Hil

Ciao all, wow what an interesting discussion. We have lived in Cianciana for just over 6 years. We find all of Sicily to have both beauties and disadvantages, as many places in the world. However I cannot really agree with the "Sicilians don't want to live in Cianciana" comment. What we have found most enlightening and positive has been the return of many younger families from abroad to open new businesses and take over older family businesses. Many families are choosing to renovate formerly abandoned family homes rather than sell. Of course there are many houses for sale here, but that also relates to the numerous properties one family may have acquired over many generations. Yes we are a small town, and younger people do have to suffer with gathering at one of the 6 cafe/bars or pizzerias in town. No nightclubs or permanent music venues. It is true that over the past 5 years the foreign community has swelled considerably, although the majority live here only part time. So visit, there is a new bed and breakfast in town, and many private rentals. It is true that the seaside is at least a half hour drive and there is no bus service. But the drive is certainly worth the beauty of our local beaches, and the only crowded time is weekends in July and the first 2 weeks of August. And yes water supply is limited in the summer months, yes sometimes it can take ages for a simple transaction, it's very hard to find exotic ingredients in town, as it's primarily locally grown produce and fresh fish from Sciacca. Contrary to belief, speaking some Italian at least is necessary, no one at the commune, bank etc. speaks other than Italian.

BUT I totally agree that if Sicily is your destination, explore as much of it as you can. The Eastern part of the island is certainly more architecturally romantic, and yes culturally sophisticated and diverse. And it is true that the Western side of bella Sicilia is certainly blemished with many unfinished building projects. We really love all Sicily for different reasons.

And the main reason we chose Cianciana, was so simple, we had been living in Burgundy for 5 years, and just fell in love with the fact the streets don't roll up at 7pm, even throughout winter there is always life here. And summer is guaranteed. And we hop on the bus for Palermo when we need a dose of city etc. That was our choice. And of course we're all protective about our little corners of the world And welcome Caccicoo.

Caccicoo

Wow. Lots of varied opinions. Thank you everyone. My husband and I flew out of Catania this morning, on our way back to Canada - the owners of a beautiful 4 story (5 including the second terrace) home in the old part of Cianciana. We made this decision for a few reasons. We love Sicily - the people, the food, the landscape - and yes, even after a few days of +40 temperatures, the weather. After almost a month in Cianciana, we were convinced that this little town has all of the best qualities of the things we love in Sicily. Yes, it does have a small population - actually closer to 3500 than the 5000 that Modicasa quoted - however, in the summer, this town is beloved enough by families that had to leave in the past (the sulfur mine closed in 1962) that these families return in the summer in droves to reconnect with family and to celebrate the month-long festival that is August in Cianciana. The Ciancianese that we encountered were friendly, helpful, and welcoming. In fact, there was not a day in which someone didn't surprise us with their kindness and helpfulness. When I dropped in to say goodbye to the barkeep at the Bar Trieste, he gave us a bottle of wine as a going away gift. On more than one occasion we were pulled into one of the bars and were bought a caffe' by someone we may have only met once. As Scott said in his post, there are lots of Ciancianese who have moved back to stay. A case in point is the family that own the Canadian Pizzeria. They spent a number of years in Ontario, and returned to Cianciana to open their restaurant - a very good one with a lovely view from their balcony I might add. As far as food goes, there are two or three restaurants of the quality that would make them successful in any large city, I dare say. I have been told there is a doctor with at least some command of English in the town, and there is a helipad that can fly one out to the larger hospital in Agrigento if necessary. There is also a hospital in Sciacca. Sciacca, btw, is beautiful, as is Eraclea Minoa. The bonus, in my mind, about Eraclea Minoa is the total lack of beach umbrellas and lounge chairs for rent. Also, nearby is the sea turtle protected area. Back in Cianciana there are two swimming pools (I'm going home with a sunburn after 3 1/2 hours in one!), and every August the mayor hosts a party for the expats who live there full or part time.

