of public transport in Sicily, but my sister toured the whole island using only public transport, she got everywhere and she was really impressed by how good it was.
I used the train into Palermo from my house sometimes and found it absolutely fantastic. It was so much faster than sitting in traffic and was cheap too.
Check out the Trenitalia website for routes and times.
You just need to make sure you rent a place near a station and check the transport options from the military base.
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Hi, thanks for this blog piece. It was a useful read. We are planning our honeymoon and Sicily is high on the list. It’s likely to be early January but could possibly be end October / mid November. Where would you suggest would be good destinations for that time of year? We know it won’t be hot (especially in January!) and aren’t expecting beach weather, and are assuming we would be better sticking to larger towns. We are wondering about Ragusa, Modica or Noto. Would they be good to visit that time of year? Where else would you suggest? Would somewhere like Taormina or Cefalu still be worth visiting in January, October or November?
Thank you!
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Most years you can still swim in the sea in October, and I would really try to go then rather than January, when the weather can be windy and wet and pretty miserable.
All the places you mentioned are lovely all year round. You will have fewer crowds obviously but it will still feel alive. They are all good places to base yourself for a versatile holiday that you can just plan day by day.
Congratulazioni e auguri per il matrimonio!! And have a wonderful holiday!
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Thanks so much for your reply. Wow, you are quick!
Does the season extend all the way through the end of October or will things start to shut down? If we wanted to experience the ‘real’ Sicily, would you avoid Taormina and Cefalu? Can you recommend any good coastal towns for that time of year?
Thanks again for your advice, it’s much appreciated.
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I love both those towns even though they are stuffed with tourists. I don’t know any place in Sicily where the tourists have stopped a place having its own local character – it is extremely difficult to dominate the Sicilian spirit!
There are very few foreign tourists in October anywhere in Sicily.
Other lovely coastal towns are Siracusa, Sciacca and Marsala.
Some of the pavement cafes will shrink down to fewer tables in autumn and the lido beaches will be cleared of sun loungers etc, but there won’t be a lack of open venues and things to do.
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Hi,
Loving your tips – thank you.
We are staying in North West Sicily, near San Vito lo Capo. Would it be reckless to think we could visit Etna on a day trip? we are renting a car from Palermo airport.
Many thanks.
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We did it as a day trip a few times from Bagheria, which is just east of Palermo. San Vito is even further, so you would be adding at least another hour onto driving time each way. I think it is do-able but you have to be willing to get up mega-early and be driving home into the night. Personally I would look at the possibility of staying over night as that you can take your time instead of dashing up Etna and down again in order to drive home.
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We have booked to travel to ragusa in Sicily in September. Now I read that the south East of the country is where the refugees land on the beaches. And the island is overrun with them . Is it safe to travel thhere
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Where did you read online that Sicily is overrun with refugees? I wish I could find out who is using this word overrun. It suggests they are wandering around blocking the streets and venues everywhere getting in everyone’s way.
In reality, you can play a game called “spot the refugee” and if you look really hard, you might find ten in a day!
Asylum seekers get taken to residential centres where they have to stay until their asylum application is processed and then once they are released from there, they get out of Sicily and head north.
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Hello Veronica,
I’ve only just discovered you and like your style!
We are planning a last minute trip to the Med and are thinking about Sicily for three weeks starting around the 20th of August. We like to get out of Sydney in August because (to us thin skinned Aussies) it’s too cold. So we are used to everything being closed etc. We can always find somewhere to eat!
Normally I plan our trips months in advance and get all OCD about everything but this one is off the cuff (scary). So i’ve no time to do my usual intensive research.
What I want to know is where you would recommend to stay for a couple in their fifties who like Praiano rather than Positano. We love the Amalfi but need to break out and go somewhere else and Sicily is calling us. We don’t want to stay in the Taormina (maybe a couple of nights upon arrival – a soft landing) which is the only town anyone I know has ever been to in Sicily. We want somewhere on the sea, a village, a few restaurants, doesn’t have to be fancy, where the Italians holiday.
