Sciacca Roots Tour
More than a private guide
We found Michele Gallo through some online research, hoping for a private tour of Sciacca and transportation to/from Palermo. What we received was beyond our expectations. Michele’s transportation arrangements went smoothly, with our driver awaiting us at Palermo airport and taking us safely to our destination in Sciacca just in time before our B& B closed for the afternoon. Our return trip also went well, with no bumps in the process. But the best time we had in Sciacca was with Michele Gallo, himself, as our private guide, taking us to the birth homes of our grandparents. This was no easy task and one we would never have been able to do without his help. His quiet, professional and persistent manner allowed us to have access to birth records at the Town Hall, where we found the original entries of our grandparents dates of birth as well as addresses of their birthplace. Walking up and down the hilly town, Michele was able to locate the streets where they lived, engaging the friendly local people along the way to ascertain the families who had lived there. There are no words to describe the feeling we had as we walked through those tiny, steep, serpentine streets, walking back in time to the place of our ancestors. None of this would have been possible without Michele, who seemed to know just what this trip meant to us. He is also a wealth of information regarding the history of Sciacca & Sicily,providing a colorful backdrop for our experience. My only disappointment is that we did not have more time with him. Next time. A better guide you could not ask for. Thank you, Michele
Family Roots in Sciacca
My wife and I visited Sicily in May and hired Michele for two half day tours – one in Agrigento and one in Sciacca. In both instances Michele provided great context, local flavor, and historical perspective, The first was a visit to Valle dei Templi – one of the best preserved Greek archeological sites in the world! Michele’s knowledge of the site made his presence invaluable! The second tour was of Sciacca, the ancestral home of my great grandfather. Not only did Michele show us around this beautiful seaport town, he accompanied us to the Municipio where we spent time digging through old records to uncover more information about my family roots. It was truly a great experience which would not have been the same without Michele’s expertise. We would highly recommend Michele on your next tour of Sicily! settings.