Page 60 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Most Sicilians tend to drink when they eat, and young people especially don’t make a

night out of getting wasted. In recent years the aperitivo scene has taken Sicily (and
the rest of Italy) by storm. Bars advertising aperitivo (usually between 6.30pm or 7pm
and 8.30pm or 9pm) will provide a buffet or table-served nibbles which can range
from simple pizza, bruschetta, miniature arancini, and rice, pasta or couscous salad to
delectable morsels of fish, cured hams and salamis, baked aubergines, courgette

fritters, fresh ricotta or other local cheeses.

When young Sicilians do go out on the town, it’s to a birreria (literally “beer shop”)
or something calling itself a “pub”, which is actually a bar open at night. Needless to
say, they’re not much like English pubs, though in the various “Irish” pubs that are
springing up in the cities and resorts, you’ll be able to get a pint of Guinness and
watch the big game.

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THE MEDIA

Many Sicilians prefer to read local newspapers rather than the national ones,
even though these have local supplements. Sicilian TV is popular, too, playing to

the insatiable appetite for local gossip and celebrity – you might find yourself
turning to foreign TV channels or papers if you want an international outlook on
events. For Italian news in English, go to lifeinitaly.com.

Newspapers and magazines

The two most widely read national newspapers are the centre-left La Repubblica and

authoritative and rather right-wing II Corriere della Sera, both published with local
Sicilian supplements. If you have a smattering of Italian, you’ll get far more of a
flavour of Sicily by reading one of the regional papers, full of news on the latest
Mafioso misdemeanours and arrests, political bickering, local gossip, transport
schedules, reviews, film listings and suchlike. In Palermo, the most popular is II
Giornale di Sicilia; in Catania, La Sicilia; in Messina, La Gazzetta del Sud. English-

language newspapers can be found in Palermo, Catania, Messina, Siracusa,
Taormina and Cefalū, usually a day late, and for three times the UK cover price, so
reading newspapers online is usually a more economic option.

TV

Italian TV is appalling, with mindless quiz shows, variety programmes and chat
shows squeezed in between countless advertisements. There are three state-owned

channels (Rai 1, 2 and 3) along with the dozen or so channels of Berlusconi’s