Author: Evelyn ([email protected]) <BR>Date: 2/15/2001, 6:22 am ET <BR> <BR>Message: Am considering Grand Circle's "All-Inclusive Sicily Tour" in the fall. Staying a week each at Hotel Tonnara Trabia and Excelsior Palace in Agrigento/Taormina. Anyone taken this tour? Comments on Dine-Around program and accommodations appreciated. Also weather at that time of year. Any serious language problems. I don't speak any Italian! <BR>

No, I've never taken that tour or any other, but my impression has always been that one of the reasons people take tours is to shield them from the rigors of, say, having to deal with a foreign language. I'm sure the tour guides will help you out. Besides, even if you speak Italian well, it would take more than two weeks to master the Sicilian dialect.I would, however (as I would when traveling to ANY country) at least pick up a phrase book and try to learn some basic phraseology.

To not worry about speaking Itailian. If you have money, they will be very patient. Learn to say thank-you (grazie), and please (per piacere). Maybe even learn to say "Dov'e il bagno?" (Where is the restroom/toilet) pronounced Dove-a (long a) ill-banyo. You'll be fine. Ciao.

just learn some basic italian. they understand both florentine italian as taught in the schools and the local sicilian dialect. try to use the expressions as most people respond well to the effort and you may well recieve some free lessons. dont be embarassed just try

Actually, if you ask "Dov'e il bagno?" you're technically asking for the bath room, as in the room where you can take a bath. Better: "Dove sono i gabinetti?" (Where are the toilets?) or "Dov'e il gabinetto?" (Where is the toilet?) <BR> <BR>This seems to be a fairly standard difference between U.S. usage and European--we ask for the bathroom, meaning a place we can use the toilet; Europeans ask specifically for the toilets. Maybe it's because we're prissy about the word "toilet"; I don't know. <BR> <BR>Anyway, for Evelyn: I agree with the other posters, just *go* and have a good time! Don't worry about not speaking Italian; just learn a few politeness phrases and you'll get along fine. In addition to please, thank you, you're welcome, good morning/good evening, and sir/madam, I've found it really useful to be able to say "I would like" X or "We would like" x. It's "Vorrei X" (vorrayee, approximately) and "Vorremmo X" (vorraymo). Comes in handy in hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.

Sicilians speak Sicilian among themselves, but speak standard Italian to outsiders. So not knowing Sicilian is NOT a problem, unless you are stranded alone and the only person you can find is an 80+ year old peasant or shepherd who never learned Italian. The young and middle aged and early-elderly all speak Italian. <BR> <BR>If you are going in the fall, you have time to learn a little Italian. Lots of English is spoken in Taormina these days. I haven't been to Agriegento since 1973, and at that time, there wasn't much English spoken, but now there probably is. (In small towns off the main tourist routes, however, do not expect many people to know English; French is the usual foreign lang. in more traditional areas of Sicily.) But anyway, if you are on a tour, it will not be ESSENTIAL to know Italian (although it might make the trip more enjoyable if you learn a little). <BR> <BR> An elderly friend of mine has taken several tours with Grand Circle and she loved them.

Gina : <BR> <BR>I believe the reason why the word "bathroom" is not used in continental Europe for the toilet, is there's usually no toilet in the room designed to take a bath/shower. It's a separate room.

As someone mentioned already you should learn some basic phrases. <BR>Your trip is in the fall so if you spend 20 minutes a day a few times a week studying Italian you will be in a great shape. Print out those basics right here from Fodors.com and begin today. You will be glad you did and you will be proud of yourself too. Good luck

We were on a day trip to Taormina and I can tell you that I fell in love with this place. Although I speak fluent Italian, others who only spoke english had no problem communicating. We were there late september and it was very warm. Just learn some basic words and you'll be ok. Have fun