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italianoLocation scout SicilyAll details about the Siciliy area. More areas of Italy, where we can offer local information: > Piedmont > Liguria > Veneto > Lombardy > Tuscany > Sicily 
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Geography and general information about Sicily
Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. km and 5.1 million inhabitants. Sicily's principal cities include the regional capital Palermo, together with the other provincial capitals Catania, Messina, Siracusa, Trapani, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Ragusa. Other famous Sicilian towns include Cefalù, Taormina, Bronte, Marsala, Corleone, Castellammare del Golfo, and Abacaenum (now Tripi). The regional flag is divided diagonally yellow over red, with the trinacria symbol in the center. The volcano Etna is situated close to Catania. The Aeolian islands to the north are administratively a part of Sicily, as are the Egadi Islands to the west, Ustica Island to the north-west, and the Pelagian Islands to the south-west. Sicily has been noted for two millennia as a grain-producing territory: olives and wine are among its other agricultural products. The mines of the Caltanissetta district became a leading sulphur-producing area in the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s.
Mount Etna (or Aetna) (italian: Etna or Mongibello) is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily (Italian Sicilia), close to Messina and Catania. It is 3,323 m (10,902 ft) high, about three times as high as Vesuvius, 140 km circumference at its base. On the safe part of its hills a famous wine is produced. Etna is highly active, and currently the volcano has an eruption every few years. The constant monitoring, and the relative tranquillity of these eruptions, mean that there is little danger to human life. But sometimes, the lava streams burn down houses and gardens. On at least one occasion, a big lava stream has been diverted to a nearby empty valley to protect a village, though other villages have been lost.
Climate Sicily has a Mediterranean climate with warm spring and fall, hot summer and mild winter. The months April, May, June as well as September and October are the most pleasant times to stay in Sicily. The summer is rather hot and very dry, the winter on the other hand is very mild and sweaty. At the more than 1000 km long coast there is a relatively balanced, Mediterranean climate -- against this the northern coast is a little rainier. The bathing season in Sicily starts at the end of May until the middle of July/Sept and stops by the middle of November. In the mountain areas around the Mount Etna (3,323 m above sea level) and it is rather cold around the Sicilian Apennines in winter and occasionally also little snow falls. Infrastructure SicilyAirports Sicily is served by national and international flights (mainly European) from to Palermo International Airport and Catania-Fontanarossa Airport. There are also minor national airports in Trapani and the smaller islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa.
Ferry Connections Please visit the following Internet-Links for actual information www1.gnv.it (in english available) www.cemar.it (in english available)
Train Connections Sicily is connected to the Italian peninsula by the national railway company, Trenitalia. Please visit www.trenitalia.it for time tables.
Rental Car Subsidiaries of Hertz, Avis and Europcar can be found all over the island. Please check the Palermo airport services for detailed information.
Cab reservation
Distances by car Palermo – Catania 200 km 2 hours Palermo – Naples 350 km 12 hours Palermo – Rome 570 km 14 hours Palermo – Milan 1050 km 28 hours Palermo – Bari 690 km 7 hours Palermo – Tunis (Africa) aprox. 200 km airline Acommodation
More useful links Embassies & Consulates
More useful informationRecommended Internet Link Offical Internet Site from the region of Sicily: www.regione.sicilia.it
Webcam / Live Picture from Mount Etna: www.albanetcom.com/etnaimg
Cefalù Kulturforum Cefalù Corso Ruggero, 55 90015 Cefalù, Italy Tel. +39 0921 923998
Messina Associazione Culturale Italo-Tedesca / German-italian cultur comunity ACIT Messina Via S. Maria dell’Arco 11 98121 Messina, Italien Tel. +39 090 53665 web.tiscali.it/acit-me/
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