SICILY

Sicilian sunset

Nero d'Avola grapes

Sicily (Sicilia) is one of my favorite regions of Italy, but in all honesty, I am bias. This is my father's birthplace and still home to many members of my extended family. I had the pleasure of finding my roots and relatives after my father passed on my first of many trips to Italy. The trip was driven by wanting to meet the relatives and see the village and home where my father and his siblings were born and lived before emigrating to the USA.

My father's village, Santa Caterina Villarmosa, is in the Province of Caltanissetta, located in the heart of Sicily. It is very rural and very small. By the way, the village is not far form "Corleone".

Tracing and finding about our Italian heritage is educational, exciting and emotional. For me the experience brought be back to Italy many, many times. I felt very close to the country as a whole and very comfortable there. It felt liked I belonged there! To some degree it feels like a second home.

If you have an opportuinty to visit Italy, make time to see and connect to your roots. It is very rewarding. You will be welcomed with opened arms, not just by family members, if you are luck enough to locate some, but by the entire village, neighborhood, or city.

Those of you in the Dante Club and friends and family, who are planning a trip in the near future, take the time to gather whatever documentation you have and make time on the trip to check out your family's heritage.

I am including a few pictures of Sicily, in general, and my father's village.

Mt. Etna, near Catania

Santa Caterina Villarmosa

The Meditrranean Sea

My Father, Giuseppe Miccichè

Neighbors

Siracusa

Piemonte Region

 PIEMONTE REGION

The Piemonte  Region of Italy has some of the most beautiful countrysde vistas in Italy. It also features wonderful wines made from the Nebbiolo grape. We know them as Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto and Barberesco. The City of Torino is a beautiful and vibrant city, full of young people due to the large university there. The River Po flows through the city and is home to many rowing competitions. It is an easy city for walking around and sightseeing. By the way, the cuisine is excellent especially in Autumn when the truffles and mushrooms are plentiful. By Italian measures of age, Torino is relatively modern, and well-designed. There are great views of the Alps here as well. Readers will recall that the 2006 Winter Olympics were hosted here.

From Torino it is a short drive to the rolling hills and vineyards of the Alba and Asti areas.

Alba is a wonderful small city in the heart of the Piemonte wine region, and it is a proud home of some of the best Italian truffles. Wonderful wines and Asti Spumante are produced here. Visit the town of Barolo and its spectacular interactive wine museum. Be sure to taste the Barolo while you are there. Alba is also home to Nutella, because of the major harvests of hazelnuts in the area.

In Alba you can arrange a truffle hunt experience with trained dogs, and watch them sniff and dig out the truffles. Alba is surrounded by beautiful scenery, featuring rolling hills filled with vineyards. There are beautiful vistas spanning miles. The area around Alba is easy to see by car because the villages are not too far apart. The city of Alba, itself, is comprised of a number of historical buildings, and it is designed for walking so everything can be enjoyed on foot. Don't miss having a pasta dish with fresh truffles and/or porcini mushrooms. From Alba, Asti is a short drive if you like sparkling wines. 

Also, a day trip to Genoa and  the Riviera is very doable.

Torino Municipal Building

Downtown Torino

 

Rolling Hills and Vineyards of Alba Area

Medieval Castle in Alba Wine Area

Piazza in Alba