Life in Italy is a love-hate thing. I admit to being seduced by Tuscany’s magical golden light, besotted by the Renaissance, tantalized by Sicily’s sensuous pastry shops, charmed by the Italian language and then quickly disenchanted by the brutal reality of getting almost anything done. I’ve suffered heartless years of waiting for an insurance claim, submitted to diabolical rules for getting a driving license, and wept broken-hearted sobs when the plumber never called back. The tempting dream to live in Italy may sound like a romantic endeavor, but it helps to be nuts.
Posted In: Hiking & Walking Trails in Italy, Hip Trip Tips for Travel in Italy, Interesting Festivals & Events in Italy, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily
The San Lorenzo beach in eastern Sicily was the setting for the recent release of nine loggerhead sea turtles (caretta caretta) by the Sicily Wildlife Fund.
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Traditionally Italian greens are available in the cooler months of the year, but when you crave greens in the summer, try these Sicilian tenerumi, from the cucuzza plant. Eat them as a simple dish of greens, or try our tenerumi recipe for Sicilian summer soup.
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Next to the huge sweet onions of Giarratana, Sicily, all other onions pale in comparison. Roasted or grilled the cipolle di Giarratana are celebrated in an annual festival.
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If you don’t have access to good lemon granita where you live, try this recipe for lemon granita and dream of Sicily.
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Lemon granita and brioche are a culinary tradition in Sicily, but it’s getting harder to find the real thing. Here’s where to find the best lemon granita and homemade brioche in Modica, Sicily.
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Making my favorite Italian jam, marmellata di amarene – sour cherry jam – is simple enough when you’ve got a cherry tree at hand, and it barely needs a recipe. But then there’s the pitting…
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The 2010 Taormina Film Fest takes place June 12-18 in the magnificent Greek theatre, where you can enjoy cinema under the stars as well as spotting a few stars like Robert deNiro and the perennially tan Valentino.
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Called a calcipitu in Sicily, a rudimentary go-kart is a part of the Italian culture of street games, where danger and noise go hand in hand. Join the celebration during a walk through Ragusa Ibla.
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Bartering with a farmer in Modica, Sicily brings us traditional caciocavallo cheese in exchange for weeds.
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I learned the technique of making Sicilian ravioli in a home kitchen during a neighborly cooking lesson in Sicily, and managed to take enough notes to write up a recipe and explain the technique. I also had a great lunch.
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Tip: To travel in Sicily means to get lost. An insider guide to experiencing the back roads of Sicily.
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The city of Modica, Sicily re-blossoms during the first annual contest for the most beautifully decorated balcony in town called Modica Città Ri-fiorita. An initiative not without political contoversy, however.
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