Yesterday, I spent a heartwarming morning with Michelangelo Balistreri at the Museo dell’Acciuga di Aspra in Aspra (Palermo Province). It was a journey into my family history. Anyone with fisherman roots from Sicily’s north coast will appreciate a visit to this outstanding labor of love. Michelangelo and artist Francesco Maglio have created a beautiful tribute…
Tag: porticello
Terrace With A View in Sicily
I’m reminiscing about the view from our terrace the past couple of weeks. Alla prossima!
My Roots Research In Sicily
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…
Join Us For Fun In The Sun And In The Kitchen This September in Sicily
We’re doing research today for our boat excursion (with Escursioni Team Shark Lanzafame) for September’s Stirring Sicily food and wine tour! Here’s an account of the beautiful coastline of Capo Zafferano. Meanwhile, I have to say the snorkeling at Le Formiche, an undersea mountain range that is a coral reef of sorts, was magnificent! I…
Capo Zafferano From Sant’Elia
Evelina and Filippo at Sant’Elia with Capo Zafferano in the background
Sicily’s Patron, Saint Joseph
Viva San Giuseppe! Happy Saint Joseph’s Day! (Altar of Saint Joseph photographed in my grandfather’s home village, Porticello, Sicily.) REGISTER TODAY for our Experience Sicily luncheon Cacio e Vino on Sunday, March 24. Details at: https://experiencesicily.com/saint-josephs-day-in-new-york-city/
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…
The Sea At Zafferano
“The sea at Zafferano flashes cross my mind… I come from a braver kind… I feel so alive, I feel so sure, with the sun on my path and the wind at my back…” Capo Zafferano, pictured, and my grandparents’ immigration from this area, inspired my song and performance, “Jump,” released ten years ago this…
Porticello’s Madonna del Lume Feast
Currently, the village of Porticello, where my grandfather was born and raised, is celebrating the feast of its patroness, the Madonna del Lume (The Madonna of the Light). I’ve experienced the feast a couple of times, 2015, pictured here. Traditionally, on the Monday of the feast, the sacred painting of the Madonna is taken down…
Feels Good To Be Home
It feels good to be “home.” When I see Capo Zafferano, pictured, and swim in the sea below, I am in my land. These are the waters where my grandfather fished and swam more than 100 years ago before emigrating to the United States. It’s an amazing feeling to think of him and my grandmother…