52 Reasons to Love Sicily #23. You can swim in Sicily comfortably from the end of May through October. There are many different approaches to accessing the water in Sicily: beaches (both sandy and rocky), off of sea walls (such as in Ortigia/Siracusa), off of natural rock formations (like near where my cousins live in…
Tag: travel
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Strolls Through Public Gardens
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #22. Strolls through public gardens offer a different kind of exploring. Villa Giulia, an oasis of greenery in Palermo that was commissioned in 1777, presents you with a geometric layout accentuated with neoclassical band shells and allegorical statues. In the midst of the park, is the Villa Giulia version of…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Castles and Their Stories
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #21. Castles and their stories pervade hilltop towns in Sicily. This castle pictured, Il Castello di Caccamo in Palermo Province, presents travelers an especially interesting glimpse into Europe’s medieval past. Scholars think the site has been home to some kind of fortress for millennia, meanwhile, this impenetrable iteration, the largest…
Cook Lunch With Us Sunday, May 2
Cook lunch with us online tomorrow! Register for Make Busiate Pasta with Giuseppe Sciurca and Biancomangiare with Nino Elia for Fresh Busiate Pasta, Zucchini, Mint, Almond sauce, Spring Fennel, Mint Salad, and Biancomangiare! Giuseppe Sciurca, who will be live from Sicily, along with Chef Antonino Elia, Valeria Signorino, and yours truly, Allison Scola, of Experience…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Outstanding Ancient Art
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #20. Outstanding Ancient Art. There are extraordinary pieces of ancient art throughout Sicily–even in the smallest of museums. One example is in the Museo Whitaker of Mozia off of Sicily’s west coast. The world-renowned “Youth of Motya” or “Motya Charioteer” is a mid-5th century BCE statue made of Parian marble. It was…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Curious Locals
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #19. Curious locals you’ll meet afar. Being driven by agricultural, when you go off the beaten path in Sicily, you are bound to meet all kinds of locals … from Modican cows to Girgentane goats – – beautiful animals that, like their owners, will be very curious to know more…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Sunsets Over the Windmills
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #18. Late evening summer sunsets with spectacular views. The salt flats of western Sicily with their iconic windmills offer a remarkable position for you to enjoy a glass of vino while watching the summer sunset. Breathe deeply… Trapani province awaits.
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Pasta
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #17. Pasta! Need I say more? Well, of course I will! Let’s start from the beginning, and by that, I mean 1154 CE when the court geographer under Norman King Roger II, Muhammad al-Idrisi, documented that a pasta factory existed in Trabia, a coastal town east of Palermo. He explained…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Fantastic Feasts and Festivals
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #16. Fantastic Feasts and Festivals Sicily’s community rituals will enchant you. Case in point: Yes, that is a big artichoke! Because annually on April 25, the town of Cerda (Palermo Province) celebrates the Sagra del Carciofo or Artichoke Festival, in honor of their main crop. Cerda’s party is one of…
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | Joyful Folk Art
52 Reasons to Love Sicily #15. Joyful Folk Art The craftsmanship and tradition of Sicilian carts radiate a rainbow of joy. And today especially, for the Feast of Saint George (April 23), colors and ritual meet, for San Giorgio is the protector of cart drivers and their horses. So, when you encounter a cart, like…