Any recommendations?
Best,
Loraine
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Hi Loraine!
If you want coastal villages, I would consider basing yourselves either in Cafalu, on the north coast, or Sciacca, on the south coast, or Siracusa in the bottom corner. These are all lovely places within easy reach of lots of sightseeing options by day trip, but also with plenty to see and do right outside your hotel. They are also touristy, but not overrun, which means you have plenty of restaurant and hotel options and decent public transport to other places. You could also consider Lido do Noto which is a popular holiday option for Sicilians.
You could also go rummaging around my “Dangerously truthful Travel Guide” in the menu which has lots of other options for things to see and do.
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We are about to rent a villa in Scopello the 2nd week in August. It looks so beautiful we are a family of 4 with children of 9 and 7. We just want to chill and eat. However reading your site makes me think In August everything will be closed and it’s the worst time to visit. Is it worst but still lovely?
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I double checked with my husband and he says nowadays there will always be something open, so you’ll be fine. The days you need to be careful are 14th and 15th, so before then, ask the people in the places where you eat exactly what their opening hours will be. Assuming that the villa will be self-catering, you could also stock up with some food!
Have a great holiday!
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Hi, i’ll be driving in Sicily next month, is there any parking system like parking meters or any fees I have to be aware of?
Just out of curiosity what is their impression of the Maltese people? 🙂
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When parking on blue line, you have to get a pay and display parking ticket from the nearest café or tobacconist. They have variable rates so be careful if you buy a bunch of them, that you are displaying one of the right price.
Also, a local junior Mafia apprentice will ask you for a euro if you park in many streets…. They kind of do it like valet parking! If you refuse, your car might get stolen, but a friend of mine said to act like a dumb tourist and take a selfie of you and them… Then your car will be fine.
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Is it still safe to go to Sicily? I would love to visit it very much and we were planning to do it in July. But my sister is panicking about the thousands of migrants, who arrive every day to island. Would be very grateful for any update on this topic. Thanks. Victoria
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Hello!
Yes it is perfectly safe to visit Sicily!
We hardly see any migrants out and about to be honest. They either move out northwards very fast, or are kept in detention centres and then sent back. We honestly see very few of them in the towns.
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Hi, having read and searched about where to go/not to go we decided on Sicily for 10 days this July. We have booked to stay in Castellamare del Golfo in the Northwest. My Mum is coming with us and having seen yesterday’s news about an increase in Migrants and also that the US are firing missiles from their base in the South, quite honestly we are all unsure if we should be going!?
To be honest I am of the opinion that at the moment a lot of places in the world are not safe due to terrorist risks etc. Your previous comments have helped but please can you give me an insiders opinion of what the actual mood is.
We hear of fights breaking out in Palermo over jobs with locals and refugees etc.
We planned to walk in the Nature reserve nearby, swim and snorkel, will we be safe?
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I don’t really understand where the panic comes from, as I just haven’t ever seen or heard of any violence or any of these dangers people talk about. I don’t even know where they read about them online, to be perfectly honest. You will be absolutely fine. Have great holiday!
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How do Sicilians feel about Americans?
Thanks, Connie
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It seems that all the Americans who come to Sicily are part Sicilian and visiting relatives! Sicilians definitely seem to warm to Americans a lot.
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Very readable, very convincing, nicely balanced viewpoint. I enjoyed your advice and your prose very much indeed! Thanks
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Me and my brother are mixed race. I look Italian, he looks African Black. Would this be a problem for us?
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No, I don’t think it would be a problem at all in Sicily. My brother in law is black and when he visited Sicily, there was no problem with anyone.
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fabulous, thank you 🙂
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what a great blog – I’m so glad I found you! We’re looking at coming out with my parents (70ish) and our children (11) and renting a villa in October half term. There are some lovely ones rather inland (Piazza Amerina and the area between Palermo and Trapani), plus some nearer the beach (Siracuse, Ragusa, Pachino).
