What do you think? Is there a likeness? I often help our Experience Sicily clients conduct heritage research in Sicily. When I’m with them (which I love!), or we connect them with locals to assist at the municipal offices of vital records (Anagrafe). Well, this week, I turned the tables on myself. I’ve been staying…
Tag: cousins
A New Reflection: My Sicilian Cousins
My first trip to Sicily in 1996, pictured, changed my life. When I met my cousins Evelina (Big), Francesca, Evelina (Jr.), and Filippo (not pictured), who were in my age group, my perspective of the world changed. Evelina (on my right) is six months younger than me. We didn’t meet until we were in our…
The Squad (As My Father Likes To Say)
In 1950, my father Peter (Pietro), uncle Stefano, and grandmother Lorenzina traveled to Sicily from Brooklyn for a 3-month visit. The five cousins standing on this hill overlooking Porticello and Bagheria–Pietro, Stefano, Franco, Pietro, and Mimmo–bonded that summer. I’m fortunate to have met them all. What a gang! Have you met your relatives in the…
Buon Compleanno! Happy Birthday is Right!
After driving over the north side of Etna, through the Nebrodi mountains, and along Sicily’s north coast with a gelato stop in Cefalù (of course!), my beautiful, loving, and always amazing cousins and I celebrated my birthday with a pizza party and live music! The beloved trio of Alfanso, Ettore, and Salvatore even got them…
Citrus Next to Me
This is the first time I’ve been in Sicily in February, and I must say, it is a treat because it’s citrus season! The weather has been spring-like (which isn’t normal for January my cousin, Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta, told me today). Sicily is a semi-tropical climate, and here in Palermo, the northern part of…
Before and For Dinner: Sicilian Hospitality
I arrived in Palermo this afternoon just in time for the sun to go down… a bummer when for me it was like 11:00 a.m.; however, the evening was saved by my cousin Massimo’s hospitality (Check out his apartment on Air B&B, “da Max” in Palermo, that’s where I’m staying! A beautiful apartment.) and my…
Sicily’s Beautiful Souls
As I think about designing trips to Sicily for clients and guests of Experience Sicily tours, I constantly remind myself that what makes Sicily so special for me is the people. It’s that joy of interaction that I aim to give to my clients. Amidst all of the breathtaking sites, delectable food, and profound culture…