Several years back, an evangelical Christian co-worker was complaining about the secularization of Christmas. “Jesus is the reason for the season,” he declared, literally raising his arm, pointing to the heavens above. “What does Christmas mean to you? Is it a holiday or an holyday?” he asked, almost daring me to answer incorrectly, or at … Continue reading An Italian-American Christmas
The Woman in Red
Today is a great day! Today is the reveal of the cover of my daughter's upcoming book. As my daughter has said "When The Woman in Red was still just a bunch of words, scratched into my notebook I allowed myself to daydream about what it could look like. What image of Anita would my publisher … Continue reading The Woman in Red
The Cerberus of Selinunte
Today was an easy day, we did a simple loop ride in the Menfi area that took us up into the hills above the town and then to the Greek ruins in Selinunte. Now, I am certain what I am about to write will seem strange, but several years back when rereading the first few … Continue reading The Cerberus of Selinunte
The Climb was Worth the View
Ciao Tutti !!! Today we left the seaside city of Sciacca heading for the pleasant mountain community of Caltabellotta. The keyword in that previous statement is mountain. I am on a bike. So, before you read much further you could pretty much guess what my day was like. I started the day looking up at … Continue reading The Climb was Worth the View
Under a Sicilian Sunset
Another day cycling through Sicily. I have likened these trips to eating an excellent bag of potato chips when you are very hungry, not just hungry, but a maddening craving for something crisp and salty. You look at the bag only to realize that it isn’t that big, certainly not large enough to fill the … Continue reading Under a Sicilian Sunset
The Flotsam and Jetsam of Culture New & Old
Ciao Tutti! Today, we left the lovely little town of Scicli moving on to Agrigento. As we pressed on to our new destination I noticed something that reminded me of the day before, trash. As we rode along to our destination I was overwhelmed by the garbage, not just litter, but garbage that was just … Continue reading The Flotsam and Jetsam of Culture New & Old
Chocolate, the Blessed, & the Mafia
Today was a simple loop ride to Modica from Scicli. Modica is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. I am thinking at this point that they should have just declared all of Sicily a World Heritage Site and be done with it. However, the architecture of Modica is not what I want to talk about today. … Continue reading Chocolate, the Blessed, & the Mafia
