Good Sicily Links
Actors, actresses, designers, cinema, opera, theatre, music, arts, artists, fashion, royalty, shopping, language schools, cooking schools, crafts, weddings, wines, trains, ships, food, olive oils, books, genealogy, transportation, social issues and more. If you don't find what you're looking for in Best of Sicily, try Sicily's greatest links page. We select sites based on objective editorial factors. While our linking to a site does not necessarily imply our editors' agreement with its content or point of view, all the sites linked here have been reviewed for quality of presentation and/or content. We prefer to link to relevant sites presented in English. Visit the Fashion page for more links. The Shopping page has more commercial links. Visit the links guide to suggest a link (we do not "exchange" links or banners).

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Tours, Transportation, Guides

Sicily Concierge. Completely personalised, custom-tailored holidays and specialised travel planning. The only firm of this kind in Sicily.

Best of Sicily Tours. Interesting (and affordable) tours of Sicily that visit major sights and sites of interest. May be purchased directly from the tour operators in Sicily. Departure from Palermo. Shore excursions, too.

Sicily Tour. Expert tours for small or specialised groups sponsored by the Anglo-Italian Cultural Association. They are are native English-speaking historians, cultural adventurers, and storytellers.

Guides and Drivers. English-speaking guides and drivers who can accompany you around Sicily. A good choice for semi-independent travel.

Divina Sicilia. Culinary tours of Sicily. Cooking classes, wine tastings and more.

Sicily Moto Rent. Motorcycle rental in Sicily. Good place to rent a bike for your trip around the island.

Andiamo. Their name means "Let's go!" Independent travel, escorted tours, groups, culinary, wine and gourmet.

Italian Trains. Railway schedules and ticket purchasing procedures. English section is useful. Not great on "usability" but still a good site. (When using the destination features, remember to use Italian names for certain cities, Siracusa instead of Syracuse, and that some cities have more than one station.)

Ryan Air. Offers daily direct flights between London and Palermo at great prices.

Virgin Express. Direct flights to Catania and Palermo from Brussels, with service across Europe.

Ships, Ferries, Hydrofoils. Several services can get you to the Italian or African mainland or the smaller islands. Tirrenia is the most important ship operator servicing Sicily, with daily departures to Lipari, Naples, Genoa, Tunis and Sardinia. This bilingual site provides schedules and useful ticket information. Snav has faster ships and a fleet of hydrofoils (service is only seasonal and their site has no English text). Or try Siremar. For travel to Malta, check out Virtu Ferries.

Special Projects. Hire Best of Sicily's staff for specialized editing, consulting, photographic or research projects, travel writing, public relations and advertising.

Theatre, Music and Dance, Entertainment

Classical Drama in Syracuse's Amphitheatre. Bilingual Italian-English site of the National Institute of Ancient Drama of Syracuse, which performs classical Greek and Roman dramas in the ancient amphitheatre of that eastern Sicilian city. Presents a seasonal calendar of performances and ticket purchasing information. The plays are usually performed in Italian rather than their original languages.

Taormina Film Festival. Good guide to this annual international cinematic celebration. Sometimes described in English.

Balletto di Sicilia (Sicilian Ballet). Bilingual Italian-English site of Sicily's most important ballet company, now known as the Compagnia Zappalà of Catania.

Teatro Massimo. Informative bilingual Italian-English site of Sicily's most important opera house and concert hall, with a list of currently scheduled concerts, opera and ballet. The site includes an excellent history of the theatre's past seasons and its role as a symbol of Palermitan culture for a century. Concert-goers and opera-lovers can check out what's scheduled before they arrive in Palermo.

Pasqualino Brothers Sicilian Puppet Theatre. Bilingual site (this link is to the English version) of a well-known Sicilian puppet theatre operated outside Italy by the Pasqualino family. The "puppets" are actually wooden marionettes made in the traditional manner. These Pasqualinos have no connection with the Pasqualino Marionette Museum in Palermo.

Cinema

Giuseppe Tornatore. The Oscar-winning director was born in Bagheria, near Palermo, and filmed some of his most successful movies in Sicily. This is a link to our article about Tornatore and his work.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta Outside Italy, you might recognize this actress from The Postman (Il Postino), A Brooklyn State of Mind, and other films. The talented and beautiful Maria Grazia Cucinotta was born and raised in Messina. This is the link to our profile of her. The official fan site (in Italian) is at MariaGraziaCucinotta.it. She also has a home page.

