Quando il tempo comincia a scaldare la terra i primi frutti di primavera letteralmente saltano su dal nuovo fogliame. Fra i più pregati c’è l’asparago selvatico che cresce spontaneo e abbondante in tutta Italia. L’asparago è un membro della famiglia delle giglio ed è ricercato per i suoi teneri, succulenti e commestibili germogli. Gli asparagi…
Continue reading ➞ Asparagi di primavera
As the weather begins to warm the first fruits of spring literally ‘spring’ up from the new foliage. A favourite has to be wild asparagus which grows randomly and abundant throughout Italy. Asparagus is a member of the Lily family and is sought after for its tender, succulent, edible shoots. This plant has been cultivated…
Continue reading ➞ Springtime Asparagus
It’s already November in Sicily but this doesn’t mean things have slowed down on the island there are always many events and festivals going on in every province throughout the year. I thought I’d share some of the most colourful for visitors to experience this month. The events mentioned here are annual events, times and…
Continue reading ➞ Novembrando in Sicily
My son has recently begun the school year in Sicily, which is proving to be quite an experience for both of us. I like how school life in a small town is wonderfully protective and comforting for young boys and girls who are literally smothered by the community. While at the same time I am…
Continue reading ➞ Bones and fruit of the dead
Randazzo squats under Mount Etna, sprawling out along the massive volcano’s base in the fertile valley of Alcantara. Etna has a tyrannical hold over the landscape and is constantly hovering over this place born out of the volcano’s colossal menace. The broad lava streets of the city are filled with a rustic opulence, as if…
Continue reading ➞ Under the feet of Mongibello
Recently Sicily Inside and Out spoke to Carmelina Ricciardello, the founder of Sicilian Experience who offers personalized guided tours of the island, she gave us a wonderful list of things to see and do in Sicily. Carmelina is a charming lady, a lover of Sicily and a true Sicilian who is dedicated to promoting her…
Continue reading ➞ Visiting Sicily with Carmelina
Sicily’s rich history, culture and literature are filled with endless stories, and so one writer or interpreter visiting here will never come up with a definitive interpretation, each experience will remain unique. Sicily has many faces and reflections, depending on where and when you visit and who you meet, it is impossible ever to finish…
Continue reading ➞ Seeking Sicily an interview with John Keahey
November in Sicily People often avoid the island of the sun in the winter months, preferring to bathe themselves in the sunshine and sea during the warmer months. But delving into Sicily in autumn/winter is a more authentic and rich experience. The first of November begins with All souls day, a celebration dotted with colourful…
Continue reading ➞ Without winter there wouldn’t be a summer
Wherever you find yourself in Sicily, history haunts you and comes alive in a visceral sense. This slumbering knight in the Duomo at Noto, Syracuse tells us his story with effortlessness as if he is about to sit up on his crib and talk to us.
Carnival time in Italy is filled with endless fried desserts, parades, tricks and masquerade. The masks can be beautiful like the ones at Venice’s world famous Carnevale or terribly ugly like these. When you see one do not be afraid, they are harmless they only want to be offered a glass of wine or mime…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Impressions: Maschere
Sicily is filled with delicate pieces of art always where you least expect them. You will find intricate statues in dusty churches, decaying statuettes in the nooks of decrepit Palazzi. Fine art is always a surprise even if it is so terribly neglected by a country which is overburdened by an aesthetic abundance, sadly without…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Impressions: Art
Stopping at a 'belvedere' or lookout on the side of a Sicilian mountain road will give you a spectacular surprise and a sense of the expansive nature of Sicily. On a clear day you will feel like you are in the heavens looking out onto a new world. The closest belvedere to me looks out…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Impressions: Belvedere
Naso, is one of those feisty Sicilian towns, perched high up on a seemingly precarious peak, it looks down the valley at Sinagra and hauntingly peers down at the cars driving down the mountains towards the coast. Literally Naso is 'nose' in Italian and it would be more aptly named 'head,' but it is surely…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Impressions: Naso
Sicilians are at one with their landscape, their towns and houses peek out from behind the vegetation like large boulders which seem to have always been there.
I cannot reiterate enough the joys of exploring Sicily by car, it is easy to zig zag the island through mountains and valleys, weaving your way through endless small towns. Sicily by road means effortlessly experiencing the ins and outs of the islands landscape and stopping at a local roadside Trattoria or family run restaurant…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Impressions: By road
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