Four unique tours of Sicily for 2009. These are interesting tours in small groups at good prices. Read about our Sicily tours. |
Castles in the clouds, and that's just the beginning.
Personalized luxury travel, fully customized itineraries and unique
ideas for those accustomed to the very best. Visit Sicily Concierge to see what we can do for you.
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Your host for independent travel in Sicily. Experts on history, culture, and the best cuisine. Genealogical research and cooking classes too. At sicily-tour.com. |
Be the guest of a count and countess in the medieval, rustic ambience of
an aristocratic palace in the heart of old
Palermo. Why stay in a chain hotel or generic bed and breakfast? Choose Palazzo Conte Federico! |
Living history. A unique day tour, a luxury excursion that unlocks the doors of
a secret city's most aristocratic homes. Experience our unique Palermo excursion! |
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Find a Tour Guide, Tour Leader or Interpreter
Guides are listed based on general historical and cultural knowledge,
linguistic competence and ability. (Hiring a guide
is discussed below, and a few Sicily travel links
follow.) For rates, based on a full or half day, please email the guide.
While we recommend these guides, we don't have any
commercial connection with them (they don't pay to be listed here).
For more comprehensive services (including drivers for shore excursions, week-long
tours, etc.) see our Sicily tours page. Foreign languages spoken are indicated; an asterisk (*) denotes the guide
as a native speaker of the language. Certain guides are licensed in more than one province.
(Malta is indicated following the Sicily listings.)
Palermo (includes Monreale and Cefalù)
Giusy Nicoletti (giusinicol@virgilio.it)
English, French.
Jackie Alio (aliojacqueline@yahoo.com)
English* (also a historical author).
Francesca Lombardo (lofran07@libero.it)
English, German.
Conchita Vecchio - interpreter and group leader (conchitavecchio@yahoo.com) English*.
Messina (includes Taormina)
Rosa Rizza (rosa_rizza@hotmail.com)
English*.
Carmelo Guardione (carmeloguardione@yahoo.it)
English, French, German.
Tommaso Pantè (tpante@gmail.com)
English, Spanish.
Diana Mazza (trinacria2000@hotmail.com)
English, German.
Agrigento
Ninfa Cacciatore (ninguide@yahoo.com)
English.
Salvatore Macaluso (toulouse@hotmail.it)
English.
Michael Gallo (mgallo@sicilytravel.net)
English.
Siracusa
Rosa Rizza (rosa_rizza@hotmail.com)
English*.
Diana Mazza (trinacria2000@hotmail.com)
English, German.
Douglas Kenning (dkenning@sicilyonline.it English*.
Stephen Davies (luciadavies@virgilio.it English*.
Ragusa
Barbara Sudano (barbara.sudano@gmail.com)
English.
Trapani (includes Segesta)
Saverio Renda (saverio_renda@virgilio.it)
English.
Giusy Nicoletti (giusinicol@virgilio.it)
English, French.
Enna (includes Piazza Armerina)
Roberta Alvano (roberta.alvano@alice.it)
English, French.
Dino Cuttitta (cuttittad@interfree.it)
English.
Catania
Diana Mazza (trinacria2000@hotmail.com)
English, German.
Malta
Joan Sheridan (joansheridan@touringmalta.com)
English*.
How
to Hire a Tour Guide:
 - Whether you find the name of a guide on this list
or another, determine which languages the guide speaks. If you actually
speak to him/her you'll be able to get some idea about fluency in your language.
The guides listed on this page all speak foreign languages well; sometimes
the advantage of native ("mother-tongue") speakers is that, being
from (for example), the United States or Japan, they better understand the
culture, interests and "touring style" of foreigners (non-Italians)
visiting Italy.
- Try, either via email correspondence or a telephone conversation, to get
a feel for what there is to see; there are plenty of ideas on this site.
A good tour guide will try to determine what you (or your tour group)
want to see and do. For example, if your Sicilian visit has a culinary theme
you'll want to see the street
markets of Palermo or Catania.
- Inquire about rates and the guide's availability on a certain day. It's
important that you feel comfortable with the guide you hire. If you get
a guide's name from this page, mention that you found it on Best of Sicily.
- Guides are, by nature, specialists in a particular aspect of travel. If
you require lodging, transportation or itinerary planning, the right service
is a competent travel agent, tour operator or "travel concierge"
with staff based at your destination. Several are listed on this page.
- Italians are too often inclined to rely almost exclusively on paper "credentials"
rather than actual quality of service, and some travel professionals use
"certifications" as a substitute for listening to, and then meeting,
your needs as a traveler. Scheduling, for example, is important because
your time in a certain destination may be limited and Sicily's historic
and archeological sites have fickle open-hours, so concentrate on the practical
elements of your visit.
- Rates may vary based on factors such as the season, but (speaking very
generally) the cost of a guide service is typically slightly over 100 euros
for a half-day (4-5 hours) and slightly more than 200 euros for a full-day
(7-8 hours). As a point of reference, this is the minimum you should expect
to pay. Tipping is always welcome, but especially appropriate with a "larger"
group of at least six adults.
- Remember that even if the focus of your trip is primarily cultural and
historical, you're coming to Sicily to have a good time. Enjoy your discovery
of the world's most fascinating island!
- Dozens of travel agents and tour operators, and hundreds of "independent
travelers," have found guides and travel-related services by consulting this
page. Contact
us to suggest a guide, indicating your name, address and daytime telephone number.
- The editors wish to acknowledge that this page was suggested by a travel
agent's experience with tour guides in Italy. He brought to our attention
the vast differences between great guides and mediocre ones.
Sicily Links
World's Island.
Links to all kinds of travel-oriented sites for Sicily, from restaurants
to wedding planners.
Love Sicily.
Cooking courses in scenic southeastern Sicily.
Sicily Concierge.
Offers a wide range of customised travel experiences and even organises
conferences and incentive holidays in Sicily.
Sicily
Driver and Guide. A luxury standard in personal touring around Sicily
with small groups.
Taormina & Siracusa Tour Guides.
Tour guides in eastern Sicily.
Sicily
Tours. Week-long tours around Sicily as well as shore excursions for
cruise passengers at Palermo, Messina and Trapani. Also a good resource for travel agents.
"Emergency"
Tours of Sicily. A good place to purchase a tour if your scheduled guided
tour of Sicily has been cancelled.
Best of Sicily Guide. The web's most complete, and most popular,
travel guide for Sicily, with a monthly magazine featuring original articles
on hundreds of topics.
Sicily Wedding.
Wedding planner for northwestern Sicily, specifically Cefalù (at
the medieval cathedral) and Castelbuono (in the castle).
Sicily Moto Rent.
Motorcycle rental based in Palermo. One of the few such agencies in Sicily.
See Palermo.
A detailed destination guide for Palermo, Sicily's largest city, and other
places in northwestern Sicily.
Sicily Guide Blog.
Compact destination guide with a frequently updated blog.
Sicily Life. Travel services and tours described and linked.
Palermo Tours. Various tours of Palermo and northwestern Sicily.
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