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.