Sicily's Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions 2021
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YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE® Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions 2021 Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13) Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler, At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these: Who doesn’t love to eat in Italy? But Sicilian food, which is heavily influenced by the Arabs who thrived here, is in a league of its own. Sample the local flavors when you visit the Tunisian-inflected town of Mazara del Vallo and share a traditional Sicilian lunch with a local family. As you savor the home-cooked fare, you’ll learn how the city’s identity continues to evolve, and the vital role of the local fishing industry. You’ll also visit a home of a very different sort, one that traveler Carol Bowman described as “a house full of hope.” It’s Casa di Maria, an organization (and Grand Circle Foundation partner) established by a family in Catania to provide a loving home for children who are refugees or victims of neglect and domestic violence. The daughter-in-law of the founders (Sergio and Carmela) will enlighten you about Sicily’s foster care system. And you’ll meet more of the Casa’s extended family, including a young Nigerian woman who literally showed up on Sicily’s shores with nothing and grew up here, and hear her harrowing—but ultimately inspiring—story. The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can. To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests. So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925. Love and peace, Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel P.S. For more inspiration, you can watch videos and slideshows from travelers like you at www.oattravel. com/traveler-moments. You can also share some of your own favorite moments by uploading your travel videos and slideshows directly onto the trip-specific pages of our website. USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler 2 CONTENTS A Letter from Harriet Lewis ................................................................2 The O.A.T. Difference......................................................................4 The Grand Circle Foundation...............................................................6 The Leader in Solo Travel ..................................................................7 SICILY’S ANCIENT LANDSCAPES & ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: TIMELESS TRADITIONS CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE Your Adventure at a Glance: Sicilian Culture ......................... 65 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Religion and Religious Observances ....... 66 and What’s Included .......................8 Visiting Churches ........................ 67 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ..........9 Language .............................. 67 Optional Tours .......................... 31 Sicilian Cuisine .......................... 68 Pre-Trip Extension ....................... 32 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Post-Trip Extension ...................... 37 Shipping & More ........................ 69 Dates & Prices ........................... 43 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Sicily ................................... 71 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. 44 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 71 No Visas Required ....................... 44 Sicily: A Brief History .................... 71 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ......... 46 Vaccines Required ..................... .. 47 Money Matters: Local Currency & RESOURCES Tipping Guidelines....................... 50 Suggested Reading ...................... 73 Tipping Guidelines....................... 52 Suggested Film & Video .................. 74 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 53 Optional Tours .......................... 53 Communicating with Home from Abroad . 54 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . 56 Suggested Packing Lists .................. 57 Electricity Abroad ....................... 60 Climate & Average Temperatures .......... 62 O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures.......................................................... 76 Notes.................................................................................. 77 Map ................................................................................... 79 3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Sicily This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are hospitality. visiting, so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES stories, food, customs, hidden treasures With 36 regional offices around the world, and more. we are perfectly poised to leverage our local relationships to deliver an excellent experience AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported Engage with local people through visits to by our team in Rome. farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more. Delve into daily life at a farm in Sicily Connect with locals during a Home-Hosted meal in Portopalo, Sicily 4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY Enriching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes adventure. GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) exclusive, immersive experience that places VISIT you in the heart of a community where you’ll meet various people where they live, work, GCF was established in 1992 to help change and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a people’s lives in the world where we live, hand with daily chores; and break bread with work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or our hosts. donated $200 million worldwide. This adventure includes A Day in the Life at a You’ll see GCF’s work in action when we visit family homestead where we will learn about Casa di Maria, Sicily’s largest foster family life in the heart of the Sicilian countryside and which has grown into an organization that have the opportunity to participate in some fosters young Italian and foreign children, of the family’s daily activities. We’ll discover thanks in part to a GCF grant. how today’s farmers are blending traditional CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS techniques with modern agricultural Every culture has its joys and achievements, advancements, tour the family’s property, and and we celebrate them all. But every place help to prepare a meal before sitting down to also has its challenges, and to gloss over them lunch with our hosts. would not do justice to those whose stories HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds deserves more than a sugar-coated version of engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will things that can happen across a kitchen table, lead frank discussions on controversial issues, so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local and introduce you to people whose stories will family in their home for a snack or a meal. expand your understanding. This is a rare opportunity