{"id":29309,"date":"2024-05-08T21:40:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T01:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=29309"},"modified":"2024-05-09T09:45:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T13:45:37","slug":"outabout-273","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=29309","title":{"rendered":"Out&About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Taormina (italia.it)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Paddy McCarthy<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello again to all my Out&About readers, I was away for a week on vacation in Sicily, Italy that I have to say was absolutely fabulous and a dream come true for me. I went with my family on this trip that we\u2019d planned for a very long time and it worked out very well as we had what you would call \u201ceverything that we every expected\u201d only better than we thought. Now don\u2019t get me wrong, my heart will always still be in Ireland that I will be visiting later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here we go with our first stop as we started by flying from JFK to fly to Taormina\u00a0that is on the eastern coast of Sicily. I am going to give you a run down on our vacation as I was still Out&About, ha ha, with some photos, so here we go and I hope you enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taormina\u00a0is in the\u00a0Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of\u00a0Sicily,\u00a0Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the\u00a0Ionian Sea, including that of\u00a0Isola Bella, are accessible via an\u00a0aerial tramway\u00a0built in 1992, and via highways from\u00a0Messina\u00a0in the north and\u00a0Catania\u00a0in the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just south of Taormina is the\u00a0Isola Bella, a\u00a0nature reserve; and further south, situated beside a bay, is the popular seaside resort of\u00a0Giardini Naxos. Tours of the Capo Sant\u2019Andrea\u00a0grottos\u00a0are also available. The town of Taormina is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the ancient Greek theatre, it has many old churches, lively bars, fine restaurants and antique shops. The Santuario Madonna della Rocca is one such church. Located on the slope above the town, it commands an impressive view of the coast and Mount Etna to the south, and is accessible on foot via the staired path, Salita Castello.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taormina is approximately a forty-five-minute drive away from Europe\u2019s largest active volcano,\u00a0Mount Etna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many exhibitions and events are organized during the summer in Taormina. The exceptional stage for pop and classical concerts, opera and important performances often recorded by television (for example, the ceremony of the Silver Ribbon Award, the Festivalbar, the Kore) is the Ancient Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1983, the most important performances are realized by Taormina Arte, the cultural institution which organizes music, theatre and dance festivals. Within the program of Taormina Arte there is the\u00a0Taormina Film Fest, the heir of the Cinema Festival of Messina and Taormina, dating from 1960, which for about twenty years has hosted the David of Donatello Awards. During the Taormina Film Fest, the Silver Ribbons are awarded, a prize created by Italian Film Journalists. Since 2005, in October, Taormina Arte has organized the\u00a0Giuseppe Sinopoli\u00a0Festival, a festival dedicated to its late artistic director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spent four days in Taormina before driving all the way to the city of Palermo, that was again way above than we expected, just fabulous with a lot of scenery and museums to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Palermo (italia.it)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So here we go again: Palermo experiences a hot-summer subtropical\u00a0Mediterranean climate\u00a0with moderate seasonality. Summers are very long, hot and dry due to the domination of subtropical high-pressure system, while winters are mild and changeable, with rainy weather due to the polar front. Temperatures in autumn and spring are typically warm. Palermo is one of the warmest cities in Europe (mainly due to its warm nights), with an average annual air temperature of 64\u00a0\u00b0F; it is one of the warmest cities in Italy. It receives approximately 2,530 hours of sunshine per year. Snow is a rare occurrence having snowed about a dozen times since 1945. Since the 1940s to nowadays there have been at least five times when considerable snowfall has occurred. In 1949 and in 1956, when the minimum temperature went down to 32\u00a0\u00b0F, the city was blanketed by some centimeters of snow. Snowfalls also occurred in 1981, 1986, 1999 and 2014. The average annual temperature of the sea is above 66\u00a0\u00b0F; from 57\u00a0\u00b0F in February to 79\u00a0\u00b0F in August. In the period from November to May, the average sea temperature exceeds 64\u00a0\u00b0F and in the period from June to October, the average sea temperature exceeds 70\u00a0\u00b0F\u2026 as you can see I\u2019m also becoming the weatherman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sicily\u00a0is the largest and most populous island in the\u00a0Mediterranean Sea\u00a0and one of the 20\u00a0regions\u00a0of\u00a0Italy. It is one of the five\u00a0Italian autonomous regions\u00a0and is officially referred to as\u00a0Regione Siciliana. The island has 4.8 million inhabitants. Its\u00a0capital city\u00a0is\u00a0Palermo. It is named after the\u00a0Sicels, who inhabited the eastern part of the island during the\u00a0Iron Age. Sicily has a rich and unique culture in\u00a0arts,\u00a0music,\u00a0literature,\u00a0cuisine, and\u00a0architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the\u00a0Italian Peninsula\u00a0in\u00a0continental Europe; it is separated from\u00a0Calabria\u00a0by the\u00a0Strait of Messina. Its most prominent landmark is\u00a0Mount Etna, the tallest active\u00a0volcano\u00a0in Europe, and is one of the most active in the world, currently 3,357\u00a0m (11,014\u00a0ft) high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The island has a typical\u00a0Mediterranean climate. Sicily and its surrounding small islands have some highly active volcanoes. This is due to Sicily being geographically on the northern edge of the\u00a0African Plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and casts black ash over the island with its recurrent eruptions. It stands 10,922\u00a0ft high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 69\u00a0ft lower now than it was in 1981. It is the highest mountain in Italy south of the\u00a0Alps. Etna covers an area of 459\u00a0sq\u00a0mi with a basal circumference of 87\u00a0mi. This makes it the largest of the three\u00a0active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest,\u00a0Mount Vesuvius. In\u00a0Greek mythology, the deadly monster\u00a0Typhon\u00a0was trapped under the mountain by\u00a0Zeus, the god of the sky.