Now until March 10 is the annual Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore (Almond Blossom Festival) in Agrigento. The festival is a 10-day extravaganza of events, the heart of which focus on folk music from around the world. I’ve yet to attend the festival that attracts everything from Mexican Mariachi bands to Japanese drummers. During this…
Tag: valley of the temples
Embracing The Longest Night
As we observe the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, I recall how beautiful the UNESCO site Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Sicily is at night, when the the monuments, like this, the Temple of Concordia, are lit. Even in ancient times (Concordia was erected between 440 and 430 B.C.E.), it was…
Otherworldly In Agrigento, Sicily
Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the foot of the remains of an ancient Greek temple from the 5th century B.C.E., like the Temple of Castor and Pollux, pictured left. After learning about the thriving civilization that built Agrigento in the centuries before the common era from your archaeologist-guide, you’ll then savor a picnic…
Here’s Looking At You, Kid!
Here’s looking at you, kid! Agrigento is host to a rare breed of goat called capra girgentana. Distinguished by their spiral, tall horns and long hair, this domesticated animal is valuable for its milk that possesses an equal amount of fat to protein. The name girgentana recalls the old Sicilian name of the city of…
The Real Thing Is Brownish Green
Yesterday, a friend asked me if the color of pistachio gelato made with real pistachios is not bright green (which indicates food coloring was used), but a more brownish green color. The answer is yes, it is brownish green! Here’s my second breakfast (Yes, Sicilians eat this for breakfast.) when I was at Valley of…
Dining Amongst the Gods
After our visit to the Valley of the Temples, we had lunch like the ancients, hosted by ArcheoCuisine. Our hostess Alessandra, an archeologist and food historian, and her team created a beautiful experience for us in the shadow of the Temple of Hercules that consisted of foods made with Sicilian ancient grains such as Tumminia…
Agrigento: Blooming With Music and Dance
This year’s Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore in Agrigento is ongoing (This photo, by my cousin Filippo Buttitta, was taken at the 2016 feast.). Folk dance and music groups from all over the world gather annually to share their cultural patrimony at the UNESCO site Valley of the Temples and throughout the city. Although I’ve…
Archeological Mysteries Brought to Life
In 1996, I backpacked throughout Europe by myself for two months, on a budget of just $50 a day. It was an exhilarating, remarkable journey: My Grand Tour. Being on a tight budget (so I could keep traveling until my last penny ran out!), I rarely had the luxury of a guide explaining to me…
Join Us For Ancient Italy
Next summer experience Sicily and Campania through a multigenerational tour exploring art, myth, and food, June 29-July 8, 2018. Feast on History and Experience Sicily have teamed up to offer this unique journey through southern Italy and Sicily! Highlights include tours of Paestum (pictured left), Pompeii, Valley of the Temples (pictured right), and the markets…
Google in Agrigento
Those fortunate enough to have an in with Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, or who were invited as VIPs to attend the annual Google Camp, were at “the place to be” last night: Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples. For the third year in a row, Bill Gates (in cooperation with Google Camp) rented the UNESCO…