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what country would you never go to again?
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this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2025
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I've only ever been out of the country one time.
My boss and I wrote a paper that got us invited to an international conference, that took place in Palermo, Sicily.
It wasn't high on my list of places I want to visit, but free overseas work trip to Sicily!
It was pretty disappointing in many ways. The whole time I was there I constantly felt like I was about to be robbed or scammed.
The taxi drivers are nuts, we were sure we were going to die multiple times just on the ride from the airport to the hotel.
The accommodation in the city was pretty cheap but most places had awful reviews, so we splurged and chose a 5 star hotel near the conference venue. It ended up being the equivalent of a 2 star back home. Mold in the bathroom, paint peeling off walls in the bedroom, exposed wires poking out of every electrical outlet. The hot water didn't work in the shower for 2 of the 4 nights we were there. At the buffet breakfast they served cold toast, warm yoghurt, and spoiled milk. You couldn't make it up. And that was the best accommodation in the city.
When we walked from the hotel to the conference centre, we were walking past piles of garbage that people just dump on the streets. Apparently that's a normal thing. There's nowhere else for garbage to go. Sometimes it gets picked up by the city collectors, usually it doesn't.
There were no pedestrian crossings, and cars don't stop at red lights. So the traffic is constantly flowing at full speed on all the roads. Often the only way to get to where you need to go is to walk out in front of traffic, don't make eye contact with any driver, look straight ahead, clench hard, walk sure, and change your underpants when you get to the other side.
It wasn't all bad. The food at the restaurants was amazing. I had some very good authentic Sicilian pizza. They serve cheap pints of Heineken at every restaurant and bar. If you like oily fish such as sardines, pilchards and anchovies, you're in heaven because it's their staple, they serve them on everything. The locals love cannolis and eat them like crack. They were served for desert at the conference, at the gala dinner, and at every restaurant we went to. I wasn't a fan of them.
I liked the novelty of being in a different country for the first time, but I wouldn't go back to Sicily again.
Huh, interesting. I've been to Sicily on a student exchange. My experience was totally different, but it's maybe because I didn't stay in Palermo. I've been to Taormina and other smaller towns. It was beautiful, both the towns themselves, the nature, the weather and the view of the sea. These local towns are old and mafe for pedestrians, so almost no cars. All the local shops are run by mom and pop and everybody knows each other. They invite whoever is walking by the shop to eat lunch together. We took the bus from my host's home to the neares town and we drove through lavender fields, it was amazing.
Not to say your experience wasn't genuine, but it sounds like it's Palermo that wasn't very pleasant, not Sicily in general. I would definitely recommend the smaller towns.
Yeah. You have a good point. My experience was only of Palermo. I understand other parts of Sicily are quite different. We did a short half day trip to the Trapani salt pans, it was nice to get out of the city but still very touristy. My favourite part honestly was driving through the small stretches of rural areas between towns.