Frequently Asked Questions
Please read these questions and answers before contacting us:
Who are you people?
How do you select companies for this publication?
How do I find a firm mentioned here?
Why can't I order ALL these products online?
Why are more wineries or olive oil producers not mentioned?
Can you help me find a specific kind of firm?
Can you find a particular company for me?
Do you offer travel services?
Who are you people?
This is discussed on a separate page about us.
This site exists to identify the best products made
in Sicily.
How do you select companies for this publication?
Quality is an obvious consideration, and so is customer service. If these
two things are missing then a company will not be included. Most of the
products mentioned on this site are produced in Sicily. There are, however,
rare exceptions. For example, there is a painter of traditional icons whose
work is inspired directly by the Byzantine mosaics in some of Sicily's churches
- Monreale Abbey, the Martorana, Cefalù Cathedral. The artist does
not reside in Sicily full-time, but there is no iconographer in Sicily who
sells this kind of work, something important to Sicilian artistic heritage.
In such a case, we recommend specific "products" without hesitation
even though, strictly speaking, they are not actually made in Sicily. This
kind of exception would not be made for watercolor paintings of Sicilian
scenes, or for ceramic art, both of which are indeed created and sold in
Sicily by Sicilian artists.
How do I find a firm mentioned here?
We provide street addresses or, where they exist in English, websites. We
cannot publish frequently-updated information such as telephone numbers,
names of contact persons and so forth. There are several reasons for this.
Among these is the simple fact that not all the merchants mentioned here
speak English or have full-time personnel who do. That need not be an obstacle
to purchasing something in a store but it makes voice communication over
the phone difficult without an intrepreter. This publication is a free service
for shoppers; we have no commercial connection with any firm or individual
mentioned here except those few referred to in the sponsored links. As we
do not "officially" or legally represent any of them, it really
is not within our competence to engage in formal advertising or marketing
on their behalf unless we have been requested by them to do so. What you
see on this site are "reviews" of products and firms. For the
most part, these do not constitute actual advertising. The only exception
to this is the promotion of firms under their own names on dedicated pages;
in such cases the sellers have permitted us explicitly to present them in
that way even though we are not their advertising agents of record.
Why can't I order all these products online?
Some can be ordered that way. Others can be purchased only in shops or boutiques
here in Sicily. This publication is not intended to promote online sales.
Most of the firms mentioned here don't even have websites, while international
sales of certain merchandise, such as wines, can be complicated. The simple
idea of SicilianStyle.Net is identifying products
made with pride in Sicily.
Why aren't more wineries or olive oil producers mentioned?
The list is growing. In practice, the tricky element here is the question
of quality and customer service. These are determining factors in our inclusion
of any firm, and few meet our standards for serious consideration. That said, we expect
that the lists of both products will soon be lengthier than they are now.
Can you help me find a specific kind of firm?
Product searches are a paid consulting service described on Best of Sicily.
Given the costs, these are usually more convenient for commercial firms
than for individuals. Please note that product searches are based on prepaid
flat rates, not commissions based on sales. Also, we do not have a staff
of "specialty shoppers," though we can sometimes recommend interpreters
based in Sicily.
Can you find a particular company for me?
Only as part of a paid consulting service (as mentioned in the answer to
our last question). Unfortunately, we do not have full-time staff to handle
such requests, even if you know the name of the company you are trying to
find.
Do you offer travel services?
While we do not offer tours or excursions in Sicily, such services are advertised
as sponsored links on our home page and elsewhere
on the site. Best
of Sicily is a large travel guide for Sicily which lists numerous travel
service companies, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and much more.
