Category: Travel

Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Restaurants from La to Scu-

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Above: Vegetable strata at Moon

A few more dishes originating in Sicily are introduced in this second part of alphabetized reviews of restaurants we sampled during our stay.

The first is braciolettine Messina, or spiedini. Thin slices of beef, pork, veal or fish are wrapped around a paste-like filling made from bread crumbs, parsley and provolone moistened by olive oil. The small bites are then threaded tightly together on wood skewers before grilling.

Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Restaurants from La to Scu-“ →

Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: ‘Mailed’ before summer hell ignited

postcardsfromsanantonio1 Comment

The photos on these postcards should be time-stamped before delivery to your mailbox – our stay in Sicily was in late spring. Our travel schedule was designed to avoid the potential of encountering the same type of sizzling summer the island endured during 2022 – a high of 120 degrees in Siracusa.

So far this year, the temperature’s only hit a high of 117 degrees, but horrible wildfires have added to the island’s summertime blues. It’s no wonder that cacti and succulents are popular.

Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: ‘Mailed’ before summer hell ignited” →

Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Bellomo Palace and, for saint’s sake, always eat two of this dessert

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Above: A representation of the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden apples, Museo Regionale di Palazzzo Bellomo

A stark façade conveys the 12th-century origin of the Bellomo Palace. The interior spaces, however, reflect several centuries of architectural alterations, much like the centuries of regional Sicilian art housed within. Benedictine monks occupied the palace in the 18th century, merging it and an adjacent palazzo into one compound.

The Risorgimento, the ongoing unification of the Kingdom of Italy, represented a disaster for many Catholic religious orders. In Sicily, the government seized property and buildings, including this monastery in 1866. In 1940, the government repurposed the compound as a museum, with the 1866 confiscated religious art forming a major portion of its collection. The Bellomo underwent substantial renovation in 2004.

Continue reading “Postcard from Siracusa, Sicily: Bellomo Palace and, for saint’s sake, always eat two of this dessert” →