52 Reasons to Love Sicily #43. Historic Opulent Villas. Sicily was home to many princes, princesses, and barons prior to the Republic of Italy’s founding in 1946. Palaces (palazzi) of noble families constructed during different eras exist all over the island, and many are open to the public. My favorite, which is about a half-hour’s…
Tag: Bagheria
Bagheria’s Cove Of The Heart
In Sicily, you’ll come upon guerrilla art often, like this heart placed at Bagheria’s Tre Piscine (the three pools), now with the secondary name Cala del Cuore (Cove of the Heart). It’s one of my most favorite places in the world. Rugged and hard to get to if you’re not prepared for it, it’s a…
Treasures In Plain Sight in Bagheria
Meanwhile, while walking down the Corso Umberto I in Bagheria…. (Yes, this butcher shop is probably owned by a relation to Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore, who grew up in Bagheria. NB Bagheria has a lot of treasures hidden in plain sight!) Photo Credit: Filippo Buttitta
Recognizing Sicily
It’s hard to get something about Sicily past me without me recognizing it right away, so when watching CNN the past couple of days (for obvious reasons/I usually avoid TV news), when I saw the promotional spot for Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy show that premiers in February, I said, “Wait, that’s the Mother Church…
Little Suns Hang On Sicily’s Trees
This time of the year, oranges and lemons hang on the trees in Sicily like little suns. It’s still early in the citrus season, but with patience the results will be sweet.
Share With Me Your Sicily Travel Dreams
Share with me your Sicily dreams. Today is Small Business Saturday, and according to the emails I’ve received from other tourism companies, I’m supposed to be selling. I’m supposed to be offering deals on upcoming Experience Sicily tours and illustrating to you the benefits of why I should be your trip curator. But I don’t…
The Road Less Traveled In Sicily
Off the beaten path in Sicily (Bagheria)
Reflecting On The Unconscious In Sicily
Villa Palagonia or the “Villa of the Monsters,” built in the 18th century, was visited by German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1787. He described it as a place filled with “elements of madness,” because to him, its decor was a grotesque expression of the unconscious (And he’s right!). Certainly, in the late 18th…
Swimming And Snorkeling Off The Boat In Sicily
After you enjoyed a relaxed Sunday morning with a leisurely breakfast, if we were in Sicily, you would have seen this outstanding coastline at Capo Zafferano during a boat excursion with Skipper Vincenzo. You would have had the opportunity for swimming and snorkeling off the boat, where you would have swam in the turquoise Tyrrhenian…
A Favorite Swimming Spot In Sicily
A favorite swimming spot: Le Tre Piscine, Bagheria, Sicily. Strong swimmers only.