Commercial fishing boat in Porticello (Palermo Province), the village where my grandfather was born and lived before emigrating to the United States in April 1913 My grandfather was 17 years old when he emigrated. First, like many from Porticello, he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he worked as a marble mason. Eventually, he settled in…
Tag: sicilian heritage
Heritage Visit To Valguarnera Caropepe
One of my favorite things is to connect my clients to their heritage. Even better is when we can unite someone with a distant relative. Yesterday, thanks to our local insider in Valguarnera Caropepe, Paolo, Maryann met Franca, her third cousin for the first time! They share the same third greatgrandparents. Tears all around! Just…
Your Sicilian DNA Will Bubble Up
Lo Schiavo Genealogica, a company that researches Italian heritage and genealogy and helps Americans be recognized as Italian citizens, interviewed me last week on their program “For the Love of Italy.” It was a lot of fun to discuss Experience Sicily, why I love hosting people for tours in Sicily, and how amazing it feels…
Released: Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture In America
It’s here! Ameri-Sicula: Sicilian Culture in America, edited by Mark Hehl and published by Legas. See my chapter on page 100. “Cannoli: The Gateway to Discovering My Sicilian Heritage,” discusses how my father’s sweet tooth opened a sublime world to me. To order your copy, you may use the form below, which best supports this…
Find Your Roots In Sicily
Helping Americans with Sicilian heritage connect to Sicily while researching their roots is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do at Experience Sicily. It is not simply finding names of relatives in the town hall and obtaining official birth certificates. This of course is important; however, I also want you to feel…
Marge, The Mayor, and Her Cousin
Today, I cried when I received a text with the attached photo from our Experience Sicily clients traveling in Sicily. With help from our guides and friends of Val di Kam and Pattitour Viaggi, Marge (second from the left, who turned 84 years old last week), her daughters, and her son-in-law not only found information…
Sicily Surprise
This was the package for my recent U.S. supermarket purchase of grapes from California. Sicily calls to me wherever I am!
Temple of Hera, Goddess of Marriage
The Temple of Hera (which in the Roman era was known as the Temple of Juno) is a 5th century BC temple dedicated to the Greek goddess of marriage, childbirth, and families. One of the many magnificent ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Valley of the Temples, the Temple of Hera possesses an altar…