This Editor’s Note originally appeared in the June/July 2024 issue of Dream of Italy. Members receive access to more than 190 back issues—if you’re not a member, join here.
Like all of us, I venture to guess, I never feel like I spend enough time in Sicily. Just like the rest of Italy, it would take several lifetimes to peel back all of the layers on this rich and mysterious island. In this issue, our contributing writer Kevin Raub discovers Enna like delicious Sicilian savory snack. Kevin takes us on a mission to find the best arancini rice balls, to explore the spectacularly preserved site at Morgantina and to see the longest mosaic of ancient times depicting an epic hunting battle.
I find my Italian really ramps up when I am using it daily, especially on my recent trips to Italy. I am always looking for ways to keep that momentum going when I go home to Colorado. I know I would benefit from watching more shows in Italian and asked associate editor Danielle Abbazia to share her latest streaming favorites on Netflix and how watching them could improve all of our language skills.
When in Tuscany last month, a friend took me to Il Silene in the hills near Montalcino and the Val d’Orcia and I simply needed to share the experience with you right away. With just six tables, you will want to reserve ahead but I promise lunch or dinner with Michelin-star chef Roberto Rossi – you must start with a visit to his beautiful garden – will be a memorable and creative experience tied deeply to this beautiful land.
In this issue’s Dream Day, you will discover a fun escape, especially from the heat of the big city. Danielle Abbazia writes about the intricately planned, if slightly kooky, gardens of Bomarzo out in Lazio’s province of Viterbo with its stone monsters and crooked house.
Plus there’s a reminder on the back cover that there’s still time to join me for an October 2024 cruise on Regent Seven Seas Voyager on a 10-day journey from Trieste to Athens. You can find the details at: www.dreamofitaly.com/octobercruise and mention “Dream of Europe” for a $500 shipboard credit
I always welcome your feedback, questions and comments, so feel free to reach out to me at kathy@dreamofitaly.com
—Kathy McCabe