Tag: Photography

Sicilian Impressions: Landscape

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized

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.

Sicilian Impressions: By road

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized6 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: By road

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…

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Sicilian Impressions: Winter

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized2 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Winter

I used to think visiting Sicily in the winter is a sad and cold way of experiencing the island but I have changed my mind. I love the feeling of having the place to myself. The lava filled countryside near Etna is infernal in the summer and so the wintry months offer the perfect time…

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Sicilian Impressions: Etna

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized2 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Etna

Mount Etna is the most active volcano in Europe and is my current fascination. Sicilian writers have the burning heart of Mongibello deep within their hearts, so much so they barely acknowledge it in their words. For someone new to the island like this once Unwilling Expat, the mountain offers endless images over the ever…

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Sicilian Impressions: Castello Nelson

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized4 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Castello Nelson

One of the most fascinating historical sites I have discovered in Sicily is the Castello di Maniace (also known as the Castello Nelson) outside the small agricultural town of Maniace in the extensive plain between Bronte and Randazzo a city literally at the feet of Mount Etna. Admiral Horatio Nelson was given the estate of…

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Sicilian Impressions: Ficarra

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized2 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Ficarra

Sicilian villages are amazingly steadfast and stoic. I am constantly impressed by the way they have been constructed a top the mountains in the most unlikely places as if they have always been a part of the landscape. This is Ficarra in the province of Messina which casually lounges on the Nebrodi mountains looking out to…

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Sicilian Impressions: Wind turbines

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized6 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Wind turbines

Flamboyant Italian art critic, politician and intellectual Vittorio Sgarbi has criticized the use of wind turbines in some of the most picturesque mountains in southern Italy. Sgarbi says they have ruined the natural beauty and wasted millions of Euro without producing much energy, going as far as to suggest links with organized crime. I tend…

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Sicilian Impressions: Insects

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized8 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Insects

Sicily is close to Africa in a geographical and historical sense. The island’s cuisine is dappled by Arab influences, open air markets in most major cities are reminiscent of Moroccan bazaars and the scirocco wind often whips up dry air from the Sahara. Another African element of the island are the strange insects you discover,…

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Sicilian Impressions: Mountains

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized3 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Mountains

As a stranger to the mountains I have been challenged by Sicily’s predominate rocky landscape over the years. It is fascinating to observe the Sicilian peaks, their changing faces which recall stark Irish hills or Scottish highlands. In his now historical travelogue 'Sea and Sardinia,' D.H Lawrence complained of Sicily’s ‘peaky confinement’ preferring the wider…

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Sicilian Impressions: Cannoli

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized14 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Cannoli

Sicilian desserts are world famous but the most decadent has to be deep fried cannoli tubes which are filled with ricotta or fresh custard cream. They are a special treat and are often given as gifts for Christmas and Easter. The empty golden shells are tiny works of art ready to be filled with sweetness.

Sicilian Impressions: Paese

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily, Uncategorized4 Comments on Sicilian Impressions: Paese

My little Paese or Italian town is suffering through a dull time, thanks to the economic crisis. The piazza seems empty and for now there is not much movement. But when the sun comes out and the light of the people illuminates the gloom it is outstanding. Here's to shining through the darkness ...

Sicilian Postcards: Every window has a view

Categories About me, Arts, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Expat, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Opinion piece, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicily, Travel, Travel Italy, Travel Sicily2 Comments on Sicilian Postcards: Every window has a view

There is nothing to it, every window in Sicily has a view.  

Postcards from Sicily: Oregano

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Expat, Expat advice from Italy, Expat experiences, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Reflection piece, Sicilian Art, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Tastes of Sicily, The truth about Sicily, Travel Sicily, Travel writing

This summer I photographed this Sicilian Oregano drying in the sun. Oregano grows wild in amongst the Mediterranean scrub of Sicily and is gathered and saved to add flavor to meats and other dishes. As I was taking this photo I was struck by the rustic almost dirty look of the rocks and the herbs,…

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Postcards from Sicily: maccheroni

Categories About me, Authentic Sicily, Beautiful Italy, Expat, Expat experiences, Italian Culture, Italian Politics, Italy, Life in Sicily, Living in Italy, Living in Sicily, Only in Sicily, Photo Essay, Photography, Postcards from Sicily, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Tastes of Sicily6 Comments on Postcards from Sicily: maccheroni

  Sicilian maccheroni, are the ultimate feast. Served with rich Bolognese sauces for every occasion from birthdays to Christmas to New Year. Not for the faint hearted ... your waistline will suffer for them but your taste buds will be in heaven. Maccheroni season is just around the corner ...

Sicilian Tomatoes, Benedica

Categories About me, Beautiful Italy, Disappearing Sicily, Expat, Expat experiences, Fruits of Sicily, Italian Culture, Italy, Life in Sicily, Photography, Reflection piece, Sicilian Cuisine, Sicilian Culture and Traditions, Sicilian food, Sicily, Sicily and Sicilianess, Tastes of Sicily8 Comments on Sicilian Tomatoes, Benedica

The fertility of Sicily’s volcanic soil is well-known and thanks to the Sicilian habit of having a vegetable garden I’ve never been without fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare throughout the year, from eggplants, capsicums, chili peppers, basil and tomatoes in the summer to peas, potatoes, pumpkins and broad beans in the winter. There is…

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