Sicily was a true highlight of our travels. We dreamed of a traditional villa overlooking the sea where we could relax with friends (and found it).
We wanted to hike rugged landscapes and swim in crystal clear coves.
We were keen to explore the relics of diverse cultures, from the Ancient Greeks and Romans, to the Moors, Crusaders and others too numerous to name.
And we were super excited about the prospect of gorging on delicious Sicilian food…
To do everything that we wanted hiring a car was absolutely essential. While you can move between cities and towns by bus or sometimes train, your own transport is needed to get out into the countryside, to more remote beaches and to many tourist sites.
We were nervous about hiring a rental car in Sicily, where there are many stories of rip-offs, and we were also concerned about how we would cope driving on the wrong side of the road in a place where road rules are routinely disregarded. While there were a few tense moments, particularly in and around the capital, Palermo, on the whole it was easier than expected. We were careful to purchase insurance in advance from a third provider and took comprehensive ‘before’ photos on picking up the car. As it happened, the service we received from the car company was exemplary and we had no problems at all.
Our successful Sicilian holiday was all the sweeter for the time spent and memories created with our great group of friends.
There and back again 