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Palermo, Sicily’s agricultural and cultural riches have made it a mecca for food enthusiasts. However, the city is most famous for its desserts, many of which migrated to the U.S. with  Italians from the south of Italy and Sicily. “Sicilian desserts are the sweetest and most extravagant in all of Italy,” write Rick Steves and Fred Plotkin in Italy...

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In 2024, Italian airport traffic reached a new record, with 219,078,618 passengers passing through national airports, marking an 11.1% increase compared to 2023. This figure not only highlights a significant post-pandemic recovery but also surpasses pre-COVID levels, restoring traffic distribution to 2019 values: two-thirds of travelers opted for...

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A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Sicily: scientists have identified a bacteria capable of consuming carbon dioxide (CO2). This could have significant implications for the fight against climate change. Researchers from the University of Palermo, in collaboration with international partners, stumbl...

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Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30PM - 7:00PM. Readers' Books - 130 East Napa Street, Sonoma (CA). Janet Constantino will read from "Becoming Mariella", a coming-of-age story of a young Sicilian woman escaping the pressure of family and tradition. The inspiration for Mariella's story came from Janet's love for all things Sicilian and Italian and her ow...

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In 1955, the young Count Ermelino Matarazzo of Licosa entered the Società Napoletana Imbottigliamento Bevande Gasate, a company that, at the time, operated as a Coca-Cola bottling plant. With his sharp business instincts and determination, Matarazzo requested—and received—permission from Coca-Cola to create a new soft drink using local Campanian in...

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One night in 1171, King William II, known as “the Good,” was resting from the burdens of war and governance, as was customary for Norman kings, in an ancient Arab village called Balharā. In a dream, the Virgin Mary appeared to him and revealed the location of an immense treasure—a war booty hidden by his father, William I, known as “the Bad.” She i...

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A familiar face has resurfaced from the ruins of an ancient Greek city in Italy. Archaeologists in Sicily have discovered what they believe to be an ancient Roman mask mould depicting the iconic Medusa. Under the direction of Roberto Sciarratta, they unearthed the mould in a building from the late Republican period (133 to 31 BCE) in the ruins of F...

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Modern day pizza dates back to the 1700s in Italy. Since then, this food has spread with pizzas of all styles and types being enjoyed in countries around the world. Thankfully, the United States has been blessed with many styles to enjoy, including Detroit-style pizza with its wonderful corner pieces and Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. What many Ame...

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Each summer, the remote Italian island of Alicudi attracts a slow drip of tourists looking to escape the trappings of modernity. There are no cars or even roads on the two-square-mile volcanic outcrop, though footpaths are traversable by donkey. And while cellphone coverage is now available in most places, many houses lack electricity and water. Fo...

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When Agrigento was declared the Italian Capital of Culture for 2025 on May 25, 2023, the significance of the title and the preparations it required may not have been immediately clear. The journey since has been long and fraught with challenges, setbacks, and high hopes. The year 2024 brought severe droughts that exacerbated water shortages across...

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