I am sorry, but for reasons unknown to me, the windmill image did not appear.

It is great to be back only to be able to share more images of BEDDASICILIA.
One thing I have always wanted to do has been to visit the salt fields in Trapani. These images were made in the town of Nubia which runs along the coast. The Phoenicians, I believe, originally brought the technology to begin this world famous salt production.The windmills, active today are a vital part of extracting the salt which you can see is still a manual job.

So, in Sicilia, during the summer, the image on the left is what you may have for breakfast: cappuccino or expresso, a brioche and a granita
which is, to the best of my ability to explain, a cross between an american slushy ( doesn't do it any justice) and a gelato which is far creamier and more delicious than the best American ice cream. It comes in many flavors but the Sicilians LOVE lemon. I am a pistacchio freak and mixed with chocolate, is d e v i n e !!!! The panna or cream on top is optional. Go for it! The tomatoes seen here are not altered or color enhanced but are rather real, like in... NATURAL!!!!! Chocolate granita ( again), Pistacchio and mandola (almond) gelato in Pace del Mela, Sicilia ( grazie Maria!) and a caffe (which I can smell) con biscotto in Furci. Have a great summer everyone!!!

Way up in the mountains where the Nebrodi and the Peloritani ranges meet lies the lovely town of Novara di Sicilia. While walking through town, I met these two gentlemen who swore they had relatives in NY! Where? Brooklyn of course! No where does one find Pistacchio nuts as delicious as those from Bronte. Just the aroma itself is magnificent! One of the things that is most fun during the summer is the outdoor markets which are part of the culture of most, if not all towns. One can buy anything form kitchen utensils to clothing to bar B Q's to all kinds of food and anything else you can imagine. They are an event not a chore. The prices are set only after the cat and mouse game of bargaining! This is the weekly Wednesday mercato in Furci, an otherwise delightful seaside village with a spectacular beach about half way between Taormina and Messina.

These images are being offered without comment. Let your mind wander and allow yourself to be seduced by all that is Sicilia

Mention Corleone and the first thing that comes to mind is The Godfather. It is a beautiful town easily reached from the Palermo area and worth going to see for its' beauty and the transformation going on. There is, among the simple beauty and the townspeople who mimic their Sicilian counter parts in any other town, the new Anti mafia museum ( bottom) where inside one can see transcripts from the Maxi trials of the '90's as well as be given a history of the young but on going, Addio Pizzo movement to counter the influence of this dreaded group. The young man giving the tour in the museum is beside a panel of photos by the great Sicilian photographer, Letizia Battaglia.
The photo on the top right is of magistrate, Giovanni Falcone, assassinated by mafia thugs in May of 1992. The woman on the bottom left is Rosaria Schifani, widow of Vito Schifani ( also killed) who was Falcone's body guard on that fateful day. The photo is the cover of "PASSION,JUSTICE, FREEDOM..PHOTOGRAPHS OF SICILY by Signora Battaglia. Toto Riina, the most hated person in Sicily, is serving 4 life terms for ordering the assassinations of Falcone, magistrate Paolo Borsellino and countless others while being the most feared capo of the mafia.

The scenery in Sicily is above phenomenal. This was taken from ENNA, the capital of the province of the same name and it overlooks Calascibetta. For sheer Baroque heaven, one must go to Noto and wander the streets of this walking friendly town known as ''Un giardino di pietra''
( a garden of stone).For a meal you won't soon forget at a price you will think is a mistake, find TRATTORIA del CARMINE in via Ducezio #1.
One of the finest places in all of Italy to buy ceramics is in CALTAGIRONE situated in the hills around Enna. easy to get to and a walking gem. Characteristically, the ceramics produced here are the signature yellow and blue and all hand made. Make sure you walk the 142 steps of La Scala bounded by shops on both sides.
I took my cousin to pranzo at a beautiful Agriturismo in Leonforte and found this shed while walking around between courses.