Viva Sant’Agata! The three day mid-winter Feast of Sant’Agata is upon us! Agata was a virgin martyr who died in 251 CE. Legend is that she was the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family from Catania. A faithful Christian, Agatha swore herself to Jesus. Important to know, during her lifetime, Christianity was illegal under Roman…
Tag: sicily travel
Yoga In Sicily Complete With Magical Sunsets
This sunset was the star a beautiful evening from Yoga in Sicily with Clio Mallin last June. Come with us in June 2023! 11 days of wonderful yoga practices integrated with the energy of Sicily’s outstanding natural and cultural beauty. Learn more at https://experiencesicily.com/yoga-in-sicily-2023/
Let’s Go to the New York Travel Show Jan. 28 and 29
Let’s go to the show! The Travel Show that is! Next weekend Jan. 28 and 29, Experience Sicily will be at the NYC Travel and Adventure Show at the Jacob Javits Center. Find us at Booth 356. AND at our Global Beats Stage performances and Raffle on Sat. at 10:30AM and Sun. at 11:30AM. Come…
Wheat, Wheat Everywhere! Sicily’s Economic Engine
Wheat. Hard durum wheat. To truly understand Sicily, one must understand that the act of cultivating grains on the island has probably been the main economic engine of the region for millenia. The Greeks started it, but the Romans made it their main business in Sicily. They had an empire to feed, after all. From…
January 1693 Leveled Everything
I can’t emphasis enough how significant the infamous earthquakes of 1693 were to eastern Sicily. First of all, it wasn’t just one day or one event. “The earthquake” was a series of tremors that started on January 9, 1693 with a hypothetical 6.2 magnitude (there was no Richter Scale at the time) followed by a…
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…
La Befana In Sicily
The visit of the friendly witch La Befana is celebrated on Epiphany Eve (January 5) throughout Italy and Sicily. La Befana is recognized because of her broomstick, shawl, and sack filled with sweets and gifts for children. Legend is that she originally set out to meet the Baby Jesus, but never found her way to…
January 2, 2023 In Sicily
Today… Oh, today. I apologize to my friends in New York. Yes, this was the absolutely perfect day we had in Sicily today at my favorite place to swim (If you follow me, you’ve seen this view from Capo Zafferano looking at Palermo before.). In my opinion, the Tyrrhenian Sea this time of year is…
Family Lunch in Caccamo, Sicily
I was blessed to spend today, New Year’s Day, with my family in Caccamo. This is the view from the agriturismo where we had lunch (NB a three and a half hour lunch!). We ate local sausages and cheeses cultivated and created from these hills. We also celebrated my cousin Tanina’s 80th birthday, and of…
Borgo Parrini Inspires
Yesterday, I took a side trip to Borgo Parrini, a tiny neighborhood of the town of Partinico, which you’ll find a few miles west of Palermo. Originally developed in the 16th century by the Jesuits (Parrini means priests.), the division of homes has been occupied over the centuries by various residents, mostly supporting agricultural activities…