Sicily cleanliness issue

We were there in 2022 and didn’t find it dirty much at all. Catania was the most gritty and we still found beauty around every corner. Sicily isn’t Disneyland clean, it’s lived in, we thought it was gorgeous.

We were in Catania & Taormina in April, yes, while gritty it was nowhere near what I've seen in Naples. Not even close. Don't believe everything you read. Visit and enjoy Sicily, it's a jewel.

We liked Sicily, its beautiful. Agree with Jay, Naples, which we enjoyed, is "grittier" We enjoyed our time in Catania, great WWII museum, nice churches. Palermo was so much more than we expected. Loved it. We did San Vito lo Capo on a day trip. We spent two nights in Cefalu, city is quaint, beach lovely. We didn't love Taormina. Too busy, too snooty, too expensive.

A few inns that we really liked. Each had extensive included breakfast and roof top terrace with absolutely amazing views:

In Ragusa, B&B Terrazza Dei Sogni***
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(+39) 0932 229370
FB: B&B Terrazza Dei Sogni
Instagram: @terrazzadeisogni

https://www.sciroccobeb.com/en/bed-and-breakfast-cefalu/

La Terrazza Sul Centro
BEBA SRLS
Via dell'università 20
90134 - Palermo
+39 3923106267
[email protected]
www.laterrazzasulcentro.it

A friend of a friend went to a European city and after returning to the U.S. described the city as “filthy dirty with trash everywhere on the streets.”
He was talking about Paris, France!
And, no, they weren’t there during a garbage strike. Just goes to show you there are always going to be a few complainers who have no perspective and little clue as to what they’re talking about.

Hi Renee, I spent five days in Palermo last year and enjoyed it immensely. The tourist areas in that city are fine. I never felt unsafe or noticed any foul smells (which I would notice). It’s a very old city, so you will see some building decay, etc. but nothing that bothered me to say I wouldn’t go there.

I guess I would say, when you were in Venice, did you notice graffiti and decay? If that left a bad impression, then you probably wouldn’t like Palermo. But, if you focused on the beauty, the uniqueness, and wish you could return, then you will love Palermo.

An additional comment: I planned to take different transportation from the Palermo airport, but I ended up just taking a taxi to my hotel. Even though it cost more, it was an excellent way to have that first positive impression of Palermo. I just took the train back to the airport at the end of that part of the trip, but I was really glad I had taken the taxi. I stayed at small Della Vittorie Luxury Suites which was an excellent location with very nice rooms and a good breakfast. It was just $125/night reserved through their website (May 2024)

Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences. I do not expect perfect cleanliness and don't mind a little grittiness. I am still planning to visit next September. Your comments have been reassuring.

When I visited the dirtiest city was Palermo, but I think this was influenced by walking down the street just out of my hotel and almost stepping on a dead cat in the street. I also noticed more graffiti there, but that is increasingly a problem everywhere. I never really noticed smells or really run down areas.

We just spent a month in Sicily (March/April 2025) and did see some bags of garbage in a few spots along some rural roads, and some in a few alleys in Palermo and Catania. But this was an incredibly minor thing during a wonderful trip. Actually, Ortigia, Ragusa Ibla, and Erice were TOO prettied up for our liking.

While some places are grittier than others, overall it was much cleaner than when I used to fly into Catania in the late 70s. When we last visited a few years ago we had a rental car and noted that near outskirts of cities trash was just thrown into large piles. Car pull offs were pretty much dumps. Within the cities most everything was fairly well maintained (by Italian standards).

Kenko. I laughed at your Paris anecdote. We spend months there every year and one difference is that they have almost daily trash pick up which means cans are out and stuff is set our daily. Need to get rid of an old mattress put it on the street and notify the trash hauler and it is gone -- but first it sits there awhile to offend the American tourist who will always take offense at everything.

It is possible that major cities may have problems with garbage and filth in some areas, but it is unlikely to be present in smaller towns, like San Vito, Cefalù, or even Ortigia (the center of Syracuse). It’s been a few years but I don’t recall filth in Palermo, in spite being a city the size and population of D.C. I don’t remember foul smells either, certainly not compared to the pervasive sewage smell of NYC. it is the Cosa Nostra (mafia) capital of Italy but it had less than 10 murders in 2024, vs. 187 murders in D.C. in the same year, so even in Palermo you will be 20 times safer than in the US capital.

I was in Sicily two years ago and was shocked to see piles of garbage along the road from the airport in Palermo into the city, on rural-type roads.
Once nearer and in the city it was much less.
I did not smell anything horrible, but smelled flowers and greenery and orange blossom everywhere.
I was alone for the first few days and never once did I feel unsafe.
I loved Sicily and its people…absolutely a wonderful place to visit.

RS runs 40+ tours per year to Sicily.

If it were the open garbage dump you describe, I strongly suspect this forum would be littered with reports to that effect. Not to mention the number of independent travelers who seek advice here about Sicily, and see no feedback that they encountered what you describe.

