Experience Sicily

Category: Observations about Culture

  • An Altar For Santa Rosalia

    Normally on September 4, devotees of Santa Rosalia, Palermo’s patroness, recognize their protectress with a solemn pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the top of Mount Pellegrino. They pay homage to the maiden who died on this day in 1166, with prayers, solitude, and a trek up the mountain barefoot or on their knees. This year…

  • Persephone, The Goddess Of The Underworld, And Sicily

    Persephone is the daughter of the great goddess Demeter and the Goddess of the Underworld. Here she is as interpreted during the 2019 Arches of Easter in San Biagio Platani (Agrigento). (Yes, this art is made with beans and other natural elements!) During these last weeks of summer, she is preparing for her annual return…

  • Borgo Parrini, A Slice Of Barcelona In Sicily

    This summer Sicilians have been discovering Sicily in their effort to stay safe and close to home. With that in mind, many are enjoying the eclectic creativity of Borgo Parrini, a tiny neighborhood of the town of Partinico, which you’ll find a few miles west of Palermo. Originally developed in the 16th century by the…

  • Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture in America

    I’m thrilled to have contributed a chapter to this book that has just been released! Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture in America, edited by Mark Hehl and published by Legas. “Cannoli: The Gateway to Discovering My Sicilian Heritage,” discusses how my father’s sweet tooth opened a sublime world to me. “Because like the cow’s-milk ricotta-based cannoli sold…

  • Symbols Are Everywhere In Sicily

    Pomegranates and grapes are carved into the detail work of the Duomo of Cefalù. Both are coming into season now. Both represent fertility and abundance.

  • Working Man’s Sicilian Summer Recipes

    Thank you so much to everyone who joined me for the Cart Driver’s Pasta online event! It’s so wonderful to share Sicilian culture with you all who appreciate it so much. Your messages and photos make my heart sing! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipes. I look forward to when we can see…

  • 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…

  • One Of Eastern Sicily’s Hidden Corners

    Discover eastern Sicily’s renowned treasures and its hidden corners (like this one in the town of Buscemi) with me on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7PM ET during an online presentation and Q&A. Let’s dream of your next trip and how we can make it extraordinary with insider tips and expert insights. The highlight of the…

  • The Faces Of Power In Ragusa

    The faces decorating Ragusa’s Palazzo Bertini send a message. The palace, built in the late 18th century in the style of the Late Sicilian Baroque, sits on Corso Italia leading to the old, aristocratic Ragusa Ibla from the new, up-and-coming city of Ragusa–in other words, the avenue between old money and new. The three faces…