After the dismal weather I experienced in India in March, I was in desperate need of a sunny break as my Vitamin D levels were at an all time low 
As Gwen and I both love Italy, we decided to explore Sicily this time around. A quick scan of the weather forecast was enough to convince me to book pronto: "26C, sunny skies, fresh breezes, and clear blue crystal water".
I'd be crazy to NOT go!
Aer Lingus flights to the main gateway of Catania were pretty expensive .. around €500 for both of us. The eastern side of Sicily is the most commonly visited side due to famous sights like Mt Etna, etc.
Ryanair also flew to Sicily but to the western side, to a small city called Trapani. The price? €200 for both of us. Additionally it seemed that the west coast was less "touristy" (well for non Italian tourists anyway) so would make for a more interesting vacation.
So Trapani it was.
It turned out to be an excellent choice. I've never been to a place where everything looks just like it does in a holiday brochure, but that's exactly what we found:
- Amazing food
- Fantastic islands offshore with some of the best snorkling I've ever experienced in my entire life (and I've snorkled/dived around the world)
- Perfect weather all week (26C, fresh breezes, Vitamin D overdose!)
- A fascinating history (the area was settled first by Phoenecians from Tunisia, then by Greeks, then Romans, Normans, etc, etc)
The people were friendly and welcoming (particularly as we had practically no Italian .. I kept on breaking out into Spanish!), but also were animated during conversation (or arguments among themselves) using gesticulations that can only be found in Sicily.
I marvelled at a 30 minute argument over a parking space between two men while I was looking out of my hotel window, drinking Prosecco on ice and smoking a cigar. I lost count of the amount of hand gestures used in the conversation but it certainly beat watching the telly!
A truly excellent trip and I highly recommend Trapani for a refreshing break away.