BlueSkyItaly

When is the best period to visit Sicily

blueskyitaly — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:29:46 +0000

Why Sicily? Simple, it is the biggest region in Italy, it has so many different dialects and it is so rich in culture that “why not”
In fact, regarding dialects, it is incorrect to talk about “sicilian” but it should be “sicilian dialects”. Each main city has its own and, for example, if a person from Palermo meets someone from Catania and they speak their own dialects, well they probably will understand each other but trust me..it will be a little hard!

If you really want to experience the real “Italy” you cannot miss Sicily! Besides it is not that “turistic” yet..

And now when is the best period to visit this wonderful big island.. I am from Sicily, Palermo and I do believe the best period for a nice vacation is in summer when you can enjoy the blue sky sea! But, please don’t go in August.. it might be a little nightmare! A lot of “Italians” and turists go there in August.. Many Italians, in fact, have vacation from work on August.. yep all the month in certain cases, and what do they do? not to spend too much money, a lot of them decide to stay in the country but at the same time they want to have a real “summer vacation” with sun and see and so a easy and cheap option is to go to Sicily!

Said that, I would skip August! Instead a wonderful option is to go in September.. a lot of “Italians” are back to work and beaches are not too busy and the sea returned calm,cleaner..it seems like relaxed, so how can’t you relax too? it is impossible.. at the same time it is still “summer” but a little more fresh.. the weather is not too hot..perfect!

April, a long time ago i would have suggested this month too.. but lately (2010 for example) it was cold, and it rained..so I would skip it too! instead May is nice but still not perfect for the beach.. well sometimes.. probably if you go the middle of May is perfect– when I say perfect I mean not too hot and humid!

June is definitely Summer.. hot and humid, but still perfect for the beach.. not a lot of people there and the season is not completely open, that means that the cabins along the beach are not ready yet–yep, because unfortunately, these cabins take a big part of the beach!!!

July, the cabins are there and family starts going to the beaches.. a little of caos but still much fun!

If you instead don’t mind the rain, October is a nice period.. to relax, not in the city but in a nice Agriturismo where you can see how they make wine and have a nice taste of it! we have really good and famous wines in Sicily!!

December might be cold, but not extremely.. temperatures never go under zero in Sicily! but the wind blows and it is not too warm :O)

I would say that February is the coldest month!!! brrrr

Anyway, I am Sicilian and I love the sea.. definitely I would go there in September or from May to July!!!

New Tours 2010

blueskyitaly — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:47:26 +0000

Check in the Tours page to see details or contact us at www.blueskyitaly.com.

Campania (Sorrento, Napoli, Amalfi Coast, Capri and Anacapri) and Sicily (Palermo, Modica, Ragusa, Siracusa, Catania and Etna, Taormina, Agrigento) TOUR 11 days starting from E. 1,500 full board- transfer by fery boat and airconditioned bus.
Discovering Sicilian roots: Tour in Sicily living emotions of ancient traditions, discovering interesting little town and staying in touch with local community, being involved in edutainment workshops. 8 days/ 7 nights from E. 850
Authentic Sicily: Culture and Gastronomy tour
8 days/ 7 nights from E. 1.000
Hiking and biking in Sicily and in Piedmont and Liguria. Different tours, different options.
TUSCANY TOURS, classic or different, such us : in hot air ballon, in a Sailing Boat, or in a elegant Vintage car.. Visit: Tuscany Tours

Christmas Tours: discovering the main cultural and artistic street markets in this special period of year!!!

SUMMER STUDY PROGRAM IN ROME

blueskyitaly — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 23:17:06 +0000

Westchester Community College is conducting its 35^th summer study program in Italy in the beautiful city of Rome. The program offers students the opportunity to study Italian language, culture and art in their natural environment. Low tuition policies of Westchester Community College make it possible to offer high quality study abroad programs at modest cost, enabling participants to gain firsthand knowledge of contemporary Rome and Italy along with a challenging academic program offering comprehensive understanding of Italian culture, history, heritage and traditions.

The Eternal City, with its artistic traditions and present-day cultural vitality, offers the students wide-ranging opportunities for personal enrichment. In conjunction with the art history classes, visits will be made to the city’s artistic and historical landmarks. Beaches are within easy access.

The group will also visit Florence, Venice, Tivoli, Assisi, Padua, Pompei, and Capri.

The program is open to students and non-students, to high school and college students as well as adults. It can be used as a study program for students and as a cultural enrichment program for adults. The program is designed to provide the individual with a total immersion in the Italian language experience as well as with a comprehensive historical, cultural and artistic overview of Italy’s rich heritage from the Roman and Renaissance civilization to contemporary Italian culture.

Six (6) college credits will be granted upon completion of the program. These credits can be applied to meet any university general educational requirements and they can be transferred to any college or university.

Cost of the program is $3,199 and includes hotels, tours and meals.

For further information, please call Professor Carlo Sclafani at (914) 606-6790.

Study abroad in Genova, summer 2010

blueskyitaly — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:56:43 +0000

Study abroad program in Genova, summer 2010.

The Italian program in the Modern Languages Studies department at Texas Christian University is now accepting applications for its study abroad 6-credit undergraduate course (30176: Study in Italy: Language and Culture) to be held in Genova, Italy from May 29-June 25, 2010. Students will earn 3 credits in language study (to be completed at the Study in Italy language institute in the historical center of Genova) and 3 credits in Italian culture (taught by Dr. Sandra Waters). Students will stay in apartments with other students in the city of Genova within walking distance or a short bus ride to the institute.

The course offers students the opportunity to improve linguistic and cultural proficiency by interacting directly with Italians and Italian culture. Students will be directed to actively investigate topics which highlight various aspects of Italian culture and history.

Included in the program fee are a walking tour of the city, several dinners, a pass to Genova museums, excursions to nearby towns, a tour of the Palazzo Reale, and an opera (if available). The coastal towns of Savona, San Remo, La Spezia and Pisa are easily accessible by train, as are the bigger cities of Milan, Turin, and Bologna. This program provides an exciting opportunity for students to experience Italian culture, examine Italian life, and improve their Italian language skills.

Online application: http://www.studyabroad.tcu.edu/default.asp?pid=1&con2=yep%22
Application procedures: http://www.studyabroad.tcu.edu/default.asp?pid=184

Application deadline: February 15, 2010
Program fee: $3300
*Included in Program Fee:
• Housing
• Cultural activities (as described above)

*NOT included in Program Fee:
•    Tuition —$980 per credit hour
•    Airfare & local transportation
•    Passport
•    Meals
•    Spending money & personal expenses
•    Course materials (textbooks)

Pre-requisite: one year of college-level Italian language
Direct questions to program coordinator Sandra Waters at s.a.waters@tcu.edu

Tour Umbria/ Sicily 2009

blueskyitaly — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:54:45 +0000

This was the first tour led by me. The tour was devided in two parts. The first part, 4 days in total, was in Umbria and the second part, 5 days, in Sicily!

I led only the part in my home- town, Sicily.
The group was wonderful and we had so much fun together! I hope we will have a chance to do another tour all together!

Here the pictures of the 5 day- tour in Sicily:

First day in Sicily: Palermo and Monreale
Second Day: Mount Etna- Taormina
Third Day: Mondello- Castelvetrano, winery farm
Fourth Day: Eolian’s Islands by private boat: Lipari, Vulcano
Fifth Day: Agrigento and Valley of Temples

Hello world!

blueskyitaly — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:41:52 +0000

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