Category: Seasons
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My Study of Wheat in Sicily
I’ve been watching the wheat grow. I know, it’s like watching a pot boil. It takes many weeks for the durum wheat seeds that are planted before Saint Martin’s Day, November 11, to germinate and then transform into the grain that becomes the semolina flour that becomes our bread and pasta, but it’s been 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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February and March In Sicily
Sicily’s center during February, March, and April offers travelers outstanding scenery for walking and taking it all in. And then there are the villages that must be visited to truly understand Sicily’s soul. Temperatures range from 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the morning to 65 by midday. It’s perfect for hiking and enjoying the stupendous views…
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January 2, 2023 In Sicily
Today… Oh, today. I apologize to my friends in New York. Yes, this was the absolutely perfect day we had in Sicily today at my favorite place to swim (If you follow me, you’ve seen this view from Capo Zafferano looking at Palermo before.). In my opinion, the Tyrrhenian Sea this time of year is…
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Off-the-Beaten-Path Sicily July Tour
This village perched high on a hill the Iblean Mountains of southeastern Sicily is Licodia Eubea. It is the base of Secret Sicily: Life in a Remote Sicilian Town, our July off-the-beaten-path tour. With a population of just 3000, during your stay, you’ll become one of the gang, eating breakfast at Central Bar, staying in…
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White Spring Flowers In Sicily
In the United States, we call this perennial herb Summer Asphodel. In Sicily, where during these months of February and March it grows seemingly on every hillside making many hungry sheep happy, it is called Asfodelo Mediterraneo. The snow-white flowers with a thin red-brown ribbon down their centers were associated with Persephone and the Underworld…
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The Green, Green, Grass Of Sicily
No, not Ireland. No, not Scotland. No, not Wales. This is the green, green, grass of home… I mean Sicily… in the winter and spring. (Somewhere near Aragona, Sicily in late February)
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Almond Trees Dance On Sicily’s Hillsides In February
The hillsides of Sicily are currently laced with white, as almond trees are flowering throughout the southern provinces of the island. February is a stunning time to visit Sicily. (Racalmuto, Agrigento Province)
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February In Sicily Means Delicate Wildflowers
February wildflowers in southeastern Sicily (Ragusa)