White Almond Sicily

One of my favourite pasta dishes in Sicily is Pasta alla Norma, it completely embodies the flavours and fresh produce of the island. This dish originates from the city of Catania and there are numerous versions of this homage to music and food based on variations on a theme of pasta, aubergines (eggplant), tomatoes and ricotta salata. The composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in 1801 in Catania and according to legend on the opening night in 1890 of the cities beautiful opera house, which opened with a performance of his opera "Norma", the public were so overwhelmed that they insisted on marking the occasion by naming a dish after the event. Another story attributes the name to a compliment which was paid to a chef from Catania given by a famous Sicilian actor in the 1920's who declared that his pasta dish had been "as good as Norma" Another explanation, with not very much imagination, is that 'norma' in Sicilian dialect means "rule" ...

If you are a couple on the hunt for a romantic destination you are in luck because Sicily is the perfect place. Italy is well known as a country full of love and romance and the island of Sicily is not only Italy's largest region but it is also its most varied. In terms of geography there are offshore islands, an endless coastline, rugged mountains, a stunning capital city, romantic towns, gorgeous beaches, volcanoes and dreamy hilltop villages, making it unlike any other place in the world. Sicily is a land full of myths, legends and romantic love stories. It is a place where you are immediately seduced by its outstanding beauty, gastronomic food, rich culture and the Sicilian people who are so passionate about their island. Romantic accommodation ranges from boutique, historic and luxury five star hotels, castles and restored  baglio 's (ancient Arabic fortresses), there are beautiful private villas, agriturismi, golf resorts and there is always the option of being...

This year it will be twelve years since we bought our Sicilian home and just over fifteen years since we first visited and fell in love with the island. In this time we have had many adventures involving planes, trains and automobiles. It has been a while since I have written about our life in Sicily so in this post I have decided share some of our funny and sometimes scary adventures with transport. Planes In the winter season there are not as many direct flights from the UK to Catania as there are in the spring and summer seasons. When we were going through the process of buying our Sicilian home there were times when we would have to fly out last minute to sign papers, meet builders, etc etc. We purchased our house in winter so therefore sometimes we had to improvise by taking connecting flights. The easiest connection for us from London was via Milan so we used to book the first flight out of London into Milan then the last flight out of Milan into Catania and vice vers...

Savoca is a serene hillside 12 th century village at the end of a windy steep road approximately 40 minutes from Taormina. This tranquil spot was used as the setting for the courtship and wedding between Michael Corleone played by Al Pacino and his first wife Apollonia played by Simonetta Stefanelli, an actress who actually came from Savoca in The Godfather Part I. Francis Ford Coppola chose Savoca in 1971 to stand in for the town of Corleone (which is in located in Western Sicily) he thought that Corleone was not photogenic enough for the movie. As you enter Savoca in the main Piazza you will find Bar Vitelli where Michael Corleone discusses his marriage in The Godfather Part I with Apollonia's father. It is a pretty 18th century building with a vine covered terrace looking out across a valley towards the Ionian Sea and is still occupied by the original family who owned it when the movie was filmed. The Palazzo Trimarchi building that houses Bar Vitelli is cla...