Smaller text Larger text

Destination: Italy

Posted on

Touring Sicily, One Sunset at a Time

The sun is setting on our Best of Sicily tour. It’s been an amazing ride, filled with a fun-loving gang of travelers, a knowledgeable guide, and unforgettable moments.

Sunset in Trapani

A trip through Sicily is filled not with tourists, but with unforgettable moments…like this sunset over Trapani.

Rick Steves with Sicily tour group

Gathering a fun-loving group together at a 2,500-year-old temple always makes me feel young. One thing I love about taking our tours (other than the great price I get) is the wonderful people who join us.

Alfio di Mauro talking on bus

On Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, the guides (like Alfio Di Mauro) are teachers first. And bus rides are a wonderful classroom — filled with learning.

iPhone airdrop

Every year, fun new tech tricks add to our happy travels. On this tour, we established what I’m sure will become a tour bus tradition: “The iPhone AirDrop Party!” Any tour member with an iPhone can flip on their Bluetooth and share photos with the rest of the gang. This was a huge hit (at least, for those with iPhones).

Forks in cup

Why would I sign up for one of my own tours? It’s fun. It’s efficient. I learn a lot. I better understand and appreciate the great work my staff does. I do a little coaching to be sure the experience we offer our travelers fits my touring style. And I can do a little quality control — putting forks out like this…bad hygiene.  

Tour plan

On Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, your guide always puts out tomorrow’s plan so you know what’s in store.

_

This is Day 17 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Posted on

Video: Our Twenty-Five Favorite Bites on Tour in Sicily

It’s the last day of our Best of Sicily tour. We just said goodbye to our bus in Catania, and, as our tour group walks a couple blocks with our bags to the hotel, I ask each tour member to share their favorite food memory. One thing is certain about Sicily: The food is a highlight.

This is Day 16 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Posted on

Sicily: Such a Small Island, So Much to See

The best way to tour Sicily is by car or bus. The roads are great, the traffic is sparse, the views are jaw-droppingly beautiful, and the distances are short. (Of our 40-plus tour itineraries, Sicily must have about the best “sights to hours-on-the-bus” ratio.)

It’s tough to cover this small island in 11 days — there’s so much to see! Our Best of Sicily tour is perfectly efficient and very busy…and if we had a few more days, we could have put them to very good use, too.

Northern Italians have long grumbled about their taxes subsidizing Sicily’s infrastructure. You can’t help but notice how the road system seems better than the local economy and population density would merit. Here, we’re driving under Sicily’s highest point, and Europe’s liveliest volcano: Mount Etna.

This is Day 15 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Posted on

Holy Cannoli! Sicilian Taste Treats

One thing nearly all visitors to Sicily come away raving about is the food. The Best of Sicily tour I’m on now has been a parade of delightful meals. Each day, we enjoy seasonal and local taste treats.

Rick Steves with big fish on plate

This is the biggest fish I’ve ever pretended to eat. With 28 at our table, there was nothing left of this guy in moments.

food truck

Food trucks are trendy where I live. And back home, this Sicilian “food truck” would be a huge hit.

Rick Steves with sommelier and guide

In the off-season, our wonderful tour guide, Alfio, explores Sicily in search of artisan families with a long and established tradition of quality who are happy to welcome our groups and be part of our road trip education. Here, on the slopes of Mount Etna, at the delightful Benanti Viticoltori family winery, we enjoyed meeting the brothers who run the place, touring their vineyard, and savoring the fruit of the Sicilian vine.

Cannoli kitchen

Modica is famous all over Italy for its uniquely tasty and fun-to-eat chocolate. Touring the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto in Modica, we made sure we got our samples…and they made sure we left none of our hair.

Cannoli class with Maria Grammatico

Now we know why they say, “holy cannoli.” For some reason, cannoli taste best in their homeland…Sicily.

 

_

This is Day 14 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Posted on

Video: You Are Zero! Italian Tips for Bickering Couples

Hanging out in Italy, I’m always learning new gestures and fun ways to communicate. Here are a few tips for bickering couples from tour guide Alfio Di Mauro.

_

This is Day 13 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.