Sicily

As always, a geat guide series in any Euripean country. Best of all is its reputation (deserved) for objectivity of its reviwers. It's true!

The Green Guide Sicily was added to this series in 1998 and gives you all the information you need for a trip to Sicily. Sicily is not just the birthplace of the Mafia that Hollywood has led you to believe. It's a sleepy place untouched by tourist throngs with a wealth of beautiful Greek ruins. I visited in July 2001 and used this book as my main travel book. As in all the Michelin guides the cities and tourist attractions are listed are organized alphabetically without any geographic considerations so you need to refer to a map to find an unfamiliar place. There are limited maps printed at the beginning of the book. Hours of opening with telephone numbers are given at the back of the book for the major attractions. This is critically important; you don't want to drive across the island to arrive at place that's closed for the 3 to 4 hour midday siesta. Tourist amenities are limited in Sicily, I stayed at one of the best hotels in Palermo (according to the Italy Red Guide) and it was awful. In some remote places finding a place to buy cool drinks or snacks is a challenge that Americans used to having convenience stores everywhere will notice. The upside of this is that there are so few tourists that you get a unique perspective on the places you see. I spent 90 minutes at the superb Greek temple at Segesta during which I was the only person there for most of the time. There weren't many people at the Selunente or Agrigento Greek temples either. The guide refrains from gossipy editorializing, sticking to one or two pages of facts and picture or two of important sites. There is a useful system of prioritizing sites; Three stars is a must see, one star for sites worth visiting if you're in the area or have extra time on your hands. I found that I usually agreed.

I'm building an internet site all about Sicily. I found this book so useful in my photographic tours of Sicily. It is a book that who love Sicily might not to miss. I appreciated particularly the advices about where to eat. It's simply ... complete!