the piri-piri lexicon: Sicily: pastries, history and bins...

I have hesitated to publish this post for a while now.

A couple of years ago, we spent 2 weeks in Sicily. We love Italy and this was meant to be a great family holiday before the arrival of our second baby. Yet, we were left disappointed when we came back. The holiday was great but we didn't feel like Sicily had lived up to its reputation.

When you think of Sicily you think of stunning sights basked in glorious sunshine and amazing food. These were all true. The sights were stunning. The food was great (like in most of Italy) and the weather didn't disappoint. However, all was slightly overshadowed by an apparent lack of care.

There are few destinations in the world I have been to that I don't really want to visit again that quickly.

I am sorry to admit though that Sicily is one of them. I am not trying to offend anyone here.

However, the lack of care for buildings, the environment, the infrastructures, the tourists, etc just made me sad (this is especially true in the East). And there are plenty of other places in the world where bins litter the streets and buildings are left to rot. Yet, this is Europe, Italy, where beautiful historical buildings should be preserved and rubbish collections regular. I won't go into the political aspects of the why and the Mafia's role in all this. We just found it disappointing and sad.

I guess not all travel posts can be bright and cheerful. And please don't let it stop you from discovering the nice side of Sicily. But be warned.
I won't publish pictures of rubbish though. Words are enough. I will let you enjoy the beautiful sights.
Enjoy the virtual trip.