Food, fashion and fun with a strong anchor in past traditions
and the intrigue that is Sicily!
"By the time we pulled into a side street of Trapani, the sun had almost set. Allegedly there was a parking spot attached to the apartment we had rented but I couldn't find it. Mom soon popped out of the front seat and using the language taught to her by her grandmother, chatted up an older Italian lady sitting on her picture perfect balcony, nursing a glass of wine. Within a few minutes, the lady's nephew called a guy who knew a guy that could open the gate and lead me to a spot. Mom and the lady kept chatting for another 20 minutes. It was like they were related despite Mom's Tuscan heritage and this lady being a Sicilian. I learned it wasn't so much being friendly as that Italians just liked to talk."
--Luke's Journal
CITIES VISITED:
MUST DO:
FAVORITE MEMORY:
Palermo
Trapani
Ragusa
Catania
Naples
Capri
(Rome and Florence pre journey)
Drive the island of Sicily and experience its distinctive culture and cuisine.
Highlights of the island are the Cathedral of Palermo, after a swim in Trapani trek up to Erice Castle.
Ragusa and the Duemo di San Giogio.
In Naples find the pizza, not the one the internet says to find--find your own.
Boat ride around the island of Capri--honeymoon trip.
Observing my mother, the daughter of a woman with 100% Italian heritage, totally in her element and living life to the fullest, from the morning espresso to the evening digestivo drink.
Another country on the Americans "coming home" tour. Very well versed in caring for tourists. Be careful of falling into the "what is authentic" trap and dismissing some newer takes on older cuisine and culture.
The well known cities are fantastic but if you can swing Sicily, it's worth the time. A plucky island of unscripted adventure.
