When you walk among the vines at a vineyard like Benanti Viticoltori with our friends at Etna Wine School on the slopes of Mount Etna, you see for yourself what those volcanic soils I mentioned yesterday produce. In this case, outstanding grapes for wine-making. But not only! The Etna region is known for its pistachios,…
Category: Nature, Seasons
Mount Etna’s First Flora
When you walk on Etna’s craters you can imagine how rich the mineral-filled lavic soil will one day become. It takes 100 to 700 years for lava soil to support new vegetation growth. One of the first natural plants to return (and pictured here) is Sicilian astragalus. Others include camomile flowers, Etna rennet, and tansy…
Vendicari Nature Reserve’s Fields Of Gold
Vendicari Nature Reserve was founded in 1984 to encourage birds and plant species to thrive on its approximately 3300 acres. The sanctuary, which is on the coast of southeastern Sicily, has had a constant presence of around 241 different species of birds and hundreds of different species of plants that are found throughout its saltwater…
The Olive Harvest In Sicily Begins
The end of September is when the olives for eating begin to be harvested. Pictured is a classic ladder made of olive tree wood under an olive tree. (Olives for olive oil are harvested in late October into November, depending on the climate and the fruit, of course!)
The Most Sacred Panorama In The Center Of Sicily
Demeter’s view. Back in ancient times on this spot at the top of the mountain on which perches the city of Enna was a temple dedicated to the mother goddess Demeter. As a most significant deity to ancient Greeks and Romans (The Romans called her Ceres.), this protector of fertility, the harvest, and grains was…
The Vendemmia In Sicily
Currently throughout Sicily grape growers are measuring the sugar, acid, and tannin levels of their grapes in preparation for the annual vendemmia, or grape harvest. Up to now, wine-making has been about caring for the vines, pruning the growth, and ensuring that the fruit has received enough air, sunlight, and water for an abundant and…
Home Can Be Multiple Places
My heart is complete whenever I see this tower on my cousins’ property in Bagheria. It signals my other home–filled with the life and vibrance of my Sicilian family who I miss dearly. Spero a presto. #seeyousoonsicily
Mountains And Sea In Western Sicily
Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve in Western Sicily takes my breath away with its majestic mountains and turquoise sea.
Recipes For Fresh Garden Tomatoes And Parsley
Your beautious garden tomatoes and fresh farmer’s market parsley can be put to excellent use when you employ these Sicilian Cart Driver’s pasta recipes pictured. I will be hosting a complimentary Experience Sicily cooking meet-up on Monday evening (ET) via Zoom so you’ll learn my tricks to making these dishes de-lish! I’ll also discuss Sicilian…
On Sicily | Demeter And Persephone With Rosa Rizza
One can’t talk about Sicily without considering the ancient myth of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone (aka Kore). An agricultural society from the time of the ancient Greeks, the 4000-year-old story of mother and daughter and the circle of life and death helped the leadership of the Sicilian colony establish a new civilization and create…