In early June, Alan and I hosted a special event for women who travel with Grand Circle and OAT at our family property in Kensington, New Hampshire. Among those who joined us was Mei-Ching Tzeng, a 3-time traveler, Inner Circle member, and Vacation Ambassador from Reading, Massachusetts.
After the event, Mei-Ching wrote to tell me how much she enjoyed her experience on our Sicily Extended Vacation, which she, her husband, Vincent; sister Susan; and brother-in-law, Ken; had joined us for in May. As Mei-Ching explains, “We chose Sicily for several reasons, including the scenery, history, food, and mild weather. What’s more, one of our in-laws, Tony, is originally from Messina, Sicily—which makes our little granddaughter, Angelina, one-quarter Sicilian. So we felt it would be really nice to experience the island’s multi-layered culture and cuisine.”
Mei-Ching also sent me a link to a family website describing what they saw, heard, and tasted during their stay in Sicily—and she’s graciously allowed me to share her pictures and impressions with you. But you may want to wait until after you’ve eaten to view them: After seeing photos of the many sumptuous feasts they enjoyed in Italy, you just might find yourself with an insatiable craving for gelato and arancini!
"Taormina is the number one resort town in Sicily, and many Europeans vacation here. We enjoyed six nights at Hotel Ariston, which is very conveniently located: From the front entrance, it’s only a 400-meter walk along the edges of Villa Comunale, the public garden, to the town center. At top is an exterior shot of the Ariston; at bottom is a picture of Vincent—with a glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice—taken from our room. What a view!"
“For dinner the first evening, we decided to try the hotel restaurant—which offered a seemingly endless buffet of grilled vegetables, including eggplant, cauliflower, and peppers. It was just one of many delicious meals we enjoyed during our time in Sicily.”
"We were a little surprised to discover that our Program Director, Maurizio Caminita, was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. Here, he and Vincent display their team spirit alongside our driver, Salvo, during a visit to the beach at Giardini Naxos."
"The Villa Comunale in Taormina provided scenic views of Mt. Etna. A few days after we took this photo, Vincent decided to join an optional tour offering a closer look at this ancient, but still active, volcano. Here he is in the Monti Silvestri, a crater that formed during a 6-month-long eruption in 1892."
"Among the most celebrated ruins in Sicily is the Greek Theater in Taormina. It’s the second largest of its kind on the island (only the Greek Theater in Siracusa, which we saw later, is larger), and boasts a gorgeous natural setting, framed by both Mt. Etna and the Ionian Sea."
"As we strolled through Taormina’s Piazza IX Aprile—so named for the April 9, 1860 arrival in Sicily of Guiseppe Garibaldi—we encountered these street musicians. Fittingly, they were singing “Speak Softly Love” by Italian composer Nino Rota, the theme song from the Godfather movies."
"Walking through the lovely streets of Taormina, we saw countless pastry shops offering mouth-watering goodies, including cannoli, colorful fruit made of marzipan, and row upon row of almond cookies."
"During a day trip to Catania, we encountered the city’s impressive Duomo, built in an ornate Baroque style. The church is known for its elephant fountain, which is recognized as a symbol of Catania."
"This is a photo of Taormina at night, with Mt. Etna in the background and the Giardini-Naxos peninsula jutting out into the sea on the top."
"While in Taormina, we visited a local family in their home to share a traditional home-cooked lunch. It was a lot of fun, and allowed us a glimpse into the family’s everyday life. The photo on the top shows the beautiful countryside we passed through to get to the family’s village, and the one on the bottom is a picture of Ken and Susan with our hostess."
"Although our hostess didn’t speak much English, her daughter Susanna did—so she helped to keep the conversation flowing during our meal. After our delicious lunch of zucchini fritters, homemade pasta, meatballs wrapped in lemon leaves, tiramisu, and more, Susanna allowed us a glimpse of the kitchen where she and her mother had prepared the food."
"In addition to our Home-Hosted Lunch, we also enjoyed a special meal at an agriturismo (farmhouse) in the small town of Caltanissetta. (As Maurizio explained, calta is an Arabic word meaning “castle of,” and the town’s name translates as “castle of beautiful women.”) We enjoyed a lovely meal, including fresh farfalle (“butterfly”) pasta, prepared by family who owns the farmhouse. The photo on the bottom shows Vincent with our host and his son."
"Among our favorite sites in Palermo was Teatro Massimo, where Maurizio arranged for our group to take a special tour. The largest theater in all of Italy, it opened its doors in 1897. A bust of composer Guiseppe Verdi stands outside the theater; the surrounding piazza is also named for him."
"We asked Maurizio about the best places for shopping in Palermo, and he suggested Capo Market. We found plenty of wonderful items here, including a bag of dried oregano I purchased from a local vendor. We also saw many ceramics and other handcrafts featuring the triskelion, or trinacria—a traditional symbol of Sicily featuring three legs (said to represent the three points of the triangular island) and the head of Medusa, whose hair was turned into snakes by the goddess Athena, Sicily’s protector."
"From Palermo, we took a day trip to Cefalu, a fishing village with beautiful squares, unspoiled medieval streets, a beautiful cathedral, and fantastic sandy beaches running almost the entire length of the town. Many of the street scenes from the movie Cinema Paradiso were shot here."
"We enjoyed some tasty treats during our time in Cefalu. At one pastercceria, we tried the anguria granita (watermelon ice), which was nice and refreshing. Later, I couldn’t resist a gelato-filled brioche. The bun was sweet—similar to the ones I buy in Boston’s Chinatown—and came filled with two scoops of creamy Italian ice cream."
"While I was sampling all of the Italian confections, Vincent sought out more savory offerings. During our time in Sicily, he ate many arancini—fried balls of rice with various fillings, including ragu (ground beef or veal, tomato sauce, and peas); ham and mozzarella; and spinach and mozzarella. The different shapes of the arancini let you know what you’ll find inside."
"No visit to Sicily would be complete without a visit to the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Agrigento. Part of an ancient city founded by Greeks in the 5th century BC, it boasts some of the best-preserved temples outside of Greece itself. At top is the Temple of Concord, which was later converted to a Christian church, and at bottom is the Temple of Hera."
"On our last full day in Sicily, we took a trip to the resort town of Mondello, which is just west of Palermo. We enjoyed walking on the white sand beaches and taking a refreshing dip in the Gulf of Mondello. We also enjoyed a delicious meal featuring fresh shrimp, fried calamari, and squid ink spaghetti."