Ecco ci sono! And just like that, I’m in Italy for my next tour and adventure in Sicily! My ritual, once I get through customs and close to my transfer gate at my stop over airport is to have a cornetto and cappuccino. It helps me (somewhat) recover from the overnight flight from New York….
Cannoli In New York City
Highlights from yesterday’s New York City Cannoli Crawl walking, food, and history tour. We started at Caffè Reggio (Pasticceria Rocco is on vacation.) and were swept up in the excitement of the San Gennaro Feast. What a wonderful group of people! We ate outstanding cannoli and remarkable savory foods. We laughed, we enjoyed each other’s…
Another Of Sicily’s Heroes, Father Pino Puglise
Giuseppe “Pino” Puglisi was killed in Palermo on September 15, 1993, his 56th birthday. A courageous defender of the poor in the Sicilian capital’s inner city neighborhood of Brancaccio, Blessed Father Puglisi worked tirelessly to convince young people that there was a better life than organized crime. He was extremely outspoken about the Mafia and…
The Grapes Tell Us When
The grapes are getting ready for the harvest! Almost time to make the mosto for the wine.
We Are All Connected
We are all connected. As a New Yorker who was living and working in Manhattan on September 11, 2001, today, I remember. I don’t like to talk much about it. But what I do like to recall are the days and weeks afterwards, when people were so kind to each other. We understood that we…
Dance the Tarantella with me this Sunday in Tappan, NY
Whenever I have an opportunity to dance, I take it! This one was in May, during our Myths & Mysteries of Sicily: As Above/So Below tour when we were at Villa Palagonia in Bagheria, Sicily. You don’t have to be in Sicily or wait until May 2020 for our next tour to dance a tarantella…
Baroque Balcony In Ragusa
Balcony with musician at center, Ragusa
Celebrating The Madonna On September 8
September 8 is considered the birthday of the Blessed Mother by the Catholic Church. As a result, throughout Sicily this weekend, there are festivals to celebrate the Madonna. It’s not clear why this date was officially chosen as such; however, because this time of the agricultural year is traditionally a major harvest season, for centuries…
Cheese, Glorious Tuma Persa Cheese
Cheese, glorious tuma persa cheese! Even my Sicilian cousin Evelina didn’t know what tuma persa was when I mentioned it to her this summer. It’s *that* unique! Back in July, during our heritage experience day with a family from New Jersey who have roots in Castronovo di Sicilia, our guide Pierfilippo organized a wonderful visit…
Castronovo Di Sicilia: The Golden Heart Of Sicily
In the heart of Sicily, Castronovo di Sicilia is tucked between the Platani River, Mount Kassar, and the Mount Carcaci Nature Preserve. Although in Palermo Province, it feels very much part of the Sicanian region that is to its south, probably because of the activity along the ancient thoroughfare — the Platani River — that…