Driving in Sicily

It's really no different from anywhere else.

It's best never to leave anything of value in a car - that's true on the street in front of my house in Seattle, it's true in Sicily. Does that mean that the moment you're out of sight, a pack of thieves will break in and steal your stuff? Probably not, but like the answer to most questions, "it depends." Use some common sense when parking - pick the best place you can. Look for broken glass on the ground (signs of previous break-ins). Don't make things obvious (ie don't take out your camera or laptop, open the trunk, place it in there and then lock it and walk away - someone my be watching, so take a look around). If you can't lock things in a trunk, at least cover them as best you can to keep things out of sight. Pick someplace to park where there are people around, some foot traffic - car break-ins tend to happen at places where the break-in won't be seen. But there's no perfect security anywhere. Do what you can to reduce the chances of being a victim, and don't leave expensive things unattended. Same as where you live (or at least where I do).

We had no problem in December 2012 -admittedly a less-busy time of year, although we rented a tiny car with a minuscule trunk. It was tough getting both of our smallish suitcases to fit in the covered hatch, and the parcel shelf above the hatch area was sometimes distorted-not level, since one bag had to be turned up to slide it next to the one that was lying flat. So our car wasn’t completely “stealth” all the time, but we locked it and didn’t leave stuff lying on the front or back seats to invite anyone to try and get in. The parking lot for the temples outside of Agrigento actually had an attendant keeping an eye on the cars. The lot at Piazza Armerina was a long walk from the Villa du Casale, and we were one of just a few cars in the huge lot in late December, but it didn’t worry us whether or not the car was vulnerable. There may be dishonest people everywhere, but we met only really nice people in Sicily

We didn’t have any trouble last October and we stopped at a few places between destinations.

I don't leave anything visible in a parked car. You never know what a thief might think is worth breaking in for . . .