Jews in Sicily celebrated traditional Sabbath services for the first time in 500 years last month when Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of Washington, D.C. delivered a Torah to the newly established synagogue in Catania. Having been expelled from Spanish territory, which then included Sicily and southern Italy, by Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand...

Sometimes in life, we have occasions to pause and take stock of the good we can do in the world around us. For this week’s guest, it was two particular occasions (when she received TWO double lung transplants at University of South Florida-Tampa General Hospital) that inspired her to say “Grazie” to both the hospital that saved her life and the anc...

ARIES – The first sign of the zodiac, these rams love to be number one and aren’t afraid to dive into challenging situations, no matter how hard they may be. The same is true of MATERA, a city dug into a rocky outcrop in Basilicata whose challenges are (quite literally) as hard as stone. Annoyed by excessive details and needless nuances, Aries woul...

A dried fruit nut with a taste and aroma that's universally recognized as unique and particular, a feast for taste buds. We're talking about green gold, that's how pistachios from Bronte are defined and not only for their intense colour that distinguishes them from other family varieties, but for their wealth in beneficial properties and for econom...

Most travellers to Italy opt for the same: Venice, Florence, Rome and Amalfi Coast. However, the Italian South offers a completely different feel than the typical popular tourist destinations. Next time you make your way over to Italia, try venturing out from the usuals and add one of these overlooked southern cities to your Italian itinerary.

All this is super exciting, climbing to the top to see its craters up close and a unique viewpoint over Catania and Sicily. For a safe visit, we recommend a guided day or half-day excursion. Equip yourself with trekking shoes and a windproof jacket and explore one of the most beautiful volcanic territories in the world. First, an essential question...

Etna like the Moon: on the slopes of the volcano, tests of the European Space Agency's (Esa) autonomous rover, called Interact, which is to collect samples on our satellite, are in fact underway. The simulation, running until July 9, 2022, was organized by the German Aerospace Center (Dlr) with a major participation of Esa, and will allow to verify...

9 times destroyed and 9 times rebuilt. Catania has risen from its ashes after every devastating earthquake. It was 1693, the year of the last earthquake that razed Catania to the ground: the Baroque style reigned in the world of art and architecture. The city was then rebuilt in this style, using the characteristic black lava stone. A choice that h...

Looking to explore the food of Catania? It’s one of Sicily’s most delectable food cities and definitely one for your Italy food bucket list!Hidden in the shadows of Mt. Etna, and overlooking the azure Ionian Sea, is the second largest city of Sicily — Catania. After the 1693 earthquake, Catania was rebuilt with wide market streets, towering buildin...

Fifteen minutes into the biggest game of his life, Alessio Panebianco saw the looks in his teammates’ eyes and realized: We’re gonna lose. This was on a sunny afternoon in December at the Stadio Giuseppe Rizzo in Catania, Sicily, at the foot of Mount Etna. Panebianco’s team, Briganti di Librino, was in its first-ever playoff, against San Gregorio,...