I would like to wish everyone a very healthy and happy new year as I think of my friends and family in Sicilia as the hour of the new year is but minutes away. Included here are four images, one of which is just part of a very beautiful fountain in Ortygia just across the bridge from Syracusa, a view of Mount Etnea from the northern seaside town of Brollo, a black and white image of my very special Sant'Alessio and part of the ancient ruins at Selinunte which was the backdrop for Michela Mussolino's concert in 2007 in southern Sicily. Buon Anno pieno con felicita`, serenita`, pace e armonia.

Along the beautiful northern coast of Sicily lies Tindari a lovely hill top town, the site of the Black Madonna. This is a view looking east towards Messina. San Vito Lo Capo (image with bicycle) lies northwest of Palermo boasting  gorgeous white sandy beaches. Somewhat difficult to get to but once there ........! It is also the home of the international cous cous festival every September.

 Another incredible view,(I think), from Etnea this time overlooking the plain of Catania. Sicilian cart making is an ancient art. This is an original work of art displayed during Carnevale in August in Catania.

Michela Musolino is a very special person who I met several years ago while performing in Manhattan.  A singer of Sicilian music, her melodic voice is a reflection of the past and present, of the agony and joy of a people proud of who they are and wedded to their land and family.

These images were made at a concert in Selinunte, Sicilia in 2007 in honor of Pino Veneziano, a Sicilian songwriter and social activist in the style of Arlo Guthrie. Rocco Pollina (glasses and black hair), Enzo Gilberti (sax) and Massimo Alo' are some of the members of the world music group, MONDO with whom she performed that not to be forgotten evening. For more information, please visit her site, www.michelamusolino.com

"Songs of Trinacria" is her first CD and is a lesson in the beauty of Sicily and Sicilian culture.

These are two views (color and IR) of Monte Etna (Etnea) which dominates all of the eastern portion of Sicilia.  Etna  is a constant reminder of the destructive power of nature as well as a provider of the most incredibly rich soil that makes Sicilian food such a sensual experience second to none. The bay at Mondello (IR) is rich in so many types of local fish which come off the boat and to the restaurants in a matter of minutes.

The IR image of the church was made in Leonforte and stands immediately to the left of the national monument, "The Granfonte".

I wanted to add a few more IR images especially since I inadvertently used the same image twice last time.

The view through the arch was made in Leonforte where my father grew up and where my relatives are, while the other two are also of Savoca.

Infrared is awesome! The human eye sees only a very tiny portion of the light emitted from the sun. This is called the visible spectrum.  Film and digital sensors can, however, be sensitized to capture this unseen portion just beyond the red wavelengths. While doing so, living things are rendered with a glowing ethereal look while having blue skies go toward black.

 I loved teaching this to my students as it was an exercise in creativity and seeing anew. These images were made using a Canon G5 adapted for IR only. My thanks go to a wonderful pro and friend, Jean Miele, for being the inspiration behind these images all made in Savoca, Sicilia.

People are rather easy to photograph in Sicilia. I chose these three for the moment only because they immediately caught my eye. The Mexican woman twirling her dress was part of an international folk festival in Taormina while I met the man with the "Baffi"(moustache) during Carnevale in Acireale several years ago. We exchanged glances then smiles in apparent admiration for each others' main facial feature! The third I call, "Woman with a cigarette".

Look closely (guys). I was walking in the hill top town of Forza D'Agro. She asked me to photograph her! 

Lipari (left) is one of the Aeolian islands which is easily reached by ferry from the port of Milazzo.

 One gets a sense of being in Greece, thus our name for it, "Greccily". The next photo is of the Nebrodie Mountains. Much of the land in this area is unspoiled and absolutely breath taking! I have a passion for the mountains and the serenity I feel while there. Friends of ours took us to the eastern town of Roccafiorita one evening for dinner and I was amazed by how high up it was, the windiness of the roads, no lights, dangerous curves and how far it was ( traveling up) from the main road. I returned during daylight one day soon after and saw these capri nestled in a bed of rocks.

 Sicilia is green in the winter months giving way to the parched golden browns of the summer sun. This image was made in Mulinello in Enna Province. The boat is in the eastern coastal town of Acitrezza which was the actual setting of many of the great Sicilian novelist Giovanni Verga's novels. My favorite and a Sicilian treasure is, "The House by the Medlar Tree" ( I Malavoglia). It ( the boat) makes me think so much of the actual vessel the Provvidenza which plays a central role in this historic novel.

The pizzeria was taken in Castelmola which is truly an artists paradise sitting high above Taormina. 

Savoca

Savoca ( SA vo ca) is one of my favorite places to visit whenever I am lucky enough to be in Sicily. It is a beautiful hill top town just a half hour from Taormina on the magnificent eastern coast.

Prior to 1974 ( I believe) it was known only to locals ( a good thing?). Then, it was chosen to be the site of several scenes in THE GODFATHER. The Bar Vitelli that you  see is where Michele meets Apollonia's father. It is open today and brings many tourists and film buffs to sit outside and sip an Averna, drink a beer, glass of wine or order the uniquely Sicilian granita with or without a brioche. The view of the Ionian and the coast of the mainland from here is breathetaking.

The church seen here is the church where the actual wedding was performed. I would be extremely remiss if I do not mention the elegant senior pictured here who was, until this past August, the owner of the Bar Vitelli, Signora Maria D'Arrigo. Unfortunately, she passed away in the week between the time I spoke with her nephew and then her sister. I believe, she was 92.

The image on the top was made in Leonforte, Sicilia where my father grew up.  Carnevale is celebrated all over the island in various ways and this image evokes the spirt of  this magical time in this particular town. On the right is another image from the dance performance in Furci, Sicilia during the summer of 2009. The young woman was a belly dancer and her performance was stunning! I closed my eyes  while listening to the music and envisioned an image something like this. I just jiggled the camera to capture what I saw and was fortunate to get some results that were pleasing to me

first images

I love Sicilia. This is the magical island of my fathers' birth and I have been going there every summer for the last 8 or 9 years as well as during the winter to photograph Carnevale. Being my first attempt at blogging, I am not really sure what I am attempting to do nor how whatever it is will be received. I do know that I want to share my experiences and my love of the island with those of you who might be interested. Sicily is, as my wife so aptly expressed it, a feast for the senses. While at a dance school performance in Furci, Sicilia ( Sicily), I tried to make my images imitate the music played as an accompaniment

Liking them or not is subjective and perhaps it is my own subjective feelings of the islands' beauty that endears these and other images to follow, to me. Feel free to make constructive criticisms   joezarbaimages  Furci, Sicilia 2009