Walking in Sicily. Gillian Price

takes flights operated by Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com) from the UK. A 40min trip by train will see passengers in the city centre, otherwise it’s 50min by bus. Several long-distance coach lines, such as those going to Trapani and Agrigento, also stop at the airport.

      Catania’s Fontanarossa airport (www.aeroporto.catania.it) takes British Airways’ flights (www.britishairways.com) and Air Malta (www.airmalta.com). Located a mere 6km to the city’s south, it has frequent shuttle buses to and from the centre and the main railway station. Coaches to more distant destinations (eg Siracusa) also call in.

      By ferry

      Sicily is easily reached from mainland Italy by train or car; the journey entails crossing the legendary Strait of Messina on the non-stop ferries from Villa San Giovanni to Messina. Long-distance trains from central and northern Italy use this route, and the carriages are shunted into the ship’s hold for the crossing. Drivers, on the other hand, can make their way to the well-signed port area for the car ferries.

      Finally, Palermo is linked by high-speed and normal passenger ferries at various times of year with Naples, Cagliari, Civitavecchia (near Rome), Livorno and Genoa. Milazzo has year-round links to Naples, while Trapani has ferries to Cagliari and Tunisia, and Catania is accessible from both Malta and Ravenna by sea.

      Petralia Sottana (Le Madonie area)

Travelling Around Sicily

      An extensive network of public transport serves even the most remote angles of the island, and visitors are encouraged to make use of it. Though this may limit flexibility and be more time-consuming, it provides ideal opportunities to meet local people and, of great relevance, means one less polluting vehicle on the roads. Details of relevant public transport are provided in the ‘Access’ paragraph of each itinerary, and contact information for the companies is listed below.

      By rail

      Enthusiasts with time to spare will have a field day on the train lines, many single track, that snake their tortuous and scenic way through the marvellously varied country landscapes of Sicily. The nation-wide phone number for State Railways (Trenitalia) timetable information and reservations is Tel 892021, otherwise the web site is www.trenitalia.com.

      In addition, a privately run ‘toy’ train circles Mount Etna: the Circumetnea starts out from Catania and climbs gradually northwest, reaching almost 1000m above sea level. It skirts the volcano base, terminating at Giarre-Riposto on the Ionian coast once more, from where it is a short journey by State Rail south back to Catania. Service is suspended on Sundays and holidays. For timetable information Tel [phone] or www.circumetnea.it.

      By bus

      Veritable fleets of local buses and long-distance coaches operate across Sicily. Timetables are usually posted at the main stops, while tobacconists and cafés in small towns often act as ticket offices. Try to be at the bus stop early as drivers often depart ahead of schedule!

      By ferry

      Sicily’s island groups, including the Egadi and Aeolians dealt with in this guide, have permanent ferry and hydrofoil links, as outlined in the relevant sections.

      Cefalù and its headland (Walk 33)

      BUS CONTACT DETAILS

       AMAT www.amat.pa.it Palermo Tel [phone].

       AST www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it Catania Tel [phone], Marsala Tel [phone], Palermo Tel [phone], Siracusa Tel [phone] and Trapani Tel [phone].

       Caruso, Noto Tel [phone].

       Citis, Salina Tel [phone].

       Fratelli La Spisa, Cefalù Tel [phone].

       Interbus www.interbus.it Taormina Tel [phone], Messina Tel [phone], Siracusa Tel [phone]

       ISEA, Misterbianco (Catania) www.iseaviaggi.it Tel [phone].

       Lumia, Agrigento Tel [phone].

       Prestia & Comandè www.prestiaecomande.it Palermo Tel [phone].

       Russo, Castellamare del Golfo Tel [phone].

       SAIS www.saisautolinee.it Catania Tel [phone], Palermo Tel [phone].

       Salemi, Marsala www.autoservizisalemi.it Tel [phone].

       Sberna, S. Agata Militello Tel [phone].

       Urso, Lipari www.ursobus.com Tel [phone].

       Zappala & Torrisi www.zappala-torrisi.it CataniaTel 095-7647139.

      By car

      Car rental firms abound at the major airports and cities and are best booked from abroad, often as fly-drive package deals. One good road map recommended for drivers is the Touring Club Italiano (TCI) 1:200,000 ‘Sicilia’.

      The following terminology can be of help in understanding timetables:

Cambio a …/coincidenza	change at …/connection
Estivo/invernale	summer/winter
Feriale	working days (ie Monday to Saturday)
Festivo	holidays (ie Sundays and public holidays)
Giornaliero	daily
Lunedì a venerdì/sabato	Monday to Friday/Saturday
Sciopero	strike
Scolastico	during school term

      Sicily has a limited and unfinished autostrada (motorway) network, free of charge on many stretches. Off the motorways is a reasonable network of state roads, referred to on maps and signposting as strada statale (or SS with an identifying number), not to mention the smaller roads, strada provinciale(SP plus a number), for which the provinces are responsible. The Italian Automobile Club (ACI) breakdown service is (116.

      Avoid driving through major cities such as Catania and Palermo, if possible, as traffic congestion is rife and parking an adventure to say the least. For towns in general it is advisable to park outside the old walled perimeter and venture in on foot.

      Local taxis are worth using to reach out-of-the-way archaeological sites or walks. If none are around, a good bet is to ask at the main village café. People tend to be extremely helpful and go out of their way to help visitors.

Accommodation

      All the walk descriptions come complete with listings for accommodation. These range from the modest hotel or albergo, to a room in a private home (known variously