\u00a0Mount Etna is widely regarded as a cultural symbol and icon of Sicily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food in Sicily is something you won\u2019t forget specially its pizza as it is mouthwatering and delicious from every bite. The wine wow, again it\u2019s the best and guess what? It\u2019s not expensive as it is in the USA, don\u2019t ask me why? Maybe it\u2019s the mark up that they put on it here huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sicilian pizza\u00a0(Italian:\u00a0pizza siciliana) is a\u00a0pizza\u00a0prepared in a manner that originated in\u00a0Sicily, Italy. Sicilian pizza is also known as\u00a0sfincione\u00a0or\u00a0focaccia\u00a0with toppings. This type of pizza became a popular dish in western Sicily by the mid-19th century and was the type of pizza usually consumed in Sicily until the 1860s. It eventually reached North America in a slightly altered form, with thicker crust and a rectangular shape. Traditional Sicilian pizza is often thick-crusted and rectangular, but can also be round and similar to the\u00a0Neapolitan pizza. It is often topped with\u00a0onions,\u00a0anchovies,\u00a0tomatoes,\u00a0herbs\u00a0and strong\u00a0cheese\u00a0such as\u00a0caciocavallo\u00a0and\u00a0tomato. Other versions do not include cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sicilian methods of making pizza are linked to local\u00a0culture\u00a0and country traditions, so there are differences in preparing pizza among the Sicilian provinces of\u00a0Palermo,\u00a0Catania,\u00a0Syracuse\u00a0and\u00a0Messina. I hope you enjoy my cooking and our chef doesn\u2019t mind, just kidding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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James O\u2019Leary<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I missed this event last week and you know why? Yes, I was away but I do want to highlight this gentleman James O\u2019Leary<\/strong>, as he deserves a lot of gratitude for all that he does for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I said, I got this from James letting me know that he is the recipient of Con Edison\u2019s<\/strong> highest honor with this year\u2019s\u00a0Living Our Values\u00a0(LOV) Award<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an award that acknowledges employee excellence both professionally and personally. He said that he would like to attribute his award to the many things he done in his personal life but also the contributions and collaboration with The\u00a0Irish Examiner USA<\/em> newspaper.\u00a0Now I like that, thanks James.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also said \u201cI am proud of my Catholic Faith and my Irish (and Italian) background. I champion these things on a daily basis. Many thanks to you and your team at the\u00a0Examiner\u00a0for showcasing our employees, our members and our lifestyles. Thank you as always, for everything you all do \u2013 looking forward to seeing you at the next event!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also came to my attention, a letter that was sent to James from the Archbishop of New York Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan<\/strong>: \u201cDear James, Sincere congratulations on receiving Con Edison\u2019s highest honor, the Living Our Values Award! Bravo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have consistently kept both your Catholic values and your Irish and Italian heritage at the center of who you are and all you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn so doing, you have not only achieved professional success, but also served as an effective witness to the faith, something that your colleagues at Con Edison have clearly recognized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I regret that other commitments prevent me from joining you as you are honored at the Bronx Botanical Gardens, be assured that you will have a special remembrance in my Mass and prayers that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have to give this letter a mention too from Timothy Cawley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Con\u2008Edison<\/strong>. It said: \u201cDear James, Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a 2024 Living Our Values Award (LOV) recipient, Con Edison\u2019s highest honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery year, the company acknowledges employee excellence by presenting the LOV award to six of our own who best represent our corporate values both professionally and personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFared Abbassi<\/strong> nominated you for this significant honor because of your contributions to Con Edison and your community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongratulations on this outstanding achievement. Your contributions have made a positive impact on our company and our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now you can see how James O\u2019Leary is so appreciated and we here would also like to congratulate James for all the support that he and the Con Edison Emerald Society<\/strong> give to The Irish Examiner USA<\/em> we that appreciate so much ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope to see you all again next week when I am Out&About once more\u2026 <\/p>\n

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