Rocco Galatioto, nice photos and good food

These classic building facades, that were ubiquitous throughout Southern Europe have been replaced mostly with more modern ones that lack character.There is now a movement to return to this classic style when rehabilitating old buildings. These images are from the paese's many old building awaiting such rehabilitation.

These two photos show early stage oranges and the white flower is called zagara. It has a very unusual but pleasant perfume. It's almost orchid like in texture.

These are Sicilian panoramas very close to town. Here going to the country means driving a few kilometers .

This shot is in front of ls Mancina, a truly convenient "convenient store." Mrs Mancina tends the counter while her husband sits outside in the shade. He only gets in the way when he tries to help. As is obvious, at this time of the year, cauliflowers are in season along with superb bulb fennel.

With only a handful of tourists still around, some even going to the beach and swimming, the town has assumed a quiet and at times somber look.

The Sicilian Cuisine Blog: Sicilian November tradition: "frutta di Martorana & pupi di zucchero"

It's unbelievable how pleasant and almost summer like the weather is here, It was about 76 degrees here with a pleasant breeze. The photos show what it looks like. .

The Italians produced the car of the future in the middle fifties. It was the FIAT 500, or the famed "cinquecento." It had a two stroke 500 cc engine in the rear and a very spartan interior. The original had a real metal bench in the rear that was soon replaced with back seats. The originsls had doors that opened rear to front or what was called the suicide door on some American cars that had tried this on rear doors. It was very economical and it basically motorized Italy and made it on of the nations that has the largest per capital number of cars. Today, the "cinquecento" has gained a cult status and yearly, people come from all over the world on their cinquecenti" to meet and exchange pleasantries. Of course the new FIAT 500 that is seen in the US is a modern version of that car. It has a physical resemblance to it but it's larger and very high performance. It is not the Spartan and economical car it's predecessor was. This near mint model was park...

This photo of rooftops is from Genova, one of my favorites cities in Italy.

In Italian il Castellaccio, a very unusual hilltop that is almost perfectly conical. I believe that underneath there a space ship that at some future date will shed its rocky outer shell and do it's thing. It is a few kilometers from Castellamare.

One more horse photo. This is a really lovely animal. Part of the horses owned here in Sicily by my friend Dr. Borruso.