You may know “Pasta alla Norma,” which is a pasta dish with eggplant, salted ricotta, and tomato sauce from the Sicilian province of Catania. What you may not know, is that it’s named for the opera “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) who was born in Catania. Bellini left Sicily at 18 to study at the conservatory in Naples and lived abroad for the rest of his virtuosic life. “Norma,” with its Greek-tragedy type of story line, premiered at Milan’s La Scala opera house in 1831.
Allison Scola is founder, owner, and curator of Experience Sicily and the Cannoli Crawl. Named one of the experts for the 2019 New York Times Travel Show, Scola writes and lectures on Sicily and leads immersive tours and designs custom itineraries that delight discerning travelers. She has been featured on Rudy Maxa’s World with the Carey’s, America’s #1 Travel Radio Show and as the cannoli expert in the documentary Cannoli, Traditions Around the Table. Scola has lectured about Sicily at University of Pennsylvania, The New School, LIU Post University, Queens College, Westchester Italian Cultural Center, at high schools in the New York City metropolitan area, and at events in New York City.
