Originally Posted by
factory81
I have not been to Sicily, but I did spend probably 4-5 hours looking at it on Google Maps/StreetView and I will echo what you just remarked. I will even go as far as to say that "all of Sicily" looks like a crap hole.
It's amazing to see abandoned looking towns with such poor infrastructure, lack of life, and just overall poverty.
If this were America we would have turned it in to a big beach-tourist friendly island, but the Italians clearly are lacking here in so many areas.
The only thing cool looking in Sicily was the huge mountains in the north-west corner of the island that rose so high from the sea.
I think if I were to film a horror movie though - Sicily seems to have just the right amount of natural creepy vibe. That... "you don't wanna break down here" vibe.
And the feckless post of the year award goes to....the one above.
So google street view is now a tool for judging infrastructure? How inane.
Most of Sicily, and the rest of Italy is not even on street view yet BTW.
In most of Italy these days the facade of a building is less important, for example, than how one does their living space inside. RAI even did a bit about that last month.
For example, this building in Noto:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Noto&...225.61,,0,8.83
has two doctors that live there (I know one very well) and they are much nicer inside than most middle class homes in North America. And the other residents have very nice homes inside also.
Your view of "poverty" is different than others.
I know some Americans who see views like this:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Noto&...225.61,,0,8.83
which is
Harlem, NYC and think all NYC is a dump.
Sicily, Italy, and much of Europe at this stage could certainly use an economic boost (as could much of the US) but the sky is not falling and Sicily has record tourist numbers in most places and many awesome things to see and do. It is far from a "crap hole"...
