Trapani : I visit Trapani city centre often, so if you are flying into Trapani airport TPS for a holiday in or around Trapani, Sicily then here is some travel info on Trapani rentals.

I have stayed or visited these proposed rental accommodations and recommend them. When you contact them directly and book mention “MIPC” you will probably get a better rate than you can get through rental websites like booking.com hotels.com laterooms.com.
You have probably landed here as you have booked a cheap flight with Ryanair into Trapani airport, Sicily and need somewhere to stay. Firstly you need to consider onwards travel to your accommodation from the airport otherwise you will be stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Jump to each section of this article.

• Onwards travel from Trapani Airport
• Trapani city centre rental

Onwards travel from Trapani Airport:

Firstly it is important that you know that Trapani airport is 20 minutes from Trapani city centre and public transport is not the best. Your options of onward travel are bus, taxi and car hire.

Bus : The only bus routes running to/from Trapani airport are to the following destinations : Trapani city centre, Marsala centre and Palermo train station. Buses are not regular (see here for Trapani airport bus timetable and how/where to buy tickets) so do some research depending on your arrival time.

Taxi : Taxis operate around the Ryanair arrivals times schedule and generally hang around for 30 minutes after a plane arrives, after which they leave the airport as there is not a continuous arrival of flights/business. So move quickly to the taxi rank, don’t hang around having a snack in arrivals lounge or you may find the taxi rank empty. Negotiate your price with driver before setting off. Taxi to Trapani town centre is 30euros.

Car hire : Best option for mobility if you are NOT staying in Trapani city centre. Bring your sat nav you’ll need it if you are staying in some country agroturismo. NB. I have known people to queue for over an hour to get the hire car. Tip: On arrival send 1 of your group upfront to the car hire queue whilst others wait for luggage.


Trapani city centre rental:
Weekend or short stay in Trapani centre then I would advise you take the bus from Trapani airport (see here for Trapani airport bus timetable and how/where to buy tickets) rather than car hire, it just makes life easy. The rental accommodations in Trapani listed below are all within a 5 minute walk of the bus stop. Get off the bus at Trapani port bustop also known as Piazza Garibaldi, DO NOT stay on the bus to Trapani Bus Station (last stop) unless the accommodation listed recommends that stop.

If you have any problems booking just email MIPC and we will try to help

Highly recommended : “Residence Rosa dei Venti” : 3 star. Self catering apartments. great value quote “MIPC” when booking.

A: name “Tra Le Mura Le case di Hilde” : various apartments in Trapani historic town centre. MIPC rating 3 star

B: name “Residence Cortile Merce” : various services hotel, B&B or apartments. MIPC rating 2star

C: name “La Gancia” : 4 star accommodation

D: name “Al 10 B&B” : Opens summer 2011 : Looks good MIPC 3 star rating

E: name “Le Chiavi di San Francesco Residence” : website not in English. MIPC 3 star rating

F: name “B&B Le Vele” : 10 minute walk from port. MIPC 2 star rating

G: name “Casa Vacanza San Pietro” : MIPC rating 2 star, though nice historic building.

Trapani rent sicily.

06/09/11 : September 6th 2011 : A general strike by the CGIL union will bring Italy to a stand still today. Best to avoid flying in/out of Italy. Travel trains/buses/flights also cancelled /cancellations. Main italian airport disturbance scheduled from 10:00 – 18:00. The strike is all to do with Italian austerity measures to cut national debt, which is having consequential affects on employee rights, to name 1 of many issues.

Check your airline prior to leaving to the airport to check if  your flight to/from Italy has a cancellation or is cancelled or delayed.

Italy Air transport sector is on strike today 06/05/11 causing delays cancellations and disruption across the italian airports.

Check your airline prior to leaving to ensure your flight to/from Italy is not cancelled or delayed.

Ryanair flight info can be found here Ryanair. Italy.

Medieval village in Gran Sasso national park in Abruzzo for sale £485,000 /  Euros 555,000 / $800,000

Valle Piola

The small abandoned mountain village of Valle Piola consists of a church, 11 stone delapidated stone houses and 2 farmers barns. Interesting proposal for the development of a boutique village/hotel.

View more photos here at Italian Property Valle Piola.

Estimated restoration fees at 1500euros/square metre would involve a development fund of at least 2 million+.

A similar business model has been developed at Santo Stefano di Sessanio and offers unique hotel accomodation in a medieval village. Meandering in the narrow village cobbled streets, history, luxury accomodation and restaurants around every corner. I visited Santo Stefano 4 years ago when it was in the stage of development. incredabile really that a mountain village can be refurbished and turn in a tourist destination. The weather here is great in summer with sun and fresh mountain air. In winter there are ski facilities nearby.