We want to avoid any overly touristy or nasty areas, but equally don’t want to end up in a really insular area 3hrs from a beach or civilisation. Happy with narrow roads etc and we speak basic Italian but not sure about the friendliness of the locals! Any thoughts or advice? I seem to have spent about 7 days researching and still seem no closer to a decision! Thank you in advance, Olivia
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Hello! Piazza Amerina has the lovely villa with the mosaics but there is not much else there so it doesn’t make an ideal base. Sicilians love the sea and their coastal towns are always the most vibrant, lively and fun places and the best bases.
Taormina is really the only place that is mega touristy. Cefalù is quite touristy too but still has its own character and isn’t spoiled by it.
Siracusa is utterly gorgeous and I would certainly recommend that as a base too!
Have a great holiday!
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Bongiorno,
I’ve booked a 7 days room in a hotel in Taormina and I’m worried about migrants issue. There are problems in Siracusa, Noto or Etna … i’ve read some news that didn’t look good
Thank you
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Hello!
No, there’s no need to be worried at all about the migrants. There are far more migrants in Germany, France, or even England than there are in Sicily. They come and then they move on. The ones you do see are calm, friendly and very nice people. Honestly, you have no reason to be concerned about this at all.
I hope you have a great holiday!
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Thanks a lot !
It is too much beauty, not to enjoy …
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Hi, we are contemplating going 3-14 August to San Vito lo Capo. Have you ever been to this area? is this the worst time to go? we will have air con. Starting to fret if the ticks/heat will be too much for our Irish skin.
Many thanks.
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San Vito has a lovely refreshing breeze that comes in off the sea. I think with air con at home and the sea to leap into when you go out, you’ll be fine!
Do definitely take your own sun screen though because the stuff they sell in Sicily is overpriced and usually rubbish.
Have a great holiday!
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Dear Veronica, I´ve just found your blog and read these safety tips. Your blog popped up first when I searched for “is sicily safe” 🙂
I´ve been thinking about moving to Sicily for a couple of months, from January on. Need some time abroad to focus on my work. I´ve been searching for some apartments to rent and one of them is in Castel di Tusa. Do you know that area? Safe for a single woman? Thank you.
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Hiya! Castel di Tusa is a lovely relaxing place and sure to be safe for a single woman. The people in these villages all get to know everyone but tend to be wary of new people at first so you may have to do all the work in the beginning to make new friends.
I would definitely recommend it though to relax and work, especially if you are artistic as there is a lively modern art movement in that area.
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Thinking of visiting Sicily next year, we’ve been to Madeira the past 2 years which is remarkably safe. My question is, do migrants present a problem? There have been some scare stories recently, particularly an elderly couple murdered by a migrant from Ivory Coast.
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No they don’t present any danger, I have never felt threatened by them or heard of other people having any hassle at all.
Don’t worry, come to Sicily, you’ll have a great time! 🙂
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I am enjoying reading your blog. A group of my friends (6 or 7 couples) are hoping to plan an escorted tour through Sicily next Fall (2016). We are hearing so much about the invasion of migrants into Sicily. It’s making us quite skeptical about visiting. We’ve heard that Sicily is so beautiful and having been to the large cities on the mainland of Italy before, we’d like to make Sicily part of our next trip. I see that you said the invasion is more of a problem for the immigrants, but I can’t help thinking more people without homes and jobs could cause more of a danger to the island. Please help convince us that it would be a safe and memorable trip to take.
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Over 50% of all Sicilians are unemployed, so the unemployed migrants are a drop in the ocean compared te the numbers of unemployed Sicilians we have here already. The government puts the migrants in centres where they are not actually allowed to leave, until they have official papers after at least 4 months – after that they head off and almost all of them go to northern Italy whre they have relatives tohelp them get started. The Africans I’ve seen working here are the Morocconas at the petrol station, who are all really nice guys; sub-saharan Africans running market stalls selling toys and handbags with their wives and often babies; and sometimes north Africans without proper jobs, who clean your car windscreen for small change at the traffic lights. In Central Palermo you see some north Africans with stalls in the street selling jewellery, clothes and phone covers, LOTS of phone covers.
