White Almond Sicily

Far from the developed resorts of the east coast, much of the western side of Sicily was remote until relatively recently and now presents unique opportunities for tourists.  The coastal areas and offshore islands are pristine and the mountainous interior, mostly rocky, has some of the harshest terrain on the island. Sadly the hilltop towns and villages of the interior have lost large percentages of their population due to mass emigration over the last century.  Over the past few years a number of these towns have been offering cheap "One Euro" properties to encourage people to move to the area with the hope that people will see the area as a good place to invest in or for a renovation project. Many of these towns have a dwindling or ageing population and hope to rebuild the community again.  This year western Sicily was propelled onto British TV screens with the BBC programme "Amanda & Alan's Italian Job". Celebrity best friends, TV presenter Amanda Holden

Strictly Come Dancing is a British dance contest and TV show on UK BBC1 in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of four judges. The format has been exported to sixty other countries. The Guinness World Records named Strictly Come Dancing to be the world's most successful reality shows in 2010. The show has a huge following and everyone has their own favourite dancer and judge.  Anton Du Beke is a British ballroom and Latin dancer and television presenter, best known for being a judge on Strictly Come Dancing since the show began in 2004. I had the pleasure of meeting Anton a few years ago whilst working at the Brides Magazine Wedding Show in London and he was absolutely charming.  Giovanni Pernice is a Sicilian professional dancer now based in the United Kingdom who is best known for appearances as a dance partner on the show. He was also an Italian Open Latin Dance Champion in 2012. Giov