From October through December, 2021, I traveled from Palermo, Sicily — the city of my paternal grandfather — to Treviso, Veneto: the origin region of my maternal grandfather.

Those first two months I thought you were homeless.

It’s taken me a while to write Part 4, mostly because in telling this story in four parts, I’ve come to believe that Part 4 should signify something conclusive.

Below is the story of Katarina: an elderly woman I encountered twice in Sicily. With no way to contact her, this letter is my way of making sense of what I cannot change, un-see, and un-learn.

The truth of the matter is this: if I never had to pee, I never would have returned to where I started.

You know that children’s book, Roses for Anna? Where all the girl (Anna) wants to do is get a flower for her mom?

Marineo is the kind of place the world forgets. Hidden in the mountains, the village sinks between granite while a dainty cross stretches from the town’s peak like an inverted charm on a necklace.

With a rising cohort of creatives, Palermo is Sicily’s Milan—with fewer crowds and double the charm.

Sicily’s All-Encompassing Getaway

Here are 25 foods and flavors you can’t miss while you’re on the island.

The Sicilian city’s puppeteers are finding novel ways to keep the art form alive.

A complete guide to Palermo's dining out scene for all your food and drink needs.

In a year where cafe culture has been reduced to takeout orders and outdoor lawn chairs, it’s comforting to think about the spaces and people who welcomed me with open arms and full mugs.

No historical city is complete without a palace (or five) but Sicilian palaces are fit for a lot more than just kings.

You simply cannot conquer the world’s most conquered city in a day.

When we think of an ice cream sandwich, we think of a block of artificial, freezer-burnt ice cream stuffed between two soft chocolate crackers.

The drive to Modica makes me feel as though I am in Willy Wonka.

To get to know Sicily you must first get around it—a feat that isn’t as easy as it seems. 

You can tell a lot about a timeframe, not to mention a person, by its defining books.

Charcuterie, who? The French aren’t the only ones to have mastered the art of curated food boards.

I’ve been thinking about the libraries I’ve harbored in my own head. No matter where I am in the world, no matter what happens outside of my mind, the books I’ve digested stay with me.

Below you’ll find my Italian reading list as well as a compilation of story fragments that evoke the sentiments of Sicily.