Social Issues and Religion

Sicilia Ortodossa. Bilingual Italian-English site of the Diocese of Sicily of the Eastern Orthodox Church, located in Palermo.

Mainstreaming. Sponsored by Arcidonna, a Sicilian based women's organization that advocates equal rights, "Mainstreaming" is part of an E.C. program that addresses the needs of women starting their own businesses. Arcidonna also staffs a special office which assists Sicilian women with the practical aspects of starting a business. To some extent, this informative multilingual site therefore deals with the special challenges of women starting businesses in Sicily.

Addio Pizzo. This site represents efforts of a young generation of Sicilians to combat the Mafia, Sicily's most serious social problem. Ignore the silly propaganda that says there's no Mafia. This is the real deal.

Giuseppe Impastato Centre. Giuseppe Impastato was a young activist killed by the Mafia, and the Impastato Center, a grass-roots organization, seeks to increase awareness of organized crime.

Sicilian Renaissance. Organisations like this one sometimes enjoy more prestige abroad than they do here in politically savvy Sicily, so beware of "spin" and blatant self-promotion. Sponsored by a Palermitan politician, Sicilian Renaissance promotes social change through increased cultural awareness. The New Mafia (a "white collar" fraternity that includes numerous politicians, bankers and other business people) that has infiltrated Sicilian life in recent years is more politically and commercially oriented than the "traditionalist" one described, and more powerful than ever before. (Editor's Note: This link is listed only in the interest of freedom of expression and public service; see our note regarding endorsements.)

History, Society, Genealogy and Heraldry

Two Sicilies. Bilingual site of the Royal House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies, the dynasty that ruled Sicily (and most of southern Italy) from 1734 until 1860. Featuring interesting sections on aristocratic traditions, dynastic history, orders of knighthood and other current activities of Sicily's royal family, this site is particularly practical as a way of mentally linking places like the Chinese Villa, the Favorita Park and the Ficuzza Hunting Lodge to their royal heritage.

Southern Italian History. Biography, dynastic history, heraldry (coats of arms), genealogy and related subjects, with a southern Italian focus. Scholarly and a bit esoteric but useful, especially if you seek more medieval history than we offer on Best of Sicily.

Family tree DNA. Good source for DNA testing, which can be useful in genealogical research. The procedure is simple, painless and inexpensive.

Sicily DNA Project. Good place to complement genealogical research with genetic information through a network of Sicilian descendants who have had their DNA tested.

Genealogical Research. We're not a genealogical research service, but every week Best of Sicily gets more questions about genealogical assistance than we could ever possibly answer --everything from queries about locations of small towns to requests for free research assistance and even validation of supposedly "aristocratic" lineage. For basic suggestions, visit our Genealogy page, but there are other sites for detailed discussions of genealogical topics.

Allied War Cemeteries. There are a number of these in Sicily, but note that many fallen Americans are buried at the Sicily-Rome Cemetery maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission near Rome. There are several British Commonwealth cemeteries in eastern Sicily. See the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site for more information or to search for a particular soldier from Britain, Canada or elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Sicilian Campaign 1943. Official United States Army military history of the campaign in Sicily in Summer 1943.

Battle of Hastings 1066. The other Norman conquest --of England. Great site dealing with this English battle fought five years after the Normans' Battle of Messina. Good general information on the conquerors of both Sicily and England. (Some Norman knights actually fought in both places.)

A Bequest Unearthed: Phoenicia. Best online source of information on the Phoenicians, who founded settlements in western Sicily around 750 BC. The site presents numerous specialised articles on all aspects of Phoenician history, society and culture --in Phoenicia and around the Mediterranean. Well-indexed and easily searched.

Sicilian Culture. This site presents information about Sicilian culture and its American diaspora from a very general (and refreshingly objective) perspective. While the focus is on Sicilian traditions and culture in the United States and Canada, those of us here in Sicily are not overlooked. A valuable resource published independently of self-interested "ethnic" organisations and travel agencies, with a variety of topics (food, cinema, personalities) online.

