This evening I made my Saint Joseph’s bread for the altar that I will construct for Thursday’s event that Experience Sicily is hosting with GoSicily Sicilian Cooking Experience and Babylon Mercantile & Cookshop. It’s going to be an outstanding day and evening! I’ve been making bread loaves for San Giuseppe for many years now. And…
Category: Feasts
Let’s Have A Chat For Carnevale In Sicily
Chiacchiere di Carnevale, pictured, are a crunchy, sweet, fried dough garnished with powdered sugar. Leading up to Martedì Grasso or Fat Tuesday, the height of Carnevale, one will find these all over Sicily. The label “chiacchiere” originates from Naples, where this fried mixture of flour, eggs, butter, and some kind of sweet wine reached high…
Love + Ricotta + Nutella = Buona San Valentino
A ricotta and Nutella cake for Valentine’s Day? Yes, please! TIP: In Sicily, you will find some of the most exquisite works of art at the pasticceria in the cake case. Happy Valentine’s Day! Buona Festa di San Valentino!
Presenting Him In Palermo: The Epiphany
Buona Epifania! Happy Epiphany! This magnificent depiction of the Nativity was commissioned by Palermo’s Oratorio of San Lorenzo in 1609. It illustrates the newborn baby Jesus with Saint Francis (top right) and Saint Lawrence (left) looking over the shoulder of the Virgin Mother. Painted by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)) in the chiaroscuro technique,…
Happy New Year! Cheers to Safe Travels In 2022!
Happy New Year! Buon Anno! Wishing you a healthful, joyful, and prosperous 2022 full of safe travel adventures!
Lasagne For New Year’s In Sicily
While sporting red underwear, enjoying lasagne for New Year’s is traditional in some parts of Sicily (NB there are many, many traditions according to your “church bell” zone, aka campanilismo.). Importantly, however, it isn’t the lasagne that you might think. This Sicilian-style lasagne is more like a broad tagliatelle cut how you like it… And…
The Nativity Scenes Of Caltagirone, Sicily
Today, Saint Stephen’s Day, is a national holiday in Italy. Traditionally, Sicilians and Italians spend the day with family and friends visiting presepi di Natale, or nativity scenes, like this one pictured from Caltagirone, a city renowned for its ceramic presepi. In fact, the city is home to a museum of nativity scenes that boasts…
Wishes For A Joyful Christmas
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and healthful Christmas! Auguri per un Natale pieno di gioia e buon salute! ~ Experience Sicily
Lucia Lights The Way
Join me online on Monday evening (Eastern) to celebrate the Feast of Santa Lucia. I’ll discuss the legends, traditions, and history of Saint Lucy, the patroness of light, eyes, and wheat. I will also sing the beloved song Santa Lucia live. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-santa-lucia-online-with-experience-sicily-tickets-219247393857.
The Immaculate Conception In Sicily, December 8
Festa dell’Immacolata or the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated throughout Italy on December 8. The day recognizes that the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin – something with which, in Catholic dogma, every person is considered to have been born. In Sicily, on December 7th and 8th, there…