Carini

Carini is a city of 38,000 people (2011) in Sicily. Carini's lure for tourists is based mainly on shopping. It has one of the biggest shopping areas in Sicily called the Zona Industriale where more than ten big shopping centres can be found. For history buffs, it has a medieval Norman castle, and many defensive towers.

Castello di Carini

Carini is 20 minutes from the capital city of Sicily, Palermo. There are various ways to get to the capital and transfer to the smaller town, or go directly there.

Palermo International Airport is some 32 km west of the city at Punta Raisi and has flights incoming from other Italian centres and major European cities on a regular basis. Half hourly shuttle buses provide inexpensive transport into the city centre (€5). There are 1-2 trains per hour, 50 minutes, €8 (destination Punta Raisi). The usual taxi and car rental services are also available at the airport. From the airport there are buses and taxis which take you directly to Carini.

Another alternative is taking a ferry from mainland Italy to the port in Palermo and then taking a bus, train, or taxi from Palermo to Carini.

Once in Carini either a car can be rented, but driving manually is a necessity. Motorscooters called Vespas are also very popular in the island town and can be driven at the age of 14, to rent a car you must be 21. The temperature in the town rarely goes below 60 °F (16 °C), and most of the attractions can be walked to, so car rental is not even necessary.

La piazza di Carini

Carini is a medieval city and still has beautiful marble houses, and cobblestone streets. Virtual tour Carini

There are many historic churches which can be attended for mass, or just visited during the day for site seeing.

The largest must see site in Carini is the Castle of Carini. The Castle was started in 1075 and finished in 1090. Upon visiting the castle you will hear the horrid tale of the princess of the castle. Tours are also available in English.

Within driving distance of Carini are many beautiful Mediterranean beaches. One of the more famous beaches, Zingaro is about a half-hour away, other beaches are much closer, but part of Oceans 13 was filmed at this beach.

There is always something to do at night. The most popular form of nightlife are the outdoor discotecas. These locations are not solely for the teenagers, but adults alike also go to these clubs.

There is a souvenir common to many tourists who visit the area. The ornately decorated carts available in many sizes are painted with pictures of the history of the area.

Located in the centre of town is a piazza, a social square with a fountain in the middle. Surrounding this area there are many shops with fine Italian jewelry, designer clothing, leather handbags, and fragrant perfumes.

Common to the Italian culture many families even with small children go out for pizza as late as midnight.

The most appealing restaurant in Carini is called Mira del Mare. In English this means to look at the beach. The restaurant and gelateria overlooks the Sicilian coast. At night they open the patio area and serve drinks. It then becomes a lovely outside bar overlooking the ocean.

Citta del Mare is a resort located right along the border of the small town. This resort offers three large pools, with water slides connecting them. The last slide reaches down to the ocean. There are trails throughout the resort that overlook the ocean and beautiful Mediterranean setting. The rooms offered are spacious and immaculately clean. A huge brunch is served daily. There is a youth club and aerobics offered in and out of the water.