They are hardly posing a danger to tourists.
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Your site is hilarious
We are thinking of Christmas/ New Year to rent a house or flat in Catania or Syracuse area
We see on the news so much about the refugee invasion. Is it a safety problem ?
Thanks
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No, not a safetly problem at all. Come on down – you’ll have a wonderful Christmas! 😀
I’d recommend staying in Siracusa BTW, it’s a little corner of paradise and easy to get from there to Catania for day trips etc.
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We just returned from eight days in Sicily, including two nights in Lipari. On the “main island” we were amazed to see huge stinking piles of trash every quarter mile or so, both in the small town we stayed in as well as Messina, nearby. I guessed, rightly as it turns out, that the Mafia is behind this stinking mess, and it was almost comical to see the garbage truck with two men occasionally picking at the piles, which grew by the day. In fairness, one day the large pile near our villa was gone, but the much larger pile on the main road close by, and several others, were still in “growth” mode.
I walk in the mornings, and had to pass by these piles, and the smell, flies, and sickening array of trash was enough to keep me off the streets except in a vehicle.
Otherwise we loved the island, especially Lipari, and the people, and of course the food.
It’s sad that organized crime has a death-grip on the entire place!
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Yes, the town where I live was like this too until a few months ago, stinking mountains of trash everywhere. When I railed against it on Facebook a backlash of Sicilians told me if I had negative opinions of the place I would do better to leave. Apparently they would like to keep their place like a rubbish dump and keep the foreigners away so they can wallow in their shame privately. It’s an uphill struggle for the pwople who want to help Sicily develop economically though tourism – almost all of whom are foreigners, interestingly.
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Hi Veronica! really enjoyed your post and safety tips! we are a group of 2 couples 30s/40s flying into comiso in September 2015 and staying in marina di Ragusa in a rented apartment. Have you any comments or suggestions for places to see in the area? I appreciate that the majority of Sicilians don’t speak English as I was there 8yrs ago but are they still as welcoming and understanding of 4 irish non Italian speakers??
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Yes, they are still as welcoming, friendly and nutty as ever!!!!
Ragusa is where the Sicilian baroque cities are – the 6 of them together are a UNESCO world heritage site. You should see them all! My favourites are Noto, stunning (you must eat the granita there) and Modica where they make the world’s best chocolate (You can enter some choclate laboratories, as they call them, like entering the world of Willy Wonka).
You will also be within reach of Siracusa – not to be missed – and should do a day trip to Etna. You cannot go to Eastern Sicily without doing that!
Finally, I would go to Taormina for a day. It’s touristy but still lovely anyway.
Have a fab holiday!!!!!
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Hi, some great tips in your article, thanks! My husband, daughter and I have booked to stay in a villa in Trapani in October. There’s been a LOT in the British press about the migrants landing in Sicily over the last few weeks, and are generally reporting it as a “crisis”. The press here are, of course, well known for exaggeration and “fear-mongering” but my parents are now convinced we are all going to die as soon as we step off the plane. In your view, what is the situation at the moment?
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Well, the immigrants are all put in residential centres, so as a tourist or general member of the public you don’t really see them out and about much. It is a crisis, but for them not for us, to be perfectly honest.
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I’m heading to Sicily for 8 days with a group of women in June. I’m a serious runner and I get VERY CRANKY if I don’t run for more than a day or 2. Is it safe for me to run alone? I’m 57 years old, 5’0″, 95 pounds, and very fit. I think I could out run bad guys, but please give me the scoop.
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Yes definitely safe provided you go by day not night and you choose roads where you’r not at risk of getting run over!!! Ask the hotel receptionist which routes they suggest. You see people running about all over the place where I live, including scantily clad women, with no hassle at all!
BTW I hope you all have a great holiday!
