A million lifetimes isn’t enough to explore Europe on foot, bicycle or just sightsee. Each time we visit and choose a different country area to explore, it’s love at first sight. In Europe, you can begin the day in one destination, hike/bike or walk around lakes, up and over mountains, visit charming towns on the [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Sicily”
Travels With Sheila’s 7 Favorite Countries to Hike, Bike, Walk in Europe
February 28th, 2009 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in Austria, Europe, France, Italy, Mallorca, Sheila's Tips for Travelers, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland 
Tags: accommodation, adventure, destination, event, events, food, information, landmark, log, nature, sightseeing, travel 
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Always Smoking Mt. Etna in Sicily
August 6th, 2006 Sheila Simkin On Saturday morning (last day of tour), the Explore group went to visit Mt. Etna. Mt. Etna is the largest volcano in Europe, very active and erupts frequently. It’s 10,962′ high but tourists are only allowed to go as high as 8,000′ because it is too dangerous. There are sensors buried all over the mountain [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, Mt.Etna, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, Taormina, travel 1 Comment »
Stunning and Fun Taormina, Sicily
August 5th, 2006 Sheila Simkin From Palermo, we drove to Cefalu and then to Castelbuono exploring these two towns before continuing on to Taormina. Cefalu was possibly begun as a fortified Greek outpost and has a Lavatolo Medievale (old loutside aundry), … View image… a Duomo, and the remains of Temple of Diana. Very small and charming to walk around [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, Taormina, travel No Comments »
The Cookies and Biscotti of Palermo, Sicily – Italy
August 4th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Palermo has a reputation as a noisy, dirty, polluted city albeit with a long history as Sicily’s capital. It is all that but Palermo had exceptional food. Let’s talk cookies and biscotti. Wandering around one of the two main squares, we happened to buy Biscotti at a small bakery, and then walked around the corner [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Palermo, Sicily, sightseeing, travel No Comments »
Agrigento, Sicily and Its Temples – Italy
August 3rd, 2006 Sheila Simkin We continued on to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples. Agrigento was founded as a Greek colony in 6th century BC, and became a leading city in the Mediterranean. Most of the ancient town still lies buried under the fields and orchards. The Valley is an archaeological park and some temples, named after [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, Agrigento, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, travel No Comments »
Villa Imperial, Casale, Sicily – Italy
August 1st, 2006 Sheila Simkin The Villa Romana del Casale is located about 5km outside Piazza Armerina. It is the richest, largest and most complex collection of late Roman mosaics in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By far, the most beautiful and impressive mosaics I’ve ever seen. When talking to friends about places we’ve traveled, I always [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, trains, travel 1 Comment »
Noto, Ragusa and Piazza Armerina, Sicily – Italy
July 31st, 2006 Sheila Simkin Left Syracusa on our little tour bus heading to Piazza Armerina, today’s eventual destination. The first stop was Noto, a little town from the 9th century set among olive groves and almond trees. Noto had been occupied by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Aragoneses, and Spanish cultures. But it was destroyed in 1692 by [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, trains, travel No Comments »
Arriving in Syracusa, Sicily – Italy
July 30th, 2006 Sheila Simkin We flew into the Catania Airport to join the tour in Syracusa. While still in the air, Mt. Etna was visible, puffing out white smoke (everyone has read about famous Mt. Etna). The airport is approximately one hour away by taxi or bus and it’s easy to get to by taking public transportation. The Park [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, trains, travel No Comments »
Planning “Classical Sicily” – Italy
July 29th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Air? We flew Chicago-Milan and then to Catania, the closest airport to Syracusa where the group would meet. flyCheapo shows many different airlines from all over Europe. Check Alitalia, Meridiana and Air Europe who all fly from Italy. Trains? Catania is a 10-hour train ride from Rome (there are about eight a day), and once [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, trains, travel No Comments »
Sicily Italy – Land of The “Godfather”
July 28th, 2006 Sheila Simkin Sicily plays a major role in every gangster movie I’ve ever seen but few people know that it is the place to see some of the best preserved Greco-Roman sights in the Mediterranean. And people also rave about the excellent food and wine (including my daughter’s Venetian father-in-law). It takes a little searching to find [...]
Posted in Italy, Sicily Tags: adventure, culture, destination, event, food, information, Italy, log, nature, Sicily, sightseeing, trains, travel No Comments »