A similar business model is also been designed by the same architect of Santo Stefano in Salemi, Sicily. Here the ruins are for sale at 1 euro and registration for a property is open at Salemi.

In Italy there are many restoration properties available. You are advised to get a qualified surveyor and fixed price construction quotes for the restoration as many restoration projects heavily run over budget.

MIPC offers property restoration services in Sicily via our Italian construction firm.
Email MIPC for further details regarding any of the above projects.

Trapani TPS airport closed to civil aviation this afternoon Sunday 20/3/11 until further notice,   in preparation for international military action towards Libya. If  you are flying with Ryanair to Trapani TPS you will probably be diverted to Palermo PMO, (Trapani airport is also a military airport hence its closure). Not that you should panic visiting Sicily, but it is a strategic base in the current war with Libya along with the NATO base Sigonella. There has been increased military air action over the last 24 hours, quite strange actually for such a peacful area.

UPDATE : TPS Closed till 31st March inclusive. Airport opens as from 1st April….and no its not an Aprils Fools joke !! But not all flights will arrive and take off from Trapani, that is some will still operate from/into Palermo until 10/4/11.

You need to check the day and flight number here on the Ryanair website to be sure where you will land/take off.

ps: there is a shuttle bus operating between both airports for transfers.

Italy 150 years : Today Italy is celebrating 150 years as a united country. A national holiday was agreed at the last minute. Celebrations are taking place across the country. Turino (Turin) is the official 1^st capital of Italy, some say it was Salemi in Sicily (if only for 1 day), where Garibaldi declared the unification of Italy.  The official celebrations website is here at Italy.

The italian defense department has recently offered for sale some of her assets, including some intersting buildings. One in particulr is the light house on the italian island of Marettimo in the Egadi islands near Trapani sicily, next to the islands od Levanzo and Favignana. I will be visiting it on Sunday to take some photos and will report back next week. This is an interesting italian property development opportunity of a lighthouse on an accesabile island in Italy, I see a boutique hotel/residence with an exclusive mooring for yachts and a private jet runway or helicpoter landing pad….Buy a piece of italian history…sign up to our RSS to keep updated on this italian historic building development opportunity in Italy on the Egadi Islands near Trapani, Sicily in Marettimo.

Sicily continues to be highlighted in travel destinations as the sicilian lifestyle in it’s new era is discovered by international tourism. International investment opportunities are opening up. The UK telegraph continues with further articles on Sicily.
A guide to Sicily
Sicily : A new dawn
Considering a holiday in sicily, contact us for further details. Sicilian villas, B&B, property and more in Sicily.

Planning a holiday this 2011 ? Then Italy should be high on your list. Take a read of the UK telegraphs Italy holiday planner for 2011. Key areas of interest the “New Sicily” and “Iseo”, 2 key areas MIPC have an interest in where we can find you italian holiday homes and enhance your holiday with the MIPC local italian guide books and concierge service. Happy New Year and we hope to see you on holiday in Italy this 2011.

Wikileaks Berlusconi Italy Putin

Wikileaks finally managed to publish much awaited documents and reports today. Our interest here in Italy is what they have to say about Berlusconi.

In a period when Berlusconi’s reign is “leaking” it will be interesting to see how the Italian and international media pick up on his relationship with the Russian president Putin and whether he really is the western european spokesman with Russia, as suggested by Hilary Clinton.

Berlusconi’s control of Italy is slipping and any other western European prime minister would have walked months if not years ago. What with affairs with Ruby and B’s taste for young girls, Fini walking out of his government, EU threatening fines for Naples refuge collection (or lack of) chaos, B’s x-senator Ulti been accused of been the middleman between the mafia Casa Nostra and B….any normal society would have expected his resignation ages ago. But NO Berlusconi continues to walk tall, in a promiscuous society that admires his manhood….as he said “better to like girls than be gay”….in a society where the students appear to have fun marching the streets for education reforms and viewers that are still fixated with Big Brother and only recently in the Italian BB11 they are still sending in girlfriends  of contestants to challenge on screen affairs….yet the press doesn’t even talk about Dolce & Gabbana’s massive multi million tax evasion fraud…probably because they have massive advertising budgets with both TV’s and the press…would that be Berlusconi’s TV and media monopoly by any chance ??….all added up it makes that loveable Italy that i choose to live in.

But what will happen with the latest Wikileaks….will the left attack Berlusconi for his Russian friendship…or has he a more international role than is portrayed…it will be an interesting week to follow.