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“Not only sea, sun and grattatella“, would answer any Sicilian to the question “Christmas in Sicily, really??”. Yes, because, in any season, Sicily offers enchanting views, suggestive places and atmospheres, moments to remember and unique dishes to taste. Yes, really, even at Christmas! The tradition of Christmas here is very strong and you can imm...

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While European governments weigh up new mandates and measures to boost the uptake of Covid jabs there is on the slopes of Sicily’s Monte delle Rose a village with a vaccination rate that defies mathematics: 104%. The figure is in part a statistical quirk – vaccine rates are calculated by Italian health authorities on a town or village’s official po...

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Is there any country on earth that wears its history as lightly as Italy? Roman ruins sit cheek by jowl with Renaissance palazzos, while modern skycrapers cast their long shadows over neoclassical cathedrals. But there are many more reasons why this is the fifth most visited country in the world – the rolling landscapes of Tuscany, the sandy beache...

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The Norman Palace in Palermo, the former seat of the kings of Sicily, is the oldest royal residence in Europe. Its greatest attraction is the Palatine Chapel, where every detail reveals the perfect union among different styles: Latin, Byzantine, Arab -  here’s where the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean blends to reflect that ‘melting pot’ that...

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In Ghosts of the Belle Époque: The History of the Grand Hôtel et des Palmes, Palermo, by Andrew & Suzanne Edwards, the authors have given us a memory story taking place over many times and set in one particular place. The book is jam-packed with events from the turn of the 19th Century through to the present. It is a remarkable achievement to maint...

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In 2021 rose to 58 the number of Italian sites that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now the ranking of the 10 most famous and visited has come out, thanks to the analysis of reviews on Google. All categories have been evaluated: cultural sites, natural sites (5) and cultural landscapes (8) that are part of the 58 UNESCO wonders. However...

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The “Festa dei Morti” is among the most important and felt by the people of Palermo, especially by the children who have been waiting for it with anxiety since the previous weeks, when the city is filled with “Mercatini dei Morti” (markets of the dead). In this blog post I will tell you about the “rituals” that are repeated every year in the houses...

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Sicily, land of vineyards, olive trees, citrus fruits but also of coffee. This is the dream of the Morettino family, which for about 30 years has been carrying out an experimental project that has seen the birth and growth of coffee plants on the island, also thanks to a significant climate change we are witnessing. A strong signal received from na...

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Google is a tool that is now an integral part of the daily life of each of us. Searching for songs, recipes, information and much more on the well-known search engine is a natural action, almost like drinking a glass of water. Among the numerous Google tools there is Destination Insight which is part of Google Travel Insight, useful for monitoring...

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The Cathedral of Monreale near Palermo, Sicily, is one of the world’s greatest examples of Norman architecture, and is especially famous for the dazzling Byzantine mosaics guarded inside. It is part of the Unesco World Heritage site known as “Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale,” inscribed in 2015. The Cathedral is...

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