Sicily Solo

Book excerpt: In the spring of 1993, with a pack on his back, a shoe-string budget and a young adventurers curiosity, author Mark Tougias sets out from his home in the U. S on a solo journey for the ancient and alluring island of Sicily. With no hotel reservations beyond his first few days, no deadlines, no tours and no groups, the author travels the island at his own pace and in his own style. From the chaotic cities of Catania and Palermo, to the intimate mountain towns of Erica, Enna and Ragusa; and from the heights of Taormina to the subterranean world of the catacombs and many other towns in between, Tougias introduces us to an array of unforgettable characters and circumstances. With razor-sharp observations, an eye for the absurd in everyday life, and a prevailing sense of comedy, the author crafts a refreshing and honest account of his three-month odyssey. Told with heart, affection and a sense of wonder, Sicily Solo is neither a guide book nor history book, rather it is a book about people in their own environments, the joys and frustrations of budget-solo travel, and the heart of the traveler.