Sicily
Sep 28th, 2005, 09:12 AM
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Sicily
I am contemplating living in Sicily for a year to study italian, culture & history. I am really into water sports...kayaking, swimming, beach activities, etc. Can anyone reccomend a city/village by the sea to live for that period of time. Having fast internet (DSL, cable, etc.) is a must. Also, good nightlife, music & food would be important. Any ideas on the cost of living?
Sep 28th, 2005, 02:31 PM
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I lived in Palermo for a year and loved it. I had some friends in Catania though and that has a more buzzy nightlife in my experience, but I know Palermo better and certainly some friends I had were involved in local sailing/surfing groups in Mondello (the beach just by Palermo) so I know the facilities are there.
I wouldn't really recommend living anywhere apart from on the the main cities - Palermo or Catania (possibly Syracuse) as the feeling of isolation can be quite intense. A friend of mine (an American) lived in a small town near Palermo and she felt very isolated there and was always coming into the city. The mentality is also slightly different, whereas in the larger cities the people can be a little more open and welcoming.
It is not really an easy place to live, necessarily. People are superficially very friendly and curious but it can be hard work to gain trust on a more extensive level.
You mentioned that you were going to be studying italian which i think will restrict your choices anyway.
Food will be good everywhere. Palermo and Catania have the best nightlife - possibly Catania's is better because it has a larger student community, but it certainly wasn't bad in Palermo. Always found things to do and it is opening up more.
In Palermo (which i know better) there were lots of opportunities to experience live music in different bars although some places can be difficult to find.
I think the fast internet will also rule out anywhere other than one of the main cities. Syracuse is pretty but it can be a bit dry out of the touristy months.
Obviously you have to go with an open mind. Things may not work out as you expect and things do work in different ways there.
As for cost of living, I left in 2003 but I paid about 400 euro for a one bed apartment in a nice area (but it was an illegal structure so my landlady only rented it to foreigners, but we did have our own water supply) - there are lots of illegally built houses there! I know the place i had was considered quite cheap.
Restaurants, well, a little cheaper than mainland italy and food much better. I only got through two gas cylinders in the year (for cooking and heat... they don't do central heating much there and it gets cold in the winter) and they cost about 30 euro each. My electricity was included in my rent and most people pay water rates separately.
Travel is relatively cheap, i can't remember how much exactly, but I walked most places anyway. And the clubs varied, drinks in bars much cheaper than in clubs.
I earned about 1000 euro net a month (which was more than the average salary there) and I spent it without any savings but i used to travel to different parts of the island a lot (although mostly day trips so no overnight expenses). That is based on no real extravagances. (i.e. I bought few clothes over there..etc)
I think i;ve been a little bit vague but just wanted to give a few impressions. All in all though, I loved it. I lived in Venice for a year before I moved down to Sicily, and Sicily hit me in a much more dramatic way.
I have been back about 4 times since I left and have a wonderful and rich experience there. It wasn't always easy, i had some isolating moments but generally, it was great!
I wouldn't really recommend living anywhere apart from on the the main cities - Palermo or Catania (possibly Syracuse) as the feeling of isolation can be quite intense. A friend of mine (an American) lived in a small town near Palermo and she felt very isolated there and was always coming into the city. The mentality is also slightly different, whereas in the larger cities the people can be a little more open and welcoming.
It is not really an easy place to live, necessarily. People are superficially very friendly and curious but it can be hard work to gain trust on a more extensive level.
You mentioned that you were going to be studying italian which i think will restrict your choices anyway.
Food will be good everywhere. Palermo and Catania have the best nightlife - possibly Catania's is better because it has a larger student community, but it certainly wasn't bad in Palermo. Always found things to do and it is opening up more.
In Palermo (which i know better) there were lots of opportunities to experience live music in different bars although some places can be difficult to find.
I think the fast internet will also rule out anywhere other than one of the main cities. Syracuse is pretty but it can be a bit dry out of the touristy months.
