Travel to Sicily

Your phone has to be unlocked. Someone more tech savvy can explain it. I just buy a cheap phone in Italy and use my iPad for data. I have Verizon, it sucks (only an opinion).

Churches are reliable as sources for records because most people were Catholic and celebrated sacraments of baptism and marriage. The records are kept permanently, in the diocese and/or parish, and give other family names and dates. Immigration records can be traced through the US census before you go.

Good luck with your research.

We stayed in Scopello, which is close to Belestrate. It is worth visiting- smalll, but very beautiful with fun outdoor restaurants and views if the ocean. There is a national park nearby with great hiking.

Thank you Zoe! I actually have my great grandparents immigration paperwork so I am hoping it is an easy process :)

Thank you Becky

I'll keep it in mind and check it out!

As far as a phone in Sicily we are using the Verizon global plan. It seems reasonable for what we
need. Excited to use the audio translator!

To make the most of this trip, I suggest you find a hotel or b&b as quickly as possible. Then let the hotel owner know about your quest, the names of your ancestors, and ask them for help in finding a English-speaking guide, for at least part of a day. The guide can likely give you history of the town and act as a translator for you at the church.

If you can communicate with the guide before you arrive, he or she may be able to do some preliminary work such as finding the right church, determining what days/hours it is open, etc. And the guide might even know some of your relatives who you can meet.

To find a good place to stay, carefully read the reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking.com, and choose one that mentions friendly, helpful, English-speaking hosts.

The more advance preparation you do, the better!

tina-marie google to the website "Best of Sicily" which has a lot of information on researching your genealogy and dealing with records (look hard for link to genealogy as the page is very cluttered) There are also links to guides and researchers, who are trained in helping find those family records.. . I have been told by family and friends who have done this, that the Sicilian dialect is pretty difficult to understand, even for Italian-speakers and that a lot of old church records are in Latin anyway.

Balestrate is very near Palermo. I don't know how much time you'll have for sightseeing, so at this point I'll just mention places that are in that part of Sicily. There are many other lovely and historic spots if you have enough time to travel around.

Palermo: Chock full of beautiful churches and oratorios. The city itself is somewhat hectic and scruffy in places. There aren't a lot of traffic lights, which makes things sometimes a bit challenging for pedestrians, but the fabulous religious buildings make it worthwhile. The Vucciria and Ballaro street markets are fun. I seldom say anything is a "must" because it all depends on what a traveler is interested in, but to go to Palermo and not see the cathedral outside of town in Monreale would be a terrible shame. It is stunning and can be reached via public bus.

Trapani: Pretty port town west of Palermo. Bus seems to be faster than train. Probably would need to spend the night here if you're not renting a car.

Erice: Incredibly atmospheric medieval hilltown near Trapani. You can reach it by bus, car, or via a funicular in Trapani (not near the port; you can get to the funicular by bus).

Segesta: Well-preserved Greek ruins. I think there's bus service from both Palermo and Trapani.

Cefalu: picturesque former fishing village, now a popular beach destination. East of Palermo and easily accessible by train.

The Sicilian buses were very reliable for me in 2015, but you must examine schedules closely. Bus frequency drops sharply (sometimes to zero) on Sundays and holidays. Sunday is a day to stay where you are unless you have planned a destination with train service and have verified the Sunday/holiday schedule.

Here is the link to Best of Sicily site mentioned above. - I used it a lot and there is so much info here.

Best of Sicily

As far as a SIM card and service in Italy, you could purchase a Vodaphone Holiday Card at any Vodaphone location including the airport. Here's a link with more info. The card costs €30 and I've found the folks at Vodaphone stores to be quite helpful. Of course your phone must be unlocked and capable of working on the European GSM bands.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions so far! Please note I am taking note of everything I am told. I'm happy to hear anything you all have to say - it only helps me!

To answer a few questions that were posed to me, I will be in Sicily for a full week (Saturday - Friday) and the main goal is to trace my family tree - meeting relatives would be icing on the cake. I'm not sure how long this process will take so my plan is to scope out other sites to see around Sicily if I am lucky enough to "strike gold" early in the week.

I will rent a car so that I am able to move around as needed - stupid question here, but do they drive on the same side of the road as us in the USA? I really hope so! :-)

I've started looking at B&B's in Balestrate and have made a short list - there seems to be a few really good options, and the idea for a guide to get me started was excellent, thank you.

Verizon tells me my cell phone is unlocked, and that it is a global phone - so I am guessing I should be able to use a sim card once I arrive. If I do this, will I then have a Sicilian phone number? How does that work?

Again, thank you everyone. I really appreciate they suggestions/help

do they drive on the same side of the road as us in the USA?

Generally yes. There are a few drunks (or also elderly seniors who should have given up their license) who occasionally drive on the wrong side, but it's not safe to do so.

Verizon tells me my cell phone is unlocked, and that it is a global
phone - so I am guessing I should be able to use a sim card once I
arrive. If I do this, will I then have a Sicilian phone number?

You will have an Italian number (Sicily is part of Italy) with the Italian area code (+39) and the mobile phone specific area code (all mobile phones in Italy have area codes in the 300s). So for example your number could be +39 347 555 5555.

How does that work?

It works like in the US. Just go to a telephone store (Vodafone, TIM) and buy a SIM card with data plan. Vodafone has a plan for tourists called Vodafone Holiday for 30 euro for a month. Ask for that one. That is what I purchase every year.
http://www.vodafone.it/portal/Privati/Tariffe-e-Prodotti/Tariffe/Estero/Vodafone-Holiday-English

One thing to investigate ahead of time is what to do with the car if you do finish the genealogical research early and want to go into Palermo. You do not want to drive in that city. Merely walking around in Palermo can be a bit exciting. Everything you've every heard about Italian drivers is on display, except they do not actually treat you as a target. They just don't slow down as they whiz past you as you cross the street. (There aren't always crosswalks.) I cannot imagine driving there.

Just looking at a map, I think you'd be OK driving to Monreale, which is on the Balestrate side of Palermo and perhaps an hour away.

You have a decision to make about your hotel/B&B booking. For the purposes of visiting Palermo, Balestrate--though nearby--doesn't look very convenient. There seem to be few trains and buses to Palermo. If it appears there is sufficient lodging in Balestrate, I'd be tempted to reserve only, say, 3 nights there, assuming I'd be able to extend my stay if I needed to. Then I'd be free to move to Palermo (but ditch the car!) or Trapani for the rest of the trip. Just a thought.

Tina-Marie, how are you getting to Palermo? We are going in April also to do some family research, but will land in Rome or Naples and thinking about taking a short flight to Palermo, exploring it, and then renting a car to get to Cerda, our destination; it is east of Palermo. I recommend you look into Airb&b for your lodging; we have never been disappointed. I love their very friendly site. Plus you pay in dollars before you go, so one less thing to worry about.