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Unless specifically mentioned, all establishments are open all year round. Mezza pensione (half board) may be on offer, and this combination of lodging with breakfast plus dinner (usually excluding drinks) can be advantageous.

Rifugio at Piano Battaglia

The main tourist offices in Sicily supply excellent booklets, updated yearly, listing all the accommodation (camping grounds included), with prices and opening periods, for the relevant province. It’s advisable to stock up with these handy booklets in the towns as little information is available in the hinterland. Prices are generally lowered at off-peak times and may be negotiable.

Though advance reservation is only really necessary in high season (essentially Easter and late July–August), it’s a good idea to call ahead to small hotels or private rooms to give them advance warning of your arrival. English is not widely spoken outside the main tourist cities or resorts, making a sprinkling of Italian highly desirable.

Telephones

When phoning in Italy remember to use the full area code including the zero, even for local calls. Exceptions are mobiles (cellulare), that commence with ‘3’, and toll-free numbers that begin with ‘800’ or ‘840’. Calls to Italy from overseas must likewise include the zero of the area code.