Buon Ferragosto! Ferragosto is the most important holiday of the year for Italians after Christmas and Easter. Synonymous with thoughts of the sea and the mountains (i.e. Vacation), the name Ferragosto is the more common name for the Catholic Feast of the Assumption which occurs annually on August 15.
Category: Nature
Sicily’s Grand Canyon
When Vittorio, my Italian teacher, told me about Cave Grande, a nature preserve in southeastern Sicily with fresh water swimming holes only accessible by hiking, I immediately wanted to go. That was about four years ago. A couple of weeks ago, I was giddy when hiking with a friend, and a clearing revealed the spot…
I’ve Been To Sicily. But Not Only.
This is a map of where the photos on my phone have been taken and how many. Since getting this memory card in 2016, I’ve taken over 16,000 photos–most of them in Sicily. It’s amazing to see that in Palermo province, for example, I’ve taken 3306 photos; in Siracusa province 1408. The other day, my…
Remote Town, Day 8 | Amunì ad Etna
Live from Sicily! Day 8 of Life In A Remote Sicilian Town. Amunì! The Stars of Etna. We climbed, we road in jeeps, we walked, we gasped at the views. Fabrizio showed us the way! It’s like walking on the moon!
Live from Sicily! Remote Town, Days 5 & 6 | We are having such a great time!
Live from Sicily! Days 5 & 6 of Life In A Remote Sicilian Town. We made pasta with the local ladies and learned how to make a very special dessert, unique to Licodia Eubea… based on their local grape cultivation. Then, a special birthday celebration with music, which included Rose learning how to play the…
Live from Sicily! Remote Town, Day 2
Live from Sicily! Day 2 of Life In A Remote Sicilian Town. Time to explore Taormina (I went swimming at the foot of Isola Bella.) and then dinner together in the garden at one of my favorite spots in the countryside, Borgo Nocchiara. Talk about eating well! Oh, and then impromptu talking with the ladies…
Scaling the South Coast of Sicily
Live from Sicily! I have been to Scala dei Turchi, the white marl stone cliffs of Sicily’s south coast, many times. I have stayed above them and swam here, but always approached from the street above. Finally yesterday, realizing a dream, as part of a Campagnia dei Cammini walking excursion led by Nanni Di Falco…
Southern Secrets, Days 7 & 8: Gold and Sapphire in Sicily
Live from Sicily! Southern Secrets, Days 7 & 8 Experience Sicily and Feast on History: Gold and Sapphire in Sicily. Yesterday, along with the models from Dolce & Gabbana (during their photo shoot in anticipation of today’s big fashion show), we gazed at the golden Temple of Concord at Valley of the Temples. But they…
Southern Secrets, Day 2: Cooking On The Buffalo Farm
Live from Italy! Day 2 of our Southern Secrets tour with Danielle Oteri of Feast on History and Experience Sicily. At the end, photos of the inn where we are staying. Beautiful. And photos from our epic cooking class on a buffalo farm this morning. Photographed are “the ladies” that make the milk that makes…
Capo Zafferano Light House
Live from Sicily! On my walk this morning I ventured out to the Capo Zafferano lighthouse. I was so pleased to see that a restoration is underway! There are rumors that a restaurant may be in the works. Meanwhile, I present to you an image I had hanging in my New York City apartment for…