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Blue Guide Sicily
Fully revised and updated new edition of this popular Blue Guide, by Sicily resident and tour guide Ellen Grady. While this guide retains the Blue Guides’ traditional focus on architecture, art and archaeology, with in-depth coverage of all the sights, both the famous and those off the beaten track, the author is also an expert […]
Please choose if you’d like to buy print directly from us (if available; UK only) or from Amazon, or pick the digital format you need. The content of each format is the same.
Fully revised and updated new edition of this popular Blue Guide, by Sicily resident and tour guide Ellen Grady.
While this guide retains the Blue Guides’ traditional focus on architecture, art and archaeology, with in-depth coverage of all the sights, both the famous and those off the beaten track, the author is also an expert on the cuisine of Sicily and each chapter contains detailed and up-to-date listings of where to eat and what local specialities to sample. Fully revised accommodation sections are also included, along with information on Sicilian wine.
Ideal for on-site use as well as for at-home study and to help visitors plan ahead.
Look Inside
15 reviews for Blue Guide Sicily
Additional Information
| Author | Ellen Grady |
|---|---|
| Edition | 9 |
| Illustration Type (Print) | Two-colour with photographs, diagrams, site plans and a section of full-colour maps. |
| ISBN (Digital) | 9781910480656 |
| ISBN (print) | 9781905131747 |
| Print Pages | 550 |
| Publication Year | 2017 |
Jill Tata via Amazon –
Blue Guide Sicily is an exciting and extraordinary travel guide. Having visited with a large tour group I want to return solo. This book goes into depth and sums up the islands charm. It’s an excellent read in preparation for, or while on a trip to Sicily. Part guidebook, part historical and it is one of the most interesting books I’ve read. I’d say it’s the definitive work on Sicily! A great picture of Sicily and its hideouts through the centuries – very insightful.
Argyraspid via Amazon –
Simply the best! The editor of this Blue Guide, Sicily is Dr Michael Metcalfe, whom I had the immense pleasure to meet on several trips organized by Peter Sommer Travels.
This travel guide starts with a sketchy presentation of Sicily’s complex history. After that, each province of Sicily is being explained in detail, beginning each time with a short history of its own followed by the role its capital and other main cities played over the centuries, highlighting the main buildings and others, inclusive opening hours, entrance fees and handy phone numbers. Clear town plans and site maps help the prospective visitor to find his way among the Greco-Roman ruins and in the web of streets and alleys of these cities and towns. Key events or key personalities receive special attention in a framed window, and clear drawings and an occasional (black & white) picture definitely help to get a good idea of what to expect.
At the end of each chapter treating a separate province, there is a list of hotels and restaurants that deserve to be taken into consideration. That goes for all the provinces of Sicily: Palermo, Trapani, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Enna, Ragusa, Syracuse, Catania and Messina.
The guide concludes with some practical information about opening hours, emergency numbers, means of communication and travel, and finally some details about accommodation and the island’s wide range of typical food and drink (wines). There also is a glossary of special terms, mostly pertaining to Greek temples and theatres, handily completed with drawings of the basic temple design, the classical orders of the temples, the design of ancient theatres, as well as the names and shapes of all kinds of pottery one can encounter. It also includes a list of Sicilian architects, painters and sculptors. At the very end of the guide we find a full road map of Sicily and a series of more detailed maps by province. In short, everything you need to know before heading for this beautiful island but also extremely useful while travelling around.
To my greatest pleasure and utmost satisfaction I did indeed visit this island in a two-weeks tour led by Dr Michael Metcalfe in person (for the tour details of Peter Sommer Travels, see Exploring Sicily), who truly brought Sicily and its rich history and culture to life!
Kahanamoku via Amazon –
One of the best books I have found for information on Sicily. If you want pretty pics go elsewhere.. this is really great on the information side. A much better format for me than DK.
Robin Duran McBride via Amazon –
Beautiful book full of information. Very readable and not boring.
RTF King via Amazon –
I bought this guide the night before leaving for a one week’s holiday in Palermo. Only after I had downloaded it did I see that its only review gave it one star, and I almost certainly would not have bought it had I read the review. In contrast to the reviewer, I found it extremely easy to use, with very good linkages between the Table of Contents at the back and the discussion in the text, and also cross-referencing between different parts of the text. I normally download my Kindle books on to two devices. The first is the Kindle paperwhite tablet, which has the great advantage that it can be read in broad sunlight. This is especially useful for travel guides. They are also very easy to slip into a pocket. The drawback is that, as your reviewer noted, diagrams and photographs tend to be too small and cannot be enlarged. I also download them on to an Android tablet (I use a Google Nexus 7 inch tablet, but this has probably been rendered obsolete by now.) With the Android version one can enlarge diagrams and photos very easily, and view them in a landscape version if preferred.
As for the guide itself, it is well-written and so far as I could see, very comprehensive. There were one or two glitches about opening times–swings and roundabouts, we found some things unexpectedly open as well as others unexpectedly closed. But for the most part it proved accurate and very helpful.
e-Edition.
Geoffrey Braswell via Amazon –
This is not a book about beaches, hotels, and restaurants. It is the best guide about history and archaeology. Worth the price if you are there to see and learn rather than tan like a pig skin.
Amazon customer via Amazon –
the best travel guide I’ve ever purchased. my planned trip is for art and architecture. this covers everything i need.
A. Malone via Amazon –
Excellent as this series usually is
anthony tedesco via Amazon –
Best of this type. Scope is rather narrow.
Well researched. Really for those who enjoy art and architecture.
Reader via Amazon –
Detailed guidance on sites – very useful to supplement standard holiday trip guides.
Marina K. via Amazon –
Intelligent book for intelligent art lovers.
In depth explanation of art, architecture and history. Not afraid to be sophisticated. Well above the level of more popular guide books.
Lyvia Kalisky via Amazon –
For the traveller who wants to know EVERYTHING about Sicily.
The Blue Guide tradition of giving full information is capably upheld in the volume about Sicly. This is perfect when you need to know all about an archeological site. I bought this book for a short trip to the island and I found it perfect for learning all the details I crave. I recommend the e- book edition on a Kindle or tablet to avoid lugging around a weighty tome.
Jerome Cavanaugh via Amazon –
Excellent travel resource.
Great detail about all locations in Sicily, even the small towns and villages between primary tourist sites.
Randy via Amazon –
Great and informative.
I used an old edition of this years ago. Nice to have an updated copy! The book is very informative with lots of valuable history of the country and concise info on where and what to see.
Brooklyn Kid via Amazon –
Covers the topic very thoroughly.
I always find the ‘Blue Guides’ excellent. Very informative and easy to use.