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Hi

This is the second consecutive year we've been on holiday to Sicily. And Blue Guide Sicily has been our inseparable companion on both occasions. Its value as a cultural guide far outweighs the few grams it is heavier than other guides!

Sicily is absolutely dripping with history so it is great to have a guide which reaches below the surface both historically and culturally to set the scene before travelling and then really enhances sight-seeing during visits. On both occasions we followed closely several of the walking journeys through cities and towns described in the guide, this year the Ortigia walk in Syracuse being the best. As well as visually admiring the buildings we had some really interesting historical background painted in by the guide. And an accommodation recommendation was absolutely on the button! In such a 24/7 exuberant country it is wonderful to have a haven of peace to return to after a busy day knowing that we'll get a good night's sleep ahead of launching out on a further day of discovery.

Lipari

We learned the hard way not to pre-book the ferry to Lipari when our trains got us to Milazzo 100 mins late.

It will be really helpful to have the tourist office marked on your map. I appreciate that it may have moved addresses in recent times as suggested by our search. We only came across it by chance on our last day hidden, unsigned (and closed!) in a side road between Via Garibaldi and Corso Vittoro Emanuele.

In fact Lipari was generally poor on signage. An example being that our planned walk to the top of Sant'Angelo ("superb views": BG) was messed up because, having got off the bus, we weren't able to find the path leading us towards the mountain.

cf Salina who should be given a really good press for their welcome and the very helpful, friendly walk recommendation given by their great little tourist office set just above the harbour area. This resulted in a scenic bus journey followed by a great walk, and great views, up to the top of the Fossa delle Felci (watch out for the wasps!).

Taormina

I have to say that we were practically the only visitors of several thousand carrying a guide book of any description. Given that presumably most of the year the Corso Umberto is swamped with tourists it is great to emphasize for BG carrying visitors where they can find the three oases of calm identified in the BG. Number one: I would make more of the lovely little gardens and wonderful sculptures around the Palazzo Duchi di Santo Stefano (p 459). Number two is the walk up to the Madonna Della Rocca (what a wonderful little church in the rocks!) and the Castello - unfortunately closed when we arrived. And number three are the public gardens which are really lovely.

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Hello

A few entries need to be updated in Blue Guide Sicily.

Avola - Cafe Finocchiaro is listed as one of the most famous in Italy and we drove a 100km to reach Avola. To our surprise found that the cafe has been closed since a few years.

Cava Grande di Cassibile- the entry for Cava Grande is excellent and we wouldn't have found it if not for the Blue Guide. However, the directions to reach could be better as the signage on the actual road is very poor. Maybe include a small map.

La Foglia in Syracuse - we went to this restaurant on Blue Guide's recommendation and I should say it has been the best meal so far in Sicily. Thanks. We have also been to Don Camillo. It is good but La Foglia is better.

Il Borghetto in Taormina - We went to this restaurant in Taormina again based on Blue Guide's recommendation. It is in a piazza that doesn't see much crowd but for the excellent quality of food and service this place deserves a much larger crowd. Thanks for the recommendation.

Blue Guide Sicily is how I wanted a Guide book to be with enough historical sketches, background information and good solid practical information. A few more pictures would be good, but then the book will probably become too unwieldy.

