How I Spent 3 Weeks In Sicily

From eating pastries in Palermo to picking olives in the countryside.

When I started traveling to Italy for work in 2018, I got asked two questions by almost every Italian I encountered: Why don’t I speak their language if my last name is Petrarca? And am I Sicilian?

To answer the former, I’ve spent the last year taking Italian lessons, so I can at least say I’m trying. As for the latter, I have no idea. My great-great-grandfather lived in Abruzzo, which is technically considered a region of southern Italy. But whether or not my ancestors were Sicilian is 23andMe’s best guess.

Some Italians will take one look at me, though, and decide that, si, I must have some Sicilian heritage. Curly black hair and olive skin? Case closed. Regardless, I’ve always wanted to visit, and I’ve been saving up for a long time (and opened a Delta credit card 😅) to be able to spend a significant amount of time on the island.

Last month, I finally made the trip, and my experience exceeded my expectations. What a special place. The landscapes were breathtaking, the food nourishing in every way, and the people warm and welcoming. I found this last bit especially remarkable, given that Sicily has had such a rough year. On top of rising temperatures, the island had one of its worst droughts in history due to climate change. In May, the government declared a state of emergency, and it is projected that a third of Sicily will be a desert by 2030. While residents of areas like Caltanissetta, which was only an hour away from one of the places I stayed, went two months without running water, tourists this summer may have hardly noticed, as their water supply was prioritized.

Sicilians are historically resilient, but many of the people I met were open and sometimes emotional about how difficult it has been. I was there, in part, to learn more about olives, and it’s been an exceptionally bad harvest. Farmers are unsure what they will do in the future, and one said his “heart hurt” to see his crop so depleted. So, while, yes, I had a grand time, I want to emphasize that what you see on Instagram or read in this newsletter is not the full story. If you’re going to go, do your research, talk to people, don’t be a ding-dong, etc.

“So, are you here to change your life, or what?” asked one olive grower with a straight face over lunch one afternoon. My response was not no, and I had such a transformative experience that I wanted to share with you what I did. Below is my itinerary, starting with the insane, 9-hour train ride I took from Naples to Palermo, where my train was split in half and put on a boat?!?!?! I’ve never seen grown men so excited.

Me, a train freak, freaking out about my train… being on a boat.

In this email, you will find my recommendations for:

• Palermo

• Ortigia

• Ragusa

• Agrigento

• Cooking school!

• What I’d do next time…

And you can read about everything I packed, here.