Sicilian Drive

Do you mean the conditions of the roads, or weather or ????

I am more worried about or...you know the unsolicited toll by the locals.

The Darien Gap dudes have opened a Sicily branch?

Darien Gap? Sicily had a reputation for a long time. Don't know how it is now. Just trying to be informed by experienced travelers that have or have not been in the hills in the Province of Palermo.

Safer than from Vacaville to Rio Vista.

Um, yeah you'll be fine. Don't remember the route I took but it was different than the one you mention. Parts of it were very scenic. We were stopped by a herd of sheep but no one stopping cars to extort anything. You'll probably get some stares as I don't think they get a whole lotta tourists but other than that you'll be fine.

Grazie Ron!

I've never been stopped by bandits in Sicily extorting money from me, nor have I heard anything of that sort happened to my Italian friends, including some who live in Sicily. But if you are looking for bandits lurking behind bushes waiting to stop motorists to ask for "unsolicited tolls", look no further than I-505 between Vacaville and Winters. By the time you realize of their presence, it's too late. They already got you. Be careful with them. They are heavily armed and they always wear their beige gang colors. They usually drive black and white Ford Crown Victorias and the gang goes by the name of CHP.

In 2012, we did a significant amount of driving in Sicily, . For various reasons - - detours for road work, gps looniness - - we found ourselves, several times, on little-traveled roads, though not specifically the ones you're asking about. I think your major concern should be lack of facilities, not presence of bandits. I'd take these precautions: be sure your fuel tank is full; pack some drinks and snacks; use the toilet; don't assume your cell phone will work. If you are using a gps, have a good map as back-up. A couple of times our gps led us onto terrible roads, more like paths. I recommend roughing out your itinerary beforehand, so that you'll know if and when to ignore the gps. If you do come upon a village, it's likely that no one will speak English; though you can get an amazing amount of help by pointing to your destination on a map. Buon viaggio, it will be an adventure!

Driving the speed limit will outfox those CHP bad guys! It's a joke, folks. The CHP is the California Highway Patrol. Sorry, Roberto, some people take things literally.

Prego Fred. Take Rosalyn's advice and be prepared for some rough road conditions. A few miles away from Corleone we hit some fully and partially washed away roads and yes many roads are little more than paths.

Rosalyn and Ron. Great info. I have driven on some interesting paths in Europe and I know exactly what you mean. Thanks again.