With much of the eastern part of the U.S. blanketed in snow, Chicago has been quite lucky as the storms only waved as they passed by our city. That said, it’s still quite cold, so I have been happily anticipating spending a warm spring in Sicily. As I was making our car reservations, however, I kept noticing warnings in the fine print about renting snow chains through mid April:
Note: Winter Equipment
For most Italian provinces, there is the requirement to fit winter tires or have a set of snow chains on board specifically for the type of vehicle hired in the period between November 15th and April 15th.
Certainly, they must be referring to northern Italy, I surmised. And then this week, I saw an article in The Local, an online Italian newspaper: Sicily shivers at first snowfall of 2016
Per the article,
Sicily might be famous for sun and sandy beaches, but on Monday morning residents awoke to the sight of the island covered in snow.
Snow fell on Sunday night, leaving Mount Etna and surrounding towns covered in the white stuff, along with several other towns and villages of altitudes around 600 metres.
While snow on Mount Etna and its environs isn’t unusual, residents of the Aeolian Islands, including the volcanic island of Stromboli, and towns near the Madonie mountain range, also experienced deep snowfall, with many of them taking to Twitter and using the hashtag ‘#nevesicilia’ (snow Sicily) to share their photos.
Ferry services to the islands have been suspended, with a 35-year-old who went into labour on the island of Lipari on Saturday night having to be flown by helicopter to a hospital in the Sicilian city of Milazzo, Ansa reported.
La Stampa reported that schools were closed in several Sicilian towns, and warned of the dangers of icy roads – particularly in more isolated communities – as temperatures dropped below zero degrees.
photo by Marco Triolo
Looks like we’ll be renting snow chains after all. Just hope we won’t need them!
Ciao,
Judy
Blogging In Italy 
It’s not only in the north of Italy Judy. A friend of mine was stopped in Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo) a few winters ago when the law first came out. She didn’t have snow chains on board or winter tyres and, although she wasn’t fined that time she was warned that next time she would be. The sun was shining and there was no sign of snow!
Warm here in the UK. 60 degrees Fahrenheit today!
You wrap up warm!
Xx
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Thanks, Patricia, for the heads up. We will bet certain to follow the local advice when we rent. Glad to hear it’s warm there! Let’s talk soon, abbraccio, Judy
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It is easier to just carry the chains than swap out for winter tires.
I know you don’t think of Los Angeles as needing them but we are surrounded by mountains and it is just a short drive up to skiing so a lot of people here carry them in their trunk.
Along with a bathing suit 🙂
Sounds like you are having as much fun planning as the trip itself!
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I suspect that’s what we’ll do, although I’ll much prefer pulling out the bathing suits!
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How interesting!
Thank you-keep me posted
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Along with Sicily, Calabria also saw quite a bit of snow last week – not at sea level but in the mountains throughout the length of the region. Locals there have been proudly announcing the ski and other winter sport availability on social media. The photos are lovely.
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Thanks, Karen, and happy skiing!
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Wow! It’s happened again, mooore snow this year!
I’ve written my experience on my blog.
Lots of pics, even in 360°
If you like, have a look
http://www.whynot-travelblog.com/en/2017/01/11/snow-sicily/
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I will be visiting the Madonie mountains in mid-March this year. Can you please tell me if snow chains are required?
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I will be visiting the Madonie mountains in mid-March this year. Can you tell me if snow chains are required?
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Best to check with car rental agency if you are renting a car. The laws vary in different parts of the country. Hope you have a great time.
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