When traveling throughout Sicily, most advise to pay a visit to Palermo. Near Palermo, the town of Monreale perches itself up at a high standing, figuratively and literally. What makes Monreale far from the real is the town’s Cathedral. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. Go ahead and judge this book by its cover. You will be wrong once you pass through its doors. Founded in 1174, the Monreale Cathedral bears Norman, Arab, and Byzantine art and architecture, making this place of worship unlike any other. The Monreale Cathedral left me with three enveloping experiences that Continue Reading
My Travel Fears All Meet in a Sicilian Canyon
I am standing at the edge of a 20-foot cliff. I know. Twenty feet down is not so hardcore. Some high dives at country clubs are more elevated, but I am scared. The cliff curves down somewhat into a deep pool of water, or so I’m told. My entire group with me has already made the jump. I got myself up here. I must see my way back down. I am in the middle of what many call the Grand Canyon of Sicily. Rather, I am at the bottom of Cava Grande in southeastern Sicily. Cava Grande may be the ultimate hikers’ paradise in Sicily. A 300-meter hike down can take well over an hour. The limestone carved Continue Reading
Can You Really Go Home Again? The Foreigner Sensation In Once Lived Places
I studied abroad when I was a junior in college in Ortigia, Sicily. Ortigia is a small town, the old town center of Siracusa in southeastern Sicily. I spent over four months living and “studying” in this picturesque location. My program was smaller than the Duggar family of just 15 students. We all came to know one another, much like family. More often than not, it felt like we were on a reality show, 15 strangers living on a island. Will they survive? Ortigia was home and a little American family possessed it for a few months. I went back to Ortigia for a week around this time last year. I Continue Reading
My Christmas Card: Holiday Travel in a Rare Sicilian Form
For the holiday season, I can only think of one photograph to share with my readers that represents the essence of holiday travel. While I could slap up a picture of squawking people at the airport or pushy shoppers edging you out of the latest deal, I selected this particular photograph showcasing the ultimate holiday journey. The baroque creamy buildings look almost as if they are glowing. Gazing down from my Sicilian balcony, I think the buildings really are radiating light. Streaming lines of uniformed men follow an angelic statue to Mary. It is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Continue Reading