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Greetings! We returned from Sicily about a month ago and, based on our experiences, we cannot wait to go back. The place is magical. Over the course of nine days, we started in Palermo, then picked up a car at the Palermo airport, continued on to Erice, left our things at our hotel in Erice, backtracked to Zingaro to hike, and then had lunch in Scopello. We later continued our trip through Agrigento and Siracusa. While we did not risk it in Zingaro, based on the urgent warnings, I would have left my things in a locked car, out of sight. (Not my passport, of course, but clothing and toiletries in a suitcase.) There was someone in the parking lot showing people where to park, and a man at the ticket office. There were lots of tourists doing what we were doing. It did not look like a high-risk situation to me. (I am a single woman, living in a Washington, DC suburb, have travelled widely and I think I know what high-risk looks like.) When I travel, I keep money and credit cards in a small, cross-body bag under a vest or jacket. I leave one credit card and my passport in a safe, usually provided by the hotel or B&B. I never take jewelry with me when I travel. So I take the usual precautions. Bottom line here: I think the Draconian warnings about crime in Sicily do the place a discredit. Exercise caution as you would in any major city in a relatively poor country. Don't leave your car parked in a totally deserted area. Don't leave stuff in your car that you couldn't stand to lose. Yes, we were approached by panhandlers in Palermo, as we would be in New York, Washington or San Francisco. And we ignored them, as we would at home. Go, enjoy the fabulous welcoming spirit of the Sicilians, and you will have a great travel experience.
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