Obviously you have to go with an open mind. Things may not work out as you expect and things do work in different ways there.
As for cost of living, I left in 2003 but I paid about 400 euro for a one bed apartment in a nice area (but it was an illegal structure so my landlady only rented it to foreigners, but we did have our own water supply) - there are lots of illegally built houses there! I know the place i had was considered quite cheap.
Restaurants, well, a little cheaper than mainland italy and food much better. I only got through two gas cylinders in the year (for cooking and heat... they don't do central heating much there and it gets cold in the winter) and they cost about 30 euro each. My electricity was included in my rent and most people pay water rates separately.
Travel is relatively cheap, i can't remember how much exactly, but I walked most places anyway. And the clubs varied, drinks in bars much cheaper than in clubs.
I earned about 1000 euro net a month (which was more than the average salary there) and I spent it without any savings but i used to travel to different parts of the island a lot (although mostly day trips so no overnight expenses). That is based on no real extravagances. (i.e. I bought few clothes over there..etc)
I think i;ve been a little bit vague but just wanted to give a few impressions. All in all though, I loved it. I lived in Venice for a year before I moved down to Sicily, and Sicily hit me in a much more dramatic way.
I have been back about 4 times since I left and have a wonderful and rich experience there. It wasn't always easy, i had some isolating moments but generally, it was great!
Sep 28th, 2005, 08:23 PM
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thanks vnh, appreciate your detailed answer. A few more questions:
1. how far of a walk (or bike ride) would it be to a nice beach from your apartment? I want to be as close to the beach as possible, while still very close to center of town. Hopefully all within walking distance.
2. Did you encounter any safety issues while in Palermo?
3. I believe Americans can stay for 3 months, then leave the country and come back...ist that right?
4. How hot were the summers? cold in winter?
5. last question...what's your take on Sicilian girls, are they pretty?
1. how far of a walk (or bike ride) would it be to a nice beach from your apartment? I want to be as close to the beach as possible, while still very close to center of town. Hopefully all within walking distance.
2. Did you encounter any safety issues while in Palermo?
3. I believe Americans can stay for 3 months, then leave the country and come back...ist that right?
4. How hot were the summers? cold in winter?
5. last question...what's your take on Sicilian girls, are they pretty?
Sep 28th, 2005, 08:55 PM
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Ok - I'll go through the questions. My apartment was about 10 minute walk from the sea but I was nearish the main port so the beach was about a 10 minute bus ride (it would have been a long walk!). As for bike, don't know personally, but probably about 15/20mins. I took the bus because they were frequent and ran right past my door!
Safety issues, no. There are some dodgier areas of town by the station but if I was walking on my own at night I stuck to the main roads and was fine. Personal safety isn't so much of a problem for a woman (the local mafia would lynch any petty criminal who did anything like that before anything got near court). The most problem I got was groping on the buses or cars putting over to try and offer me lifts when I was walking alone in the evening (but I think that's more likely for women to suffer from!).
Don't get me wrong, in Palermo, and in most of Sicily, the mafia does exist in a real sense. You don;t see it as a tourist but equally, as a foreigner it won't affect you. Really, it is a type of clan struggle for power so if you are out of the loop, they don't care. 90% of sicilians will deny it and they are very embarrassed/ashamed of it but it is a part of the history there.
Still, on a day to day basis as a migrant, you will have no contact with any criminality. There is petty crime, like pickpocketing and bagsnatching. But I do as I do in London and keep an eye out.
Not sure about the issue of visas for americans. I'm British and therefore have EU passport. I think if you are studying you would be able to get a visa to cover that but I'm not an expert. The only americans I knew over there were either married to sicilians or had duel nationality and EU passports.
Summers, where I was, got to about 40C (sorry, i don't know fahreinheit!). Which for me, is hot! most people decamp to the beaches from June until September. Every day isn't like that, obviously, June and July were more manageable, August was stifling but September was lovely.. as were most months.