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I do love the way you write and find your blogs so easy to read. I have been planning on coming over to Sicily late in the year, on my own …. but must admit that I am now feeling a little nervous about it. I have travelled a lot, lived in New York (not in the best areas!) for two years so am not of a nervous disposition, but the world is a changing place and as I said, am left feeling a little unsure. My daughter is married to an Italian Chef and they have a restaurant in Lombardy which I find very manageable and can get by on my limited Italian. I am now wondering whether Sicily on my own is a step too far, particularly because I had intended to stay on the western side … but toying with the idea of Agricento. My son-in-law, Paolo, has little patience with the south of Italy for all the usual reasons, I can just picture his face and his mutterings when he learns of my plans, perhaps my daughter hasn’t dare tell him yet! I am off to stay with them in Lombardy (Lake Iseo) in a few weeks so will be getting my Italy fix there as well. Would love to hear your thoughts. P.S. my daughter blogs as well though gets bored easily, lol!
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I am so glad you love my blog!
My advice would be that western Sicily is perfectly safe by day for a single woman by day, it’s just the issue of walking about by night that may not be so safe. Agrigento is rather “traditional” in outlook and so is probably the same. If you have a friend you could come with it would be completely different and safe in my opinion. If you would be willing to stay in your hotel after dinner and mainly want to see cultural sites by day it would also be fine.
Over in the east, towns like Siracusa, Taormina etc, it’s a completely different story. So if you do have to travel alone, I personally would go there. The locals are more modern and fully accustomed to seeing single women out and about at all hours and they are much smaller towns than Palermo which also makes them safer.
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Useful and entertaining read. Look forward to more. On a totally non-scientific basis, I think posture and shoes are the biggest give-aways when it comes to spotting a tourist in Italy!
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Yes, I agree, I think posture is the biggest one of all.
I spotted a boy in our village last summer and knew he was foreign when I saw him from behind and quite a way away. It was because he was shaking older men’s hands politely, standing to attention stiffly and generally acting in a formal way which betrayed an upbringing full of discipline. He turned out to be Danish. A Sicilian boy would have been slouching about, with no sense of formality.
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Re: the parking, my (Catanese) boyfriend always looks them in the eye as he locks the car doors, says, ‘Ci vediamo dopo’ and walks away. He doesn’t ever pay them, in actual fact, but (thus far) it seems to have been enough to stop the car being vandalised. Fingers crossed it stays that way!
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Good for him.
I wonder if a woman could pull off a menacing stare like that?
My problem is I have a terrible memory for faces – I’d probably never recognise them again!!!
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Great post. I found driving in Sicily to be the greatest risk – to your physical and mental wellbeing 🙂
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Definitely. It’ been prematurely ageing me!
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Last year I visited Siracusa and parked my car in a very convenient space in Ortigia, not knowing that this was for loading/unloading only. I was extremely lucky that it was a hot day and went into a neighbouring café to have a drink before walking around the town. I emerged 20 minutes later to see my hire care being towed away. Being somewhat naïve I had left the hire car documents in the glove compartment and had no idea of the make/model/number plate etc. A very helpful Sicilian in the café stopped a policeman to find out where the car had been taken to – the traffic police pound. He did say that this is a very efficient way to make extra cash for the police, hence I was towed away but all the double-parked/diagonal parked cars were left alone. The traffic police do constant tours of the area seeking out suitable cars to tow away in order to raise funds. When I arrived at the pound I discovered that the fine was on a time scale so had I returned to my empty space in the afternoon the fine would have been horrendous. There then ensued a very long, not always happy debate, because, fearful of The Friends and /or their associates stealing my bag, I had no passport, driving licence, identification of any kind on me. However I finally left the pound, in the car, with a hand-drawn map of the route back to my hotel, with smiles all round from the local constabulary. Always smile, always stay polite – it turned out fine.
P.S. and in my photograph book of this particular holiday the final page documents my criminal record with the Sicilian Police.
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This story makes me angry but doesn’t surprise me. I have also been targeted many times with a fine for a minor parking infraction when the entire street was full of cars parked diagonally up the pavement, obstructing an ambulance loading bay, etc. Those cars belong to the policeman’s friend or Aunty, you see, whilst we’re foreigners and count for nothing – we have no strings to pull in high places.
