Category: Observations about Culture
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Day 15 of 16 Days of Sicily | Salt Flats and Conveniences
Day 15 of 16 Days of Sicily | Salt Flats and Conveniences | There are so many things in modern life that we take for granted. Through visiting Sicily and learning about life here – – from ancient times to the present era – – we can find a new grounding. For example, a tour…
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Day 6 of 16 Days of Sicily | Inspire Your Sense of Spirit
Sicily for me is a sacred place–not only because my ancestors came from the island, but also because its natural beauty is awe-inspiring. The landscape and sea pulsate with the divine. No matter what your religious practice is (or not), I think that when one stands in the center of the island on the mountaintop…
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Day 5 of 16 Days of Sicily | New Friends
The main reason I started Experience Sicily is because of Sicilians. Yes, there are seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, delicious local foods, breathtaking landscapes, fabulous wines, and 3000 years of human history packed on this island the size of Massachusetts! However, do you know what you’ll remember? Claudio and Rosella playing music for you and weaving a…
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Remembering Father Pino Puglisi of Palermo
“I’ve been expecting you.” That’s what Father Pino Puglisi said to his assassins when they came to kill him in cold blood on his birthday September 15, 1993. When they confessed, his killers said he looked them in the eyes peacefully. They turned themselves in because they were haunted by his smile. “Who kills a…
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September 8 Marks A Rebirth
September 8 is considered the birthday of the Blessed Mother by the Catholic Church. As a result, throughout Sicily this week, there are festivals to celebrate the Madonna. It’s not clear why this date was officially chosen as such; however, let’s consider the cycle for cultivating grain — an essential crop for sustaining life in…
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Erice: Where Sky and Sea Meet
A visit to Erice (pronounced Air-Ree-Chey) starts at its approach, from a distance. To truly understand Erice’s energy, you must understand its position, as a location in the northwest corner of Sicily and more importantly, as a towering natural lighthouse when arriving from the southwest in a boat where the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas meet.
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Mimmo Weaves His Fishing Net In Sicily
This is Mimmo. He was kind enough to allow me to take his picture. Today, I’m starting our Photography in Sicily photo adventure with Don Toothaker and Hunt’s Photo, so I was inspired the other day to take a portrait of Mimmo when I peeked in his workshop, where he was making his fishing net.…
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A Fishing Boat In Porticello Inspires Me To Remember
Commercial fishing boat in Porticello (Palermo Province), the village where my grandfather was born and lived before emigrating to the United States in April 1913 My grandfather was 17 years old when he emigrated. First, like many from Porticello, he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he worked as a marble mason. Eventually, he settled in…
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Heritage Visit To Valguarnera Caropepe
One of my favorite things is to connect my clients to their heritage. Even better is when we can unite someone with a distant relative. Yesterday, thanks to our local insider in Valguarnera Caropepe, Paolo, Maryann met Franca, her third cousin for the first time! They share the same third greatgrandparents. Tears all around! Just…