“Sicilians build things like they will live forever and eat like they will die tomorrow.” - Plato (4th Century BC)

Chan and I drove, walked and most importantly ate (!) our way around the island of Sicily. As the homeland of my great grandparents, we’ve now learned more of Sicily as a place filled with people and land who have experienced centuries of violence, conquest and yet rebirth over and over again.

Roadtrip begins on the west coast

Trapani fish market

Salt flats

First of many gelato

Lucky enough to stay on an olive grove - Mandranova Olive Oil

Men on their evening stroll in Favara

Valley of the Temples, Agrigento

From the Greek temples to the Mediterranean

Over 500 year old olive tree overlooking Temple of Concordia

We drove over 1000km in total on highways, many tiny roads and back roads

Ragusa (and many other towns already getting holiday ready)

Modica chocolate shopping

Modica from above

Sandwich please

Noto Cathedral (every town has many many many churches)

Afternoon granita

Sunset in Ortigia

Fresh fish everywhere to buy

Fresh fish everywhere to eat

Largest Greek theatre of the ancient world in Syracuse

Iron Shadows by Mitoraj: the broken face placed in the large niche reminds us of the harshness of reality in a place that has been a theatre of captivity and labour, in the quarry that the Greeks used to build Syracuse. But the inscription "Osirion" reminds us of a faraway place, which is also a place of the soul where we can find a foothold in dreams, poetry and hope.

Fountain of Diana, Ortigia

Hiking up to nearly 10,000 on Mt. Etna in the snow was absolutely amazing (and absolutely challenging)

Breathtaking views

Was able to be a small part of a very special surprise proposal (in 60 mph winds) from Brian to Justin from San Diego!

Excited to hike an active volcano

Excited to be on flat land in the warmth of an orange grove

Mt. Etna sunset over Taormina

Overlook from Enna - the town in the exact middle of Sicily

Me in Alimena - the small town of 2000 people my great grandmother Rosalia Giamo was from

Sunset over Alimena

We found an Alimena street with my family name and the family crypt in the small cemetery

View from Cefalu Castle

Ahhh

Port of Cefalu

Streets of Palermo

Home of Sicilian Regional General Assembly. Sicily was home to the first parliament in the world.

Palatine Chapel from the 11th Century - shows the vast diversity of Sicily's origins – European, Sicilian, Byzantine and Arab

Daily life

Orto Botanico di Palermo - one of the largest botanical gardens in Europe

Orto Botanico di Palermo

Everywhere you turn in Palermo - motorbikes and graffiti

I didn’t eat enough cannoli. But this one was one of the best - filled fresh using the recipe of the Santa Catarina nuns of Palermo in their historic bakery that was a part of their nunnery until it closed in 2014.

Teatro Politeama - home of the Palermo Symphony

Sicilians seem to love wiener dogs - so it was only fitting to see one last one on the way to the airport.