Slashed September prices

Virtu Ferries have done it again and slashed fares this September so you can enjoy the end of summer with a bang.

It has been a hot dry summer and the open spaces of Sicily beckon. True, temperatures are much the same as in Malta, but there is a subtle difference – in Sicily temperatures drop as the sun goes down, and not just in the mountains but all over the place. There just isn’t that mass of buildings to radiate heat all night.

September is the time to take advantage of the drop in prices. Not just Virtu’s fares, but prices in general all over Sicily. With the best part of ferragosto over by August 15, prices plummet in September. In the good old days of the Emperor Augustus the feriae Augusti (Holidays of Augustus) lasted for the whole of the month of August. Not so in this day and age – by end August the northern Italians who would have flocked to Sicily for their ferragosto are back home and prices are not what they were.

This is where you step in and take good advantage of the situation – what’s more, you will be very welcome. Children still have some time before they get back to school and a motoring family holiday is just what is needed. No need to plan ahead, as you will have no problem finding the sort of accommodation at the price you have in mind.

The beaches are also waiting for you – gone are the crowds and the cool mountain air is just minutes away. It is the ideal time for a memorable few days combining lazy mornings on the beach with a nice inexpensive light lunch and an evening country walk to enjoy the mountain scenery and fresh air. Winter is not yet in the air, but the shady town piazza is ideal for a lingering dinner washed down with vino di casa – it will cost you a great deal more this end of the Malta Channel.

With a little thought, in five carefree days you will enjoy beaches, mountains, lakes, some end-of-season bargain shopping in air-conditioned shopping malls, a visit or two to a Greek or Roman archaeological site to get the children’s mind back on track, and eating out without hurting your pocket.

That is what September in Sicily is all about and you’re only 90 minutes away on the Virtu catamaran.