I will be adding this blog to my webtsite. Www.gregsitlay.com. Hope you will follow my posts 
The hell with AT&T if you are headed to Europe or beyond.
The idea of paying your cell phone carrier a bundle of cash is rediculous. Have your phone unlocked. If you have met your contract term, go to your carriers site and request an unlock. It will take very little time. You can chuechase GSM phones from Amazon and others for reasonable amounts. I supplement the phone time by using Skype from my 10G data plan.
I walked into the TIM store at the Rome Airport and got a two month plan with 10 gig of tata and 165 min of calls for $42 dolllars US. The clerk put the new SIM card in, and activated the phone in less than 10 minutes.
Up and running with time to spare for my next flight. For more info Google using a SIM card in Europe or where ever you will be traveling to. Do some research on your present phone to find out it’s capabilities in other countries. The iPhone is a good choice and you can purchase a used unlocked iPhone 6 for about $275 from Amazon. AT&T wants you to use their $10 a day plan for roaming. Not worth it!!!!!
Bella Cefalù, Sicily.
Off to Italy
Today we leave for Sicily and Italy. A fifty one day journey that will take us to the Madonie Natural Park, the shores of Lake Garda, and the center of Rome.
Planning has been extensive, but we always depend upon serendipity. Planning is great, but the unexpected is what keeps us going.
Follow along as we travel through the next two months.
My idea of a shoppers heaven.
A view from north of Catania
Sorrento
A closed theater in Siracusa.
A calm stretch of road in Sicily.
Saving Money On Car Rentals
Car rental rates have soared in the last several years. Even using sites like Kayak and Priceline you tend to get some high rates. Some time ago I saw a reference in the New York Times to a site called Autoslash.com. I tried it earlier this summer and was able to get a very reasonable rate for the July 4th week in Hartford, Connecticut. previously my best rate for the week was about $400. I ended up paying $241 and got the car from Hertz. That was a substantial savings thanks to AutoSlash.
I have booked a 21 day rental in Sicily and did quite a bit of shopping. I searched Hertz, Auto Europe, and Avis. Each gave me rates that were in the $800 range. 
Hertz got down to about $760 and it was looking better. I got a quote from AutoSlash and found that they could get me a $747 rate for the same period and they would continue to search for updates to the rate. Hertz is the provider.
Now for the really good news! We leave on Tuesday and today I got an email saying they checked rates and it went from $765.51 to $305.89. This is a substantial savings. Note the original quote I got was $747 but Hertz raised it. When I brought this to the attention of AutoSlash they contacted Hertz and got the rate reduced.
Give AutoSlash a try and compare with other search engines. Hotwire, Hotels.com, Kayak have been helpful to me in the past, but not have reduced the rates after booking.
You do not pay up front! Also keep in mind many credit card companies will cover your CDW which can save you several hundred dollars on a rental.
I have no affiliation with any site mentioned above. 
Always good to have some tape. In Palermo a driver strayed into my land and hit the mirror. He then continued as if nothing had happened. Luckily I had some tape and we survived. I rented with Europcar and got it through InItaly.com. They covered the damage but still charged me $100. That is why credit card CDW is better. BUT read your credit card agreement throughly.
Gotcha
As I casualy drove from Borghese park where I dropped off my wife in Rome to return our rental car in Rome I was oblivious to what was happening around me. 
Seems that while I was enjoying the views, I was being watched. As the sights went by and my GPS took me to the airport traffic cams were doing their job. Enforcing the zona limitato and preparing to send me a multa salata, A slaty fine which I would have to pay on line. That was the first and last time I would not be aware of the resident only driving areas in many cities in Italy
As we return to Rome this year, public transport will be our preferred method of getting around. I must say it was fun driving by the colosseum with out a care in the world, but expensive.
Papal Audience Tickets
After searching and searching I found the following site which will allow you to get tickets to a Papal Audience. I hope you find this of use if you are going to be in Rome this year.
On most Wednesday you can attend the public audience in St Peters Square in front of St Peters Basilica. You can request the tickets by email and there is no charge. You will be directed to the web site to St Patrick’s American Community in Rome. All the information you will need can be found on this page.
Saint Patrick’s American Community in Rome
Once you are on the page, the ticket link is on the right side of the page. Allow two to three weeks for a response. You must pick up your tickets in Rome the day before the audience.
Here is a copy of the reply I received for my request:
The St. Patrick’s Catholic American Community of Rome is happy to assist you with 2 tickets for the Pope’s General Audience on Wednesday September 13, 2017 at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square – Vatican City. While the Pope begins his presentation at 10:00, the gates open at 8:00 and the seating fills up quickly. We strongly recommend arriving early. The audience usually lasts for one hour. Please check www.vatican.va under info/Prefecture for any change in the program.
Reserved Tickets can be picked up on Tuesday afternoon, September 12, 2017 between 4:30 and 6:30 PM ONLY in the Foyer/Sacristy of the Church of St. Patrick (San Patrizio a Villa Ludovisi), Via Boncompagni, N. 31 (near the corner of Via Boncompagni and Via Piemonte) near the US Embassy and the Via Veneto. The Church itself will open at 4:00 PM, and you are welcome to come inside. However, we do not begin the distribution of tickets until 4:30 PM. And if you would like to stay and join us, our weekday Mass in English at St. Patrick’s is at 6:00 PM.
If you are unable to pick up your tickets on Tuesday afternoon, on Wednesday morning between 7:30 and 8:30 AM you can go to the Bronze Doors – St. Peter’s Square – Vatican City – and ask the Swiss Guards for tickets to attend the General Audience.
Please Note: The tickets are Free of Charge, but we ask you to consider making a free will offering of 5 Euros or 5 U.S. Dollars per ticket so that we can continue to offer this service.
Saint Peters Basilica, Rome
Into the Heart of Sicily by Julien Zolli
Here is another video by Julien Zolli. He capture the sights, sounds and tastes of Sicily. From cities to tiny villages, Sicily never fails to charm a traveler. The beaches help one escape the heat that has plagued Europe this year. If you visit, renting a car is the best way to get around. The roads are good and the views are amazing.
The gentlemen of Ericie, Sicily.
Sicily Land of Myth from Julien Zolli
I found this wonderful video on Facebook and could not stop watching. it is short about five minutes but conveys the emotion my wife and I feel when we return to Sicily.
Julien Zolli is a French film maker who can be found on Vimeo and YouTube
Here is the link to this amazing video from a very talented individual. You can Google him to see more videos he has produced.
