Category: Seasons
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Silver Girl
In the days leading up to the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13, many Sicilians refrain from eating pasta and only eat un-ground wheat grain, or “farro,” that is prepared as a dish called cuccìa. Devotees observe this ritual to remember the severe famine that struck Siracusa and Palermo in 1646. During that time of…
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Save the Date for Santa Lucia: December 13 in NYC
As our daylight time gets shorter here in the northern hemisphere, we think about the importance of light, and in Sicily, that equates to the patron saint of light, eyes, sight, and wheat, Santa Lucia or Saint Lucy. December 13 is her feast day, and before the Gregorian calendar was installed, under the Roman calendar,…
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What’s in Season
You’ll know what fruits and vegetables are in season in Sicily once you see what the guy on the corner is selling from his truck. (This one: In early July, peaches from the mountains)
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Salt of the Earth
Salt, right from the source, at Nubia’s salt flat in Trapani.
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The Day of The Dead or All Souls Day in Sicily
Il Giorno dei Morti, or in Sicilian, Un juornu re muorti–The Day of the Dead or All Souls Day–has traditionally been a celebration of relatives passed. Although traditions are changing as a result of the modern world, in the past on November 2, Sicilians spent the holiday recognizing their dead loved ones by visiting the…
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Hand Picked
Olives are ready to be harvested in October and November. In early October, farmers pick them for eating. Now, at the end of October and into November, they pick them to make olive oil. These beautiful Nocellara del Belice variety of olives from Castelvetrano are picked by hand in order to best preserve the integrity…
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It’s Time to Make the Oil
It’s olive oil making time! This gorgeous extra virgin olive oil pictured is from the Nocellara del Belice variety of olives, grown in Castelvetrano, Sicily. What you see here is oil being pressed for Olio Centonze, which is sold in the United States by Gelsomino Imports, LLC. This photo was taken earlier this week by…
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Prickly Jewels
In the early fall, Sicilians enjoy the tuna, or fruit, of the cultivated “ficudinnia” in Sicilian, or “fico d’india” in Italian. We call them prickly pears. “Prickly” is a good description because their spines, both tiny and large, can penetrate your skin easily. Before eating them, you must remove the spines and then peal the…
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Autumn in Palermo
This statue that is at the center of Palermo’s intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda — know as Quattro Canti, or Four Corners — represents autumn or autunno. Quattro Canti is octagonal in shape, and it is flanked by four 18th century Baroque facades, each with a fountain and a series of statues.…