Sicily, Italy Holiday Review - Historical Holiday

Submitted by: Niraj
Date of travel: 26-July-2007

I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit Sicily and to date it's probably the most intriguing holiday I have ever been on. My one goal that I wanted to achieve on my visit was to see Mount Etna and apart from that I didn't expect to do much sightseeing but I was mistaken. Sicily has got a really wildly rich history. I saw Greek ruins; found out that Sicily was ruled by the Africans and Asians. There are lots of museums to check out and obviously don't forget to taste the finest cuisine in Italy.

Sicily, Italy Holiday Review - Experience of a lifetime-Sciac

Submitted by: Lisa
Date of travel: 09-July-2007

We expected a fantastic Sicilian villa experience after reading the website for Fontana Calda - and we were not disappointed. We stayed in one of four sweet little apartments with a balcony that had sweeping views of the rolling hills of olive groves. We could see the high mountain village of Caltobellotta and through a split in the landscape was a glimpse of the Mediterranean. We got up each morning and picked oranges for our breakfast. The breezes and the views, the quiet, the hospitality was wonderful. Doris, our English/German speaking hostess, had prepared for us a map and advice on where to find anything we needed - like picnic supplies. We used our cozy well apportioned apartment as a base to go out for days spent in villages and ancient ruins and the wonderful craziness of the Carnevale. Just 5 minutes away in Sciacca, was a five day festival of immense proportions. Animated floats three stories high making their way through the city streets with thousands of Sicilians of all ages, many in costume, dancing and singing and eating and drinking - the favorite being sausages and red wine. Doris gave us some funny hats and a pink boa to wear so we could join in the festivities. Doris recommended some wonderful restaurants - you have to go to the La Grotto (we went twice). And Sciacca has it's own charm as a real working fishing village. We would go to the docks in the evening to watch the boats return with the days catch and the commerce that followed. If you want to immerse yourself in a culture and see more than just the tourists see, Sciacca is a great destination. There's not a lot of English spoken in the area, but with Doris' help, we got along famously and had one of the best vacations ever. We loved Fontana Calda and we are anxious to go back.