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Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Scintillating Sicilian Sightseeing

Planning a trip to Sicily? If you like Naples, you’ll love Palermo. Here are a few highlights from my visit.

Palermo Sicily

Palermo reminds visitors of the once-upon-a-time importance of Sicily. A thousand years ago, with a population of 100,000, it was second only to Córdoba in Europe.

Church ceiling

The cathedral at Monreale (just outside of Palermo) is slathered in gold leaf — two tons of it, they claim…another powerful testimony to the affluence and importance of Sicilian culture in the 12th century.

Rick Steves tour group

I visited Palermo on a Best of Sicily tour. Our guide, Alfio Di Mauro, provided a constant parade of experiences…like meeting a charming contessa (countess) and touring her elegant world inside the Palazzo Conte Federico.

Capuchin crypt

A local guide, Jackie, took us on a side-trip into the spooky yet thought-provoking Capuchin Crypt. Until the 19th century, the Capuchin monks provided a remarkably public final resting place for Palermo’s leading citizens. Today, tourists are welcome to explore the vast underground collection of still-clothed skeletons and encouraged to ponder their own mortality.

 

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This is Day 12 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.

 

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Video: A “Food Truck” Fest in Sicily…Indimenticabile!

While we toured the Carthaginian ruins of the historic island of Mozia, our hosts set up a “food truck” lunch that was absolutely indimenticabile. (That’s my new favorite Italian word — necessary for this Best of Sicily Tour — meaning “unforgettable.”) In this clip, our guide, Alfio, stokes our appetite with a quick review of our lunch. Being here — with a great local guide, fine weather (May is perfect here), and this “zero kilometer” (everything perfectly local) lunch — we all felt very fortunate. We’re only a third of the way through our Sicily tour…and each day is even better than the last.

(This is Day 11 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.)