Cooking and Wine Tours, Wineries and Recreation

Sicily Moto Rent. Motorcycle rental in Sicily. Good place to rent a bike for your trip around the island.

Sicily Culinary Tour. A great way to experience Sicilian cuisine, with cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and more. Small group size.

Divina Sicilia. Culinary tours of Sicily. Cooking classes, wine tastings and more.

Market Cooking Classes in Palermo. Half-day classes based on traditional cuisine. Lessons begin with a trip to one of Palermo's street markets to find ingredients. Then you'll prepare lunch under the direction of a professional chef of one of Palermo's finest restaurants. We're often asked about cooking classes; this is one of the best and (as it's in Palermo) most convenient, and the city's outdoor markets are an experience in themselves.

Picciolo Golf Club. An 18-hole golf course within easy driving distance of Catania. Fairly challenging course in nice location with Etna in the background.

Madonie Golf Club. An 18-hole golf course within easy driving distance of Palermo, not far from Cefalù. Fairly challenging course in scenic location with Madonie Mountains in the background.

Destination Guides to Archeology, Localities, Nature

See Palermo. Good general guide to Palermo and nearby attractions.

Etna Webcam. Live views of Europe's largest volcano.

Taormina Online. Good locality site with no commercial clutter or local political promotion. Sponsored by the Taormina Friends Club. Graphically simple but very useful guide to a unique town.

Taormina Film Festival (and other events). The site sometimes includes English text, and describes this annual Summer event and others.

Taormina Tourism Bureau. Describes some local attractions. Not bad for an "official" site.

Sailing Charters and Itineraries

Sicily Concierge. For weekly yacht rental, completely personalised, custom-tailored holidays and specialised travel planning.

Wedding Planners

Sicily Wedding. Wedding planning in western Sicily. In castles, churches, cathedrals...

Weddings on the Move. American-based wedding consultant (working with clients in Canada and the United states) whose growing list of locations includes several in mainland Italy and, of course, Sicily. On-site representatives arrange everything from your wedding and reception to your honeymoon.

Weather

Weather Page. Weather reports and forecasts for Sicily's largest cities --Palermo, Catania, Messina. It's amazing how many folks ask us about the weather. This useful page makes it easy.

CNN Weather Page - Palermo. Convenient weather reports and forecasts for Sicily's largest city.

Language Schools

Sicilian Summer Italian Language Courses. This program offers intensive two-week Italian courses that allow you plenty of time to enjoy the sights, sounds --and beaches-- of Sicily. Taught in small classes at various levels, the courses, which run from March into the Summer months, are a practical way to learn Italian or to improve your knowledge of the language.

Art, Fashion, Antiques

Marella Ferrera. One of Sicily's best known fashion designers, based in Catania.

Pietro Sciortino. Painter and Baroque designer based in Palermo.

Arianna Porcelain Dolls. One of the last Sicilian makers of these works of art, each with its own personality.

Cooking, Food and Wine

Confezionando. Gourmet shop in central Palermo selling all kinds of food and wines. World-wide shipment.

Natural Sicily Olive Oil. Tenuta Baronale is a wholesale producer of vintage extra virgin olive oil, organic and unfiltered.

Cin-Cin Restaurant. Exceptional restaurant in central Palermo off Via Libertà between Politeama Theatre and English Gardens.

Cucina Papoff. Another great restaurant in central Palermo off Via Libertà between Politeama Theatre and English Gardens.

Villas and House Rentals

Villa Gigliotto. Rustic resort in the heart of Sicily near Piazza Armerina.

Tarantola. Stay at a working winery near Alcamo.

Ruvitello. Accomodation on olive, almond and citrus farm in valley near Mount Etna.

Vulcano Consult. Villa and house rentals on Sicilian islands, including Aeolian Islands, Lampedusa, Favignana and around Sicily.

San Domenico Residence. Modern rustic apartments in a restored monastery outside Siracusa.

Feudo San Giorgio. Historic estate in the Madonie Mountains.

Baglio Spanò. Estate in Sicily's wine country.

Casale Bazan. Villa and farm house overlooking Cefgalù.

San Leonardello. Charming farm house near Catania.

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