Blue Guide Sicily review

From a reader in Australia: I have been meaning to write to you ever since I got back from my latest trip to Sicily in mid-July. I used your guide to Sicily on this trip and was mostly very happy with it. Having spent 3.5 months there last year, this time (another month June-July) I really wanted a guidebook that gave more in-depth info and the Blue Guide did that. Overall it was excellent and I was very happy with my purchase. I am interested in Italian history, art and architecture as well as food and wine and I found the guide very informative. A friend of mine who lives in Sicily (in Alia) was particularly impressed with your historical overview. He said it put things into better perspective than a lot of things he had read and answered a lot of questions he’d had about how things tied together historically. And I have to say we were impressed that Alia and Roccapalumba appeared in the guide at all! I am taking you at your word (where you say you welcome suggestions etc): In terms of suggestions for improvement I would have liked your dining and accommodation tips to come closer to the actual place rather than having everything for one provincia at the end of a rather large section. I actually thought your guide didn’t have that info for some time because it was so far away from where I was looking. I did find two things that I think were incorrect. For Ustica on p 107 it says the Torre Santa Maria is the archaeological museum. The museum is now in town at the old prisoner’s barracks (which has the big fosso they used to put prisoners in for solitary confinement). Sorry I don’t know the street name as I never really found a decent map of the town but if heading uphill up the main piazza it’s off to the right just past the little park area. Just go to the end as it’s on the edge of the cliff (spectacular views). The Crai supermarket is down an alley to the right as you go. And the Cantine Florio in Marsala (pp 152-153) charges 20 euro for the guided tour and degustation but it was worth every centesimo. (Your info appears to indicate that it’s free.) They have an excellent showroom where you can buy gift packs of their wines at reasonable prices. Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri (p43) seems to be visitable only with guided tours but when I went in July there was no need to book. You just turned up. Tours in languages other than English or Italian might be problematic. The guides were students of the uni and it cost 5 euro. They took me by myself AND didn’t close for lunch. Fantastic value. BTW I’m not sure if you have mentioned this somewhere but it might be worth mentioning that in Sicily regardless of what their advertised hours are - on signs outside museums, on their websites etc - things can always change! Not to mention that no-one ever has change so keep a large supply of coins. Some other things: Alia has an agriturismo called Al Lago Verde. The main business is the restaurant which is excellent but they also have rooms. I haven’t stayed there but have eaten there a number of times. The food is terrific but the owner’s wife is famous for over-charging and they don’t bring an itemised bill so you need to keep track of what you’ve been eating and what it costs. The husband is lovely. The prices for the quality and quantity of food are very reasonable. Their mixed antipasto is delicious, very different from the stereotypical antipasti and practically a meal in itself. They have a lot of meat dishes but also pizza. There is also a good pizzeria in Alia itself – Sutta le Archi – just off the main drag in Via Archi. But it should be avoided at all costs on Friday and Saturday nights as it’s packed with a zillion young people and it takes hours (literally) to be served. Apparently if a takeaway order comes in for the same type of pizza you’ve ordered they’ll sell it to the takeaway person! But at quieter times and at lunchtime it’s good. Again they might overcharge foreigners but it’s very reasonably priced and the pizzas and other food are good. Not haute cuisine though. Not sure if you prefer to feature more fine-dining places? [No--we like to feature a range of places. Ed.] Alia’s Bar Centrale has been on TV as having the cheapest coffee in Italy. 20c for an espresso. Il Granaio in Roccapalumba is also good. But these last two (Sutta le Archi and Granaio) can’t compare with Lago Verde and come nowhere near Vin Vito and Giardino delle Aloe (below). They’re just good-value, good trattorie. I can also highly recommend Osteria Vin Vito in Castellana Sicula – superb. Everything was wonderful but the tronchetto dessert (regional specialty – ricotta pastry thing) was divine and the caponata was the best I’ve ever had. Favignana – Il GIardino delle Aloe – spectacular food in a lovely garden setting. They also have rooms. You can buy half-pension plans from some hotels on the island (I stayed at Villaggio l’Oasi) and eat at various restaurants on the list for 25 euro a night. Amazing value. Castellamare del Golfo – Egesta Mare was excellent. And Caccamo’s A Castellana, in the dungeons of the castle, is reliable, extensive menu and very reasonably-priced. Sciacca – at the port, the trattoria Ristorante Italia da Nino. Despite the unprepossessing name, really good seafood. And if it lasts, the tiny slow food-type place in Ustica, Carruba e Cannella. Via Tre Mulini. Just a few tables. Run by a young couple with just a few dishes but superb. Most of it organic. They do take-away too. Food is sold by weight. Their apple caponata (Palermitan specialty) is delicious. Oh yes, the best cannoli on the planet are from the hole-in-the-wall Pasticceria d'Ambra in Lipari.

