White Almond Sicily

"I do not envy the Heaven to God because I am well satisfied to live in Sicily" King Federico II of Sicily, 1194 - 1250 AD Last year I received a multitude of emails and messages from people asking my advice about buying a house in Sicily and about life on the island.  I think that with a lot of us spending more time at home in lockdown that many people were using their time to follow a dream of looking for a place in the sun with Sicily in mind due to the amount of coverage in the media about towns selling houses for €1 and also due to the island becoming a more popular destination for holidays.  We did NOT buy our house for €1, our story is a unique one.  This year it will be sixteen years since we first visited Sicily and we immediately fell in love with the island, its culture, its food and its people, so much so that after just three trips we decided that we wanted to buy a house there. This is our story ..... We first chose to visit Sicily after I read an article in...

There is an important date around the corner and this 14th February, due to Covid, we will all have to enjoy Valentines Day, or in Italian 'San Valentino' in a different way to usual as there can be no romantic city breaks in Sicily and no romantic meals in Sicilian restaurants. So a cosy night in with a delicious home cooked meal it is then. Sicily is where Europe ends and Africa begins. It began its history as part of Ancient Greece and soon became part of the Roman Empire. Thereafter the island was invaded by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spanish and Bourbons before unifying with Italy. Each conquest left its mark on the island and its cuisine.  Being an island Sicily has wonderful fish and seafood and when eating a meal in a restaurant you will find that the fish you are eating was caught that morning. Sicilian pasta dishes make use of the abundance of local produce such as tomatoes and aubergines. You can find meat on most menus and in particular inland and mount...

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or any other form of significance.  The sites are judged to contain "cultural" and "natural" heritage around the world which are considered to be of outstanding value for humanity.  To be selected a World Heritage Site must somehow have a unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable and have special cultural or physical significance. So it goes without saying that Sicily with its beauty, its rich history and culture and amazing geography is one of the places in the world that boasts many UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Italy has a total of fifty five inscribed properties making it the country with the most World Heritage Sites, along with China, and seven of those ar...