The 9th edition of the International Wine Tourism Conference, Exhibition & Workshop (IWINETC) will be held in the Grand Hotel Villa Itría, Viagrande (Catania), Sicily on 28 & 29 March (Conference & Exhibition) and 29 March (Workshop). Getting to Catania and the IWINETC venue:
By Plane
Catania Airport (Aeroporto di Catania-Fontanarossa) is the nearest and most convenient airport to IWINETC. Considering Catania is a small airport there are around 56 airlines operating Catania including Air France, British Airways, KLM, Alitalia, Aeroflot, Lufthansa, Easy Jet and Ryan Air to name just a few. Delegates travelling to IWINETC from outside Europe will most likely have to aim for Rome and then connect with a flight to Catania. Another aiport option is Palermo Airport (Aeroporto di Palermo-Punta Raisi) but then you have a 3 hour car hire drive to IWINETC or alternatively a 3-4 train journey to Catania.
By Train
You might think that getting to Sicily by train is not possible but the Italians have figured it out and crossing the Straits of Messina is done by boarding the train on to a ferry. To plan your train journey check out the TrenItalia web site.
Once at Catania you will need to take a taxi to the Grand Hotel Villa Itría venue for IWINETC 2017
By Bus
There is a bus run by the Azienda Sicilian Transporti Spa from both Catania Airport and Catania City to Viagrande. The web site is in Italian only and the key words you need to look up times are Partenza (Departure) and Arrivo (yes you guessed it!)
By Taxi
Taxis are a 20 minutes journey from Catania Airport to the Grand Hotel Villa Itría and will cost around €40 – €50. A taxi from Catania Central Train Station will take 5 -10 mins longer and will be be around the same price as the Airport. Licensed taxis will charge you the amount displayed on the meter. Delegates will be able to connect with fellow travellers to organise sharing a taxi through the FB group page for conference delegates.
Car Hire
If you are intending to travel to IWINETC in your own or hired car then punch it the following GPS coordinates: Lat 37.60434675 Long 15.09765565 to get to:
Grand Hotel Villa Itría
Via A. Aniante, 3
95029 Viagrande (Catania)
Catania Airport has all the big car rentals and we have used AVIS, Budget and Hertz in the past without any hassles and so have no hesitation to recommend any or all of them. We have also used Locauto (Enterprise) and we strongly recommend you DO NOT rent from these scamming companies. Read why in the article titled: Avoid Locauto Like The Plague>>
Timetable Free Airport Transfer from Catania Airport on 27th March
Throughout the day on Monday 27th March there will be transfers from Catania Airport to the IWINETC venue, the Hotel Villa Itría. Shuttle details and timetable are as follows:
Catania Airport Meeting Point for all transfers: Sfizio (Made in Sicily) delicatessen and coffee (Coming out of arrivals turn right and you will quickly see the delicatessen on your left. Please ensure you are 15 mins early at the meeting point to ensure a prompt departure. In the unlikely event of not being able to find the meeting point or if you need to contact our Manager at the airport, Lucy then please call her on T. 0039 348 8892486
Shuttle 1 departs at 14.30
Shuttle 2 departs at 16.30
Shuttle 3 departs at 18.30
Shuttle 4 departs at 20.45 (Please advise caterina@winepleasures.com if intending to take this shuttle)
Approx journey time 40 mins
Meeting point for all transfers. (Please do not go off looking for the bus as you will not find it)