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…
Tag: small group tours
Not The Cyclops, But Etna
These rock stacks are volcanic. The beginnings of Etna, they were pushed up from the sea floor. So, contrary to the story from Homer’s Odyssey, they were not rocks thrown after Odysseus and his men by the cyclops. I recently finished listening to the Emily Wilson translation of the Odyssey read by Claire Danes. It…
Making Your Sicily Dreams Come True
I love learning about Sicily’s 3000 years of human history, its various cuisines and folk art, its myths and saints, and of course, the warm hospitality of the locals. What I also love is discovering beautiful properties where we can host our clients or they can stay when they travel on their own. My colleague…
Sicily Sets the Stage
Today is an important day in Sicily, when all eyes are on the arcipelago during its election for the regional president. Analysts say that the results of Sicily’s elections today could be a measure of Italy’s political climate for its national elections slated for March 2018.
Sicily in Washington, DC This Weekend
I’m thrilled to be in Washington, DC this weekend at the National Italian American Foundation’s Expo Siciliana, part of the annual Gala Weekend. Come find Experience Sicily in Exhibit Hall A at the Marriott Wardman Park and say hello! Then, stick around to hear Villa Palagonia! Joe Ravo and I will be shaking the house…
Step Outside of Yourself
Happy Halloween! Pictured is one of the eye catching floats from the 2017 Carnevale in Acireale, Sicily. Although Halloween, as we Americans celebrate it, is gaining some popularity in Sicily, Carnevale (the days leading up to Lent) is the time when they dress in costumes and create mischief. No matter when you put on a…
Bust of Demeter from Selinunte
Terracotta bust of the goddess Demeter from the 4th century B.C.E., from the eastern hill acropolis of Selinunte, now housed in Palermo’s Museo Salinas
Catania’s Persephone Fountain
This fountain, Fontana Ratto di Proserpina (The Rape of Persephone Fountain), exists in Catania at the Piazza Giovanni XXIII. It was sculpted in 1904 for Sicily’s second largest city by Giulio Moschetti (1847-1909). Moschetti is the same sculptor who created the Fountain of Diana in 1906 for Ortigia’s Piazza Archimede. With a nod to the…
Savor Every Moment Together
Cooking is often the activity that bridges generations, but I offer this: so does simply eating and… discovering new places together while traveling. Now how about combining the two!? With our multi-generational June 2018 Ancient Italy: A Cultural Journey Through Campania and Sicily tour, co-hosted by Feast on History, you will be able to create…
Small-group Tours in Southern Italy
Now is the time to plan your summer travel! Airfare to Europe costs the lowest I’ve seen in years, and the strong dollar against the Euro enables you to get a lot more for your money. You may be thinking, “But I’m feeling apprehensive about travelling outside the US right now.” I can understand that;…