On this map you can see where Hotel Villaggio Torre Normanna is located.
The school will start with a welcome drink (19h) followed by dinner (20h) on Sunday night (September 8). You should try to plan your travel such that you arrive in good time before the dinner.
The obvious way to arrive in Sicily is to fly to Palermo. There are direct connections to several cities in Europe. Palermo airport is at Punta Raisi and it is more than 50 km to Torre Normanna. The school does not provide transportation to and from the airport itself. There are three options to get to the hotel:
Plan A (30-40 min.)The hotel can arrange a shuttle directly from the airport to the hotel. The shuttle can take a maximum of eight persons. For 1 or 2 passagers the price is 90 euros, and for three or more persons the fare is 35 euros per person. Interested students should mail the hotel.
Plan B (1,5 - 2 hours)Take a bus to Palermo Central Station (ca. 45 min.), approximately every half hour from 5 a.m. until midnight. As of today the ticket costs is 6.30 EUR. The bus company is "Prestia e Comandè", and you can check time table and buy tickets online from their web site. It is also possible to buy the ticket inside the airport, in the new arrivals hall, or near the bus station, which is on the right of the airport exit/entrance, at about 100 meters. is outside arrivals area on the right side of the exit). From Palermo Central Station there is a train service that connects Palermo to "San Nicola (Tonnara)" (ca. 30 min.). Go to www.trenitalia.com, and choose departure from "Palermo Centrale" to "S. Nicola (Tonnara)" and your desired departure time. It is important to fill the arrival field ("To:") exactly with "S. Nicola (Tonnara)", which is the station that corresponds to San Nicola l'Arena. Check the timetables a few days before your arrival. The hotel has a shuttle service from the arrival station and since there is a limited number of trains per day we will ask them to send a shuttle for each train. You may call the hotel (+39 091 950800 ; in Italy you include the leading zero) for shuttle, which will then normally arrive within 10 minutes.
Plan C (30 - 40 min.)Take a taxi to Torre Normanna hotel. it would cost approx. 100-120 EUR (one way). When using a taxi it is essential to ensure that a fixed price is agreed with the driver in advance, and that this is the total price with no "extras" such as the driver's cost for his/her return journey!
The school ends with a farewell banquet Friday night September 20. Departure is at any time Saturday September 21, but rooms must be vacated and keys returned by midday unless arrangements have been made to stay an extra night.
Departure arrangements will be the reverse of the above. A shuttle van will take students from the hotel to San Nicola station on the morning of departure to meet the various trains into Palermo. A sign-up sheet will be used to allocate places in the van, and it may be that students will have to take an earlier train if too many need to use a particular departure. The window during which this service will be available will be determined once the train schedules are known.