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Information about Sicily, Italy
Location
- Where is Sicily?
It is in Europe and it is the biggest island in
the Mediterranean Sea. It is the most southern of
the Italian regions and it is located between the
south western tip of the Italian peninsula and the
northern coast of Africa (between 36.5 and 38.5 of
northern latitude and between 12 and 16 degrees of
eastern longitude), in the centre of the Mediterranean
Sea. It can be recognised by its triangular shape.
To view
maps of Sicily you can visit our Maps Page
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Cities
- What are the main cities?
It has eight main cities, but the biggest ones
are three: Palermo (population 660,000), Catania
(pop. 400,000), Messina (pop. 260,000).
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Population
- what is the population of Sicily?
The population of Sicily amounts to about 4,772,000
people, with a density of 186 inhabitants per
square km.
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Climate
- What is the climate like?
Fantastic all year round
climate. In summer enjoy daily temperatures
in the 30's (70's and 80's Fahrenheit). It does
get cooler in the winter but doesn't normally
go below 15 Celsius. The climate in Sicily is
great.
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Airport
- How do I get to Sicily?
There are two main airports in Sicily in the
two main cities - one based in Catania and one
based in Palermo. Airlines who fly into Sicily
include British Airways, Volareweb, Ryanair,
Air One, Alitalia and Air Malta. See our 'Getting
to Sicily for more information and direct
links.
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Sicilians
-the people. What are they like?
Being in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily
has been invaded, during the last 4,000 years by many
populations from different parts of Europe (Greeks,
Romans, Arabs, Norman, Germans, French Spanish and
others). Thus, there are swarthy people with dark
eyes and dark hair or with blue or green eyes and
fair hair and skin and even some red haired people.
As for the temperament, on average they are quite
temperamental and hot blooded and they are famous
for being jealous partners. On the other hand, they
are famous for being very hospitable and generous
with their guests. So, if you are invited by Sicilian
friends, they will offer you anything they can, hospitality
and especially food wise. In this respect, they sometimes
come across as forceful, as, even if you are full
to the brim, they won’t give up and keep offering
you food. Just refuse politely, if you don’t
want to burst, even if it is really difficult to turn
down that delicious and tempting Sicilian food.
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Languages
- what languages are spoken in Sicily?
Italian is the official language. There is also
a local dialect, called Sicilian, which is actually
more a language than just a dialect, as it differs
completely from Italian. Each town or even village
has a different variety of Sicilian dialect. It is
not necessary to be able to speak Sicilian when you
go to Sicily, since this dialect is only used in informal
situations or by elderly people more than by young
people.
These days more and more people are speaking English,
with Italy a part of the EU.
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Italy
- is Sicily a part of Italy?
Absolutely. It may not be a part of the mainland
but it is as much a part of Italy as any other area
in Italy, although Sicilians sometimes like to proudly
think of their region as being special, particularly
with its separate land mass from the mainland.
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What
are the negative things about Sicily?
The pace of life can be slow and this doesn't suit
everyone. For others this may be seen as the reason
for wanting to buy property here. Also in August,
many areas of Sicily, (and also in other parts of
Italy), the country almost grinds to a halt. Once
again this is positive if you are in Sicily as you
can relax for the month but if buying property, it
may be best to try and avoid this month for administrative
matters.
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Sport
(calcio) and travel - Is Sicily any good for these
things?
It is great for water sports. You can swim in the
sea, which is quite calm most of the year and it is
very good for diving (especially in its marine natural
parks), for fishing and sailing.
Sicily is also good for skiing. The Etna, which is
3000 meters high, can be skied in the winter and you
can enjoy the view of the sea while you ski. The inland
of Sicily is good for hiking or cycling on the mountains
most of which are part of environmentally protected
areas. There are also places where you can ride horses
and, last but not least, soccer is very popular. There
are two teams which are in the first division and
at least one in second division. Check our 'Sports
and Activities' page for further information.
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Attractions
- What is there to see in Sicily?
There are many great attractions in Sicily
including the Etna, Aeolian Islands and many
archaeological sites. For further information
take a look at our ‘Attractions’
page. Sicily is a great place for excusrions.
