THIS is Antonino Santoro and his daughter Chiara who live in Savoca , Sicilia.

Antonino operates a wonderful panificio or bakery here. From the central piazza, you just follow your nose and let the aroma lead you around the corner to VIA CHIESA MADRE 2. Chiara was sitting out front at a table with boxes of the most delicious biscotti one could find. Made with Mandorle  (almonds) and all natural ingredients, it's like the old LAYS potato chip commercial, "Bet you can't eat  (just) one"!

i love trains and along the eastern coast of Sicily is Giarre from where I was going to get the train to eventually get the Circumetna line so I could circumnavigate  Mungi beddu.
It started to rain so i figured, another day. Giarre is also famous for its' iron works

I first heard MICHELA MUSOLINO about  10 years ago in a little club called Satilla I believe somewhere in the 20's in NYC.
I was immediately captured by the supreme quality of her voice  made all so much more beautiful and poetic by the passion with which she performs Traditional Sicilian Folk Music.

She has performed in many places here and abroad and more can be learned about her by following her on Facebook or visiting the site which bears her name. Several years ago was i was in Selinunte Sicilia and I had the good fortune to have photographed her performing at a concert for the poet and song writer PINO VENEZIANO.

This past Tuesday (April15, 2014) she sang at the Opening of a new Sicilian restaurant  called Bella Gioia in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The music still resounds in my head.

SONGS OF  TRINACRIA ( A collection of Sicilian Folk Music) is her first CD and is available I believe from Amazon or from her directly.

NOTO is THE Baroque city in Sicily
A walk through the PORTA REALE begins a wonderful pedestrian experience as cars are generally prohibited. Noto is easily reachable by car which i suggest one has or rents since it allows one the freedom to explore in ways not possible otherwise.

  

 SOME IMAGES OF SALINA WHICH IS ONE
OF THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS AND IS WHERE THE MOVIE IL POSTINO WAS FILMED

 THIS is a blog about Sicilia, The largest island in the Mediterranean and the home of my family on my father's side. It has always had a special meaning to me and as such, I have been going back and forth at least two times a year. I am admittedly lucky and would like to share as must of the island I love so much with you through my photographs. This blog is a continuation of siciliabedda-beddasicilia.blogspot.com  which unfortunately and for reasons unknown to me, I cannot access anymore.  I would like to begin ( or continue) with "La Gente" as it is the people who make the greatest impression, I believe, when one travels. Some images may seem stereotypical especially when one reads the descriptions whenever they accompany the images.  



To Begin, above we have the mother of the 
actress who played Apollonia in the GODFATHER.
Many scenes were filmed in SAVOCA, on the eastern coast
twenty something minutes from Taormina.





Kids celebrating the pre lenten Carnevale in Acireale 
below is a group of men occupying the piazza in Salemi
They saw my camera and immediately "snapped to attention" 
It made my photographing them so easy.