Talking about Sicily on The Travel Show

I was thrilled to talk to the world-famous travel gurus, Arthur Frommer and Pauline Frommer LIVE on the radio today!  When I heard that Arthur just returned from Sicily, and was devoting his show today to my beautiful isola, I just had to call in to tell him about my blog about Sicilian food.  Here is the link where you can hear the show:  Travel Show about Sicily May 27, 2007
I called in somewhere around the middle of the show. The show is on every Sunday from noon until 2pm on WOR 710 HD.  Arthur is really a font of travel information -- you can learn so much just from listening to his show. I always tune in when I am in the states. It was so much fun to talk to him!  He even mentioned the name of this blog for his listeners.   

I noticed a big jump in newsletter subscribers right after the call, so I want to thank Arthur and Pauline for taking my call, and I want to thank any new subscribers to my newsletter.  I am updating the post about cooking schools and my culinary tours to Sicily. 

On the show, Arthur asked me if I would agree that travel to Sicily is safe for tourists.  I said yes, and that I have traveled alone there over the past 8 years.  I am a savvy traveler who is fluent in Italian, and I understand the Sicilian culture, so I have an advantage.

I want to add a few things that I did not mention on the radio:

1.  It helps if you speak a little Italian or Sicilian when traveling there.  Part of the charm of Sicily is that fewer people speak English than in Northern Italy.  Brush up on your Italian before your trip or try to take a few private lessons.  (check my Amazon shop for books I like)

2. If you do not speak any Italian, you may want to consider traveling with a small group tour or hiring a translator or guide for parts of your trip. This would enable you to communicate with the locals and experience their Sicily. To understand how generous and joyful and "solare" (sunny) Sicilians really are, you must spend some time with them and somehow be able to understand them. 

3.  Be careful where you walk around at night when you are alone in Catania and Palermo.  They are gorgeous cities, but there are areas where you do not want to be after dark (especially as a tourist). This is true for any city in the world almost, but know that there are some "rough" areas of Sicily's biggest cities.

4.  Do not expect an Americanized Sicily.  The beauty of Sicily is its old world charm which is still very much alive.  As travelers, we should arrive there with a little knowledge of the language and customs if possible, and we should not expect things to be just like in America.  For example, stores have different hours, eating customs are different, etc.

5. Don't just head for the classic tourist stops such as Palermo and Agrigento.  Visit unheard of towns too!  They are often forgotten but have so much to offer to travelers. 

Next weeks posts include, "Cooking with The Silver Spoon," "Southern Italian Cooking Schools," "Saving the Italian Countryside," and more! I look forward to sharing with you and hope you'll post some comments too!  Please let me know what you'd like to read about most.

Comments

[Chris Enzaldo]

Hello Renee,

I just subscribed to Mr. Frommer's podcast and I love how random the travel tips and advice can be. That's how I learned about L&O, and I'm glad I did. What you're doing is such a cool venture, and it's bringing back all these memories from my Italy/Sicily trip a couple years ago.

Went to Palermo, then to Favignana and tasted the best little torte di mandorle I'll probably ever have (and I only bought two little pastries, oy). I had my first granita di limone there as well. Trained it to Agrigento and saw the temples. Then I went to Stromboli to see my first active volcano.

So much I missed, and that's why I'm going back. I think I've yet to see the best parts of Sicilia; I didn't even get to the eastern cities. What am I missing? Everything I suppose.

You're right about needing to know some Italian down there. Seems the more south I went from Rome, the more I found myself speaking Italian.

I'm not sure how to leave a photo, but it's of the Cala Rossa in Favignana. Lovely place. You can find the image in the World gallery on my photography website:

www.chenzo.net

Nice place to relax, don't you think? Looking forward to more of Sicily from Renee! Senza la Sicilia, io credo che io sono niente.

Grazie e ciao,
Chris

[Renee]

Grazie mille John! Congratulations -- you are the first person to post a comment on Lemons & Oregano! I am going to see if I can find a way to post some of our readers photos on this blog too (as you suggested to me).
A prestissimo,
Renée

[John]

I am Sicialian and I enjoyed your article on Sicily. I was
there last summer. I speak very little Sicilian (somewhat
different from traditional Italian) and I had no problem. It
was obvious I am American, I was alone and everyone treated me just fine. I was in: Palermo, Calatafimi, Alcamo, Segesta, Castellamare del Golfo, , Scopello, Erice, Cefalu and Monreale. I was in many other tiny villages. It was wonderful
and I can't wait to do it again.
Thanks
John jav2@verizon.net