Special Projects in Sicily
We can do it! In fact, we've probably already done it. The large staff of Best of Sicily is available to render special services at reasonable fees. This includes things like lectures, consulting, travel writing, research, editing, photography, public relations, product searches, location scouting (for film production), advertising and even guest speaking engagements.

We frequently receive emails from magazine editors, television program directors, aspiring travel writers, photographers and would-be film producers for free assistance or consultation. Please DO NOT contact us unless you are prepared to PAY for our services.

lectures, business consulting sicily, photography, location scouting, editing, publishing sicily
Rates and Fees: How much will it cost? Unfortunately, none of these services are free, but our rates are affordable or at least competitive. Each is quoted individually, either based on a fixed fee or a daily rate. For projects quoted based on time, the standard rate is €300 (about US $360) per day plus expenses. (Lecture fees and travel writing, such as articles for travel guides and in-flight magazines, have a separate structure.) You may wish to check your company's budget for outsourced consultants before hiring us. In practice, outsourced services like ours are usually far less expensive than sending somebody to Sicily to undertake a project, and certainly more efficient than employing "just anybody" who happens to live in Sicily to complete what is meant to be a professional project.

Some Past Projects: Who uses our services? People from around the world: Publishers, television and motion picture producers, university professors, advertising agencies, artists, writers, vendors of Sicilian products, and anybody who requires specialised services here in Sicily. Past projects include editing a large travel guide and fact checking others, photography of particular places, research for published articles and television documentaries, location scouting for motion picture and television filming in Sicily, archival research for historical and architectural information, searches for Sicilian products (and even houses), articles for airlines' in-flight magazines, and restaurant reviews. In some cases, our task was to find somebody to undertake a project which we ourselves could not accept. Our staff has worked internationally in publishing, advertising, marketing, travel writing, photography, historical research and other areas, for commercial and academic clients, governments, organisations and even royal families. We call upon these various talents each month when we publish a new edition of Best of Sicily Magazine. Our staff's experience in these various fields places us in a unique position to meet your needs. That means professional efficiency and competence with no nonsense and no hype. We're here to make your job easier.

Working With Us: We're easy to work with, and we'll only accept a project that we can complete successfully. As an independent service (we're not associated with any public travel bureau, hard copy publisher or government agency), we can offer you objective, unbiased information or advice that is not influenced by local politics, businesses or personalities. In fact, though most members of our staff have resided here in Sicily for years, some were raised outside Italy, and this makes it easier for us to see things from your point of view. In other words, we're an independent service with an independent point of view. Your point of view. We can save you time and money spent trying to accomplish your task in Sicily. We don't want to sound boastful (and we aren't at liberty to discuss their projects in detail), but we've worked as consultants for staff from National Geographic magazine, The Economist, the BBC and CNN, as well as The History Channel and CBS.

Details: Best of Sicily is Sicily's international point of reference on the Web, with two million serious readers (not just "visitors") each year. Every minute of the day somebody, somewhere in the world, is reading Best of Sicily. Since this site went on line in 1999, we've received requests for specialized services unavailable elsewhere. Most of these requests came from people who didn't speak Italian or simply didn't want to deal with an often uncooperative local bureaucracy in Sicily. (In fact, certain requests were for services or information which, in theory, should have been addressed to Sicily's public tourism agencies, administrative offices or even the mayors of large cities!) To find out whether we can help make your project a success, email us (services@bestofsicily.com) with your requirements. (Please remember to mention your name.)

Lectures: Wouldn't it be great to experience history, art or archeology coming alive? To see something as you've never seen it before? Our expert speakers have personality! (They'll inform you without boring you.) The Italian contributors to this site represent a wide range of scholarly interests, and because most have studied both in Italy and outside Italy (in London, New York and elsewhere) they speak real English, not the slightly "broken" variety spoken by many Sicilian tour guides and professors. (A few guides are exceptional but few are scholars, while few university professors based in Sicily speak any English at all.) Communication is important, but so is one's point of view. Our speakers bring to their work a balanced, multicultural, multi-disciplinary perspective perfectly suited to Sicily's uniquely polyglot heritage. Some hold advanced degrees in history, art and theology, and most have published original, scholarly work in their fields. One of our contributors is an English-speaking Orthodox theologian whose description of Sicily's Byzantine and multi-faith history is a passionate (and genuinely interesting) enhancement to a visit to Sicily. Another, the historian who first identified certain artistic (heraldic) links between the Norman cultures of Sicily and England (publishing his findings in London), offers listeners an inspired description of the most exciting societies of the Middle Ages. One of our writers is a specialist in classical music and opera. Another is a specialist in culinary history. What's particularly remarkable about each of these speakers is their general range of knowledge about all things Sicilian - accurate and insightful yet aloof of the "local bias" inherent in some lecturers' presentations. Even for an "ordinary" (non-specialised) tour or visit, a guest lecture can be a nice touch for a group's last evening in Sicily. The standard fee is €230.00 for a lecture lasting from sixty to ninety minutes, slightly more if an interpreter (to translate into Japanese, Russian or another language) is requested. Most of our writers available as lecturers are based in Palermo. Simply email us (services@bestofsicily.com) with your group's particular requirements. (Remember to include your name, as well as the dates you'll be in Sicily.)

Tour Guides: Lecturers are not trained, licensed tour guides, though most of the better tour guides we know are indeed exceptional lecturers. See our Sicily tour guide page for professional tour guides.

Travel Writing: We have found exceptional, English-speaking travel writers for international publications - for everything from in-flight magazines to travel guide books. Most editors understand that it's usually more practical to hire a writer who's already here in Sicily instead of covering the additional expense of sending one over for two or three months. That's only logical, as long as you can find the right talent, and it beats relying on a content-farm writer or blogger for your material on Sicily. Rates vary, and better writers will try to work within your budget. Email us (services@bestofsicily.com) with your requirements.

Photography: To discourage theft for use in print media, most of the images on this site are low-resolution (72 dpi) photographs or paintings presented in a limited range of colors. (This is the minimum quality acceptable for internet use.) However, our photographic archive includes high resolution digital photographs (in 300 dpi TIFF format) suitable for reproduction in magazines, brochures and books. In any event, the photographs remain our copyright property, and this must be indicated in all reproductions of the work. The copyright permission contract issued with each photograph permits limited use under the Berne Convention and other international copyright treaties, and we reserve the right to grant reprint permission selectively to publishers who, in our opinion, are likely to respect such laws. One-time publication of a photograph costs €80.00, but discount rates are available if rights are purchased to use more than three photographs. We also undertake specialised photography projects commissioned by various publishers. Email us (services@bestofsicily.com) for more information.