Experience Sicily

Category: Observations about Culture

  • Learn To Make Caponata Online October 25

    Caponata is to Sicilians what salsa is to Mexicans. Eggplant, one of the traditional base ingredients of caponata is to Sicilians what potatoes are to Irish. This consumate Sicilian dish is a foundation of Sicilian cuisine. It is present on almost every table, and its sweet and sour taste reflects Sicily’s complex society and culture.…

  • People Watching In Taormina

    Perhaps Taormina’s best piazza for people watching is Piazza IX Aprile. The Church of San Giuseppe (from where this photo was taken) with its double stairway has held court here since the 17th century, while the historic Wunderbar Caffè (at my right from where I am standing) has played host to the likes of Truman…

  • Seeking Guidance In Siracusa

    Observing the beauty and wisdom of the Madonna at an altar in Siracusa (Photo Credit: Chiara Musumeci Fotografia)

  • The White House Of Sant’Elia

    The Casetta Bianca (White House) is an iconic homestead in the fishing village of Sant’Elia. Today it is a holiday rental.

  • Geeking Out Over Cannoli On The Ovunque Siamo Podcast

    Thank you to Mike Fiorito and Ovunque Siamo for hosting me on the Meatball and Spaghetti Artist Podcast. We spend just over 30 minutes waxing poetic about cannoli–I really geek-out on this one, so be prepared! Look for it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/episode/4oUqU8Wj62lMiL54gKU35d?fbclid=IwAR1NkH4-sS_-LZzN3iTnm14dCFhhFkbo5Ueo0e3mpl1EX6yILWnjPmf_KLE

  • Morning Light In Porticello, Sicily

    Last night I had a dream that I was staying here in Porticello, my grandfather’s fishing village. Last year when I was staying here in an apartment, I delighted in waking up early and walking through the port to see the light on Monte Catalfano and Capo Zafferano and the fisherman and boat repairmen doing…

  • 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…

  • From Cybele To The Black Madonna Of Tindari

    These later days of summer during the harvest time are when Sicilians celebrate the Madonna, or “our lady,” the mother, with great reverence — in other words, our planet, Mother Earth. The dark, fertile earth provides for us and gives us sustenance, and since ancient times, throughout the Mediterranean, the spirit of the giving goddess…

  • Released: Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture In America

    It’s here! Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture in America, edited by Mark Hehl and published by Legas. See my chapter on page 100. “Cannoli: The Gateway to Discovering My Sicilian Heritage,” discusses how my father’s sweet tooth opened a sublime world to me. To order your copy, you may use the form below, which best supports this…