Page 44 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Avola to Cava Grande Winding up the mountainside to where eagles dare.

SP624 and SP5, Palermo to Piana degli Albanesi Past jagged fangs and towers of
rock, with glimpses of lakes and lingering views over fertile valleys.

Trapani to Erice For the startling interplay of coast and mountain.

SS118, Agrigento to Corleone Remote western valleys and crags, rock tombs and
Mafia towns.

By train

Italian State Railways, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), operates the trains in Sicily though
a private railway, the Ferrovia Circumetnea, operates a route around the base of
Mount Etna. The FS website trenitalia.com has a useful English-language version,
where you can view timetables and book tickets. Trains connect all the major Sicilian
towns, but are more prevalent in the east of the island than the west. On the whole they

do leave on time, with the notable exception of those on the Messina–Palermo and
Messina–Catania/Siracusa routes that have come from the mainland. These latter can
be delayed by up to three hours, though around an hour late is more normal.

Of the various types of train, the most expensive are the Intercity (IC) trains that link
the main cities. Diretto and Interregionale trains are long-distance expresses, calling

only at larger stations, while the Regionale services (also called Locale), which stop
at every place with a population higher than zero, are usually ones to avoid. A seat
reservation (prenotazione) is obligatory on Intercity services and advisable on other
trains where possible, especially in summer when trains can get crowded. You can
buy tickets and make reservations at any major train station, or buy online on the FS

website (both regional and Intercity services) and print your own tickets. Fares are
very reasonable – a typical journey, say Palermo to Catania, costs around €16.
Children aged 4–12 pay half price, while the under-4s travel free provided they do not
occupy a seat. If you jump on the train without a ticket you’ll pay the full fare plus a
fine to the conductor.

Information boards and timetables are displayed at stations. “Departures” are

Partenze, “Arrivals” Arrivi, “Delayed” In Ritardo, while some services are seasonal
(periodico) or only operate between certain dates (Si effetua dal… al…). Feriale is
the word for the Monday-to-Saturday service, symbolized by two crossed hammers;
festivo means that a train runs only on Sundays and holidays, with a cross as its
symbol.

Unless you’re visiting Sicily as part of a wider Italian or European tour, the major

pan-European rail passes (InterRail and Eurail) are not worth considering. Both