Will it work?

 It's just a little stick+

He showed me how to prepare a grape branch for grafting

It is an especially sweet grape 

growing in the fertile soil, under spewing  Mt Etna Volcano.

We walked through the vineyard, always aware of the smoke rising from Mt Etna

Every now and then flying rocks from Mt Etna volcano remind everyone who is  in charge. 

And what about that stick?

It came home with me to give to my neighbor who is going to graft it onto his grape stock. 

  What else do you give a neighbor who has taken such good care of my animals  and property while I was having a grand time in Italy. 

Salute

Gina

Life under the spewing Volcano

 No one seems to worry.

At the Palermo market

shopping with chef Alessandra

Learning "how"

Rolling small amount of dough with thumb down the wooden board. Makes perfect gnocchi and other round pasta. 

After lunch we were given a private tour of the Palazzo. 

My heart took a few little extra beats when I saw these beautiful and old ceramic vessels. 

Monmerale an Arab-Norman Cathedral built in 1200.

Palermo

Incredible artistry,  Monmerale Mosaics  

Mosaics which tell the story of the Bible.

Very small pieces of glass allow for every detail and every individual expression. 

Greek Architecture at the Valley of the Temples of 

Agrigento, Sicily, the largest  Island in the Mediterranean.

Agrigento, a Roman city , Sicily's southwest shore. 

Greek Columns 597 AD.

Does this structure look familiar?

Sunset at the Valley of the Temples. 

A perfect day in Sicily.

Gina

Caltagirone, Sicily

Staircase connects upper and lower hill town of Caltagirone.
142 Stteps were built in the 1600s and hand painted ceramic tiles were affixed in the 18th century.

I painted 200 tiles for a  new horse arena in Florida.

Wishing you a great week,

Gina