Just wanting first hand experience after getting concerned about info I read on internet I appreciate your opinions

You might view a few videos on YouTube covering Palermo, etc. - I think you will find them reassuring.

Hello,
I have been all over Sicily and my in-laws were there recently as well, IMO, Palermo is "grittier" than Catania (my favorite) ...Sicily in general is AMAZING, so much to do and see and the food is great! A few favorites are Trapani and Erice, Agrigento and Siracusa, Cefalu and Savoca (if you are a fan of The Godfather movies, Savoca is a must!) Yes, some places there is trash, but I found it no dirtier than Rome. Don't rethink it just go you will love it!! It is safe, no smells, the people are friendly, New York City is dirty too, but people still love it! Mi planning a trip back to Catania soon!

Here is a great Air BnB in Catania-and the neighborhood is great a few blocks from everything you can walk everywhere-people from the USA tend to think graffiti makes a neighborhood "look" dirty but since it is everywhere in Italy think of it as street art.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/28537611?source_impression_id=p3_1755546882_P3twFM6-t3ZqFKtn

Mignon’s “Perfect Imperfection” description of Italy is bellissimo.

Palermo is gritty, but what it lacks in cleanliness, it makes up for in raw culture. We loved our time in Sicily, but when we stayed in Palermo we stayed a bit out of the "tourist" area and had to dodge dog poop on the walk back, that was the worst of it for us. There are a few areas where you should probably not be walking through at night, but mostly we felt safe.

Gritty, yes. Dirty, no. I find Boston, Manhattan, LA and Chicago MUCH dirtier than ANY Italian city, including Catania. Anecdote does not equal data.

OMG I figured some parts would be gritty but not to the extreme you report Can anyone else comment on their experience with the cleanliness and the treatment they received from the Sicilians? This sounds unacceptable to me

The leftover people here live in the poverty of the last 60 years with no hope of better employment, no hope for a future, and live in a world of hate, anger, total disrespect for their fellow citizen, all packaged with low intelligence. I cannot comprehend the uncivilized behavior I have seen her for the last 30 days. Of course, Palermo is dirty and filthy with 5 years of cigarette buts on the sidewalk, grafiti everywhere, no respect for the look of the city of Palermo, and with such hate and anger and hopelessness of their life, these is no reason for them to act civilized. Pedestrians on street are in the way of drivers, so Palermo residents think, and should be hit by their cars.

So, you're saying Palermo is basically just like most large American cities. OK, got it.

It seems this first-time poster has some issues.

I just came back from 3 weeks in southern Italy. What a wonderful, lovely, magical place, and what a shame it would be to skip such places because some idiot tossed some trash out there. Yes, there's definitely some trash in places (same is true of my home city, Seattle). Graffiti, too. Plentiful cigarette butts. No apparent respect for the city, or much of anything. Hopeless people visible (though very few compared to where I live in a prosperous US city), drivers who seem to be careless and with no common sense - yeah, all regrettable and sadly sounds a lot like like home (and big cities everywhere) to me.

All the above can be observed in most cities around the world, including those near you. Yes, you may see more of these things in parts of Italy. If that's going to wreck your trip, then maybe go to Japan or someplace else that has found ways to better manage social challenges. But if you take that approach, you're going to be limiting yourself to a very small patch of the urban world.

We went all over Puglia (far southern Italy, the "heel of the boot") in the past few weeks. Yep, there was some trash, some dog poop, too many cigarette butts. Despite those occasional annoyances, it was wonderful.

/Perspective

The dirtiest city I have ever visited was New York City……..

One thing I've found is the homes, hotels, b&bs etc are usually sparkling clean. Even places I've stayed that were quirky or strangely laid out or decorated have always been clean. I think Italians have an extremely high standard when it comes to cleaning their homes. While some cities might be 'gritty' or you may even see trash piled up in places, the home and hotel interiors are very clean. As others have said, cities in the US and suburbs and rural areas, can all have their fair share of trash or eye sores, but that doesn't equate to safety.

Thanks to all the replies. My trip is still on. I have been to many large European cities as well as those here in the US. The trash part doesn't alarm me as much as his comment on how the Sicilians act. In my experience, if you show respect to others, they will show it back to you. when I travel outside of the US, I feel as though I represent my country and I do not want to contribute to the notion that Americans are rude and entitled. I have been to Italy before and know that the drivers are crazy and there are places with trash and graffiti, but I have only had very positive experiences with the people.

And if these reassuring posts aren’t enough, check out the “ Our Tours” section on this website. The Sicily tour section shows reviews from people who are just finishing up visiting many of these places. We were there in 2023 and loved every minute of Sicily, spending additional time in Palermo. I almost laughed at the comment on the attitude towards pedestrian because our Streaty Food tour guide took a few minutes to explain how to cross the street, assuring us that drivers don’t want to hit you, but expect you to move along quickly.

I sincerely hope that you will still travel to Sicily.
I personally cannot wait to go back, and again: the people we met were warm and delightful and the history mesmerizing.