Now, I know that no place is perfect. Certainly Cianciana has its drawbacks (parking in the old part of town is certainly one), but when my husband and I drew up our list of plusses and minuses, the plusses were two pages and the minuses, less than half a page.

Those of you who warned us about Cianciana, I would really encourage you to visit this little town, especially at the end of July or throughout August. It is a very lovely and welcoming (and clean!) place to visit. Thanks again everyone - and hello Scott and Hilary. We look forward to seeing you again on our next visit.

Diane and Nick

JDNZ

Hi I saw your response AleDeniz and would like to comment. I think it demonstrates a difference in attitude between the old and the new world/UK. I am from New Zealand and seriously thinking about buying in Sicily to run a 'retirement business'. I have been to Sicily a few times and loved the place though I would not think for a minute that I yet know the place or the people. However, people are the same the world over. Young people want to leave small towns and see the world or better themselves and go to the 'Big City' and not unoften girls sometimes marry to get out. It is not unique to small towns in Sicily. Also Sicily/Southern Italy has a culture of immigration and it may be perceived as a failure if a young person does not get out.
However, where I am from it is not a bad choice to choose to live in/stay in/move to a country town. Where you see risk and worry in Sicily's depopulated towns and a dieing agricultural industry I see a beautiful place with beautiful houses in historic towns and farms at unbelievably cheap prices waiting for some new life blood. Sicily is not without risk, but nothing worthwhile ever is. I say to whoever is thinking about trying to live the good life in wonderful Sicily or Italy to go for it...you dont get far in life sitting on the fence. JDNZ

ira.falzman

Hello everybody. I don't quite fall into the category of British expats, being from the US, but nobody seems to mind it here... It looks like a nice international crowd!
I'm as well in the process of moving to Sicily (Ispica, provincia di Ragusa) and would like to join the discussion. Actually, I was looking into how well US appliances fare in Europe when I stumbled onto this forum. My dad is an electronics engineer and he said that 50 or 60 hz wouldn't be a problem for my power tools (large chop saw and a table saw) and I already have 4KW transformer installed. Anyway, that's not an issue here - I would love to get in touch with English speakers in Sicily, and this sounds like a good place to start. I am fluent in Italian, so language is not a problem for me at all, but it would be nice to be able to chat in English now and then and make some friends.

Hil

Benvenuto Ira! We've got a hankering to visit Ispica..hmm Anyway my husband brought his power tools (table saw, skilsaw) first to France where we found some nice vintage transformers, and there here now. Thus far (touch wood and iron) so good. Of course finding replacement parts, kinda tricky. We're over in Cianciana, province of Agrigento. But if we're out your way we'll send you a PM. Fluent Italian, how jealous we are. Now we'll all ask you questions.

Sancho

Hi Ira,

I wish I could help you re US appliances in Europe, but I haven't got a clue

Anyway, as for English speakers in Sicily, why not post something on this thread ?

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=695987

Good luck anyway

ira.falzman

Hi and thanks for your replies. I am still in the US (packing), so it will be some time before I get to Sicily.
As far as big appliances go, after doing some more research I've already discovered that I better abandon my pet idea to bring the washer. It seems essential for it to have 60hz; others report that it might work, but through errors - not worth it. I already know that regular power tools work: my jigsaw, dremel tool and cordless hand drill are already in Italy. The first two have no problems jigging & dremelling, the latter charges batteries just fine. Now trying to figure out the paper shredder; it's very nice - not only it swallows easily 20 layers of paper, it also crunches CDs like it was paper.
As far as parts go, the way I see it - use the small tools as long as they work, then buy new ones. It's worth fixing the big ones if anything ever happens though: I have not seen anything remotely comparable to my table saw in Italy. They are so puny. You could rip planks, but forget precision cuts on plywood. My saw can rip up to 25 inches (~65 cm) wide. That's more than enough to deal with standard sheets of plywood. On the other hand, my dad said that there's not much that can brake in a saw. I'm not a pro, I use tools steadily, but not constantly, and if I am careful, it should last me a lifetime.