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Reasons
- Overall, give me 10 reasons why Sicily is good.
- Fantastic all year round climate.
- A great coastline. Sicily is a big island and
it has a great variety of coastline types from sandy
beach, to rocks (volcanic black ones or white ones
near Siracusa), to pebbles. There are also smaller
islands off the coast of the main one, which provide
further variety.
- The variety of the landscape: mountains, beaches,
great countryside, hills. Basically, there is everything
for every taste and need.
- Great Sicilian food. The
local cuisine is very rich and it offers a big variety
of tastes and ingredients. There is everything from
very tasty fruit and vegetables (which grow very
well thanks to the good weather and fertile soil),
good fish from the Mediterranean, lovely meat, very
good cheese, delicious desserts and great wine.
- Sicily is an island rich in history, thus its
architecture and cultural heritage is very interesting
and unique thanks to the influence coming from all
the populations which invaded it over the centuries.
It is also possible to buy properties with an historical
value and a lot of character.
- Properties, except for the few deluxe ones, are
still reasonably priced comparing to the rest of
Europe or even to the rest of Italy.
- Location. It is located exactly in the centre
of the Mediterranean Sea, reason why so many populations
invaded it in the past. It is easy to travel to
other destinations around the Mediterranean basin.
Also, if in the future the links and economical
relations between Europe and northern African countries
will develop, Sicily will be the gate between these
two areas.
- People. Even if they are temperamental, they
are really sociable and warm at heart, and they
value friendship as very important
- The size. Being 25,708 square km's Sicily is
a big island, the biggest in the Mediterranean.
Thus a property bought in Sicily can be rented out
in any season, as it is a place where people live,
work and study all year round and not just a holiday
destination.
- Its beauty, natural and cultural. If you travel
around the island you will never finish to be amazed
by the great locations you can find even in the
most unexpected corners.
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What’s
the time zone?
Sicily, Italy, is one hour ahead of Greenwich
time.
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What
currency is used in Sicily?
The currency used in Sicily is the Euro.
To know about the exchange rates between the Euro
and other currencies check the “Currency
Converter”.
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What
famous people will you find in Sicily?
Mick Hucknall from Simply Red has a vineyard
on the slopes of the Etna, where the soil is particularly
fertile, and produces his own wine called Red . Sting
bought a property on one of the Aeolian Islands.
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What
is Sicily like geographically?
Sicily is a big island (the biggest in
the Mediterranean Sea, 25,708 square km's) and It
can be recognised by its triangular shape, hence its
other name “Trinacria”, from the ancient
Greek language meaning “three tips”. It
is mainly mountainous, but it has a few small plains.
The biggest one is near Catania (Piana di Catania)
and the second biggest near Palermo (Conca d’oro),
both famous for the cultivation of citrus (oranges,
mandarins, lemons and the like). Sicilian citrus fruits
are lovely, very tasty and sweet. They are pricier
than Spanish ones on foreign markets but the quality
is worth the difference in price. If you buy them
in Sicily though, they are really cheap.
The main feature in Sicilian landscape
is the Mount Etna an active volcano located in the
east side of the island. It is the highest in Europe,
with its 3,000 metres. Even if active, there is no
reason to be scared by it, because it is of the effusive
type. Which means, that it erupts frequently, but
the direction of the lava can be foreseen and it won’t
explode suddenly like instead for instance the Vesuvio
is likely to do. When the lava flows it usually doesn’t
cover the villages, in fact there are no buildings
above a certain altitude, only woods and countryside.
The locals respect the volcano and love it, because
it provides a very fertile soil. For this reason,
fruits and vegetable grown here are particularly sweet
and full of flavour and wine is very strong. Mick
Hucknall from Simply Red has a vineyard on the slopes
of the Etna, where the soil is particularly fertile,
and produces his own wine called Red.
In addition to the main island, Sicily
is surrounded by many small islands which are popular
holiday destinations for locals and outsiders alike.
The archipelagos of the Aeolian Islands, off the north
eastern coast of Sicily; the Egadi Island, off the
west tip of the main island; the Pelagie Islands,
off the south coast, very close to Africa; the small
island of Ustica, off the north western coast in
front of Palermo, located in the middle of a national
marine park.
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