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Hanging on the edge of the earth, Caltabellotta is a small town in the Province of Agrigento in Sicilia. An intriguing place that will steal your heart and your breath – literally. Be prepared for climbing steep walkways that will leave your heart pounding.
Do visit the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi while in Rome. Take your time and marvel at the three Caravaggio paintings – including the The Calling of St Matthew , The Inspiration of Saint Matthew and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew. I found them by happenstance, as I did the church. I ducked in while waiting for a walking tour to start and the Caravaggio paintings cascaded into my lap reminding me that this is the BEST part of visiting Italy – finding out what you don’t know and then starting to understand how the pieces fit together. Magic.
What have you found lately?
Why did the wedding cake cross the road? Deep in Chianti in the town of Panzano, we had lunch at Solociccia a restaurant of Dario Cecchini – the Butcher of Tuscany. He has several restaurants near his famous butcher shop – Anticia Macelleria Cecchini. and the day we visited they were just bursting to the seams with wedding guests. I looked out the window from our table and noticed that traffic had stopped – so the cake could cross the road, TO GET TO THE RECEPTION ON TIME. Voila!
In 1968 a 6.1 earthquake rattled the Belice valley in Sicily, completely destroying Santa Margherita di Belice – where my grandfather was born. Over 400 people died. Every Italian American family has an earthquake story to tell – it shapes our lives and our future. The photo is of myself and my cousin Fabio Bavetta in the old part of Santa Margherita di Belice (devastation left in place, after the earthquake) when I visited in 2013. Please help those in Amatrice and the surrounding area recover by donating and helping with whatever you can do. Here’s one way to help – donate to the Italian American Relief fund
