Category: Nature
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Etna Awakened
Sicilians are buzzing because Mount Etna erupted last evening. No fear, Mamma Etna woke from a sleep, which locals much prefer over the other option: an earthquake. Authorities are monitoring the activity and are not concerned. (View of Etna from Taormina during a 2017 eruption)
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Let’s Return To The Sun Of Sicily
Persephone’s return to the upper world is eminent… Spring will come, and like the Goddess of the Underworld, when primavera arrives, we too will be more wise, coveting the sunlight, blue skies, fresh air, and pure green grasses (and here, carduna plants) of the new season. Let’s keep the faith… Please get vaccinated and continue…
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The Rolling Hills Of Palazzolo Acreide
The countryside of the southeastern Sicilian town of Palazzolo Acreide
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The Mysterious Cava d’Ispica In Sicily
The mysterious and beautiful Cava d’Ispica nature reserve and archaeological site is cradled in the Iblean Mountains of southeastern Sicily. Put on your hiking boots to walk among thousands of years of human history. An ancient river carved this gorge over millennia through a limestone shelf that is part of the African tectonic plate. (Yes,…
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Sicily’s Inspired Pistachio Pesto
Etna erupted last night! (NB This is an old photo.) Here she is from Bronte on the western slope with glorious pistachio trees in the foreground. Pistachios love the mineral and saline rich volcanic soil of Mamma Etna. It makes them taste so good! That’s why Sicilians invented pistachio pesto to go on pasta! Learn…
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Let’s Make Pistachio Pesto Together Online
Next Saturday, Learn to Make Pistachio Pesto, Cavatelli Pasta, and Sicilian Orange Salad online! Pistachio nuts (which are actually seeds) come from a tree that was brought to Italy from Syria during ancient Roman times. The trees, which have the peak production of their fruit at about 20 years of age, like dry climates with…
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That Goat With Spiral Horns In Sicily
Distinguished by their spiral, tall horns and long hair, this rare breed of goat, called capra girgentana, is valuable for its milk that possesses an equal amount of fat to protein. The name girgentana recalls the old Sicilian name of the city of Agrigento, Girgenti. During the mid-twentieth century, throughout southwestern Sicily, girgentana goats numbered…
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Little Suns Hang On Sicily’s Trees
This time of the year, oranges and lemons hang on the trees in Sicily like little suns. It’s still early in the citrus season, but with patience the results will be sweet.