Comments on Blu eGuide Sicily

Hello. I have been meaning to write to you ever since I got back from my latest trip to Sicily in mid-July. I used your guide to Sicily on this trip and was mostly very happy with it. Having spent 3.5 months there last year, this time (another month June-July) I really wanted a guidebook that gave more in-depth info and the Blue Guide did that. Overall it was excellent and I was very happy with my purchase. I am interested in Italian history, art and architecture as well as food and wine and I found the guide very informative. A friend of mine who lives in Sicily (in Alia) was particularly impressed with your historical overview. He said it put things into better perspective than a lot of things he had read and answered a lot of questions he’d had about how things tied together historically. And I have to say we were impressed that Alia and Roccapalumba appeared in the guide at all! I am taking you at your word (where you say you welcome suggestions etc): In terms of suggestions for improvement I would have liked your dining and accommodation tips to come closer to the actual place rather than having everything for one provincia at the end of a rather large section. E.g. The Rough Guide, though far from as detailed as the Blue Guide, has the info at the end of the historical and sight-seeing info for each place and personally I find that more user-friendly. I actually thought your guide didn’t have that info for some time because it was so far away from where I was looking. I did find two things that I think were incorrect. For Ustica on p 107 it says the Torre Santa Maria is the archaeological museum. The museum is now in town at the old prisoner’s barracks (which has the big fosso they used to put prisoners in for solitary confinement). Sorry I don’t know the street name as I never really found a decent map of the town but if heading uphill up the main piazza it’s off to the right just past the little park area. Just go to the end as it’s on the edge of the cliff (spectacular views). The Crai supermarket is down an alley to the right as you go. And the Cantine Florio in Marsala (pp 152-153) charges 20 euro for the guided tour and degustation but it was worth every centesimo. (Your info appears to indicate that it’s free.) They have an excellent showroom where you can buy gift packs of their wines at reasonable prices. Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri (p43) seems to be vistable only with guided tours but when I went in July there was no need to book. You just turned up. Tours in languages other than English or Italian might be problematic. The guides were students of the uni and it cost 5 euro. They took me by myself AND didn’t close for lunch. Fantastic value. BTW I’m not sure if you have mentioned this somewhere but it might be worth mentioning that in Sicily regardless of what their advertised hours are - on signs outside museums, on their websites etc - things can always change! Not to mention that no-one ever has change so keep a large supply of coins. Some other things: Alia has an agriturismo called Al Lago Verde. The main business is the restaurant which is excellent but they also have rooms. I haven’t stayed there but have eaten there a number of times. The food is terrific but the owner’s wife is famous for over-charging and they don’t bring an itemised bill so you need to keep track of what you’ve been eating and what it costs. The husband is lovely. The prices for the quality and quantity of food are very reasonable. Their mixed antipasto is delicious, very different from the stereotypical antipasti and practically a meal in itself. They have a lot of meat dishes but also pizza. There is also a good pizzeria in Alia itself – Sutta le Archi – just off the main drag in Via Archi. But it should be avoided at all costs on Friday and Saturday nights as it’s packed with a zillion young people and it takes hours (literally) to be served. Apparently if a takeaway order comes in for the same type of pizza you’ve ordered they’ll sell it to the takeaway person! But at quieter times and at lunchtime it’s good. Again they might overcharge foreigners but it’s very reasonably priced and the pizzas and other food are good. Not haute cuisine though. Not sure if you prefer to feature more fine-dining places? Alia’s Bar Centrale has been on TV as having the cheapest coffee in Italy. 20c for an espresso. Il Granaio in Roccapalumba is also good. But these last two (Sutta le Archi and Granaio) can’t compare with Lago Verde and come nowhere near Vin Vito and Giardino delle Aloe (below). They’re just good-value, good trattorie. I can also highly recommend Osteria Vin Vito in Castellana Sicula – superb. Everything was wonderful but the tronchetto dessert (regional specialty – ricotta pastry thing) was divine and the caponata was the best I’ve ever had. Favignana – Il GIardino delle Aloe – spectacular food in a lovely garden setting. They also have rooms. You can buy half-pension plans from some hotels on the island (I stayed at Villaggio l’Oasi) and eat at various restaurants on the list for 25 euro a night. Amazing value. Castellamare del Golfo – Egesta Mare was excellent. And Caccamo’s A Castellana, in the dungeons of the castle, is reliable, extensive menu and very reasonably-priced. Sciacca – at the port, the trattoria Ristorante Italia da Nino. Despite the unprepossessing name, really good seafood. And if it lasts, the tiny slow food-type place in Ustica, Carruba e Cannella. Via Tre Mulini. Just a few tables. Run by a young couple with just a few dishes but superb. Most of it organic . They do take-away too. Food is sold by weight. Their apple caponata (Palermitan specialty) is delicious. Oh yes, best cannoli on the planet are from the hole-in-the-wall Pasticceria d’Ambra in Lipari. Hope you don’t mind my raving on. I hope some of it might be useful.

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• Sicily Tours

  Looking forward to the new edition of the Blue Guide Sicily. I’m sure the revising editor Michael Metcalfe has turned in a great tome. It will stand pride of place alongside our copy of the Blue Guide to the Aegean Islands which is simply fabulous.

question

do you have a blue guide for Palermo or, if not, will you have one in the future…
if not, can you recommend one of yours
and/or someone else’s…
thank you

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Few errors: addresses, open hours, etc. The most important: Convento dei Cappuccini (p.69) is NOT at 1 Via Cappuccine, it is at 1 Piazza Cappuccine! Besides, I would not name the article “Convento etc.” I would recommend to name it clearly and explicitly: Cattacombe dei Cappuccini.

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Hi there. Just returned from my second trip to Sicily using the Blue Guide as our main reference. We took the guide’s advice on L’Arco in Modica and it was truly awful. The wine was almost undrinkable, the antipasto and pasta by far the worst we had anywhere in Sicily. The charm of not having a written menu was lost when we were charged 30 euro for a dud meal, significantly more than we had paid for vastly superior food elsewhere. One place worth including for Modica is Osteria dei Sapori Perduti, on Corso Umberto, very reasonably priced authentic and flavoursome rustic local food. Phone 0932944247. We have been about five times over two different trips and it is great - the same staff in the past couple of years, very busy and full of locals.

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“La Finestra sul Sale” is a great place to stay, but beware that the cafe/restaurant downstairs turns into a nightclub with loud music (either DJ or live), from thursday through sunday - don’t expect to be able to sleep until 1:30 am, as this area is directly below the rooms.

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• In current issue on page 180 you recommend Ecoresort Sola Mare Vento in outside of Marsala. I have searched and searched the internet, even searching under the famous chef’s name, and can find absolutely nothing! Would you happen to have any further information, or at least be able to confirm that the place still exists? In fact, the guide book gives the location only as Isola Longa, which also does not exist…perhaps it is supposed to be Isola Grande, just north of Marsala? The description sounds fantastic, and we’d really love to stay there on our upcoming visit… Thanks! :- David