Fruit and vegetables always seem more sensuous in Sicily, their colours are more intense, flavors fulsome and form expansive. Our tomatoes this year were an illustration of Sicilian agricultural fertility, they were abundant and delicious too.
Tag: Sicilian Impressions
Flowers and lights for our ancestors
November is a sombre time in Sicily, traditionally it’s not all jack o lanterns and candy rather its about taking flowers to the cemetery and lighting artificial lights instead of candles in memory of the dead. All souls and dearly held saints are prayed for in religious services in the Roman Catholic church and the…
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Beautiful Sicilian Porcini mushrooms
Each wild Porcini mushroom is a thing of beauty, individual works of spontaneous sculpture which nature gives us. Actually you have to hunt them down or else they are destined to decay and break down back into the earth. The other day my eldest niece accused me of being lazy and not wanting…
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Postcards from Sicily: Swooning and pouting
I snapped this shot at the Piazza Armerina markets. This particularly bored girl waiting for her father holding on to various riding paraphernalia. It is an image which summarises my summer’s day near Enna the heat, dust and rustic surrounds were enough to make anyone swoon and pout.
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Postcards from Sicily: Cirneco dell’Etna
It was at Piazza Armerina that I met this fellow the Cirneco dell'Etna an ancient breed of Sicilian dog which has woven its way through the hardened lava deposits near Etna for centuries, helping hunters to weasel out rabbits from their warrens. This fine example was mesmerized by the sight of a caged rabbit, as…
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Sicilian rooftops
When you visit Italy and you settle into your accommodation whether it be a five-star hotel or small bed and breakfast I suggest the first thing you do is open your windows or go high up on to a terrace and discover the rooftops around you. There is something magical about the irregular shape…
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Postcards from Sicily: Piazza Armerina market stalls
Piazza Armerina in the province of Enna deep in the bellybutton of Sicily is still filled with traditions which are slowly disappearing in other parts of Sicily. Visiting the agricultural markets (or fairs) used to give you the opportunity to see animals and products from all around the islands, however this market no longer…
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Postcards from Sicily: Fiera Piazza Armerina
I have a soft spot for Sicilian open air markets, you never know what you will find. Every town has a market day where traveling salesmen set up their stalls to sell everything from household goods, groceries, fruit and vegetable, toys and clothes. Here is a one Euro stand which has attracted some men into…
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Towns cradled by Etna
I’ve been asked several times about the dangers of the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily. Over the past decade Etna has been relatively active opening several new openings in spectacular lava flowing fountains and fire works, but the province of Messina is distant enough to hear the stories and watch the news without being directly…
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Fall in Sicily
The beginning of Autumn in Sicily can be abrupt. The gradual changes from one season to the next are now a thing of the past, there are no more slightly shortening days or time for the leaves to go from greens, yellows, warm rusty reds or browns, now the fall begins with heavy rains and…
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A September song
I was recently asked via twitter about what there is to be done in September in Sicily. The truth is just as many things as you can do at any time of the year, it probably is a good month to visit the island as the holiday ‘high season’ is well and truly over and…
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Postcards from Sicily: the spirit of things
There are literally hundreds of water fountains all over Italy gushing with water, Baroque details and sculpture. Often we are mesmerized by the immense works of art without seeing the cute little details. This grumpy little water god got my attention when he blew in my ear as I walked by the old…
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Sicilian impressions: beauty in the details
Often beauty is in the fine detail. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the immense works of art all over Italy, yet while trying to take in the whole you often miss the subtle aspects. This detail above the main door at the Duomo of Messina is as magnificent as the entire…
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Window shopping in Sicily
Italy is a place where fashion comes alive. Italians have a real flare for it whether it be elderly ladies dressed in colorful silk tops and high heels, or the latest shop window display from Dolce and Gabanna there is an astounding level of creative expression happening deep within the Italian psyche which is inspiring.…
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Postcards from Sicily: Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is an enigmatic symbol of Italy. I’ve lost track of the amount of people who say this is their dream car. I am constantly coming across these cute Italian creations, which are easy to park in cramped car parks all over Italy. The cinquecento is featured on endless tourist souvenirs…
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