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Hi Veronica, great read – as always! Maybe, as a longtime Sicily visitor, I can add;
– be prepared to drive down streets narrower than your actual car, with the occasional step thrown in – as long as you follow the one-way signs you should be all right;
– always, without exception, double or triple park, especially on pavements, in no-parking zones and in hospital emergency bays;
– set off from traffic lights when the light turns green, unless your friend walks by and you fancy a chat;
– never order a cappuccino after 11am (that would be mad), but insist on ice cream for breakfast
– regard signs saying ‘Silencio’ in much the same manner as a bull regards a red rag
– speak your mangled, badly accented, poorly worded Italian without shame – you will be taken for a northerner, from Rome maybe, and gently tolerated
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Ha ha haaaaa!! 🙂 all Excellent tips!! 🙂
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All so true! I have spent so much time in Palermo that I have several ‘haunts’ but am still considered a tourist! My posteggio guy by Santa Maria dalla catena recognizes me & tells me to. ‘ lascia stare’ when I try to give him $.
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I’m resigned to the fact that I am going to be the funny foreigner for the rest of my life. Sigh.
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The beat up car I normally borrow to drive around the region of Palermo has broken locks, so I can’t even lock it shut. But because it’s all beat up, it blends in well amongst the other local cars and doesn’t look like it belongs to a tourist.
I did hire a car in new condition once in order to travel further through Sicily. It was quite cheap for 2 weeks (from Avis I think). But my biggest concern with a hired car is parking it on the street where I stay because the street is very narrow, cars pass each other with only millimeters to spare, and every other car there has damage in the form of broken side mirrors and/or damaged side panels. It’s having to pay for damages when returning a rented car that I’m worried about. That can become very expensive. If it’s my own car, then I won’t really be concerned with dents and scratches.
I also try to avoid paying illegal parking attendants with the motivation that paying them stimulates them to continue doing what they’re doing instead of looking elsewhere for productive work. but everyone I know there also advise me to pay anyway, so I do (or they do).
I don’t normally get mistaken for a tourist, but some people I’ve seen, especially in Palermo, look like they’re from another planet with tropical t-shirts tucked deeply into their khaki shorts that are pulled up to their belly-buttons and held there with tight belts, wearing wide circumference hats, holding a map or guidebook in one hand and having a SLR camera dangling mid-chest. It doesn’t get anymore obvious than that.
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I used to have a hopelessly battered Fiat Punto and fearlessly drove it anywhere, since you could never count all the dents so new damage never upset me! I was sad when it finally died (the engine exploded) so we had to buy a new, fancy car that I worry about!!
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My husband and I wandered deep into Palermo one day in search of a gaming/hobby store, of all things. We so were far away from tourist territory, when I went into a baby goods store to check on directions, the workers were astonished. But everyone was exceedingly nice, and the game store owner so pleased and surprised two Americani wanted to come to his store, he gave my husband a Smart Car model.
I never mentioned the M-word over there…I did tell a cafe owner in Naxos Giardini, when he asked me where my grandmother was from, the truth… “Mia nonna era di Corleone.” He kind of stepped back and did a joking gasp of terror, but then next came over with a tray of almond liqueurs. Hmmmm.
Family legend says there’s a great uncle who might have had some involvement and had to come to America because of it. I don’t know.
But some little old man in a camel hair coat and two large men with no necks showed up at my grandmother’s funeral. I was told it was because she was “respected” in the neighborhood. And that’s all I was told.
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Ha ha! I love the unexpected visitors at your grandmother’s funeral! It sounds like a comedy movie – and I suppose a family mystery that will never be solved!
I am amazed to find how many highly respectable friends will quietly mention one day they have some uncle or other relative who became one of the M people. It’s a bizarre social phenomenon.
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Well – as you know I love Sicily…. The most dangerous thing I ever encountered was too much delicious food giving me a stretched tummy 🙂
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Ha ha!!!!
