The Independent Puts the Sicilian City of Catania on the Tourist Map
January 31, 2012 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Catania, Cities, Travel
Catania Fish Market - Photo credits Italian Government Tourist Office North America
Why spending 48 hours in Catania, Sicily? Here is the answer from the Independent.
Next weekend, the Sicilian city of Catania stages one of southern Italy’s biggest and most dramatic festivals, the Festa di Sant’Agata. Passions hit fever pitch as up to one million people take to the streets to celebrate the city’s patron saint and watch as her relics are paraded around town by teams of white-shirted devotees.
Festivities apart, Catania is a delight, with a stately Baroque centre, terrific street markets, great food and a bubbly nightlife. And winter is a good time to visit: temperatures are mild, about 15C; there are very few tourists around; and Mount Etna provides some thrilling views, its snow-capped summit rising menacingly over the city’s rooftops.
Read more at www.independent.co.uk
Introducing the Liberty Inn Bed & Breakfast
January 25, 2012 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Accommodation
Liberty Inn Bed & Breakfast is a brand new bed & breakfast situated in downtown Milazzo (ME). It belongs to a friend from high school. He manages it. I had the opportunity to see this place last summer and I was pleasantly surprised by its decor. The facade maintained the classic liberty style – which is cleverly reflected in the name of the B&B, while the interiors have been totally restructured and refurbished with the latest modern comforts. The Mediterranean Sea is at walking distance. Rooms are quiet, even though this B&B is close to bars, restaurants and an extremely entertaining nightlife. If you are in Milazzo or boarding for the Aeolian Islands, Liberty Inn Bed & Breakfast is a nice hidden gem.
Address: Via umberto I n°163
98057 Milazzo (ME)-Italy
Tel: +39-389/4596390
Web site: www.libertyinn-bb.com
Sicily Unpacked: Episode 1 (Full Version)
January 24, 2012 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Travel, Videos
This is what the RadioTimes.com is writing about the 3 episode travel show Sicily Unpacked on BBC: Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli hop aboard a cute railway carriage and visit Mount Etna. Naturally, there are stops along the way and they call at a vineyard in the foothills, where Locatelli knocks up a tasty-looking dish of deep-fried vine leaves. Yum!
But this is an artistic as well as culinary journey, so the boys have a look at the saucy Roman mosaic of the so-called “bikini girls” in the Villa Romana del Casale and help with a little bit of restoration.
It’s all rather lovely, and after yet another stop at yet another restaurant where the Michelin-starred chef makes a very witty tuna burger (really, it’s clever), Andrew and Giorgio agree that they’ve had a lovely time as their three-episode exploration ends.
Isola delle Femmine, between Myth and Reality
November 20, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Travel
Isola delle Femmine - Photo credits Maria Lina Bommarito
The stretch of road between Cinisi and Palermo astonishes travelers with beautiful sight of the azure Mediterranean sea. The coast is an alternation of sandy beaches and reefs that offer a spectacular view. Just off the coast you can admire the Isola delle Femmine (women’s island), a small beautiful island that gives its name to the town ashore.
Many legends have been inspired by the name of this small island Isola delle Femmine, inhabited solely by birds and rabbits. The ruins of an ancient tower recalls a fairy tale-scenery where imprisoned princesses await to be freed by brave knights.The first legend recalls that the island was a prison for just women in the past. However, no references have been found to prove this first supposition. Another ancient legend says that thirteen Turkish women accused of immoral behavior, were abandoned on the island by their husbands. After seven years, the husbands regretted having abandoned them and returned to save them.
Etymological studies explain that the word femmine – in dialect fimmini – has nothing to do with women. The word instead derives from the Arab word fim which means mouth or entrance and is referred to the canal between the island and the mainland. The island is uninhabited today. Because of its naturalistic importance, the Sicilian Region with the cooperation of LIPU (Italian Society for the Protection of Birds) institued The Oriented Nature Reserve Isola delle Femmine in 1997. In 2002 the coastline from Capo Gallo (near Mondello) to Isola delle Femmine was declared “Protected Marina Reserve”. The Nature Reserve has favored the preservation of a rich flora that includes 144 species of geo-botanic importance, several of which are in danger of extinction. The birdlife present on the island is particularly important: the Blue rock Thrush, the Mediterranean Herring Gull, the Crested Lark, the Stone-chat, the Buzzard and the Hoopoe all nest here, while migratory birds are regular visitors. The European Wild Rabbit, the field lizard, the Whip Snake and different species of butterflies also find their natural habitat on the small island. The marine flora and fauna are equally important. The variety of marine environments with meadows of Oceanic Posidonia indicate the sea waters are clean and unpolluted. Sandy and rocky seabeds are the ideal habitat for species as Octopi, Nudibranches, Snakelock Anemones, Groupers, Lobsters and Seafans.
