Where
is Sicily?
If you look at a map of Italy, Sicily is what
looks like a football at the bottom of the boot
(Italy looking like a large boot). Sicily, in
other words, is at the South Western tip of
mainland Italy. Sicily, (which is actually quite
close to the Northern coast of Africa and it
is in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea.
Go
to the Sicily MAPS Page
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What
is the population of Sicily?
The population of Sicily amounts to about
5 million people.
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What are the main cities in Sicily?
Sicily consists of 8 main cities.The
three largest in order are Palermo (population
660,000), Catania (pop. 400,000), Messina
(pop. 260,000).
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What
is the climate like?
With nine months a year of sunshine,
what more could you want? Summer temperatures
range from 30 Celsius plus (i. .e in the
70's and 80's Fahrenheit). In winter it
can go down to about 15 Celsius on the
coldest days. If you go up the Etna then
it does certainly get cooler in the evenings
and in winter time.
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How
do I get to Sicily?
Catania airport on the East coast and
Palermo airport on the North West coast
of Sicily, are the two main airports.
Airlines such as British Airways, Ryanair,
Air One, Alitalia, Meridiana and Air Malta
fly into these airports. See our Traveling
to Sicily page for more information
and airline website links.
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What are Sicilian people like?
Sicilians are an interesting bunch of people.
They have been affected by so many other people
in history. Because of its central location
in the Mediterranean Sea, this island has been
invaded over the last four centuries by the
Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Norman, Germans, French
and also Spanish. Sicilians often have blue/green
eyes and have dark eyes and hair, if one were
to generalise. Sicilians can also be temperamental
and hot blooded at times whilst also being very
hospitable.
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What
languages are spoken in Sicily?
In Sicily, almost everyone speaks Italian.
A few people though still speak Sicilian. Even
though Sicily is trying to increase tourism
revenue, English is not very widely spoken,
although it is slowly becoming more spoken.
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What
currency is used in Sicily?
The Euro currency
€ is used in all of Italy including Sicily.
To check rates against other countries currencies
it is worth
checking Currency Checker.
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Is
Sicily part of Italy or a separate entity?
Sicily is certainly
a part of Italy even if some Sicilian people
might jokingly say it is not a part of Italy.
Some Sicilians like to think of the island of
Sicily as being something more special than
mainland Italy.
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What
are the bad things about Sicily?
It can be a very bureaucratic place to be
honest and the slow pace of life does not suit
everyone. In August many areas of Sicily and
across Italy take an almost month long holiday
and many things will be closed. maybe try and
avoid buying during the month of July if you
are in any hurry!
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Sport
and travel - Is Sicily any good for these things?
Water sports, swimming (in the ocean), diving,
fishing and sailing are all easily possible
in Sicily. There are actually some good diving
spots in Sicily.
The Etna volcano also provides reasonable skiing.
See an amazing view of the ocean in the far
distance as you ski down the black snow of the
Etna (the snow coloured black from the ash).
You can also go cycling and hiking in parts
of Sicily, in addition to horse riding. For
more information including all bout the Sicilian
football (soccer) clubs visit our Sports
and Activities page.
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What time
zone is Sicily in?
Sicily is +1 hour GMT.
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Do
any famous people live in Sicily?
The proud owner of a vineyard on
the Etna volcano is the Simply Red star Mick
Hucknall He even produces his own wine called
Red . The singer Sting is also said to have
purchased some property on the Aeolian Islands
in recent years
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