You’re anonymous, but I’ll believe you love Sicily. And yes, the stretched tummy is a danger I’ve suffered a few times too!
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Hi Veronica, again, I love your post. I’ve been to Palermo lots but never heard of Lo Zen. What is the deal with it?
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It’s a huge council estate where I am told people get murdered for a jacket or a pair of shoes. It’s the poorest most criminal area in Sicily but I cannot tell you more because nobody I know would go there.
Naming the area my husband is from (Brancaccio) makes many people raise their eyebrows but the Zen is on a whole new level.
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Okay, I’ll keep that in mind for future trips to Palermo!
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Enjoying your blog. And I love that bankmachine! Where can I find one like that 😉
I’m headed to Sicily on the 12th of Februrary – traveling alone, as I often do. I’m going to Acireale first for Carneval and then to Palermo. I’m a seasoned traveler, but admit that your post has me a little apprehensive. I’m wondering if I need to stay holed up in my hotel once the sun goes down both in Acireale and in Palermo. Do women not travel alone in Sicily? Do women go to theater alone in Palermo?
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OK, this is a bit tricky. There are some small, touristy towns where women do travel alone and go out at night. I am thinking in particular of Cefalù and Taormina.
I just asked my husband what he thinks about Palermo. He said he thinks it’s probably like most European cities. I spent years in London walking about at night, along with hundreds of other women on their own, I told him. Oh, he said, well in Palermo you cannot guarantee safety but some areas might be OK.
If I were you I would ask the hotel people for their advice on which streets and neighbourhoods you can safely go to at night.
I do wonder if part of this is cultural. Sicilian men don’t keep their women on a leash but they are very protective of them. I guess the very fact that most women don’t go out alone at night means the one who does would attract attention.
I am sorry I can’t give you a definitive answer on this.
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Now, what about poisoneous snakes and scorpions? When I went to an archaeological site this was my greatest fear. I bought boot-like shoes to solve the problem. The place was hot and rocky and overgrown by breast-high cactus plants. (By the way: What is it with the burning of wild green? I have seen fotos of the same site without any cactus plants, and once a Sicilian told me that they burn such sites in autumn and have a clear field by this method. Errrr …. hm?)
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Ha ha! Do you mean metaphorical snakes or real ones? 😉
I hadn’t thought of that – are there really poisonous ones in Sicily? I didn’t even know.
I think the fires mostly start by accident. Some people say the forest fire brigade start the fires to justify their job by showing they’re needed, but I don’t know if it’s true.
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Oh yes there are! My very perfect travel guide (the one which even knew about your museum!) tells that there are badly poiseneous vipers! Maybe there are only as many victims of snake bites per year as there are visitors in your museum? 🙂
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Ha hah aaaaa! I AM LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Funny article as always, but for once I have to disagree with you on the tip “DO pay the illegal parking attendants.”. I’ve grown up in Palermo NEVER gave anything to Mafia (because as you correctly say it’s the mafia that controls it) to park my own cars. I neved had any trouble, I was lucky maybe, but if you can’t “take this risk” for a car how are you supposed to stand against organised crime if, let’s say, you have a shop and want to refuse paying the pizzo?
I think it is important to fight this widespread issue and, while I don’t think I did something particularely brave, I published photos of some of them and tried to share among my friends
https://500px.com/daviderizzo/stories/3893382/mafia-at-your-service
Keep the good tips
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That’s interesting Davide, and thanks for commenting.
I used to refuse to pay them, outraged that they would dare to ask for money when I was parking in a public street. But I have been told by so many Sicilian friends about car break-ins that their fear has rubbed off on me. I have some German friends who say they never pay, but pretend to be dumb tourists; the wife stands next to the guy and the husband takes a photo of them both so he knows that if the car is damaged, they have him on record. Maybe I should start doing that and turn it into a blog post?!
I am going to modify the text of the blog post now….
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Your photos are by and large sad. The one dude has no teeth. I would give him money just to go fix his teeth. I live in NYC. I spend $30-40 to park the car AND give the guy $2 tip when he brings it back with no scratches. How does giving these car watchers $ hurt anyone?