The Nature Reserve is open all year round and guided nature walks are organized upon reservation.
For further information or reservations: riserva.isolafemmine@lipu.it
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Tasca d’Almerita Best Italian Winery of the Year 2012
October 27, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Food & Wine, Travel
Tasca d’Almerita has been declared “Italian Winery of the Year” in the 2012 edition of Italy’s bestselling wine guide, Vini d’Italia, published by Gambero Rosso.
Estate Regaleali - Photo credits www.tascadalmerita.it
This is the second recognition in less than a month for Tasca d’Almerita, after the Italian Sommeliers’ Association named the company ‘Sicilian Wine Producer of the Year‘ in its 2012 Duemilavini guide.
Behind these awards lie the remarkable qualitative consistency of Tasca d’Almerita‘s wines, and the company’s ability to reconcile historical continuity with innovation, fuelled by a long-standing vocation for experiment and development. In their motivation for the Winery of the Year award, the Gambero Rosso authors underlined the across-the-board quality of a “truly excellent range of wines”, but added that what tipped the balance in favour of the prize was the winery’s “clear vision of the future” and “important issues of business ethics and environmental sustainability”.
“It’s a great result for the whole of Sicily, and confirms the island’s status as a centre of oenological excellence” – is Alberto Tasca’s comment on the Gambero Rosso recognition – “it is a gift for those families who, like us, have inherited knowhow and a passion for winemaking, and who, like us, are working to bring out the huge potential of this unique island and its capacity to make wines that are recognised around the world for their excellence.” Tasca continues, “our work is based on the most varied stimuli, from old family secrets to on-site viticultural experiments and discussions with other winemakers. One never stops learning, or drawing inspiration from stories of people’s passion and dedication to the land – and we’re proud to be a part of this process. For a few years now, through the SOStain project, we’ve been focusing our attention on the search for better ways to promote and protect the landscape, to reduce our carbon footprint year on year, to safeguard biodiversity. But winemakers have a vested interest in looking after their territory – you only need to walk around the vineyards to realise that!”
Tasca d’Almerita has been instrumental in bringing Sicilian wines to international recognition. Tasca’s top red, Rosso del Conte, is among a handful of wines from Southern Italy with a long, distinguished track record that goes back a few decades.
Rosso del Conte is the recipient of many awards and accolades, the latest being the top Tre Bicchieri recognition by Gambero Rosso itself. Apart from Rosso del Conte, other red wines from Tasca d’Almerita include: Lamuri – a pure Nero d’Avola; Cynus – a Nero d’Avola / Cabernet Sauvignon blend; Camastra – a Nero d’Avola / Merlot blend and a Rosso – 100% Nero d’Avola. Tasca d’Almerita also produce excellent white wines such as Nozze d’Oro – an Inzolia / Sauvignon blend recently awarded 90 points on Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and a Bianco – Inzolia, Grecanico, Catarratto.
Tasting notes, technical details and award information are available on www.tascadalmerita.itThe winery’s latest video “A glass of Sicily” on www.youtube.com/watch has gone viral, notching up well over 200,000 hits in less than a month.
Tasca d’Almerita wines are imported, marketed and distributed by Farsons Beverage Imports Company Limited, a member of The Farsons Group. They are available at leading restaurants and at Farsonsdirect, Mdina Road, Mriehel or online: www.farsonsdirect.com.
Source: Di-Ve.com
The British Are Warming Up to Sicily
October 10, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Accommodation, Travel
This is what Jo Fernandez writes about Sicily on The Evening Standard and we like to think that the British have a soft spot for Sicily in their heart.
Photo credits - Foresteria.it
My first thought on arriving in Sicily was who needs the Caribbean? Azure waters, intense heat and cloudless blue skies were all just a two-hour flight away.
