Find Your Roots In Sicily

Helping Americans with Sicilian heritage connect to Sicily while researching their roots is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do at Experience Sicily. It is not simply finding names of relatives in the town hall and obtaining official birth certificates. This of course is important; however, I also want you to feel the territory from where your family came: Why they left, what life was like then and what it is like today, and if possible, to introduce you to long lost relatives. Along with local insider Pierfilippo, I spent the past days with our clients, a brother and sister, who brought their children to Sicily to learn about their father’s hometown of Castronovo di Sicilia.

Not only did we obtain dad’s birth certificate, but we also met Norino, a distant cousin. And because of our insider knowledge of the area, the families were introduced to what life is like in a mountain village in the middle of Sicily, learned to cook traditional recipes from the region, and had a family-experience at a countryside caseificio that makes a cheese (Tuma Persa of Caseificio Passalacqua) unique to Castronovo. Needless to say, emotions were high during this extraordinary day!

We can help you and your family learn more about your Sicilian heritage and connect to Sicily in a profound way. We have the local contacts and the insider knowledge. Travel with Experience Sicily, and we’ll show you the way!

Allison Scola Avatar

About the author

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.

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