Sicily in early February?
May 18th, 2017 | 03:46 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,515
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Sicily in early February?
I have read that crowds are down, better group tour prices and iffy weather but my concern is that stores and restaurants will be closed. Don't mind cold weather and better prices but will we "miss out" if we op for early February? Would love to hear from someone who has experienced winter in Sicily please.
May 19th, 2017 | 09:06 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2017
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We spent the entire month of February this year in Palermo and loved it. This was the first month of a long, relaxing vacation without the need to "see and do", and Palermo fit the bill perfectly. We were lucky with the weather, with only a few rainy and chilly days. The average daytime high was probably around 62f/17c with a few days a bit warmer or cooler. Sunshine was plentiful. We rented an apartment with a rooftop terrace, hoping to get a handful of days to really enjoy it, and wound up spending at least an hour or two up there more days than not. Palermo isn't as pretty as many cities, and there isn't as much to see in the area compared to other Sicilian cities, but it was relaxing and pedestrian friendly. Lodging is inexpensive, and the only days we ran into many tourists were when cruise ships were docked. Even then it wasn't crowded, and they returned to the ship before evening. We had a wonderful time.
As for closures, like any city, we'd walk past a storefront daily and would suddenly see a restaurant or shop we'd never noticed before, presumably because it had been closed. But there was no shortage of restaurants, cafes and bars, and everything in the pedestrian areas was always open. We never went to the same place twice, with the exception of grabbing a quick caffé a few times at a bar down the street from our apartment. Our apartment was in the Il Capo market, walkable to pretty much everything.
As for closures, like any city, we'd walk past a storefront daily and would suddenly see a restaurant or shop we'd never noticed before, presumably because it had been closed. But there was no shortage of restaurants, cafes and bars, and everything in the pedestrian areas was always open. We never went to the same place twice, with the exception of grabbing a quick caffé a few times at a bar down the street from our apartment. Our apartment was in the Il Capo market, walkable to pretty much everything.