We then drove the hour from Palermo airport to Rocco Forte’s five-star Verdura Golf & Spa resort, which opened on the south coast of the island last year, named after the river alongside which it sits.
Italian architect Flavio Albanese took inspiration from Mexico, with the rooms arranged in low-rise, two-storey minimalist blocks in shades of mustard and terracotta, much like the surrounding hills scorched by the sun’s fierce rays.
Sicilian inspiration comes from the mosaics used in the bathrooms, polished concrete floors and romantic white canopied four-poster beds. And from two novels – the Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa and Beautiful Antonio by Vitaliano Brancati, both Sicilian authors.
Outside, the 60-metre, two-tiered pool is the resort centerpiece, surrounded by lush lawn, lofty palm trees and tanned Missoni bikini-clad women.
Further down is the hotel’s beach, with part of it essentially fake, the natural pebbles covered with imported sand. Pebbles would be just fine.
At this point I should mention the golf. Sir Rocco Forte chose golf architect Kyle Phillips (Kingsbarns in Scotland and The Grove in Hertfordshire), to design two championship 18-hole courses and a nine-hole, all set amid olive and orange groves next to the sparkling Med. Not being golfers we weaved around and across the course on bikes provided instead.
Breakfast could keep you going all day: long tables laden with perfect looking cakes, breads and pastries line the walls. Stylish glass carafes contain various juices and milk while waiters fetched frittata with fennel and mint or Sicilian sausages on rustic toast.
Zagara is the most formal restaurant. We nibbled on crudities and bread so soft that you didn’t need butter or olive oil.
An amuse bouche of a silver spoonful of guacamole with anchovy was followed by red mullet with greens and prawns on grilled aubergines for the adults. Our daughter had fried fish (“too salty”) with chips and grilled Mediterranean vegetables followed by Nutella (“yummy”) in a tiny dish flanked by butter biscuits. We preferred peach with puff pastry, star anise, cinnamon and ricotta ice cream.
This food was enticing but we couldn’t keep up – four drinks in the bar alone set us back €50. Seeking something more affordable we snuck away to the beautifully named fishing town of Sciacca, set between Selinunte and Agrigento. We found a medieval town with baroque churches as well as cheap but tasty fish and salad eaten on a clifftop restaurant overlooking the sea.
On our last night we ate fish again in the resort’s most popular restaurant, the Ibiza-style beachside Amare. We glimpsed two-star Michelin chef Fulvio Pierangelini looking like an older Marco Pierre White, dressed in a baggy jumper and trousers with just an apron as if in a country house kitchen cooking for friends.
Suddenly there was a buzz – Sir Rocco Forte himself glided in with a large glamorous entourage. And who could blame him for smiling?
This resort attracts and breeds money with clientele including Calvin Klein and Formula One ace Michael Schumacher. Staying in La Verdura is like gaining temporary access to a cosseted world.
We drove south west along the SS15 autostrada through squares of parched fields, to La Foresteria, a 14-room hotel set atop rolling vineyards reaching to the sea at Porto Palo near Menfi.
Run by the Planeta wine and olive oil producing family, who supply about two million bottles a year (half exported) they entered the world of agritourismo after visitors to their vineyard on the shores of Lake Arancio would ask where they could stay, adding Sicilian cookery courses to the pot. The food was exquisite, each course better than the one before.
Chef Angelo Pulmilia had been recommended by Fulvio Pierangelini, coincidentally.
Sat outside as the sun set we ate seared prawns with celery purée, sedanani pasta with sardines and breadcrumbs, fried saltfish with tomato confit and sweet and sour sauce and, finally, sage ice cream with tiny cubes of pineapple. All perfectly presented and accompanied by Planeta wines including a spicy Syrah.
We just had time on our last day to see the ancient Greek ruins at Selinunte, set high above the sandy beach. One of the most important archaeological sites in Europe holds graceful Doric temples and an acropolis.
Once a prosperous city where the Greeks would have feasted, it seemed a fitting last place to come on this island so rich in history, food and wine.
Gualtieri Sicaminò Meraviglia Italiana
October 7, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Travel
Gualtieri Sicaminò recently has been awarded among the 15 unique Sicilian sites of the national project called Meraviglia Italiana for its well known religious feast San Nicola every last Sunday of August.
