Sicilia
A Journey to
Sicily feels like
coming home.
The air. The land. The sea. Vivid colors and scents surround you at every turn. It is full of mystery and captivates you every second of the day. We are lucky that it not only feels like home, but is Bryan’s literal ancestral land.
“And anyone who has once known this land can never be quite free from the nostalgia for it.”
— D. H. Lawrence
In the early 20th century millions of Southern Italians immigrated to America. They came seeking opportunity and a new life, but their love for their homeland remained integral to their identity. Italian Americans love of family, faith and food is well known in the United States. Their concept of Sunday Supper is a celebration of a heritage that has not been forgotten.
“To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.”
— Goethe
Bryan was the third generation born outside of Italy. He has heritage from other European countries, but his deep connection to Sicily was experienced the first time he stepped on Sicilian soil. He would describe that experience as a transitional moment in his life. A life before Sicily and a life after. It changed the way he thought about his family, his name and his citizenship. One of his greatest joys was when he became a dual citizen of Italy several years ago. Pulling out his Italian passport brings him immense happiness.
Stephanie has no Italian blood, but her heart feels like the mediterranean sea flows through it. Whenever we go to Italy, people are convinced she must have Italian family. Her dark hair and knowledge of the food help her to blend in at any Italian dinner table. Whenever she thinks of a happy place, her memory always takes her back to this beach in Capo d’Orlando. The hot rocks and bright sun meet at the perfectly clear sea. The sound of children playing and parents calling them in for lunch is a memory we both adore.
“All of Sicily is a dimension of the imagination.”
— Leonardo Sciascia
“The loveliest region of Italy: a stunning orgy of colors, scents, and lights…a great delight.”
— Sigmund Freud
“But beneath it all will run that Sicilian understanding that the underside of joy is grief, that the face of sacrifice and suffering is the dark mirror image of pleasure and enjoyment, that every moment of arrival is to be treasured and enjoyed in the full knowledge that it has brought us a moment closer to the moment of departure.”
— Francine Prose
“The South of Italy and Sicily were a gift from the gods to the Greeks.”
— Salvatore Furnari
“Going to Sicily is better than going to the moon.”
— Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez
These photos were taken on several trips to Sicily over the years. We wish you could smell and taste all that it has to offer, but until then we hope you enjoy our Sicilia.
A VISUAL STORYTELLING STUDIO
Los Angeles, California
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