Published on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The oldest known evidence of a wine production center, now confirmed to be 6,000 years old, has been found in a cave in Sicily by a group of researchers from the University of South Florida. The cave contained large terracotta jugs thought to be used as wine vessels. It proves that wine making existed in Italy three millennia before 1200 BC, which was previously belie...

Published on Saturday, July 2, 2016 by Kathy McCabe For 2,000 years, Italians have dreamed of connecting Sicily to the mainland, but various proposals to cross the 3.3-kilometer Strait of Messina through the centuries have never gotten off the ground. Now, Italians are hopeful that the newest idea, a cable car system from the Reggio Calabria airport on the mainland to the Sicilian city of Messina, will become reality. ...

Published on Saturday, December 26, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Perhaps the last thing that comes to mind when thinking of Italy is the Aztecs – but, in one of Italy’s many peculiarities and well-kept secrets, the Sicilian town of Modica  is famous for Aztec chocolate. Passing on their discovery of an interesting new food called xocolatl from the New World, Spanish conquistadors introduced the chocolate to Sicily during the i...

Published on Monday, April 27, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Back in elementary school, you may have used a lemon from your mother’s kitchen to make a simple battery that could power a single lightbulb. Now, imagine if you could use lemons to light up your entire neighborhood: In Sicily, the region’s massive amount of citrus waste (rinds, pulp, seeds) is being used to power a generator that can provide electricity to 333 ho...

Published on Monday, July 28, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web.  Here are our top picks for this week: Do Umbria on A Budget:  Umbria, home to Assisi and green rolling hills, is well worth a visit, and can be done affordably.  (The Guardian) Italy's Prison Paradises:  Though they once held s...

Published on Friday, August 30, 2013 by Steve The Italy Mix is a post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web each week. Here are our top picks for this week: Looking for the Borgias:  Novelist Sarah Dunant  is an expert on the Borgia clan who were true power brokers in 16th-century Italy. (The Daily Mail) 36 Hours in Lecce: This city in the region ...

Published on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 by Kathy McCabe Taormina is one of the most beautiful towns in all of Sicily.  One of the most famous sites in Taormina is the 3rd century Greek theater at Monte Tauro, offering views of Mount Etna. There are also plenty of opportunities for fun in the sun at nearby beaches and golf courses. Taormina is a stop on Perillo's 12-day South & Sicily Tour. Photo by scott1723, f...

Published on Friday, April 12, 2013 by Kathy McCabe Trapani in Sicily is famous for some of Europe's oldest salt marshes - providing tasty sea salt and beautiful to look at as well! Photo by dapho, flickr.com...

Published on Friday, October 19, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The website TheDailyMeal.com has put together a list of the 25 best restaurants in Italy. In a country full of incredible eateries, surely it is daunting task to even consider such a list. The editors came up with the list after a two-month nomination process which produced a list of 100 restaurants that they then shared with a panel of restaurant critics, food writer...

Published on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 by JacobMartin Whether you want to soak in the sun, relax on the beach, or taste some of the world’s best wine, Italian islands have it all. If you are planning a few days off your busy schedule, then an Italian island vacation would be the best way to unwind! There are a number of Italian islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Prominent ones include Sicily, Sardinia, Capri, Ischi...