Gualtieri Sicaminò is a small town in the Messina province with 2,257 inhabitants and an area of 1,436 hectares for a population density of 157 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Its main activity is agriculture and particularly the cultivation of citrus fruit, olives and wine-grapes.
The name of this town goes back to middle age from a the name of the feudatory whom it belonged to in the XIII century, Gualtiero Marino. Sicaminò comes from the Greek Sicaminòs, that means “mulberry”, a tree once present in the area.
Sightseeing
The Cathedral Church of St. Nicola was recently restored and keeps inside valuable paintings of the XVIII century; the Ponte Vecchio and the Church of St. Giuseppe.
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Catania, Gay Friendly City in Italy
October 6, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Travel
Photo credits - Expo Turismo Gay
The first Expo Turismo Gay in Italy awarded Catania as favorite destination LGBT in Italy together with Gallipoli, Padova, Viareggio, Torre del Lago and Taormina. For long time undervalued, gay travel is a growing segment of the Italian tourism industry. It is estimated that its value accounts for €3.2 billion, about 7% of the Italian market share.
Authorities are taking note and adapting. Last year Nino Strano – the previous Sicilian minister of tourism – stated that Sicily needed to promote gay tourism as well. Even though, his proposal upset many, Catania offers a wide range of choices for the LGBT travelers: bars, discos and restaurants. Among the most popular clubs are Pegaso’s Circus, Il Codice Rosso, Villa Romeo and Neva Caffè.
Pegaso’s Estate/Pegaso’s Circus,
Viale Kennedy 80 (Lidi Playa), Catania
Tel: +39-0957 357268
This vast nightclub, close to the seafront and the airport in Catania, is Sicily’s premiere gay venue.
Codice Rosso
Via Conte Ruggiero 48, Catania
Tel.+39 333 448 9719
The biggest club south of Rome in Italy
Villa Romeo
Via Platamone 20, Catania
Located near the central railway station. Part of the Villa Romeo pub/restaurant and disco complex.
Neva Caffè
Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi 4/5 – Catania
Restaurant, pizzeria and bar.
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Castellammare del Golfo
October 4, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Cities, Travel
Castellammare del Golfo (Sicilian: Casteddammari) is a town and comune in the Trapani Province of Sicily. The name is roughly translated “Sea- Fortress (castle (on the) sea) of the Gulf”, deriving from the medieval fortress in the harbor. The body of water it sits upon also takes its name from the fortress, Golfo di Castellammare.
In ancient times, Castellammare had been the harbor of Segesta, one of the main towns of the Elymian people. Fishing has been important in Castellammare del Golfo dating back to ancient times. Today the town’s economy continues to be based on fishing with the addition of tourism.
The small town is noted, however, for having been the birthplace of many American Mafia figures, including Salvatore Maranzano, Stefano Magaddino, Joseph Barbara, Gaspare Milazzo, Peter Magaddino, Giovanni Bonventre, Pietro Caiozzo, Gaspare DiGregorio, Matteo DiGregorio, Sebastiano Domingo, Giovanni D’Anna, Francesco Puma, Camillo Galante, Pietro Crociata, Michele Adamo, Girolamo Asaro, Francesco Garofalo, Giovanni Fiordilino, Giovanni Tartamella, Joseph Buccellato, Francesco Buccellato, Vito Buccellato, Natale Evola, Vincenzo Danna, Charles DiBenedetto, Jimmy Costa, Giovanni Romano, Sasa Parrino, Cola Schiro, Joseph Notaro and Joseph Bonanno.
From this name comes also the Castellamarese war, fought by Joe Masseria clan against Salvatore Maranzanoclan for the leadership of the Italian Mafia in New York City.
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Students Become Tour Guides for Cruise Passengers in Messina
September 29, 2011 by SicilyGuide
Filed under Travel
In Messina, the Istituto Tecnico Commerciale «A. M. Jaci», City Hall and Port Authority are promoting a program that will turn students into tour guides for their city. They will guide cruise passengers through the tourist attractions of their city.
The students will lead mini-itineraries on complimentary transportation provided by the city and tell tourist about the history, culture, festivities, folklore, archaeological remains, monuments, museums, legends and food.
The port of Messina is one of the most visited in the Mediterranean with 27 million passengers per year from 2008 to 2010. Cruise traffic accounted for 473,389 passengers, a 6% increase in 2010.
