Agrigento Sicily Tour Carmela Cacciatore

Amazing tour!

Carmela is a gem! Last May, my husband's extended family, 23 people in all, had a reunion in Sicily. I contacted Carmela to see if she would guide us on a trip to the village that my husband's grandparents were from, Aragona, and also Agrigento. Carmela is bilingual, having grown up in New Jersey until her family returned to Sicily. For a group of our size, her clear English helped so much.She went above and beyond in preparing for our visit. We talked by phone ahead of time so she could understand our needs. She was an excellent guide to the temples in Agrigento, her love of Sicilian history and passion for its culture is clear and pulled us all in.For our tour of Aragona, I shared with her some pictures and geneology from my husband's family, and Carmela researched the location of their homes ahead of time. She even studied the family geneology and found a link to her own family! She found a restaurant that would make two local specialty dishes, tiano and briullata, for our lunch.My family has traveled extensively and have been lucky to have had many strong guides, and Carmela is definitely one of the best guides we've had.

Carmelina Cacciatore is an antiquities tour guide you definitely want to engage for your visit. She is a resident of Aragona and this village near Agrigento is her family home. Carmelina's cultural foundation is strong. Her early years in the US have given her an extraordinary ability to jump between both American English and Italian languages, including some Sicilian. Our family, also from Aragona, have engaged her services to help us learn about our family, specifically in 2017, 2018, 2019. The tours of Valley dei Templi were excellent. Prepare to understand the city of Akragas when you are with her as you never before have. In addition, Carmelina is full of energy, humor, and good cheer. We love being with her and share her love of life and the beauty of the Sicilian culture. She understood our interest in family and knows the importance of the younger generations knowing from where they have come. She is ready for challenges of heat and energy for first time visitors. If you as a veteran visitor to the area or a new visitor to Sicily, consider yourself fortunate to secure time on her guiding schedule.My experiences have been: as a mom with my oldest daughter, a veterinarian interested in language and family history; as a professor of cultural entomology with my students, both traditional undergraduates and non-traditional; and as a first generation American of a family who emigrated from Aragona.Florence Vaccarello Dunkel