Italy guidebook-sicily

There are much better (non-RS) books out there that actually specialize in Sicily including:

• "National Geographic Traveler: Sicily"

• "Lonely Planet Sicily"

• "Eat Smart in Sicily: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure)"

You can find these (and others) on Amazon. I highly recommend the Eat Smart book (as well as the others) - it was great to learn about different foods in Sicily as well as their names. Sicilians have similar food to Italy but they have regional specialties that have Sicilian names.

We've taken the RS Best of Sicily tour (twice!), when RSE offered guidebooks, money belts, etc. instead of the current $100 credit. The guidebook we received was from the Lonely Planet series. Most of the tour members agreed they preferred the RS style and format, but there is no RS book on Sicily. Yet. We're still hopeful! But take a look at the Lonely Planet book; your local public library is a good place to check out (so to speak) guidebooks, free of charge.

Rick has never included Sicily in his Italy book. A major reason is lack of space. Someone from his staff has posted that their publisher has laid down the law - no more pages in the Italy book! So, even if he wanted to, he cannot include more destinations.

About two years ago, there was mention from his staff that a Sicily book was in the works. Then, the same staffer said it was canceled (the implication was canceled indefinitely, not just postponed).

And don't forget the Rough Guide, by far my favourite guide book series. As always comprehensive, informative and reliable.

Rick Steves' guides do not include Sicily (among other places).

Sicily has a lot to offer to the traveler due to its amazing history. There is more to see in that relatively small region than in most countries, therefore you are better off with a guidebook totally devoted to Sicily, rather than one devoted to Italy with only a section on Sicily.

I rarely feel satisfied with one guidebook. Some are good for some things, others are good for information on other things. For example the white DK guides are very good in depiction and basic descriptions of sights, but don't provide a lot of details on restaurants/hotels, etc. Lonely Planet, Frommer's, Fodor's, do a better job there. Michelin guides are also excellent for Sicily.

My suggestion is to start with getting oriented with the region with free online resources.
This is a great website:
http://www.bestofsicily.com/
The one below is the official Regional Government Tourism Dept website:
http://pti.regione.sicilia.it/portal/page/portal/SIT_PORTALE/SIT_EnglishVersion

There are also many others, just google it, maybe even entering in the search engine Italian key words, such as "Sicilia Turismo". The website might be in Italian, but they generally have a British flag for the English version.

There are also government tourism portals from the local Government agencies at the city or provincial level. For example if you Google "Palermo Turismo" or something like that, you will find plenty of resources specific to Palermo, which is Sicily's regional capital city. Once you've decided on specific areas of Sicily, you might want to look into more detailed info about those areas. (unless you have at least 2 weeks, you won't be able to touch all areas of Sicily).

In terms of paper guidebooks to take with you, once you've looked at the resources online, it would be a good idea to go to your local library or a local bookstore, like Barnes and Noble (there are still a few open out there) and see if they have anything available so that you can see which is best for you. When I went last time I purchased a couple of them (Lonely Planet was one, and maybe Fodor's).

Thank you for posting the websites, Roberto, and for the additional recommendations from the other posters. I have read through the LP Sicily guide book and have been there once before but I always like to research and read from several sources before traveling. I'll be leaving on St. Patrick's Day and will be there over Easter. Very excited about returning to one of my favorites places in the world!

In preparing to travel to Sicily, I used and found worthwhile the DK Eyewitness Travel SICILY guidebook. As mentioned it has a large number of good photos, which help to build excitement and some times to choose among specific destinations and sites, as well as many excellent maps and diagrams. Weak on hotels and restaurants, and also on the kind of detailed logistics on using public transit, site tickets and reservations, etc. where the RS books are so great. Also with glossy paper it is pretty heavy, and when using this series of books, I often take copies of certain helpful pages, but leave the book itself at home.

Thank you all for the responses. I'm aware of some of the other guidebooks. I can't remember going to Europe without a RS book. It won't keep me from going, was just wondering if he had anything out there somewhere. Thanks again.

When I planned my Sicily trip and even more than once during the trip, I got a lot of information and advice from the TripAdvisor forum.

I've used Eyewitness Sicily...and have purchased several Eyewitness books for travel. Great photos and good information.

I'd totally recommend that you go browse the travel book section of your closest Barnes and Noble and see what type/which guide books calls to you. We all have different expectations about what "speaks" to us in the way of wording/photos, info.

I second all these recommendations and add the Cadogan guide.

David, we have taken several RS tours and are signed up for the 04/10/16 RS Sicily and 04/25/16 RS South Italy tours. I just ordered the DK Eyewitness Travel Sicily and the RS Italy 2016 off Amazon for our trip. Very pleased with the DK option for Sicily plus I was amazed to find the RS book was $4 less on Amazon opposed to the RS Online shop. Enjoy your travels. Tess