The winter wasn't that cold.. maybe only about 10C but it FELT cold. Maybe it was due to the humidity levels but mostly due to housing not being centrally heated and not adapted to cold weather. There were a few days it went down to about 5C and I was sitting in front of the gas stove all day (wheresa in London that is a very usual and probably pleasant winter temperature!).
The cold snap didn't last long (which is why it isn't worth them having central heating!).
Sicilian girls being pretty - I think, just as people all over the world, there are people all across the prettiness scale! They are very aware of their appearance though and will make great efforts to look and dress the best they can!
I am female so perhaps I was looking through different eyes!
Something that was mentioned to me by a british friend there (male) was that he found the girls to be more reticent and wary of foreigners than the men, but if you are there for a year, I'm sure you'll have time to persuade them you are hanging around!
In Palermo there is quite a small, but closer knit expat community. I didn't mix with them extensively, but it was nice sometimes to be able to speak in English with people and most people knew each other. I found that 80% of the people I knew and went out with were Italian and the other 20% were expat british/americans/australians. I found that to be a great mix! There was also a cinema that showed films in english once a week and that was a good place to meet and catch up with the news because you found there were the expats but also the italians who were good at english and wanted to practice so it was a great source of networking!
Safety issues, no. There are some dodgier areas of town by the station but if I was walking on my own at night I stuck to the main roads and was fine. Personal safety isn't so much of a problem for a woman (the local mafia would lynch any petty criminal who did anything like that before anything got near court). The most problem I got was groping on the buses or cars putting over to try and offer me lifts when I was walking alone in the evening (but I think that's more likely for women to suffer from!).
Don't get me wrong, in Palermo, and in most of Sicily, the mafia does exist in a real sense. You don;t see it as a tourist but equally, as a foreigner it won't affect you. Really, it is a type of clan struggle for power so if you are out of the loop, they don't care. 90% of sicilians will deny it and they are very embarrassed/ashamed of it but it is a part of the history there.
Still, on a day to day basis as a migrant, you will have no contact with any criminality. There is petty crime, like pickpocketing and bagsnatching. But I do as I do in London and keep an eye out.
Not sure about the issue of visas for americans. I'm British and therefore have EU passport. I think if you are studying you would be able to get a visa to cover that but I'm not an expert. The only americans I knew over there were either married to sicilians or had duel nationality and EU passports.
Summers, where I was, got to about 40C (sorry, i don't know fahreinheit!). Which for me, is hot! most people decamp to the beaches from June until September. Every day isn't like that, obviously, June and July were more manageable, August was stifling but September was lovely.. as were most months.
The winter wasn't that cold.. maybe only about 10C but it FELT cold. Maybe it was due to the humidity levels but mostly due to housing not being centrally heated and not adapted to cold weather. There were a few days it went down to about 5C and I was sitting in front of the gas stove all day (wheresa in London that is a very usual and probably pleasant winter temperature!).
The cold snap didn't last long (which is why it isn't worth them having central heating!).
Sicilian girls being pretty - I think, just as people all over the world, there are people all across the prettiness scale! They are very aware of their appearance though and will make great efforts to look and dress the best they can!
I am female so perhaps I was looking through different eyes!
Something that was mentioned to me by a british friend there (male) was that he found the girls to be more reticent and wary of foreigners than the men, but if you are there for a year, I'm sure you'll have time to persuade them you are hanging around!
In Palermo there is quite a small, but closer knit expat community. I didn't mix with them extensively, but it was nice sometimes to be able to speak in English with people and most people knew each other. I found that 80% of the people I knew and went out with were Italian and the other 20% were expat british/americans/australians. I found that to be a great mix! There was also a cinema that showed films in english once a week and that was a good place to meet and catch up with the news because you found there were the expats but also the italians who were good at english and wanted to practice so it was a great source of networking!
Sep 28th, 2005, 10:33 PM
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