Exploring Sicily by train

Yes, the small Sicilian town of Santa Flavia is the perfect location for holidays in Sicily without a car and for expats who like to travel by train.

The train station is in the middle of the town and some particularly beautiful holiday lettings are just a few hundred metres away.

And as our overview map on Google Maps shows, Santa Flavia is located by the sea and close to Palermo.

Sicily is experiencing a railway renaissance. Old railway lines are being reactivated and existing lines are being double-tracked.

Of course, this will initially lead to inconvenience. But the good news is that the work for Palermo and the surrounding area has been completed.

One more reason why Santa Flavia is perfect for car-free holidays in Sicily and why investing in a property is particularly worthwhile.

This map shows the train connections and interesting railway stations in the Palermo area:

Trenitalia's timetable information is of course available online and in English. Its use is similar to that of other railways and is largely self-explanatory.

Largely? Were you perhaps already curious and typed the name "Santa Flavia" into the search mask? And of course it didn't work?

No wonder, because the official name of the railway station is "S. Flavia-Solunto-Porticello". And please put a full stop and a space after the "S".

As you can see, even Trenitalia's timetable information is only artificially intelligent.

To make your search easier, we have labelled the stations in our map of train connections with their official names.

At large railway stations, such as Palermo Central Station, you can still buy tickets at ticket counters. Normally, however, you have to use a ticket machine.

But don't worry, the machines speak English and are even reasonably easy to understand. There are videos on the internet showing how they work.

Please do not forget to validate your ticket before travelling.

If anything goes wrong, simply go straight to one of the conductors. They are generally very helpful and speak English.

For expats who regularly travel by train, it is easier to buy tickets via the Trenitalia app. You will need a smartphone with an Italian SIM, an account with an Italian bank and their debit card.

To prepare, create an account on the Trenitalia website. There you will be asked for:

• Name and birthday
• Codice fiscale
• Address (domicilio)
• Email address
• Mobile phone number

Then install the Trenitalia APP and log in with your account.

When you buy a ticket for the first time, you pay with your bank card and must of course enter your card details. The next time you buy a ticket, you can skip this step if you wish.

Important: If you have bought a ticket, you can also travel one or two trains later. Once you have decided on a train, you must check in for this train.

Unfortunately, this process is a little complicated and the user guidance is not always logical. If something does not work, simply contact the conductor.