Carnival Capers at Half-Term

If you've ‘done' Venice and Rio and are looking for a colourful new   carnival experience, head for Acireale where Sicily's oldest and most spectacular carnival takes place on the island's east coast.

Dating back to the 16th century, the Acireale Carnival (19 February-8 March)  is best known for its spectacular floral displays and floats.  Today, celebrations include street parades and entertainers and fortunately, the former egg and orange-throwing has been replaced by marching bands, dancers and masked performers.

Acireale is a seaside city at the foot of Mount Etna, just a few miles from   Taormina and with some fantastic Baroque architecture.  Stay at one of our properties (http://www.solosicily.com/), either in the heart of Acireale at the Melaverde apartment or in an independent cottage at The Queen's Jewels, a farm estate in the stunning Taormina countryside.

Discovering Southern Sicily with The Guardian

I came across an interesting article on The Guardian website about Southern Sicily by Lisa Allardice. Here is the opening paragraph...

"Excuse me," says Gioacchino Sortino – who looks every sharp-suited inch the Sicilian businessman – reaching for his mobile. "It's my mama, she worries about me." And Gioacchino is worried about us. Wild, beautiful, unpredictable – and a little bit scary, Sicily has lived up to its tempestuous reputation by staging the most spectacular electrical storm

Great intro! Lisa travelled with ABTOI member SoloSicily, if you would like to read some more here is the link to the article Southern Sicily