Tag: sicily travel
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Ragusa, Sicily Has So Much To Behold
Ragusa is comprised of two towns, the ancient hilltop town of Ragusa Ibla, and the modern city that faces it on a plateau west of the old city. Ibla, named for the Iblean Mountains where is stands, has been occupied for millennia. We don’t know too much about ancient life in Ibla because in 1693…
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Southeastern Sicily is Africa
The southeastern provinces of Sicily, Siracusa and Ragusa, sit on a limestone shelf that is part of the African tectonic plate. So, when you are in Noto, Modica, and Ragusa Ibla, you are in Africa! The limestone plateau is millions of years old, and through it over millenia have cut many rivers such as the…
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Answers To Your Sicily Travel Questions
This is the magnificent duomo of Cefalù built by my favorite Norman king, Roger II, in the 12th century. This evening, Dec. 1, I’ll be in Princeton, NJ at Dorothea’s house talking about amazing sites like this and Sicily travel. And Monday night too, Dec. 2, I will be live online on Zoom, when I’ll…
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Walk In Sicily In February: Join Us for Wandering Sicily
February 15 to 22 (President’s Week) I am co-hosting with naturalistic guide and Ragusa native Nanni Di Falco Wandering Sicily, a walking and cultural immersion experience in southeastern Sicily. We’ll be based in Ragusa Ibla for the week, and each day walk in the countryside. Temperatures are in the 50s and 60s, and green grasses…
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Saint Martin’s Day Biscuits in Sicily
November 11 is Saint Martin’s Day. In Sicily, it marks two important moments of the agricultural year. It is the day when wheat farmers must have finished planting the seeds for next year’s grain, and it is when, traditionally, wine makers taste their fermenting new wines (the juice/must that was created from August/September/October’s grape harvest)…
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Sicilian Cookies For The Dead
All Saint’s and All Soul’s Day (1 November) followed by the Day of the Dead (2 November) are upon us. In Sicily, we are seeing the pastries and cookies consumed to commemorate these feast days that fall during the season when the veil between life and death is thin. These S cookies are just one…
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Porticello and the Madonna del Lume
The Feast of the Madonna del Lume, the Madonna of the Light, in Porticello is a special one for me not only because the people’s devotion to her is so strong – – something beautiful to witness, but also because Porticello is where my grandfather, who came from a fishing and merchant family, was born. …
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Day 16 of 16 Days of Sicily | Stories of Unknown Superheroes that Must Be Told
On my last tour, one of my guests who has 100% Sicilian heritage asked me a question about the mafia. I responded, “I will talk about it – – a lot – – but when we are with the whole group. I’ll tell you some stories.” Discussing organized crime and corruption and how it has…
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Day 15 of 16 Days of Sicily | Salt Flats and Conveniences
Day 15 of 16 Days of Sicily | Salt Flats and Conveniences | There are so many things in modern life that we take for granted. Through visiting Sicily and learning about life here – – from ancient times to the present era – – we can find a new grounding. For example, a tour…