Mushroom hunting is a real sport on Mount Etna that requires training, a government issued license… And usually one of these typical baskets made with river reeds! In season now, on October 28 in Zafferana Etnea for Ottobrata, mushrooms will be the star of the celebration.
What A Bear!
One of the outstanding mosaic scenes from the UNESCO site in Piazza Armerina, the Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman era/4th century plantation
Custom for the Customer
This is my new soap dispenser, made for me by ceramic artist Angelo Varsallona, who is based in Caltagirone. In May, I went hunting along the famous stairs of the baroque town seeking two different dispensers for our new apartment. When I couldn’t find what I was looking for, Angelo offered to make them for…
It’s The People
I love sharing Sicily with you. And the New York City walking and tasting tour I’ve created enables me to do that State side–as much as one can! Saturday’s Cannoli Crawl was a joyful experience of sights, sounds, tastes, and people, like our Experience Sicily client (for whom we designed a tour last year), Susan,…
Totally Tubular on Etna
This is what it looks like inside of a lava cave on Mount Etna. That is, when we are with our expert guides! Lava caves, also known as lava tubes, are formed during a volcanic eruption, simply put, when the outer part of lava flow cools faster than its center. Etna has more than 200…
Gelato Con Brioche in Sicily
When eating a gelato con brioche (a light, sweet, butter-infused roll (brioche) cut in half and stuffed with gelato), the question always is: Who will win: you or the brioche? I think I did pretty well here in Aspra with my pistachio. (Photo Credit: Filippo Buttitta)
Hot Sausage Sounds Good
In Medieval times while in Caccamo, you definitely would have wanted to be on this side of the view from the castle, because if not, you may have been in line to have hot oil poured on you as a means of defence! However, this Sunday, you won’t mind being down on the streets below,…
Prickly On The Outside, Sweet On The Inside
This weekend, San Cono in Catania province, which is considered the capital of the prickly pear, will celebrate the bounty of the season at the 34th Annual Sagra del Fico d’India. Cooking demonstrations, workshops about how to cut and eat the tuna (the proper name of the fruit), tastings, and live music are the focus…
Euripides and Dionysus in Sicily
The ancient Greek god Dionysus is the central character in The Bacchae by Euripides, pictured here from when I saw the play in 2012 in the amphitheater at Siracusa, produced by the National Institute of Ancient Drama (INDA) as part of their annual Greek theater festival. Last week, I saw The Bacchae again at Brooklyn…
Porticello’s Madonna del Lume Feast
Currently, the village of Porticello, where my grandfather was born and raised, is celebrating the feast of its patroness, the Madonna del Lume (The Madonna of the Light). I’ve experienced the feast a couple of times, 2015, pictured here. Traditionally, on the Monday of the feast, the sacred painting of the Madonna is taken down…