Sicily

Recently made a trip to Sicily and was pleasantly surprised at how well Rocket had prepared me to handle basic interactions - directions, restaurants and sightseeing, etc. I should mention, however, that Italian spoken rapidly with a Sicilian accent can be a challenge to understand!

I'm heading to Sicily this spring to explore my ancestral heritage. Any tips for preparing myself for interactions that involve a Sicilian accent? 

In my experience everyone was happy to slow down and speak more or less comprehensible Italian - or English! - once they realized I was a tourist. In big cities like Palermo you could get by with very little Italian, since English is spoken in most places of business. In the smaller towns people will gladly take the time to make themselves understood.

As far as picking up the rhythms of the Sicilian dialect, watching episodes of Inspector Montalbano or Italian movies set in Sicily would probably help.

Hi JacobL12, 

Hope you had a lovely time in Sicily! Which places did you visit?
So glad to know that you put your Rocket skills into practice, congrats! :-)
Also, great tips about watching Montalbano series: excellent exercise!