So I went to this mall during a round Robin of checking out shopping malls. It does have a wide…read morevariety of stores, but not the stores that I would care to browse. Their Conad is a lot smaller than the Porte mall, but there are several other amenities near by(movie theater and other big box stores) Not my favorite but a great mall and shopping area.

I know back home the malls are packed but here they are not (at least on this particular day...a…read morefew days before Christmas). You won't find a long line of kids waiting to see Santa either. If you walk into any church they will have an elaborate display of the Nativity so that says something about what Christmas time is all about when you're in Sicily. Beautiful big mall, lots of security, clean, with underground parking, and a few stores to make you happy. Weekends is popular and after 5 p.m. it gets crowded. This new mall has changed shopping habits for many. Enclosed warm and all day shopping with no downtime for lunch? Wow! It's a popular concept since there are literally at least two other malls within just a few miles of each other. You'll see shopping carts roaming the mall too. Sephora, H&M, Zara, Guess, Bookstore, Pull & Bear, Disney, Foot Locker, Apple Store (the only Apple store in Sicily) just to name a few. On the weekends they have a craft and spice market worth checking out-they're set up near the Disney store. Like the malls back home a food court is found here the only difference is they serve beer and wine here too! Plenty of gelato places too. Outside of the mall they have a huge toy store and a McDonalds. The food court has sushi, pizza and a "Western" food place-as in BBQ, hamburgers and Onion Rings! Go to the coffee shop the hot chocolate is like a warm thick chocolate pudding! It was nice walking around a mall without all the crazy crowds. Every fashion boutique had the most amazing clothes-I wish I could buy them all. One thing we noticed...every mommy was dressed and looked like Miss Italy-gorgeous beautiful well dressed people all with leather knee high boots and a fabulous Italian handbag to match. Enjoying my shopping days!

Samsung smart phone found here but the cheaper version will leave you longing for your iphone…read more Nonetheless you have a Euro phone to use (but the Yelp alp is iffy on this phone). Nice that you just buy minutes every month and pay as you go. No outrageous bills like you get back home! You just stop in to recharge and off you go! Located next to the Commissary.

Upon arriving in Italy, the first thing that you will definitely need is a cell phone. The only…read morereal place that you can get one is at this Vodafone phone store at the NEX. It's pretty easy to do. There is no monthly contract, and you just pay as you go. When I used the service, 25 euro used to last me almost a full month. I got my first iPhone through this store, as well as my first Windows phone. They have a good assortment from plain phones with only call capabilities to smart phones, and even some tablets. I have two issues, however. The first is when some random number called my phone from Israel and used all my Euro in one shot. Of course, it happened on an Italian holiday when the store was closed. It took a lot of back and forth fighting from the Voda employees with the main branch of the company, but after a few weeks, my Euro was refunded in full. Unfortunately, it was never really figured out how a call TO me exasperated all my funds. The second is if you are heading here to put Euro on your phone, it's usually good to bring a book or something to do while you wait in line. I've waited in line for 45 min to an hour at some points. I wish they would input some kind of automated system inside the store so these wait times could be cut down.

Love this bookstore. Found a few items here including my favorite DVD, EAT, PRAY, LOVE in…read moreItaliano. Kids section, some local travel books in English and CD's here too. English spoken and very helpful staff. Located inside Centro Sicilia Mall.

I have been living in Sicily for the past few years and have enjoyed visiting this outlet mall a…read morehandful of times. It's hard not to get here, just takes a bit of time if you're coming from Catania (~45 minutes). The shopping center is very clean, they have decent cafes, and some high end stores to keep things interesting. If you're in Sicily for more than a week and need something to do, this plaza is worth seeing.

We were moving from the south to the north coast that day. A nice and easy drive through the heart…read moreof Sicily. Funnily enough, in the middle of almost nowhere there is this Outlet! It was summer and temperatures went way beyond 100°F. Not really any shade on the parking lot, so it doesn't matter where you leave your car...it will be boiling inside (be aware of that fact when it comes to leaving kids, pets ... or even freshly bought food in the car). The Outlet itself has a beautiful setting. It really IS a village itself with countless lovely built stores in all colors. There's also a good number of restaurants for every budget as well as bathrooms. Some stores offers really good discounts, some on the other hand....not. So you really depend on two things: Luck and time. You either bring enough time to check out the offers or you just hope the best and get lucky. We thought the "Guess" and the "MK" store really did have good offers the time we visited. Be sure to listen to the announcements over the speaker. On very short notice (minutes before) they will announce several times a day which store is up for an extra discount for the next 20-30 minutes. And then...run! Luckily we were just standing in front of the MK store when it got announced (20% extra off on handbags). People really will come running....and fight for the items. We got lucky.... So, it's a really cool place to grab some good stuff. Bring enough time (and money) to enjoy it fully. There are also several companies selling daytrips from many major towns in Sicily. Another good thing: Dogs are welcome here (just not IN the stores) and there's enough shade for your furry friend.