Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
US Consulate
(
091 30 58 57;
www.italy.usembassy.gov
; Via Vaccarini 1)
Food
In Sicily there are a wide variety of eating establishments. Most of them have a
coperto
(cover charge) of usually €1 to
€3 per person; some also include a
servizio
(service charge) of 10% to 15%.
In our listings the following price ranges are quoted for meals, which include a
primo
(first course),
secondo
(second
course),
contorno
(side dish) or
dolce
(dessert) and coperto (cover charge).
€
less than €25
€€
€25-€45
€€€
more than €45
Vegetarians & Vegans
Vegetarianism is not specifically catered to in Sicily but the abundance of excellent fruit and veg means that many
anti-
pasti,
pastas and
contorni
feature veg in some form or other. Salads are common and tasty, though you'll need to watch
out for the odd anchovy or slice of ham. Similarly, check that your tomato sauce has not been cooked with meat in it.
Vegans will be in for a tough time, with many dishes featuring some sort of animal product (butter, eggs or animal
stock).
Gay & Lesbian Travellers
Although homosexuality is legal in Sicily, attitudes remain largely conservative and overt displays of affection could at-
tract hostility.
The gay scene is largely centred on Catania and Taormina, and to a lesser extent Palermo. For further information,
Italy's largest gay organisation, the Bologna-based
Arcigay
(
www.arcigay.it
)
, has branches in both Catania
(
www.arcigaycatania.it
) and Palermo (
http://arcigaypalermo.wordpress.com
, in Italian). You can also pick up a copy of
the free magazine
Clubbing,
which has club and event listings.
Spartacus International Gay Guide,
lists male-only venues all over Italy, while online you could try
GuidaGay.it
(
www.gay.it/guida
)
, which has details of gay-friendly bars, clubs, beaches and hotels.
Health
Italy's public-health system is legally bound to provide emergency care to everyone. EU nationals are entitled to
reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical care with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), available from your home
health authority. Non-EU citizens should take out health insurance.
For emergency treatment go to the
pronto soccorso
(casualty) section of an
ospedale
(public hospital), where it's also
possible to receive emergency dental treatment. For less serious ailments call the local
guardia medica
(duty doctor);
ask at your hotel or nearest tourist office for the number. Pharmacists will fill prescriptions and can provide basic medic-
al advice.
