The Black Pearl of Sicily

I wish I could say I took this photo from Pantelleria, the largest of Sicily’s off-shore islands, but alas, I have yet to go there! Thanks to my friend Alessandra B., who is vacationing this week on the wind-swept “Black Pearl of the Mediterranean,” for sending this image and more to me. Note the dammuso,…

Ustica: Sweet Dream

Ustica is a dream! And it’s an island 32 miles or 52 kilometers off of the Sicilian coast from Palermo. Experience Sicily’s Evelina Buttitta lived on Ustica for two years, teaching Latin and Italian literature ans grammar in its public school. The single town on the island, depending on the time of year, has about 1000…

History or PR?

The crumbling, probably 14th century, coastal warning tower at Isola delle Femmine reminds us of the legends of how this island got its name. There are three theories that I learned from the locals of the mainland town by the same name: in the 16th century, it was a women’s prison, in the 19th century,…