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Where do I begin? It’s wrong on so many levels. I’ve always paid out of fear, but always felt ashamed of doing so. Believe me it does plenty of harm.
Firstly, when these guys become violent and are arrested, they usually have 6,000 to 7,000 Euros on them – that’s how much they make in a day. Their dirty clothes and bad teeth are the uniform of the Mafia in Sicily. including the bosses who have millions. The real Sicilian Mafia look absolutely nothing like the Movie Mafia.
Secondly, I personally am against organised crime and against murder, extortion and that kind of thing. When someone is working his way up the ranks to eventually become a drug dealer, killer and master of financial fraud, nobody should give him a helping hand.
Thirdly, why on earth should anyone pay to park their car in a public street? That they pay taxes to maintain anyway? We pay taxes here that include the salary of the Vigili Urbani who are traffic police, whose JOB it is to protect my car and my safety when it’s in the street. Why should I pay extortion money to a criminal on top of that?
And finally, How many times a day do you pay 30 or 40 dollars to park your car? In Sicily, an average housewife on an average day might park her car:
1. Outside the school to drop off the kids
2. Outside the supermarket
3. outside the butcher’s
4. outside the bank
5. outside the bakery
6. outside the school again
7. outside her house
So there goes 7 euros and that’s just the morning.
Before I pulled my kid out of school he was in a class with 25 children, and 12 of the mothers had at least one tooth missing. They were all honest mums raising respectable families, several of them had jobs, and the reason they had not got their teeth fixed was because the majority of people in Sicily are too poor to afford the dentist.
If you have 1800 dollars spare, to pay for someone in Sicily to get a tooth implant, why not give it one of them? 😉
(I was trying to find a toothless emoticon but I don’t think there is one….)
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To SHw (below),
I get your point. MY point is then you can’t live anywhere on the planet really? Have you ever watched Luis Bunuel “Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.” In America, I pay 50% of my salary to support “organized crime”..my government. As a quick example, google: Aaron Schock, a congressman or Sheldon Silver. I was fooled by the “poor peasant” look of these people. In a country with 40-50% youth unemployment, etc.
Maybe Sicily needs a pay ticket to park, like in Manhattan. That way you could buy a ticket for all day (park all over town) and your money would go to ??? the shady government. Seems like it all goes to the same people anyway.
America kills a lot of innocent people also. So Sicily’s mafia may just be a bit more “in your face.” As for master mind of financial fraud, Wall Street almost bankrupted the global economy in 2008 with dirty subprime mortgages. USA almost brought down the entire world. How’s that for corruption! On a lighter note, maybe one could start a mafia dental makeover company. Tooth veneers are really excellent looking, and at least in NY, they start at about $2000 a tooth. Parking included. Ha.
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We do have to buy parking tickets too, actually, I forgot to mention that!!! Ha ha! You’re supposed to buy them from a tobacconist, but the Mafia guys sell them too: it’s 2 euros for the government extortion money (parking ticket) and one euro for the Mafia guy. But the ticket doesn’t last all day – you are only allowed to leave your car in one spot for 2 hours then you have to move away and give someone else a go!
And yes I do take your point about the political criminals – I guess the love connection between politics and Mafia is just a bit more blatantly obvious in Sicily!
I like the dental makeover idea. Shall we start a toothcare pyramid selling sheme? 😉
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For the past 8 years we’ve gone to Sicily twice a year, mostly to Vittoria area, Trapani and Caltanissetta. Never had a problem. English is widely understood where we’ve been. We travel by car and have been all over the island. Palermo is fine, just like any large city.
One note to the admonitions above:
DO Keep a photocopy of your passport somewhere separate from the real thing, just in case the worst should happen.
Make sure you have a full colour copy. B & W copy won’t suffice. With a colour copy you can often get a new passport almost immediately.
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Oh, I didn’t know you needed a colour copy. Thanks for commenting – I’ll add that to the article as it’s really important to know!
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