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quality villas in Sicily |
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| Villas in Sicily | About Sicily | About thinkSicily |
| October 2006 |
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| Palm trees with fairy lights? It must be Christmas! |
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For a Christmas with a difference (and a few similarities) Sicily is, in many respects an ideal location. Around the coast it is mild (temperatures averaging around 15C) and the sun is no stranger to the December skies.
And then, of course, there's the food and wine.....
thinkSicily has a wide range of villas that are perfect for the festive season. So, whether you are looking for a family get-together, a romantic hide-out or simply a change of scene, why not take a look and see what we have to offer?
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| "Natale" and "Capo d'anno" in Sicily |
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 Christmas celebrations in Sicily begin in earnest on 8th December (just over a month away), when families traditionally start decorating their homes for the festive season. While Christmas trees are now common, it was only during the 2nd World War, under Allied occupation that they first became popular. A much more widespread custom is the nativity scene, invented, so they say, by Saint Francis of Assisi. While popular all over Italy, Sicily is probably second only to Napoli...Read more >>
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New flights to Sicily |
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 Ryanair has announced two new routes to Sicily (in addition to the already existing flight from London Stansted to Palermo), showing once again just how easy it is becoming to visit Sicily.
The first, from Dublin to Birgi Airport in Trapani, is scheduled to fly twice a week starting on 11th February 2007. The second, also to Trapani, is from Barcellona (Girona) with the first flight due on 27th March.
Comprehensive information on how to travel to Sicily >>
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| The top 15 Sicilian wines |
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 Not so slowly, but very surely, the face of Sicilian wine is changing. From being a mass producer of grapes and wine for producers elsewhere in the mainland, over the last ten years Sicily has become one of Italy's foremost quality wine-making regions . Indeed, in 2006, Gambero Rosso (Italy's highly esteemed food and wine guide) awarded 15 Sicilian wines its prestigious Tre Bicchieri (three glasses). To see which, take a look >>
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| Recipe of the month: polpette al sugo |
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 Apart from being a classic Sicilian-Italian dish and great fun to make on a rainy afternoon, meatballs in tomato sauce have featured very strongly in a great many Hollywood blockbusters of the Italo-American variety....... Just make sure your garlic is sliced extremely finely (though not necessarily using a razor blade! (Name that film!)
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| A house for all seasons...... |
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| Property of the month: Il Palmento dei Castagni |
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Perched between the looming magnificence of Etna and the cobalt blue of the Ionian Sea, Il Palmento dei Castagni is a delightfully restored "palmento" (winery). The villa retains a sense of its past but is extremely comfortable and versatile. In winter one can light the three fireplaces, snuggle down in the cosy living room, dim the lights and pop open a bottle of warming Etna red, while in the summer, the large shaded terrace, complete with outside kitchen, barbecue and several dining areas provides the perfect setting for al fresco dining and relaxation. Below the house the terraced grounds lead down, past olive plantations and vines to a private copse and log cabin.
As of Spring next year, discretely hidden away from the rest of the world, there will be a wonderful swimming pool from which, floating on your back, you will be able to contemplate the vastness of the volcano on whose flanks you are sojourning!
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