Eating, one of life’s great pleasures.

A poor meal can ruin a holiday and a great meal can form a memory to make us salivate for years. There is no doubt that the fertile lands of Sicily and the rich seas that surround her produce some of the finest produce on the planet. Finding the right eatery to enjoy this produce is not always easy so we are compiling a page to help you do just that. Take a look at our eating out page in the living section for our guide. 

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We would like to introduce you to a brand new site www.expatcianciana.com . This site is dedicated to those living in Cianciana, take a look and find out why Cianciana is fast becoming the place to have a home.

We have now added a “Living” section for expats or expats to be. This is in development but contains a "public forum", which is operational now so please feel free to post.

-Caltabellotta, the spectacular mountain top village.
-Mates restaurant Caltabellotta reveiwed.
-Learn Italian, listen to Italian radio and check latest exchange rates in our members area.

Please share your "Hidden treasure" finds on the new forum topic in the members area.

We would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions for our site or our members.

If you like our site, please recommend us on Google

Our first You Tube published Video. A tour of our highlights so far.

Useful Links

We have added a column of link buttons to the right of the page which will link to sites we feel may be of use to you. If you think we should add one in particular please let us know. Also if you own a site and would like to link with us please email us.

Restaurant Review, Mates, Caltabellotta

  ***SEE THE FULL WRITE UP AND PICTURES ON THE CALTABELLOTTA PAGE***

After an afternoon of taking in the views of Caltabellotta we stopped to have dinner at a restaurant called Mates recommended by several locals we had spoken to. This restaurant was a real feast for the eyes complete with it’s own museum inside. The exposed stone walls in this old mill were painted with bright Sicilian yellows and blues, with a wall display of ancient farming tools and a beautiful old olive press. There were homemade jams of orange blossom, pickles and olive oil for sale, grown from local farmers in Caltabalotta’s countryside which took over a corner of the restaurant. As in many trattorias in Sicily, we put our trust in put in the hands of the chef who decided which three courses he would be preparing for us. We were certainly not disappointed with a trusty starter including caponata, fried vegetables, pastry parcels and vegetable couscous and the main dish consisting of the most tender beef we have eaten yet on the island. The delicious meal was finished off with mouth watering cannoli. Mates wasnt cheap however it was worth it for the traditional and friendly atmosphere, attentive service and the gift of Mates’ homemade jam to go home with. Dinner here was a real cultural experience and it's another reason to visit stunning Caltabalotta.

Saturday in Sciacca 
  *** SEE THE FULL WRITE UP AND PICTURES ON THE SCIACCA PAGE***

So on Saturday we took a trip to Sciacca, which is about 35 minutes from Cianciana. The day started off with a pleasant walk around the town visiting some of the better known sites including a few of the churches and the Basilica or “Chiesa Madre” to get a couple of good photos for this site. Then we went to get a late afternoon drink at one of our favourite bars La Skalunata where the serve a reasonable pint of draught Guinness. After this we went on to do a bit of shopping around Sciacca’s central shopping area which is very quaint and has a lovely atmosphere, even though we live here in Sicily this stroll felt a lot like being on holiday. New socks and jeans in hand we headed off to find somewhere to eat and having spotted a little eatery down a beautifully lit alleyway we thought we would give it a try. Osteria Cappellino on Viccolo Cappelino turned out to be a real hidden gem. In this family run typical trattoria you are greeted by Salvino who will inform you of the select quasi fixed menu which varied depending upon the catches of the day from the port. Salvino’s mum, wife, sister and son; work away with skill and care in the small kitchen to prepare what we experienced to be an exceptional meal. In the intimate and interesting surroundings of our new favourite restaurant in Sciacca we enjoyed a range of local antipasti, some perfectly cooked pasta and as a main shared a huge and delicious Sea Bass, prepared with a light tomato and onion salsa. Great day, great place, great food what more could you ask for?

For more info on Sciacca and our reveiw on this restaurant and other places to see, check out our Sciacca page.