Page 77 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

or Cefalù can supply you with 1:50,000 maps of the Monti Madonie, but again, these

should be treated with caution. However, all national parks and nature reserves
(Madonie, Nébrodi, Pellegrino, etc; see parks.it) have walking itineraries on their
websites, while the various park offices listed in the Guide can supply rudimentary
hiking maps and, occasionally, English-language route guides.

Money

Italy’s currency is the euro (€); notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50,
100, 200 and 500 euros, and coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and

1 and 2 euros. At the time of writing the exchange rate was approximately €1 to £0.84
and €1 to US$1.35. Up-to-the-minute currency exchange rates are displayed at
xe.com.

By far the easiest way to get money is to use your bank debit card to withdraw cash
from an ATM (known as bancomat in Italy). These are found even in the smallest
towns and on some of the more remote islands, as well as on arrival at the three main

airports. Make sure that you have a PIN that’s designed to work overseas, and check
with your bank whether you can use your debit card directly in shops and petrol
stations etc, as not all systems are available in Sicily.

Credit cards can also be used for cash advances over the counter in banks and for
payment in most hotels, restaurants, petrol stations and some shops. MasterCard and
Visa are the most widely accepted cards.

Banking hours vary slightly from town to town, but are generally Monday to Friday
8.30am to 1.20pm and 3pm to 4pm. Outside these times you can change foreign
currency at large hotels, the airports at Palermo and Catania, and some main train
stations.

Opening hours and public holidays

Basic opening hours for most shops and businesses are Monday to Saturday from 8am

or 9am to around 1pm, and from around 4pm to 7pm or 8pm, though some offices work
to a more standard European 9am to 5pm day. Everything, except bars and restaurants,
closes on Sunday, though you might find cake shops, and fish shops in some coastal
towns, open until lunchtime. Local religious holidays and festivals don’t generally
close down shops and businesses, but everything except bars and restaurants will be
closed on the public holidays.

Most churches open in the early morning (around 7am or 8am) for Mass and close
around noon, opening up again at 4pm or 5pm, and closing at 7pm. More obscure ones
will only open for early morning and evening services; some only open on Sunday and